As we move deeper into Fishing High Season here in Puerto Vallarta we see little change from the previous week. In fact if you read last weeks article, it´s pretty much the same. Having said that there have been some microscopic changes as late with Dorado moving, but don´t get your panties in a bunch, the numbers are not impressive. Marlin this week are averaging in the 450 to 600 lb range with very few boats heading to El Banco. Corbeteña is full of Sailfish and Cubera Snappers. Water temps are in the ¨perfect¨ range of 86 degrees. Blue Water, Plenty of Bait, Any Day Now… Any Day Now!
El Banco Explodes with Marlin and Sailfish Written by: Stan Gabruk owner of Master Baiter´s Sportfishing & Tackle Normally the month of September is one of the slowest months of the year for tourism as temperatures are up, humidity is up and the fishing moves into high gear! Blue Water is everywhere and the […]
As you already know if you´ve been reading my weekly articles that the water due to strong and swirling currents is still dirty, coffee colored water. This is of course due to the muck being stirred up on the Sea and Bay floor bottom. But there seems to be some good news, things are getting a little better and soon we´ll be seeing some clean water, hopefully. For those adventurous souls who brave the ¨dirty tide¨ and head out past Punta Mita, you´ll find high visibility blue water. In that blue water is Sailfish and larger Black and Blue Marlin.
The good news is El Banco and Corbeteña are sitting in clean blue water! We still aren´t seeing Dorado anywhere of any size, but we do have Big Black Marlin, Sailfish and Cubera Snapper. So the ¨doom and gloom¨ period is coming to an end. So if you´re in the mood to boat some world class fish, then I suggest El Banco where Capt. Hector of Bella Del Mar, our 28ft Super Pango boated an 800 lb Marlin, Released four Sailfish and had two Marlin chasing baits. This floored me because we´ve been seeing 400 to 600 lb Marlin, decent sized but not large by any means. Now with the abundant bait in the form of Skip jack Tuna (at 10 lbs), Bonito, Flying fish, Goggle Eyes and more it´s nature’s version of McDonalds out there in ¨Fish City¨.
If you´ve been following my articles you already know the main fishing grounds have been taken over by muddy, dirty water from the seasonal rains. Not that this is abnormal, it´s just lasting longer than expected. The good news is the dirty water is finally clearing out of Corbeteña and loosening up around the Marietta Islands. Areas north of Punta Mita are cleaner, with local bay waters presenting challenges. Now if you find clean water which is just north of Corbeteña by about five miles you´ll find Sailfish and Marlin. So it´s not all doom and gloom for fishing, but you´ll need a little luck and an experienced captain.
For the last few days we´ve seen some heavy rains and this of course translates to muddy, dirty water washing down the hills and into the rivers. This of course means the rivers dump into the ocean at some point. Here in Marina Vallarta we have at least three rivers that spill into the Bay of Banderas creating a Trash Line. But it also brings dirty, coffee colored adobe mud water to the whole area. This is a good thing until it becomes too much. Too much means there are heavy rains locally and the amount of water filling the bay is magnified to the point of undesirable conditions. In a nutshell, the bay has dirty water, so the fishing isn´t exactly easy at the moment.
Summer is definitely here amigos, the temperatures are up, the humidity is setting records and the seasonal rains ¨for better or worse¨ are back, kinda. Except for the rain coming back, the conditions are pretty much the same as last week. Pretty much we´re still seeing the same species in our world famous fishing grounds. The Bad news is no Yellowfin Tuna of any size to speak of as yet. Sure we have the Football YF Tuna in the 60 lb range roaming around El Banco north and Corbeteña. But short of Dorado and Yellowfin Tuna the fishing is great. Not perfect, but with Sailfish and Marlin to 700lbs you´re going to have to spend some time looking and do some work. And if you´re looking for the quick bite as the bait hits the water, well that´s not going to happen.
With Marlin and Sailfish ¨On Tap¨ combined with perfect blue water stuffed full of bait, it´s time to get serious. All around the west coast of Mexico from Cabo to points south of Manzanillo tournaments are springing up everywhere. Puerto Vallarta´s World Famous Fishing Grounds are turning a corner now as we enter the High Season for Fishing. It´s wide open at Corbeteña and El Banco to Punta Mita with the fishing grounds completely empty. No people or in other words ¨Deserted¨. You normally couldn´t pay for this luxury, and now you can have it all for the price of a decent boat and experienced Captain.
Being here in PV for as long as I have it´s funny how days in paradise can kinda meld together into seasons. The Season I see coming at us is very promising. Ten years ago, come July we had Yellowfin tuna footballs in early July. As we do NOW. Ten years ago as NOW we had perfect blue water at the deep water locations of El Banco and Corbeteña. Considered one of the top ten fishing locations in the world Puerto Vallarta is the place for fishing on the west coast of Mexico! Ten years ago we had super large Marlin move in overnight. Just like NOW. But ten years ago you couldn´t find space to drop a line around the rock or the High Spots. NOW, you can have the whole place almost to yourself. Imagine having one of the best places on the planet for fishing to yourself. It´s Mind Boggling and Priceless!
Well we´re looking at another week where the ¨lucky¨ one is the guy who showed up! With tourism down as the heat increases in Puerto Vallarta this is exactly when the serious Big Game fisherman wants to be here in our famous fishing grounds. It´s been wide open and those who do make it out on the water are catching trophy sized fish. Now picture yourself as the only boat in the area with species like this waiting for someone to show up. This is the exact situation here and now. Unusual, not so unusual from the last few years. With warm water conditions and plenty of bait these Trophy Billfish are closer in than you might expect, which of course means less fuel or as it actually equates to, less fuel buck for your ¨Fish Fix¨.
