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Marina Vallarta Las Palmas I Local 3

Blue Water, Plenty of Bait, Perfect Water Temps, No Wonder Lots of Fish NOW!

Written by Stan Gabruk, owner Master Baiter´s Sportfishing and Tackle

I have been looking at the present conditions and trying to not get too excited about the things I am seeing. From my desk in Marina Vallarta I am on top of things and i see what has been happening with our world famous fishing grounds. One thing that is happening is there is just a ton of bait everywhere in the bay and outside the bay! Water temperatures are hovering in the 82 to 84 degree mark which is perfect for Yellowfin Tuna and Black Marlin. Skip Jack Tuna as a bait is everywhere. Some are in the twenty pound range, others are bullets. But the size of the bait is not important, what is important is there are fish to be caught and you don’t need to spend a fortune right now to have the time of your life!

Dorado HookUp and Rose Lentz,  Fish "N" Chick
Dorado HookUp and Rose Lentz, Fish "N" Chick

Lets start with the deep water locations of El Banco or The Bank in English and Corbetena. Yellowfin are moving in nicely in sizes ranging from 20 lbs to 80lbs, it just depends on the luck of the draw. The nice thing about the Yellowfin Tuna in these areas is they’re hungry. Right now a Cedar Plug, the oldest technology out there and the cheapest lure you can buy is working like it always has! Poppers, Plugs, live bait, it all works right now and the YF Tuna are in the “mood”. While it is still early for Black Marlin we have seen some hook-ups the last couple of days and they’ve  been youngsters in the 150 lb range. For Black Marlin, it’s too small to keep and frankly why keep billfish anyway…. Always release when possible!  In reality it is still early for Yellowfin Tuna as well, so to have both Marlin and Tuna at the High Spots at El Banco is exciting.

Dorado, Rose Lentz Big Dorado for the local papers
Dorado, Rose Lentz Big Dorado for the local papers

Now Corbetena is a little more versatile location for sure. Now there are Yellowfin Tuna in the same size range as we just mentioned, but there is the possibility of Sailfish, Dorado and Marlin here as well. Cubera Snappers are always in the structure for sure, but right now, there is plenty of action from Cabo Corrientes to El Morro to Corbetena.

From shore to El Banco, fifty miles out we see the water temperatures and currents doing exactly what we want to see at this time of the year. This is an indication that the currents are running a little closer in to shore and hitting El Banco head on this year. Unlike the last couple of years when we were looking for Yellowfin we were looking outside of El Banco. This meant a lot of would be Marlin Fisherman decided to go golfing instead of dealing with a day in excess of twelve hours. This year with the recent hurricane activities hanging close to the shore south of PV, when these storm tracks head out to sea the Hurricanes seem to dissipate quickly once they hit 175 miles or so out  to sea. To me this says cooler water is out there. For those who may remember these things, warm water will build the strength of hurricanes and cool water will tear them down. Now when we you see this happen as it has twice now in the last couple of months, it means there is cooler water out there. So again warm water / currents are hitting Corbetena and El Banco dead on, not like the last three years. This in turn keeps the billfish and game fish closer in to shore and that makes it better for all of us, fisherman and fishing companies. This is exciting stuff and for those of us who pay attention to this sort of stuff it is an early indication of how the currents are going so lets hope this continues into August!

If you are looking for Dorado then you have a moving target. These gold and blue beauties have been hanging out in  some serious numbers near Guyavitos in the 20 to 45 lb range anywhere from two to seven miles from shore. They are thick and taking bait. Dorado are also at the Marietta Islands and around Punta Mita, but they will be in the 25lb range at most for the moment. We should be seeing more Dorado in the area, especially at this time of the year. This should change shortly… stay tuned.

For those looking for Rooster fish we have seen the numbers hovering in the not too abundant arena. But that is not to say you won’t have a strike by this quill headed demon! The Marietta Islands near the reefs are still producing some Rooster fish. The area around Punta Mita is also showing some improved signs of life with Rooster fish around Anclote the reef. I would not make a  special trip for Roosters if I were you, but if you’re in the area targeting Dorado, you may have some luck so run a silver diamond jig just in case!

Inside the bay it is still a great value for your fishing dollar. Some days it is actually better fishing in the bay than at the deep water locations. Magnifico (31 ft  Bertram Classic) went out the other day to El Banco and found the fishing better in the bay on the way back in. In fact seven miles out of the Marina there were herds of Yellowfin Footballs in the 20 to 30lb range. It looked like a giant boiling pot of water as the birds were diving and the tuna jumping! So keep an eye on the bay, Near Yelapa to Chimo and points close in to the north there are small, very small Black Marlin and Small Sailfish to be had. Surprising, yes, impossible, of course not. Anything in the bay is possible right now with the perfect water and bait conditions we presently have.

Magnifico 31 ft. Bertram Classic, Master Baiter's Guaranteed Boat!
Magnifico 31 ft. Bertram Classic, Master Baiter's Guaranteed Boat!

In fact there is so much bait in the water, if you draw a line from Punta Mita to El Banco, there is so much bait in the water that it looks like just one boil after another! So all the building blocks are in place, we just need the players to get here so the game can begin in Ernest!

For those of you thinking of entering our local tournaments from Barra to Manzanillo, Master Baiter’s Captains are the best in Puerto Vallarta with many being multi-tournament winners. We keep our prices down as much as possible for tournaments because we like to be in the action too! So if saving some money and not paying double the regular price of a charter per day appeals to you, then contact me about the tournament you are interested in and we will fix you up with tried and true captains, boats and crews with fresh line, top notch equipment and tackle and of course English speaking, professional crews of course! So come be part of Team Master Baiter’s and find out for yourself that “We Won’t Jerk You Around!”

Magnifico, Tuna Tubes, Fighting chair, Top Notch Tackle and Equip.
Magnifico, Tuna Tubes, Fighting chair, Top Notch Tackle and Equip.

That’s about it for now, until next week, don´t forget to kiss your fish!

As the oldest fishing company in Puerto Vallarta and the only company with any World Recognized Fishing Championships like the WBS Billfishing Series Grand Champions (2000 and 2001) under our belt. Nobody, but nobody in Puerto Vallarta can come close to us in quality or price when it comes to world class fishing boats. We work for your business which explains why seventy percent of my business at Master Baiter´s is return business! You work hard for your precious vacation, money is hard enough to come by, you don´t need to worry about the companies you are dealing with! Remember, at Master Baiter´s Sportfishing and Tackle, We Won´t Jerk You Around! If you have any questions on any subject regarding fishing or Puerto Vallarta, feel free to ask!

For questions or suggestions you can reach me at: CatchFish@MasterBaiters.com.mx

The trade name Master Baiter’s ® Sportfishing and Tackle is protected under trade mark law and is the sole property to Stan Gabruk.  Always ask to speak with Stan to insure product quality and to insure you are working with the true Master Baiter´s ® and not an imposter