Perfect Conditions, Bait Overload, We´re Held for Fish

Perfect Conditions, Bait Overload, We´re Held for Fish                             Written by: Stan Gabruk owner of Master Baiter´s Sportfishing & Tackle

All the conditions for world class Sportfishing exist right now. Warm water at 85 degrees, super Sapphire blue water, bait in mega amounts the only thing missing are large fish in any real numbers. That´s right folks we´re held for fish! As we normally enter July we get excited because we know it´s just a short while before we see world record sizes on many of the species we normally see at this time of the year, normally. So what´s the problem you may ask, well I didn´t promise an answer. Frankly most of the saltier Captains in Marina Vallarta in a Mexican laid back voice tell me that I need to be patient. That they are coming all we need are some current changes and we´ll be ¨swimming¨ in fish. As I say this, don´t get me wrong, the fishing is about 50 / 50 right now. You´ll see fish, they´ll chase your baits, and they´ll laugh at you as they turn their heads away from your presentation.

Corbeteña once again is primed and ready to go. As mentioned earlier, bait is not an issue. Here we have tons of smaller Skip Jack Tuna, aka Skippies, Marlin and Yellowfin Tuna Favorite baits. Mix in some Goggle eyes, nine inch flying fish and bait balls as far as the eye can see, you´d think this is fish heaven. It is, but they haven´t found it yet and that is the whole thing. Now we all know fish move and it´s just a matter of time before they move into the area. Once this happens there will be no reason to leave the area. For now you can expect to find Smaller Striped Marlin in the 200 to 350 lb range. Sailfish are more abundant, but fickle when it comes to baits. Cubera Snappers are there for the jiggers running 60 lbs. Dorado are still in the area, but the numbers have thinned down. The good news is if you find Dorado they´re in the 45 lb range. All and all Corbeteña is a great place to start, but if you don´t find any interest in your baits head north a ways, this could help with the Marlin and Sailfish.

El Banco, same situation, if you go a half mile to two miles north of El Banco you´ll find Sailfish, Small Blue Marlin, Dorado in the 35 lb range, plenty of bait in the form of flying fish and Skippies. All and all maybe not the best place to spend your fuel fishing dollars. This information is coming from the commercial fisherman who are coming in with light loads as well.

Marietta Islands for now is not much better than the deep water locations. Very large Needle fish have all but taken over this area. Needle fish are a strange looking fish that is long, skinny and has a bill. They fight well, taste good, not great but good qualifies. They are great fighters and will jump often and are an indicator fish that warm currents have arrived. Bonito in the 25 to 35 lb range, Skip Jack Tuna, smaller Dorado and a host of others. If you can find any stumps or objects floating in the area from the rains then you´ve got a goldmine for Dorado. All and all, you may want to wait a few days before heading out, give fish a chance to come in.

The Punta Mita Area, Same story as last week, plenty of bait, Sailfish and Dorado if they take your bait. Not too much to tell you. If you´re in the Punta Mita area, then a short trip off the beach pangas would be worth a four hour trip or so, but frankly, more than that in the area is wishful thinking…..

Ok, here´s the deal, for the moment if you head out your chances of coming in with a fish is about 50 / 50. For the person in the area right now, I would suggest a short trip in the bay. The Trash line is the only thing happening right now. The area around Yelapa is doing well with Bonito, Skip Jack Tuna, Small Dorado and various other species. Six hours will bring home something for the dinner table, won´t cost you a fortune and if you’re with the kids or the wife, then they can normally take this time frame without losing their minds…. That is if they still have it intact.. hahahahaaaa…

I´ve been in Puerto Vallarta now for a number of years, focusing on the business of Sportfishing and T-Shirts. Many people look at me and think I´m ¨Living the Dream¨. I cringe when I hear that because the dream is so much larger than what I´m living! Master Baiter´s has been the No.1 Sportfishing Company in Puerto Vallarta since the day we opened in 2000. Right now that isn´t saying much with the state of Sportfishing around the world at present. We´ve all cried in our corn flakes in the morning, but the simple fact is Sportfishing is just now starting to raise its head up above the dark clouds. People are coming back and the low rent boats have put themselves out of business not making enough money to pay the standard maintenance requirements. Fuel prices are going up as are dock prices and everything associated with the word ¨Marine¨. Sportfishing once again is becoming a once in a lifetime sort of thing. There are no cheap boats any longer, only diminished products being sold or presented as a fishing trip. Now if you are looking for cost vs. wet line time, this is the real cost of the trip. Everyone wants to get to the fishing grounds as quickly as possible. When the day is done, you naturally want to get back even quicker.
 The middle ground ¨time¨ being the time you´ll have your line in the water, this actually what you are paying for, fishing! The biggest difference on more expensive boats vs. cheaper boats being pushed by the time share promoters or the pirates (aka cockroaches all) is the fuel usage. If it takes you an hour and a half to get to the Marietta Islands and other companies charge more and get you to the same place faster, then what is the cost of fishing per hour? If it takes you two and a half hours to get to Corbeteña, that means your ten hour day will be only five hours of fishing. Faster boats will normally get there in about 85 minutes or an hour and half. That means you get two more hours of fishing and less travel time. Now comparing travel time vs. Fishing time, what would you rather pay for? Saving money on the ride and less fishing time? Or pay more money, get there quicker and increase your odds of boating a trophy sized Gamefish? Now, think about that one for a few minutes and all of a sudden, the more expensive guys, the fast and equipped companies look cheaper. Many people ask those that charge more, why they charge more. It all comes down to what a person wants and expects from you as a company. The superior companies understand that the fact they have a roof over their head, they pay taxes, they pay rent and they are findable. Findable both on the internet and in a specific location. We can´t afford to have people come in with un-met expectations, aka disappointments. They post things online, good and bad, but the real companies can´t afford a bunch of bad comments because they´re ¨findable¨. The Cockroaches, the time share guys and the illegal pirates that work with the time share guys don´t have this as a concern. They have no office, maybe some place they hang out at, but the office is not theirs. They have no license, so they have no worries about service or the product being what it was represented as. I don´t care where you are, you expect service and quality of product. The only problem here is, people don´t know what the product is, but they do know the price. So ask questions, look at the boat if possible, how many baits do you get? Are the fish yours? How fast do they go to the fishing grounds? What species are hitting or available? Look to see if they have a radio on the boat and not some guy with a cell phone (no kidding they do this, no SOS capabilities there). If these corners are cut, things like tour insurance for your safety is most likely nonexistent. It all cost money, it all is transferred to the trip cost. So the next time you check prices, check what you get or don´t get. Make an informed decision, and then have fun. I suggest you read my blog article: Picking a Charter Company, What You Don´t Know Will Hurt You! http://masterbaiters.wordpress.com/2014/05/27/picking-a-charter-company-what-you-dont-know-will-hurt-you-2/

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.