Marlin at Corbeteña / El Banco, Abandoned Fishing Grounds

Marlin at Corbeteña / El Banco, Abandoned Fishing Grounds

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

July is a funny month, the conditions are perfect, unbelievable amounts of bait, perfect water temperatures, it´s just a little early in the Tournament Season. As we come into late July we expect to see the larger Gamefish like Blue or Striped Marlin which are now moving in behind Sailfish. Dorado can be a moving target, for now we´re seeing the 25 to 35 lb variety. Fair sized, great tasting, reliable as my ex wife. The seasonal rains have returned  bringing with it the Trash Line, making short day fishing trips worth the time and the expense. With July comes warm weather and an equator sun. The first time visitor will quickly learn what spots were ¨missed¨ by sunscreen. Cheap air fares, deep discounts on hotel rates, deserted fishing grounds, empty Spas for the ladies and the shopping is unique. For the guy reading my weekly endeavors, this is the time to be here in PV. If you live here in PV and are digesting this information, you´re in the right place at a great time, so get on the water already. From now until the second week of January anything is possible in our world class fishing grounds. World Class, we´re not talking trout, Shad, Carp, Salmon, or Muskie, no folks, we´re talking the Real Deal in the world of Sportfishing. By the end of October those Deep Sea Fishing trips we´ll have produced world record sized ¨fish¨. It´s time to think finances, scratch those pennies together, grab the wifeys credit card and split before she knows you put a fishing trip on it…. Paradise is calling! I take no responsibilities as to husband behaviors, but I am an instigator!

Inside the bay: To start with the seasonal rains have returned after a long, dry stretch. The high daily humidity normally turns to cool afternoon or evening rains. No rain, no trash line. The Trash line can be found around river mouths outward, so you´ll find several in the area since PV has several rivers and streams. Smaller fish are attracted to this organic smorgasbord washing down the rivers and streams. This attracts bigger fish, etc. Just imagine what a bait ball, stopping in mass to feed on this organic trail mix would look like to a Dorado? Talk about the mother load! Right now around the Trash Line there have been Dorado at 20 lbs or so and Skip Jack Tuna in the 20 to 35 lb range. At the north end of the bay we´re still seeing Sailfish in the La Cruz area with flying fish being the main attraction. Jack Crevalls about 30 lbs, who knows what´s up with the Jacks, Sierra Mackerals too, go figure.  Plenty of fishing in the bay, six hour day will find your daily limit. Don´t forget about Robalo at the river mouths, especially after a rain, they love the agua dulce or sweet water in English. Snappers and Grouper have been known to hang out in the river mouths as well. You don´t need to go after Moby Dick to have a great time fishing here in PV!

El Morro / Marietta Islands: Well El Morro is still seeing Sailfish chasing small Skip Jack Tuna, Goggle eyes and Flying fish, tons of flying fish out there. Plenty of action, but they´ve moved off the island a little closer to Corbeteña. Sailfish is about all that´s happening in this area. The Marietta Islands are still running in low gear with the usual, Bonito, Skip Jacks, no Sailfish here to speak of, not the best place to spend your fuel dollar right now.

Punta De Mita and Area: Well this area has been the ¨go to¨ location if you wanted the best chance to hook into a Sailfish or Dorado. Nothing has really changed, life is good to these fish, perfect conditions, plenty of bait, no real reason to leave. One new development, Marlin are 10 to 14 miles off the point, just pick a direction from a Corbeteña to El Banco heading. Literally it´s wide open fishing in this wedge I call the Golden Triangle. If around Anclote, there are Dorado over 35 lbs, if you can find a buoy all the better. If fishing out of La Cruz Marina this would be a shorter day. Even a beach guy boat will be able to hit Dorado, maybe Marlin. Again, fishing is happening everywhere and you can have it all pretty much to yourself, now that´s a luxury. Another thing to know is the amount of bait three to four miles off the shore in this area is mind boggling. Mostly Skip Jack Tuna, the surf fishing should be outstanding. When there is this much bait in the area why would a fish even consider leaving. For the moment this area is a great place to be.

