As we all welcome the New Year we see our World Class Fishing Grounds move into ¨neutral¨ for lack of a better descriptive. Normally at this time of the year we see water temperatures drop sharply forcing our Billfish, Dorado and Yellowfin Tuna out of the area without as much as a ¨Good By¨. This year things are going to be a little different. With water temperatures still at the 80 degree mark we find we still have a fair amount of Marlin and Dorado cruising the area. We won´t complain about these conditions, the only thing is, this normal cold water conditions act as a barrier keeping fish from ¨wandering¨ north. This is not the case at the moment. So what does this mean, well these ¨fish¨ move and they move erratically. For now, they´re moving up the coast and out to sea. Basically our fishing grounds are ¨spreading out¨ and we can´t do a thing to stop it. The good news is we still have great fishing. The active word being ¨Fishing¨.
In the ever changing world of fishing, currents can change and all of a sudden everything changes in a heartbeat and this is where we are now amigos. We have seen a strange current, a cool current come through Corbeteña this past week and all of a sudden the fishing just stopped at the Rock
Right now, get in a boat and go anywhere, you´ll find fish! Corbeteña is a hot spot, finally, with Marlin to 500 or more pounds, Sailfish around 100 lbs, Dorado 30 to 50 lbs, Cubera Snappers to 55 lbs, Wahoo at 40 lbs, Jacks Crevalls are back and good sized up to 50 lbs., and Yellowfin tuna 25 to 60 lbs which is small, but they should be getting larger soon as water temperatures are finally starting to come down a bit. The good news is water temps are dropping as well which is bringing the Yellowfin tuna up to the surface. Yellowfin have been hanging in deeper water to regulate their body temperatures. Now that the water is cooling, they´re very comfortable pretty much at all depths now, including the normally warmer water sea surface.
Sailfish and Dorado have moved in closer, including inside the bay and you may wonder what the title for this article is all about? Well, Corbeteña has Bottle Nose Dolphin, they like to hang with Marlin and Tuna, they´re buddies so to speak. For the last month these large Dolphin (Flipper type) have been sneaking up and eating your bait right up to the hook. First time is funny, second time is not so funny, the third time and you´re getting worried. They´ll take even Goggle eyes and this is an issue. So, the challenge, if you´re willing to accept this mission, is catch fish at Corbeteña without the bait bandits getting between you and your ¨Finned Fantasy¨!
Well after a week of almost perfect conditions things have taken a step back, not bad, but not like last week. Marlin, Sailfish, Dorado are all still doing their thing in our World Famous Fishing grounds, but now, little by little we´re seeing Yellowfin tuna moving in over 100 lbs, but don´t get excited, nothing is automatic right now. Still the fishing is great and as we come into the holiday season you couldn´t ask for much more!
The middle of winter may be when most of Puerto Vallarta´s Tourism happens, but the fishing season is from summer to the first week of January. For those in the know, we´re catching big, world class fish here at our world famous fishing grounds. The unusual part of the whole thing is they´re close in, not at the deep water locations, but close in which means fishing is as affordable as it can be and still get you on a Marlin, Sailfish or Dorado. Fishing Season is here, the only question now: Is the fishing season going to pass you by again?!
The big news this week is the return of Dorado in our world class fishing grounds. Late, yes they are. But like the old saying ¨better late than never¨. Marlin are in and out, mostly in. Sailfish are everywhere, Blue Water, plenty of Bait, smooth seas, it´s all a fisherman’s dream and those lucky enough to be here are looking at Prime Time Fishing!
Once again Corbeteña is the place to be. This week, once again, it´s Marlin City between the Rock and El Banco. The area directly between there is full and alive with action. Those with a locked in mind set need to expand their consciousness and have your boat captain use some fuel
Every angler, visitor or local alike have endless possibilities from the moment you leave Marina Vallarta. It´s an amazing this come this time of the year, Sailfish increase in numbers to the point of being the dominant species in the area. This week you can pretty much find Sailfish any where you´re heading to, anywhere. At Corbeteña there are plenty of Sails in the 200 inch range, well over 150 lbs, Plenty of Blue Marlin in the 350 to 600 lb range. Cubera Snapper to 60 lbs on trolled Skip Jack Tuna (Skippies). One nice development this week is Yellowfin Tuna are a little more abundant running 40 to 80 lbs, with some in the 125 lb range if lucky. I have also gotten 300 pounder Monster Reports, but nobody has seen any pictures, so I´ll leave that up to you.
The month of October in Puerto Vallarta is normally one of the hottest of the year. It´s normally November when we get the temperature break as the seasons change, but we´re feeling the ¨Indian Summer¨ about four weeks early this year. Not unusual for an El Nino year. The Rainy Days have more or less ended now, the trash line is a thing of the past. But the good news is we have Marlin, Sailfish and finally Yellowfin tuna at El Banco and Corbeteña. But it all comes down to luck and timing. Plenty of bait and high visibility Blue Water as we see enter PV´s High Season for Fishing improving!
