Remembering were in the beginning of our fishing season, things are shaping up nicely. Water temperatures are where they should be. Bait is abundant and varied. Hurricanes have pushed fish into the area and frankly it’s a little exciting, not to mention motivating to get on the water. But we don’t live in a perfect fishing world and a little bit of knowledge about conditions can completely change your day. If you’re fishing in Puerto Vallarta’s Bay of Banderas right now, you’ll be glad you read this article. It could make all the difference in the world!
So far this summer, we’ve seen at least five hurricanes. Now that seems like a bad thing until you realize Hurricanes push fish into the area. And with five of these scary beasts passing us, the fishing in Puerto Vallarta’s Bay of Banderas is returning to its famous self again. That doesn’t mean the conditions and fishing are perfect, but it’s moving in the right direction. The water is high visibility blue. Water temperatures are in the ‘prefect’ range. Marlin, Sailfish, Yellowfin Tuna and more are moving into the area. Right now, we have fish from El Banco to Marina Vallarta! Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it. But there are always challenges in the world of fishing and this week is no different.
For the last three weeks now I’ve been surprised at the amount of Striped Marlin in the bay. As water temperatures rise we normally see Striped Marlin leaving the area. But when there is so much “Fast Food” why would you leave? Smaller Dorado are in the bay which is encouraging. For now we’re focusing on the “water” conditions. We’re in a “current” transition period where clashing currents can create dirty water and hair pulling frustration.
Every year like clockwork we see the changing of the seasons just about the second or third week of January. This means the water temperatures drop, currents change, and abundant “Whale Food” in the form of hard shell Squids, Red Crabs and massive amounts of Krill Shrimp and Squids. And this is just the tip of the iceberg amigos. At times “too much” bait can be a problem for the vacationing Angler looking for a bucket list Fish to be checked off. But never fear, we have fish if you can get them to take your bait.
As we begin to see the end of the peak fishing season we’re lucky to have good if not unpredictable action. Fishing is a “liquid” sport and I mean that in forms of the word. Fish move and they’re moving all around the bay. With winter here the Whales are back as are the Porpoise everyone but fisherman love. For those looking to boat that bucket list fish before another year passes, I’d suggest you “Get it in gear” before the Marlin head for South America.
One thing is for sure, nothing stays the same for long in “Fish City”. Things have stepped down a notch from last week and we’re seeing what was concentrated around Corbetena and El Banco has spread out again. Marlin and Sailfish are out there, but for the next few days you’ll need to move some water. In layman terms that means you’ll be moving around from El Banco to Corbetena so you’ll need longer days on the water. The good news is there are fish out there!
In the world of Big Game Fishing, nothing ever stays the same from day to day. For the last few weeks it’s been wide open. By that I mean the fish are moving around the area with no real concentration for any real length of time in any one location. So, this means you have to be prepared to move around and find the fish. This is actually normal, but for those on a thin fuel budget this could be an issue if targeting large Marlin, Sailfish or Tuna. We have fish, but we don’t have them in a barrel.
Under big blue beautiful skies Puerto Vallarta is a fishing wonderland right now. Normally we have colder water than we do so it’s interesting to see warm water species all over the area in their “off” season. Yes folks Punta Mita is alive with some of the most desirable species we have and they’re not too far out. An eight hour fishing trip can almost make you think it’s summer! It doesn’t matter what you’re looking to catch, you have a shot, maybe a low percentage shot, but hey, it’s a shot, take a pic!
We’ve had a roller coaster week when it comes to fishing in our world famous Bay of Banderas. We’ve been pretty lucky with relatively warm water temperatures lingering later than usual into late January. This week we’ve seen dramatic changes in water temperatures which means we’re square in the middle of winter fishing with cold water species picking up in numbers as the warm water species bug out. While not surprising or devastating it doesn’t stop people from coming into the shop looking for Moby Dick! Human High Season and Fishing High Season are at opposite ends of the calendar amigos!
Every year we know it´s coming, the end of high season for fishing here in PV. Normally by the second week of the New Year we see water temperatures drop and everything changes. This year we saw this happen a little early, we´ve had 76 degree water temps now for about two weeks. We should see Dorado, Marlin, Sailfish and others bugging out. But that´s not the case as we see larger Dorado being boated, Striped Marlin in a frenzy, Blue Marlin are small but there. So no matter how contradictory it may sound, we have cool water and good fishing
