. El Banco right now has some serious action. Now this is a twelve hour day, so you have to be “into it” or it just sounds like “too much”. But for those that understand fishing happens where it happens, you literally go the distance. And right now you can find up to 100 lb Yellowfin Tuna. Now the Marlin are picking up in numbers as well, blue or black, they’re both running the area, but wait, that’s not all, Dorado, Sailfish have moved in and are hanging out. Right now it looks like the “high season” for fishing has finally begun!
Welcome back to another incredible week of improving fishing. We aren’t quite up to the level that’s considered world class, but we’re right on time. Coming out of the winter fishing season, everything is in a state of flux as should be expected this early into the fishing season. Water temps have dropped a little, the clean green water is moving in and out. Blue Marlin made an appearance at Corbetena. Corbetena is stuffed full of bait and even a Wahoo or two have shown up. We’re moving forward into what feels like another world class season, but like always, it’s a day at a time.
If you’ve been reading my articles, you understand that we’re on the tail end of a La Nina year. When this happens the “system” starts to swing back to “normal”. That means the water temperatures, the bait conditions and even the water color all come into play. With “not horribly cold” water, as is normal for February, we have a mix of fish that include summer species that are just hanging around. In a La Nina year you can’t predict what’s going to happen. All levels of what would be normal don’t apply right now. Because of this you can have several summer species running with winter species and of course this makes things interesting, if not frustrating.
Once again the area in between Corbetena and El Banco is showing why this area produces more tournament winners than anywhere else. Fishing is “fishing” and conditions will never be perfect, but if you focus on what’s “biting” and what’s not, then Dorado right now should be grabbing your attention!
Welcome back to another exciting week of world class fishing in Puerto Vallarta. After years of writing about fishing and the conditions, I’ve learned that nothing is predictable when it comes to the oceans. Last week we were talking about the dropping water temperatures and the “clean green” water that wouldn’t go away. This lasted for two weeks and it’s an indication of changing seasons with changing currents. While people were catching fish in these clean green conditions, fish don’t cotton to it. Things have changed now and conditions are more favorable. Blue water has finally replaced the green water. Water temperatures are up, Krill is down a bit and more bait is moving in. This puts Puerto Vallarta fishing in a favorable position and these conditions should last past New Years. Thankfully we have warming water temperatures, Blue Water, Dorado and a host of world class action! Fishing is still in a transition period, but the good news is these recent changes are for the positive. YeHa!
When People ask me “when is the best time of the year to go fishing in Puerto Vallarta”? My normal response is the first two weeks of November or the first two weeks of December. I’ve been saying this for years as those are the down times for tourism in between the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year, being a La Nina year, the calendar has changed seasons early and what was on fire last week, is cooling down a little more each day. The longer duration trips are still coming up winners, but blue water is scarce. With Swirling currents and massive amounts of bait moving into the area in the form of Krill, remember none of this is new to experienced captains. What is new or unusual is the “La Nina” factor that throws the whole “seasonal clock” into disarray. Those looking for larger Dorado, Marlin and Sailfish need to get on the water before the summer species bug out. For now the fishing is still “worth” the effort. But the clock is ticking and the summer fishing season will be over soon.
For the last three weeks my articles look similar because we’re in a great fishing loop. Last week it was all about Dorado, this week it’s still all about Dorado, but now we’re seeing Striped Marlin in the bay along with Sailfish! Up until the first week of October, it’s summer fishing. It’s good fishing, but when October hits, our world class fishing gets super charged. From this point forward the deep water fishing grounds of Corbetena and El Banco will turn into Marlin-Landia. With perfect blue water, perfect water temperatures, plenty of bait and plenty of fish to target. You can’t go wrong fishing right now until late December. With this being a La Nina year, the fishing could continue into late February. Excited yet?
What a way to start an article, Trash Lines, Hurricanes and Too Much Bait. The picture that paints is negative and not very inspiring, but in fact it’s perfect and exactly what we expect at this time of the year. A few years back we had 26 different and active Hurricanes pass Puerto Vallarta fishing areas with no impact. Keeping that in perspective, the important thing to know about Hurricanes is: Which direction is it heading, How far out is it and how does it affect the conditions regarding swell size and frequency. Or you can rely on a person like myself to get you the correct information, in a non-panic way. And yes, we had another Hurricane pass us as this article is being written. But if Hurricanes don’t get landed, they have a tendency to head north with few sea lane interruptions. Hurricanes bring rain and that produces trash lines, thank the fish gods. More importantly, depending on the direction and distance of a Hurricane, it can and does push fish away from the Hurricane. Lately we’ve been lucky with plenty of fish, but you need the correct information if you want to catch fish. Right now the amount of bait in the bay and surrounding Puerto Vallarta fishing grounds is massive. There lies the biggest challenge!
For the last month or so, I’ve been declaring “summer fishing” has arrived, and it has. But like most things in life, it doesn’t happen all at once. Daily, as we move deeper into “high season” for fishing in Puerto Vallarta, we’re confronted with several “fishing surprises”. What surprises you may ask? Well, Blue Marlin at El Banco, Yellowfin Tuna at Corbetena and Striped Marlin being boated in the bay? If none of that is surprising, then you don’t know fishing in Puerto Vallarta or you’re jaded. But even the most jaded like myself are felling the excitement. Last week we had some indications that Marlin were moving in to El Banco. But the bay? Striped Marlin being boated in the bay, dirty water an all? Sailfish are all over the place, in fact, in the bay your chances are better to catch a Sailfish than at Punta Mita! If this isn’t exciting to you, then maybe you’re reading the wrong article. If it is exciting, please read on!
We’re seeing small changes, but not enough to say they’re much different from last week. We’re still seeing massive amounts of different baits. Squids, Sardines, Google eyes and the list goes on. We’re still seeing the challenges of moving fish and the overabundance of food. Sounds tough I know, but there is plenty of positive stuff. Spinner Dolphin are touring the area near Corbetena. El Banco is your best fishing option with Sailfish, Dorado and Striped Marlin running the area. And of course there is always the possibility of Yellowfin Tuna the farther north you get. Water temperatures are ticking up and if things continue the way they are, once we get into a more stable situation, condition wise, we’re setting up for a beautiful fishing season in Puerto Vallarta.
