Fishing Returns to Puerto Vallarta, Stripers at Corbetena, Warm Water, We have Fish Folks!

Written by: Stan Gabruk owner of Master Baiter´s Sportfishing & Tackle

Finally after twelve weeks or more the Port Authority has opened the Bay of Banderas again to fishing and of course tours! You may not find your favorite fishing company open because this Corona Virus has us all jumping through hoops. Master Baiter’s is open as you’d expect, after jumping through those same hoops, getting the documents and finally the sticker which says we’ve gone through the process and we’re certified to sell fishing trips and tours. Which means you can go fishing “approved” companies like Master Baiter’s. Which is good for us and you, frankly I can’t think of a better time to be out there fishing. What we’ve been “more or less” lucky to miss is the “transition season”. We are now in full-fledged summer currents and warm water the summer species are trickling in. With empty fishing grounds, hungry crews and great early summer fishing is hard to beat. We’re all making deals right now so feel safe and put our attentions back into life, liberty and the pursuit of world class fishing!

Let’s start with the deep water fishing grounds of Corbetena. Locally known as the “Rock”, things have been happening in our absence. Sailfish are circling the area now, Striped Marlin are running the area also from 60 to 150 lbs. It’s early and we’ll see some smaller Stripers but this is a temporary thing as they’ll continue moving north to the Cabo area with cooler water temperatures. Yellowfin Tuna are a surprise to me running anywhere from 40 to 100 lbs in June! We aren’t seeing any real numbers of Black or Blue Marlin, but the water temperatures are in the correct range so it’s just a matter of time, stay tuned. If you’re a local and you’ve been “cooped” up, now would be a perfect time to celebrate your freedom!

If you take a heading of 300 to 330 off Punta Mita you’ll run bow first into Spinner Dolphin all over the area. Spinners are always a welcome sight as they’ll run with Football Tuna and right now they’re running with 20 to 40 lb Yellowfin Tuna or “Footballs” as we call them. Another beautiful thing is Dorado are starting to move in. I’ve been telling clients Dorado would be a fantasy at this time of the year, but it looks like I am wrong. Dorado are in the 520 lb range, not too abundant, but there. Sailfish will also be in the areas as well as their numbers have been gradually increasing since mid-pandemic aka March. Bonito to 25 lbs, Jack Crevalls 30 to 50 lbs and with some luck maybe Rooster fish around Sayulita. 8 hr. fishing trips can put you in the middle of this! Better than the middle of your couch now isn’t it?

Inside the bay, our beautiful Bay of Banderas, we have fish on tap amigos. Jack Crevalls all over the bay, but near Nuevo Vallarta they’re anywhere from 30 to 50 lbs and hungry! Bonita everywhere as well at 20 lbs or a bit less. Sierra Mackerels as a cold water species will be filtering out shortly, but at 12 lbs they’re great for family fishing and they taste great. A few early season Dorado at 20 lbs have been boated at Los Arcos, running the ridge line to Corbetena. This also means we’re seeing some Striped Marlin in the same area for the lucky person who happens to be in the right place at the right time.

One down side is the water is a little dirty, not from the rain but from the yearly current changes. Stirring up the silt and muck on the sea floor is normal. We haven’t seen any seasonal rain storms as yet, a little late but they’re coming. This means no trash lines as yet.     

After this Pandemic to get the business momentum moving we’re making deals for locals and those making reservations online. So if you decide to go fishing, remember it’s a good time to support your fellow fisherman as well as your local businesses.

All boats operating in Puerto Vallarta are operating at half capacity. What that means depends on the boat size you’re heading out on. In reality this isn’t much of a restriction, but it sounds good. All boats are cleaned daily and crews wear mask until it’s determined they’re no longer needed. Disinfectant jell is also part of the process. So you can feel secure your health and safety is being seriously looked after. Again Master Baiter’s has been certified to direct you to these boats and companies.  

Maybe the one “silver lining” piece of this whole pandemic for the fishing industry is when this was all coming down it was our worst time of the year to go fishing in PV. We’ve jumped that hurdle now and our “Fishing High Season” is upon us. In the next few weeks we’ll see Black and Blue Marlin moving in for the season. Yellowfin tuna have a tendency to move around, but we know Corbetena is a favorite hangout so my cracked Crystal Ball predicts arm burning action in your near future. Dorado, which are picking up in numbers since they stopped the wholesale export practices that were killing the Dorado populations, seems to be working. Dorado numbers now are picking up earlier in the year and they’re on average larger by the year. With the hotel vouchers and airline promotions summer could be the best time of this year to explore and enjoy Puerto Vallarta.

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

Web page:  www.MasterBaiters.com.mx , Local Phone at: (044) 322 779 7571 or our international number is: 011 52 322 209 1128 10 to 9 local time. #MasterBaitersSportfishing on Instagram, Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Master-Baiters-Sportfishing-Tackle/88817121325

The trade name Master Baiter’s ® Sportfishing and Tackle is protected under trade mark law and is the sole property of Stan Gabruk.