Cool Water, Yellowfin Tuna Linger, Dorado Thinning, Winter Fishing Coming on Strong

The clock is ticking and the end of the summer fishing season is upon us. But there is still time for those late to the game. Surprisingly Dorado are still in the bay. Sailfish are still taking bait, Striped Marlin are moving in and the winter fishing season is coming on strong. Soon fishing in Puerto Vallarta will be all about winter species. But not yet! If you’re looking to boat a Yellowfin Tuna, the clock is ticking. Thinking about a Blue Marlin, it may already be too late. But those looking for Dorado still have a chance. Sailfish will “hang” for a while, as long as we have plenty of bait. For those here in Puerto Vallarta looking to go fishing, we’re still targeting summer species, but the clock is ticking. Tick tock, tick tock.

Corbetena is alive and well. Blue water, Striped Marlin are moving in, plenty of bait in the form of Skip Jack Tuna! The Dorado are still thick and frankly a bit of pain if targeting Yellowfin Tuna in the 40 to 100 lb range. Mostly in the 40 to 60 lb range and if you find Spinner Dolphin, you’ve hit the jackpot. If you’ve been following you know we have a couple of buoys out there from the commercial fisherman. The one to the north is being heavily fished and it looks like maybe “over-fished”. But the one to the south is being mostly ignored and that’s the secret. Now keep this to yourself, but the Dorado around this particular buoy are thick, hitting the abundant Skip Jack Tuna (Skippies). The rest of this “secret” is the Yellowfin Tuna mentioned earlier is a little north of the buoys. Now running into this many Dorado wouldn’t normally be disappointing. But the simple fact is if you’re targeting Yellowfin Tuna, if you’re not a bit off this buoy, the Dorado will attack your bait before a Yellowfin Tuna can get to it! That’s some problem to have, wouldn’t you say. Now for some reason we’ve had a real weak Blue and Black Marlin season this year, but now that water temperatures are in decline, Striped Marlin, who like cooler water temps, are moving in. As the days go by these Striped Marlin will be picking up in numbers as they come down from the Cabo San Lucas’s fishing grounds. Sailfish numbers are beginning to wane, but for now you’ve still got a shot! These conditions should stay the same for the next few weeks so you better get your butt in gear, tick tock, tick tock….

Finally the area from the Marietta Islands (protected Marietta islands that is) to the point off Punta Mita, aka Punta Nayarit, Sailfish and Dorado are running the area. Not as thick as Corbetena, but they’re closer in, just a few miles of the beach. There are also Jack Crevalles at 25 to 35 lbs, Bonito 15 lbs. If you’re looking for action, you’ll find it. There have been some Striped Marlin sightings, but so far none have been boated in this area. And that’s about it for now! With all the Sardines and varied bait in this area, you’d expect Roosters to be at the ready, but you’d be wrong. There could be some Rooster fish off the Cabo Corrientes area, a favorite hangout for these strong fighters. I don’t have any information, but my cracked and flawed crystal ball is telling me it may be worth a chance. Feeling lucky?

Fishing in the bay is amazing right now. You probably wouldn’t expect the cooling water to support Sailfish and Dorado in the 20 lb range, but for now the area around Los Arcos and Punta Negra (Garza Blanca area) has had its share of these golden fish. Throw in Jack Crevalles, Sierra Mackerels, Bonito at 15 lbs, Skip Jack Tuna and a real shot at boating a Sailfish and you’ve got great holiday season action for the family. There’s nothing better than watching your “younglings” bringing in size appropriate fish. But be warned, you may need to hold on to the belt of your young ones as insurance! I’m smiling as I write this, it reminds me of my father when I was a “youngling” myself. If you’re a bit north of Nuevo Vallarta there are Sailfish all the way up to La Cruz Marina, but in reality it’s “action landia” with Jack Crevalles on tap. Fun to catch but they’re not exactly good eating. If you find a chef that knows his stuff, he can make them taste good. I’d suggest you target the Dorado and Bonito, then take them to Victors Café Te Cuba in Marina Vallarta, where they’ll cook it five different ways!

We have blue water, massive bait in the form of flying fish, green runners, Ballyhoos, Sardines and more. For some reason Ballyhoos are ignored by the local bait guys, but you won’t find a better bait to use in the bay. If you need any, contact me. The water is blue everywhere except where you find “red-water”.  Not red tide, but red water from the blankets of red Krill. The water temperatures are in between 79 to 78 degrees. Normally not a good thing, but for now the fish seem fine with it. But this could change quickly. We’ve been putting people out at 06:30 this week, and the bite is from about 07:30, but it’s continuing for most of the day. So when you get out isn’t that important.The clock is ticking amigos, Tick Tock, Tick Tock….  

Until next week, don’t forget to kiss your fish!

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