After last week’s article where I was saying things are improving by the day, I was a little nervous that things may have turned in the other direction. But I’m happy to tell you that fishing this week took another small step towards perfect fishing conditions. Corbetena is alive and well with a strong pulse. In fact, all our fishing grounds are ticking in the right direction. Fish numbers are increasing along with all the favorite species like Yellowfin Tuna which are both increasing in numbers and size. After experiencing the La Nina / El Nino switch, I’ve been waiting to see what kind of results we would have this week and if things continue as they were. Now I’m thinking we may have an impressive fishing season this year. With perfect high visibility blue water, plenty of skipjack tuna and other baits, I have every reason to be positive and hopefull for the following months. It’s a good bet you’ll have memories that will last a lifetime after heading out fishing in Puerto Vallarta’s Bay of Banderas. The fishing just got world class and the only thing missing is you!
When October finally arrives, we get anxious about fishing in Puerto Vallarta. It’s a bit of a waiting game as we ‘wait’ for the numbers of our world class species to increase here in the Bay of Banderas. But this is nothing new and as always the fishing is improving by small amounts. Or as my Mexican friends would say, ‘poco-poco’, or little by little. So, this past week has been on the positive side in both the bay and our deep-water fishing grounds. Those looking for larger Billfish like Blue and Black Marlin will find them, finally. Sailfish numbers are also picking up by the day. So we have great action across the board, which means we have something for just about everyone. Which leaves the question, ‘what do you want’?
Bait is abundant, the water is blue and the seas are rolling gently. You don’t know what to expect, so you put a rigged-up Skipjack Tuna in the water, set the pole and you’re in the game amigo. Anything can happen, especially now that we had a Hurricane march up the Mexican coastline, pushing northward toward Puerto Vallarta. By now you should have figured out we have some Giant Black Marlin at El Banco, but that’s not all amigos. High Season for fishing starts now!
Normally writing these fishing articles really isn’t anything too complicated. As the week goes by I talk with several Captains and friends with private boats as well as my own recent experiences. Then you just put down what they tell you and try and make it as interesting as possible. Many people who read my articles about world class Sportfishing in Puerto Vallarta aren’t even interested in Sportfishing, also known as Deep Sea Fishing. This week is different, it’s now September, the slowest tourism month of the year. It’s not hard to see why with daily temperatures normally in the 90 degree range. Not to mention the humidity level of 80% on average. So it’s not hard to figure out why tourism is slow. Having said that, the Sportfishing game has for the most part come up short this week. But I did get some news just prior to posting this article, but the information here is based on a minimum of input.
Normally at this time of the year, my reports on fishing in Puerto Vallarta become a little ‘cookie cutter-ish’. Which of course means they start to look alike. Now that can be a bit boring, but normally at this time of the year we’re discussing how Marlin, Tuna and more are moving into the area in a big way. Now we do have these species coming into the area, but they’re spread out. Normally we’ll talk about how the fishing is great in this area or that location. But this year, there doesn’t seem to be one place or location that’s hot or on fire. But right now there is no concentration or location you can point at and say ‘The fish are here’!
If you haven’t figured it out by now, we’re having a really weird fishing season. You see there is a complex series of events that normally happen which makes world-class fishing in Puerto Vallarta predictable. But this year is a lot different. This year, we’re dealing with unusual climate conditions where we’re in the middle of a change from El Nino condition into a La Nina condition, in the middle of the fishing season. Normally this sort of thing will happen at the end or beginning of a season and lead into it. This has affected the entire weather pattern locally in the Puerto Vallarta Area. The normal Hurricanes, we normally see about 12 to 20, haven’t happened. Now this may sound like good news, but for a fisherman, it’s the same as a ‘monkey wrench’ in the machine. Without Hurricanes, we don’t have the strong currents that push fish into the area. This includes the varied baits as well. Essentially the whole area is just kind of stagnant. Now that doesn’t mean we don’t have fish, it just means you have to find them, not the current they’re in. Be ready to use some fuel amigos, it’s work out there!
If you’ve been reading my articles, you know Fishing in Puerto Vallarta is in the middle of a weird transition from an El Nino condition to La Nina conditions in the middle of summer. It’s created an interesting situation I have never seen before. With cooler-than-normal water temperatures, we’re seeing winter species mixing with summer species throughout the area. Striped Marlin are running with Black Marlin? That never happens! Another interesting thing is the complete lack of rain in the middle of the ‘rainy season’. So we haven’t been able to work the Trash Lines much. We’re just not getting anything close to normal levels of rain in PV, no rain, no trash line.
The fishing in Puerto Vallarta right now is showing a stronger pulse by the day. The fishing is finally starting to get exciting with more fish moving into the area. The numbers of individual species are picking up nicely and why wouldn’t they be? Conditions are close to perfect. We’ve had a calm Hurricane season, but the ones that have occurred have pushed fish into the area. Water temperatures are considerably lower than you’d expect at this time of year, but it doesn’t seem to be impacting fish from moving into the area. With a broad range of bait types, it’s a fish smorgasbord which can be a bit of a challenge. With more Dorado, Sailfish and Marlin moving into the area daily, the season is looking promising. The only downside is these fish just keep moving, and they’re pretty spread out. So you better be ready to use some fuel out there. But for those fishing outside of the bay, ‘bucket list’ species are now there for the lucky angler here in Puerto Vallarta!
After several weeks of the same boring information, we’ve finally got something to talk about. With the Tropical Storms finally showing up, fish are moving, pushed would be more accurate, into the area. Now I’m not saying everything flipped overnight, but when you’re finally boating Marlin and Sailfish, you know the ‘fish log-jam’ has finally busted. We’ve seen Spinner Dolphin, which means Football Yellowfin Tuna. Marlin and Sailfish are picking up in numbers and are now targetable. With no rain, the trash line is thin at best, but still working. Water temperatures seem to be stuck at 83, but we’ll take it because it’s not an issue. The water is mostly clean and it’s blue in the deep water locations. Plenty of bait and warm weather, but that’s how it’s played. Are you ready to get in the game amigos?
For those of you who read my articles on a regular basis, you’ll notice this report is being published a little later than normal. When it comes to fishing in Puerto Vallarta, we’re just now getting into the beginning of the fishing tournament season. I was hoping with more boats heading out, I could paint a nicer picture of what I’ve been writing about. There were some Yellowfin Tuna caught. And there were some nice sized Dorado. Does that mean that things have changed and the fishing is back on track? Not quite amigo. But the good news is currents are starting to do their job and we’re seeing different species moving in. Normally Sailfish are the first to come in, followed by Blue Marlin and we’re seeing this happen now. Water temperatures are stepping up a bit, again with the warmer currents and there is plenty of bait in the water. For the local angler, there are some tricks you need to be aware of. But once you know where the action is and what to do, you’ll have a great day on the water.