Ok, Corbeteña: For the last couple of weeks Corbeteña (aka The Rock) has been less than active, in a word; dead. But conditions never stay bad for long and things have changed. Blue Marlin, Black Marlin both in the 250 to 450 lb range have moved in as expected and they´re taking bait, YeHa! Rainbow Runners in the 35 to 60 lb range, Sailfish in the 100 lb range, it´s a hot spot and it´s about time! If in the area it´s worth dropping baits and spending some time between the Rock and Punta Mita…. Or….

El Banco has finally come to life. Sailfish of course, Black and Blue Marlin 250 to 450 lbs or larger. Dorado in the 40 lb range, Skip Jack Tuna all over the place as bait. Rainbow Runners in the 50 lb range, Cubera Snappers, it´s open season at El Banco. For now the deep water locations have larger Marlin than closer in. El Banco is running on eight cylinders right now and worth your attention. I know this didn´t take up much article space, but when things are good, you don´t need a lot of words to get to the point.

YellowfinTuna: If you haven´t noticed, I am not talking much about Yellowfin Tuna, there´s a reason for this. The currents this year are running very far outside of the normal trek. Yellowfin are following these currents and for now they´re very far out. Too far for most people. The Tres Maria Islands have Yellowfin Tuna swarming. One thing about the Tres Maria´s, you don´t just show up and start dropping lines, it doesn´t work that way. There are spots that the saltier captains know about, won´t share and if you don´t have a spot, you don´t get Yellowfin Tuna. Unfortunately those locations are inside the legal boundaries. Not to mention this area is a recognized fishery or breeding ground. Personally I don´t believe we should be fishing the fishery, but what do I know? If laws are not enforced, are they really laws or just an excuse to enforce an opportunity to fleece gringos of more money?

Conditions: Lets discuss conditions for the moment. For the last few weeks I´ve talked about how the water was blue-er than blue. Well when the water gets this almost purple blue, it´s incredibly beautiful, but not always preferable. We find in the ¨Purple Blue¨ water, visibility goes down. The fish don´t mind the darker blue water, but they won´t see your presentation as easily as the lighter blue colored water as has been our experience. The light blue water produces more strikes. Sometimes what you think is perfect will have an unexpected down side.

The Bite: Right now if you´re at your favorite fishing spot a good time to be there is between 11:00 to 13:00 military time. Getting an early start for the moment is for getting to distant locations in time for the bite conserving fuel. 

Lures / Bait: This week Capt. Cesar of Magnifico tells me that the lures they´ve been using are purple with some blue or just blue in color. Blue Soft Head Lures are working great for Sails and Marlin. With Skip Jacks, Flying fish and Goggle eyes (and others) in abundance it doesn´t hurt to ¨make bait¨ when you get to your favorite spot. Having live bait on hand from the local bait vendors is essential, but getting local bait is always preferable. Most of the time the bait vendors will have what is being hit, never the less having a casting net is always a handy thing to have.

That is about everything I can think of for now. As always if you have any questions about local fishing or activities feel free to send me an email.

We have also expanded into more Tours, so we´re jumping into the tour market. This new thing called Fly boarding is a hose from a jet ski attached to a skate board type thing, your feet are strapped in, and if you can imagine being pushed around by the powerful jet ski water jet, you can basically fly in and out of the water. This company gives you 50 minutes, three times that of Vallarta Adventure tours and training is not included in your usage time. $1,500 pesos, or about 120 usd for the better part of an hour you can be a sea serpent with a water jet under your feet…. That´s a new one this week….. I have not tried it yet, but they tell me a familiarization trial is being scheduled. We also make sure we´re competitive and as always reliable…..

Until next time don’t forget to kiss your fish and remember at Master Baiter’s Sportfishing & Tackle “ We Won’t Jerk You Around”!

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.