Puerto Vallarta Fishing, Tuna, Marlin, Dorado and Ballyhoo’s

Once we finally enter September, you automatically know the fishing will be great. The only questions is which fishing ground(s) to choose. For now you pretty much can’t go wrong and for the most part you can get your target species if you’re willing to go the distance, literally. For those lucky enough to be in Puerto Vallarta, the fishing is great and getting better by the day. Does that mean there aren’t any fishing challenges? Of course not, but it does mean is the challenges are minimal and we have all the summer species people want. We also have Ballyhoo’s swimming all around the area and this is a favorite bait of the “locals”. Now you can’t, for some reason, purchase Ballyhoo’s at the bait boats in the morning on the way out. This means you need to have the correct equipment if you want to be “in the game”. Now that we’re into the summer species pattern, Puerto Vallarta fishing is wonderful. Not perfect, but good enough to have life long memories and plenty of burning arm action. Not to mention a few less pesos in your pocket.

Corbetena and El Banco are both alive, with a strong pulse. I love being able to write about El Banco, considered at one time as one of the world’s most productive fishing grounds. If you take the chance and hit the high spots at El Banco, you’ve got Blue Marlin and Black Marlin from 250 to 400 lbs or larger. Also, Spinner Dolphin running with 30 to 45 lb Football Tuna, Sailfish possible and even Dorado! With blue water and plenty of bait in the area, for most part, the mere fact of getting to El Banco is the biggest challenge. Corbetena is also alive and well. Not quite as many Marlin at Corbetena, so that’s this area’s biggest weakness right now. I should say there are Marlin in the area, but they’re a bit north of the rock anywhere from five to twelve miles. Sailfish and Dorado are also running the area. There is plenty of bait in this whole area, Goggle Eyes, Mullets, Skipjack Tuna, Bonita and Ballyhoo’s! Yes I said Ballyhoo’s and this is the first time I can remember talking about this perfect bait in the area! Just about everything you catch, you’ll find these Ballyhoo’s in the bellies! Now this is an issue, catching Ballyhoo’s isn’t easy. You need what they call an “Angel Net”. It’s made of very light line and it’s used very carefully so you don’t damage the baits! The good news is we have a fresh batch in the freezer for purchase if you want to avoid the hassles. One last thing, remember fish move. We talk mostly about El Banco and Corbetena, but remember at the half way mark or as I call it “mid-point” there can be Yellowfin Tuna, large Marlin and with any floating debris, monster Dorado! If you can’t tell by now it’s a great time to get on the water, then I’ll put it simply, get your nalgas (butt) out there now! One more thing, there are a series of trash lines before you come to Corbetena, which of course means there will be plenty of fish feeding on this “fish McDonalds”.

The area from El Morro to north of Punta Mita this week has been producing nicely. Anywhere from the “islands” to north of Sayulita. Sailfish are in decent numbers and they’re also good sized! But again, the Sailfish are from 3 to 8 miles off the point. If you’re around the 8 mile mark, there is a chance of a Blue Marlin strike! It’s happened recently and you’ve got a real shot at the 8 mile mark, maybe a little better farther out.  If you’re targeting Dorado, there are floating logs, trash lines and debris. Basically it’s a Dorado (aka Mahi) playground. The Dorado are anywhere from 15 to 25 lbs and they’re abundant. With some luck there could be Rooster fish in the Sayulita area. Of course you’ll have the Bonito to 20 lbs, Skipjack tuna to 12 lbs and possible Needle fish.

Inside the bay, it’s pretty much the same as last week. We haven’t see much rain this week so the water in the bay is fairly clean. This means the local species can see your baits more easily, increasing your chances for fun action. The bay is great for family fishing where you’re not looking for a long day. Naturally the bay fishing is your most affordable option and worth the expense right now. The bay is full of Skip Jack Tunas, aka “Skippies” or “Skipjacks”. With a higher concentration of Skippies around La Cruz Marina, which equates to Sailfish concentrations right near the La Cruz Marina! If you’re in the middle of the by you can find the freak Sailfish as well. But for the most part your best action is around Los Arcos at the opposite end of the bay. Dorado are running the entire area, find a trash line and it’s “game on”. The Dorado / Mahi have been in the 12 to 15 lb range, but the trash line is also a “Fish McDonalds” for Skip Jack Tuna, Mackerels, Bonito and of course Jack Crevalles. But to be honest, the Jack Crevalle numbers are finally dropping as “Jacks” are normally a cool water or rather winter species! Yes we have them and the water is as warm as it’s going to get, so it’s a reminder fish do what they want and they follow their own rules!

This week I want to extend the report a bit. People are always asking me when the best time to boat a Rooster fish is? Rooster fish have a mind all their own. They can come in and leave at any point in the four seasons. Summer, winter, they don’t care. But we know certain things, Rooster fish like sandy, rocky shore lines. They will take a trolled baits as well, I’ve caught several myself like this. But they prefer the surf-line. They also prefer the “agua dulce” or sweet water. When fresh water mixes with salt water or sits on the surface in the form of rain, the fishing will get more active. Right now the area at the far south end of the bay is full of Rooster fish. Now you don’t hear much about this since there are no real charter companies at this “distant” location from PV. But with rainy season, it’s almost a “no-brainer” to head this way for this coveted species. No guarantees in fishing, but if you want to target Rooster Fish, there are a few things that will help improve your chances. Squid is one, Bullet Bonito is another, but a Ballyhoo could be a tempting bait to them as well. If you are like so many others, we have a guy we can fix you up with that has boats that do shore fishing targeting Rooster fish primarily! Any questions, call me and we’ll go from there!

It’s been an interesting week to say the least. The bite seems to be a moving target. We all know when we hit the high point on the tide, this can be the best time of the day to catch fish. Right now this is about 11:00. But, if you’re looking at boating a Yellowfin Tuna, you better be at your chose fishing grounds well before the sunrise and well after the sunset! If not targeting YF Tuna, the bite is a bit weird. My suggestion is, if fishing in the bay, leave the dock about 07:00 or a touch earlier. If heading to the deep water fishing grounds, you have to leave the docks at about 06:00. Confused, so am I, but fitting in this range will definitely help your cause. Water temperatures this week are the same, a warm 88 degrees, but there are some cool spots out there with clean green water. The trick here is keep an eye on the water temperatures, find a 85 degree area and drop baits! FYI, the green water is spotty and all over the place,  But the water is mostly blue, but not the perfect “purple” color we’re used to. FYI, we went out and got hundreds of Ballyhoo baits if you want any. Unrigged is 5 dollars each, but they’re here in the shop and ready to go!!

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

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