Fish R Where U Find Them, U Won’t Be looking Long, Puerto Vallarta Sportfishing Takes Off!
After the first of the year, mid January at the latest we set into the winter fishing mode and focus our fishing on Dorado, Sailfish and Jack Crevalls. But as we dip into early summer in June we begin to see the larger Species trickle in. Now that we are in mid July we see the summer species of Yellowfin Tuna in the 100 lb plus range or larger start to roll into Corbeteña and El Banco. We also see the Black Marlin and Sailfish become more abundant and larger! Sportfishing in Puerto Vallarta is improving daily and finally there are people in Puerto Vallarta to enjoy these fantastic deep sea fishing conditions!
Lets start with the deeper, blue water location of El Banco, we’ve seen some slowing this week with smaller Yellowfin Tuna running in the 60 to 80 lb range. Black Marlin are finally setting up house as the resident species for El Banco as they slowly come back. One thing we need to remember about El Banco is that fish move. One day there will be large fish everywhere around the high spots. Other days you will have to keep an eye out for the birds and work your way out from the high spots west or north.. And sometimes south… Just pick a direction. No matter which direction you head, get a report before you go out. There is plenty of bait, the water is a little green, but clean. All and all, worth your time and your precious fuel dollar! Striped, Blue and Black Marlin are all players here lately. Sorry, Dorado are still absent without leave (AWOL)!
Corbeteña has been surprising this week with Yellowfin Tuna moving into the area. Now they´re football sized, but abundant. Nothing wrong with boating a bunch of these. Keep your eyes out for the spinner dolphin, the ¨Footballs¨ run with them so they´re always a welcome site! Sailfish, Cubera Snappers, Amber Jacks and more are also in the area. Lots of Sardines and bonito for bait, but don´t take chances, if you can make bait on the way, do it! Live bait is still king, but lures have been working as well. The past week it was on the verge of dirty, but we have had some very favorable weather conditions keeping the seas smooth and fast. Oh, the Black Marlin here have been running in the 800 lb neighborhood, Large Cubera Snappers, even the occasional Wahoo, so get out there!
Anywhere from El Morro, to Punta Mita, to Cabo Correntes is alive with action. You can actually have a short day and catch Billfish. In front of La Cruz Marina down the shoreline to Nuevo Vallarta, Sailfish, Bonito, Jack Crevalls, Sierra Mackerals all large for their species, averaging in the 25 to 40 lb range. Skip Jacks around the Yelapa area around the coastline. With the rain, the river mouths are just packed with Snook or Roballo in Spanish. Great tasting and you don´t even need a boat to get to them. Cast from shore at a river mouth, just pick one, and you´ll be eating well that evening. White meat and sweet, these fish are fairly unknown and very under-rated.
El Morro to the Marietta Islands have been a little short on Sailfish for some reason, could be because they’re all in the bay chasing all those sardines! But there are still large rooster fish in excess of 40lbs, Snappers are starting to turn up again, you´ve always got the Bonito, Skip Jacks and Jack Crevalls to fill in the blank spots and they do it very well on light tackle. It´s just impossible to say you will not come in with fish right now. But then again, anything can happen and usually does!
Those looking to stay in the bay, just find the trash line. This is a sure fire source of Rooster fish and many other species. Always in the bay, I have seen trash lines way outside of the bay. The farther out, the bigger the fish, feeding on smaller fish. So I just gave you all the motivation you need to get off that couch and get in the game amigos. The fishing is incredible, close in and even the cloudy days are a blessing with cool temperatures on the water.
Just a reminder, when you are out on a boat fishing here in PV, remember this is summer under an equator sun, it will cook the fair skin types like a potato chip. Those who get sun regularly, you still need to be cautious. One hour in the sun here is like three to four in the states.
Now to switch gears a little. Make sure when heading out fishing you are with a real company with licenses and most importantly insurance! The boats that have legal and tax paying companies behind them are dropping like flies with pirate fishing companies putting them out of business. The regulators are like that of the states, they really don´t regulate, they take mordidas or bribes. A cheaper price on an unsafe boat is just a recipe for disaster, pain or worse. If you do business with anyone not having a place of business, say just a web page or some guy walking down the boardwalk, they have no accountability. God forbid should something happen there will not be anything they will do. You cannot go to the authorities because they are not liable if anyone gets hurt since they are a private party boat. Basically you went fishing with friends is the deal. Now with Gaffs, hooks, poles, flying hooks and lures, not to mention all the small and not so small hazards on a fishing boat, don´t take chances with your life or your families’ life. This holds true for Mexico, USA, Hawaii or Panama. Just a friendly word of advice, companies going out of business will be asking cheap prices, look for the value, not the price!
We’ve seen a low pressure set up house over the center of Mexico, which has kept the temperatures down, humidity up and the fishing is great. I predict a great year for Puerto Vallarta Sportfishing as we see the early arrival of large Yellowfin Tuna, Black Marlin, plenty of bait and perfect water temperatures, so prospects are good. August marks the beginning of Monster Season with Tuna in excess of 200 lbs. Hotel rooms are cheap and available, and the dollar is really strong right now. If you purchase pesos in the states, you get a much, much better rate of exchange than you will get here in PV. It is like getting an extra ten percent or more on your purchases because you came to Mexico with the national currency. When you go back home, you get a better rate of payment for excess pesos also. Again, more money in your pocket, so keep that information in your back pocket and get your butts down here! Any bank can handle this if you tell them a few days before you come down, they will have it delivered and the inter bank rate is what you will get, they don´t take commissions so you get it all at the market rate. Watch the rates and if you come to México regularly, then when the peso is high to the dollar, it´s like mone y in the bank… again, for the guy trying to get the most bang for his vacation dollar, a little work will add up to big savings and more money for the wife…. Remember her, she will like the idea if she knows she is going to get some of this… wink, wink!
Don´t be fooled by imposters in Puerto Vallarta using my corporate and trademarked name of Master Baiter’s® Sportfishing and Tackle. If anyone other than Stan Gabruk, the owner contacts you via email, you are being scammed! These folks have gone as far as coping my web site almost word for word to confuse my age old clients. You can reach me at my web page of MasterBaiters (dot) com (dot) mx, that way you know you have the original and only Master Baiter´s which is located in Marina Vallarta! Trade Marks on file with proof is necessary!
Until next week, don´t forget to kiss your fish!
Master Baiter’s is now all over the place. Stan Gabruk post articles as a feature writer in publications, reputable web sites, Vallarta Fishing Experience host and member of better known fishing social networking sites. As the Premier Fishing Company in Puerto Vallarta, we pride ourselves on service and value to our customers. All boats are insured and have correct and legal operational licenses. Feel free to contact Stan at: CatchFish@MasterBaiters.com.mx. You can also purchase one of my famous shirts online now at: www.MasterBaitersGear.com Blog: www.masterbaiters.wordpress.com Facebook: search for MasterBaiters Stan, or look for me on www.Banderasnews.com under their fishing section. Banderas News is the source for information, activities and events for Puerto Vallarta and the surrounding areas, so check them out….