Our Standard Fishing Grounds Failing, Spring Challenges

Every year at the end of our tourism season here in Puerto Vallarta, fishing goes into a holding pattern. What we see is the cold-water temperatures start ticking up, little by little. This year it’s been a little different. If you’ve been reading my recent articles, you already know we’ve been dealing with confusing fishing conditions. After unusual drops in the local water temperatures, at the wrong time of the year I might add, it’s been nothing less than frustrating. We’re now seeing drastic temperature increases. With the stretch of ‘iffy’ fishing, things are improving slightly. There are some active fishing grounds if you know where to look. As we move into spawning season, skills are important, but local knowledge and experience means inexperienced Captains and Crews will be making excuses at the end of the day.

Alright, I know that was a bit of a strange lead in, but we’ve seen some strange things happening in the last few weeks. You may have noticed my reports have been sporadic at best. The reason for this is the mere fact conditions have been much the same for the last three months. By that I mean the water has been mostly dirty, mostly cold and mostly unfriendly to the visiting Anglers. To be straight up, changes have been small and slow, but finally conditions are improving. By that I mean the water is getting cleaner, warmer and we’re seeing the ‘clashing currents’. Now this will cause dirty water from stirring up the muck on the ocean floor. While this may seem like a bad thing, it’s something you have to go through before the fishing becomes world class again. So there’s some background for you. Luckily for us, this all happens at the end of our high season for tourism, so if it’s going to happen, it’s happening at the perfect time. For now, we’re seeing just about every area or ‘fishing grounds’ from Punta Mita to Corbetena as a ‘challenging zone’. Doesn’t sound good, does it? On the positive side, the water is getting cleaner the day. The clean green is finally turning blue. Water temperatures around the bay have jumped from 67 degrees to 72 degrees in a week. Warmer in several areas and that’s good news! If you can find a spot where you’ve got warmer water, then Sailfish and Striped Marlin are very possible. The other day I heard there were some Spinner Dolphin running the area, but upon closer investigation (talking with Capt. Cesar) I discovered they weren’t running with Yellowfin Tuna, a bit disappointing. That pretty much sums up the entire area. But to be specific as not to confuse anyone, El Banco, El Morro, The Marietta Islands, Punta Mita and that entire are outside of the bay are all in the same situation. 

Now if you go north or Sayulita, there have been some Roosterfish being boated, but nothing is automatic. I’ve seen several companies posting pictures of fish from the previous years to drum up business, but this isn’t happening. Mexican Marketing at it’s best. We have seen some very small Dorado in the area, it’s still early for them, but if this is an indication, maybe we’ll be seeing larger, early season Dorado off Punta Nayarit soon, cross your fingers. Yes, there are Jack Crevalle’s, Bonito and Skipjack Tuna, but we can get those in the bay quite easily.

Inside the bay, same story, dirty water with some spotty clean green areas. Sierra Mackerels, Bonito, Skipjack Tuna, and Jack Crevalle’s will guarantee an action filled day. Just make sure you give yourself enough time to find them as they’re farther out in the bay and a four-hour fishing trip may not cut it amigo. For now, your best bang for your fishing dollar is a six-hour fishing trip in the bay. I should mention that there have been some baby Dorado boated in the bay. This is a freak situation, but it might not be with the way things have been going. The reason I mentioned this is because when they start coming in, they’re always small. It’s super early to be this hopeful, but anything is possible for those with a positive attitude and the determination to try when others quit.

Alright, you made it this far and you’re probably wondering what the teasing about. As I mention all the time, the bay is a big place. It’s farther to get to Cabo Corrientes than it is to Corbetena, and remember you’re still in the bay! But the big secret this week is the simple fact the area from El Morro to Cabo Corrientes has warmer and cleaner water. Which of course is a fish paradise in comparison to the other Bay of Banderas Areas. Those looking to boat a Sailfish or maybe a Striped Marlin would have a very good chance of boating more than one. Roosterfish have been in the area as well, but if you’re serious about targeting Roosterfish, this is the area off Mayto, or is it Mito? Which ever it is, there is a section there about ten miles long of sandy shores with plenty of ‘structure’ in the form of boulders sprinkled around. You can also find Jack Crevalle’s, Skipjack Tunas and more. If you have an itch for these previously mentioned species, your chances of getting that bucket list fish will greatly increase. Captain Cesar cruised the entire area from San Blass to Manzanillo and the south end of the bay was the most active he found. So, keep this to yourself, we wouldn’t want any crowds out there, would we? Ha ha!!

It’s funny, we didn’t change our clocks, but it’s like the body clocks of the ‘finned locals’ are felling the energies and the time of the sunrise. That means the bite is now about 08:30, so make sure you’re where you want to be by then. Water temperatures as mentioned are now in the 74-degree range and will only increase now by the day. We’re feeling the humidity increase by the day as well. Buy the end of May, we should have water temperatures in the 84-degree mark and from then on, it’s Spawning season. That will make you pull your hair out. But they’ll be ‘out there’ and it’s up to you to convert the opportunities into reality with our help of course! As far as bait’s go, purple and pink colored lures are working. Live bait at times is king. Keep one lure running and then change up your baits every 20 minutes or so until something works! After three months of unheard of dirty, cold water, it looks like the log-jam may be breaking… Stay tuned.

FYI: For those who like to use Vape Products, be warned, Vape is now banned in Mexico. You can not bring it into the country now and if you do, the customs guys will most likely take it from you unless it’s in your pocket where they can’t scan for it. So, you’ve been warned. If you decide to purchase a black market vape, be warned, they’re lousy and are of questionable quality and safety…

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

Written by Stan Gabruk

Web page:  www.MasterBaiters.com.mx, Local Phone at: Our international number is: +52 322 2091128. #MasterBaitersSportfishing on Instagram, Facebook: Master Baiter’s Sportfishing & Tackle. The trademark Master Baiter’s ® Sportfishing and Tackle is protected under trademark law and is the sole property of Stan Gabruk