It´s Marlin City at Corbeteña and El Banco!

                                 It´s Marlin City at Corbeteña and El Banco!

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

Welcome back to another week of incredible fishing here in Puerto Vallarta. Being one of the top ten fishing locations Big Game Fishermen around the world begin to turn their attentions to the world class fishing grounds of Corbeteña, El Banco and the Tres Maria Islands. What they´re seeing is Marlin Populations increasing daily as larger fish follow. Sailfish are on-tap almost everywhere you are fishing, including the bay for the lucky. Bait fish like Bullet Bonito, Bullet Skip Jack Tuna, Flying fish, Goggle eyes and more make it a fast food factory for a finned fantasy. The cherry on the top is the fact our World Class Fishing Grounds are all but deserted. When was the last time you had conditions like this all to yourself? It´s all happening now in Puerto Vallarta’s Deep sea Fishing grounds!

As we inch our way into Fishing High Season we´re seeing more and more Billfish of all species picking up in numbers. Sailfish, Blue Marlin and Black Marlin with some Striped Marlin, but with warmer water temperatures they prefer it a little cooler and probably won´t see many Stripers until next fall. But Sailfish and Marlin are nothing to sneeze at. Bait is wildly abundant with Bullet Bonito, Bullet sized Skip Jack Tuna (Skippies), Goggle eyes, Flying fish and who knows what else is out there. It´s a cornucopia of bait and the local species are taking full advantage of this. If you´re a fish, life is good! Well, until you take my bait that is. . . .

Looking to the old reliable(s) of Corbetena and El Banco, it´s a coin toss as where to head to. Me, I always head to Corbetena first because more often than not this area will outperform el Banco. Now I want to qualify that statement by saying whatever species you´re targeting will most likely be larger at El Banco than Corbeteña. I said most likely because nothing is 100%. For now at either location you´ll find Black Marlin to 550 lbs, Sailfish in tournament winning sizes of 100-ish pounds. 50 pound Cubera Snappers are taking trolled baits and leaving their holes to hit the abundant Skippies and Bullets. No Dorado, but if you´re lucky and catch it right you´ll find Football Tuna in the 40 to 60 lb range. There have been some Yellowfin Tuna boated in the 80 to 100 lb range this week. But it´s very hard to make much of a call on these as how abundant they are since this area is all but deserted. No Wahoo sightings or strikes either. Looking for fish, you´ll find them at Corbeteña and El Banco.

Marietta Islands and El Morro are a ¨happening¨ once again. Sailfish around El Morro are taking bait with a vengeance. Not unusual to get two to three hook-ups a day in this area. The skill necessary to boat one of these is where you come in amigo. Rooster fish have been boated here around El Morro in the 59 inch length of 65 lbs but are anything but abundant. Needle fish are picking up in numbers around the area, weird fish but good tasting. Bonito to 35 lbs, Red Snappers to 30 lbs, maybe some small Dorado since they`re small but numbers are picking up in a big way. And surprisingly enough about six miles or so off El Morro there have been some nice sized Black Marlin hook-ups in the 350 lb range. With Marlin this close in it almost doesn´t make any sense to head to the Rock or El Banco for the same species. Keep this in mind when you´re filling up your boat with that liquid gold! Yes life is good at the Islands.

If you head north a bit from Destiladeras to Punta Mita three to five miles off the point you´ll have a strong shot at Blue Marlin to 250 lbs and of course Sailfish. Moving up to Sayulita and the Anclote area, you´ll find an invasion of Dorado in the tiny range of 15 to 20 lbs with the largest at 25 lbs if you´re lucky. Not to worry, when we see Dorado like this move in like they are, it´s just a short time before we´re seeing larger trophy sized Dorado moving in (don´t keep the babies or females if you want future fish to catch). Needle fish are taking over as well, Rooster fish are always around Anclote Reef, getting them to take your presentation can be frustrating at times. But the fishing and conditions couldn´t be better. So cross your fingers and be patient, things are as they should be for this time of the year.

For the short day types inside the bay is perfect. Not huge fish, but lots of them. SkipJack Tuna to 12 lbs are perfect for younger Anglers and Adults alike. Looking for action, the water is perfect blue, plenty of bait and to be frank you have a serious shot at a Sailfish around the Los Arcos area, short distance from Marina Vallarta. Football Tuna come and go around Yelapa. Skip Jack Tuna are everywhere and they´re drawing the larger species in the bay. At times the species you don´t expect to see turn up. So if a Marlin strikes, don´t crap your pants, just start reeling, you´re on and ¨E¨ Ticket ride amigo. Needle fish, small Dorado, Robalo around the shore line and river mouths. Really, the bay is alive with action and when we see the rains start (they´re late season wise) with them will come the trash line. When that happens the bay will be a screaming bargain for those looking to have fun and not break the vacation bank!

Lures / Bait: Naturally live bait is king, so running Skippies, bullet Bonito, Goggle eyes will all do the trick. But Marlin have been hitting lures also so make sure you have lures of Blue / Pink combinations or Purple color are working well and at times better than live bait, go figure. Water temps are still in the 86 or warmer degrees, this can cause problems for Tuna sounding. So make sure you have your electronics figured out so you can see the temp breaks and know where to set your down rigger(s). For the less equipped boats targeting Yellowfin Tuna, this could break your day since with warm water temps Tuna will go deep to where the water temps are more comfortable and they can regulate their body temperatures. So once again equipment is going to make or break your day. Make sure you have what´s necessary on the boat or you´re heading out for an expensive boat ride. This is when the quality of boat and the equipment on board will make or break your day. So when considering a boat, look for the equipment you need before you discuss price. A cheap boat, ill-equipped is tantamount to throwing your money away because you don´t have what´s needed to do the job.

So in conclusion, fishing is great!   

Until next time, don´t forget to ¨Kiss Your Fish¨. . .

Master Baiter´s has changed locations in Marina Vallarta between docks A and B on the boardwalk. Email your Questions to me at: CatchFish@MasterBaiters.com.mx  Web page:  www.MasterBaiters.com.mx , Local Phone at: (044) 322 779 75 71 or if roaming: 011 52 1 322 779 75 71 cell phone direct 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.