These days there has been a lot of talk about the Tres Maria Islands. When you ask a Yellowfin Tuna Fanatic, they don’t know much more than the “rumors” they’ve heard and the Pictures they’ve seen. And yes, they’re impressive. For the Pacific side of Mexico, Yellowfin Tuna are revered as the top game fish Sportsmen are looking for. With the secret out, there has been a lot of attention turning in the direction of Puerto Vallarta. I’ve stolen some information and inserted my own slant to develop what seems to be the only real independent description of the Tres Maria Islands. He I have stolen a little history and there’s a little “Wikki” in there too. To my knowledge this is the best description of the area and the fishing conditions available.
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.
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
You know I can´t figure it out, we have winter species in the bay like Jack Crevalls, Needle Fish, Sierra Mackerals. Then we have the summer species of Marlin, Tuna, Wahoo and Sailfish in the same waters at the same time. Yes folks this is El Nino with it´s scrambled egg approach to fishing. We don´t know what to expect on a weekly basis, but we do know there are big fish at El Banco and Corbetena. We have Sailfish around the Marietta and Punta Mita area with Rooster fish. Then we have freak fishing situations like Blue Marlin being boated in the Bay. So fishing right now is like a trend we should ride and not get too much into the ¨why it´s happening now¨, just keep reeling!
In the world of Deep Sea Fishing the only ¨constant¨ is that nothing stays the same for long. With a drastic drop in water temperatures last week I thought we had seen the best fishing fade away for the rest of the year. Then the Illegal Long Liners bugged out, and the fishing improved greatly. Water temperatures are still at 80 degrees which I would say is cold for these warm water species, but in San Diego where the water temps are considerably colder they´re still boating Marlin and Dorado. So what does this all mean? Your guess is as good as mine, but if they´re ¨playing¨ in colder water up north that means the season if far from over for Marlin, Sailfish, Dorado and we even have Wahoo in the area. Now if we could find a way to coax a Yellowfin Tuna in the area we´d be happy campers!
Summer fishing is shaping up nicely as we see Striped, Blue and Black Marlin numbers increase. Sailfish are more abundant in a big way. Bullet Bonito and Skip Jacks are all over the place being chased by these World Class Gamefish. Water temperatures are perfect for summer species. Dorado are trickling in slowly. We´re not seeing larger Yellowfin Tuna yet, it´s still early for them around Corbeteña or El Banco. The season is coming together, time to start making those summer fishing trip reservations and keep up with these Fishing Reports, Fishing High Season is starting now!
The headline this week pretty much sums it up. First the Hurricanes have drifted off throwing their energies and swells to points like Malibu in Southern California. We had some rough days also, but the seas are smooth and inviting. The Water tempts are still too warm for comfort at 89 to 91 degrees, not bad for Marlin, not good for Tuna in the Yellowfin Variety. Dorado for the most part is still touring Manzanillo, Small Dorado at the trash line. Jack Crevalles are still taking baits, plenty of bait. The conditions are all and all wonderful and with Marlin and Sailfish, two world class species, picking up in numbers, which means we have fish! And I am happy to say they´re taking baits after so many weeks of just being ¨lookie-lu´s¨ they started getting a little more aggressive, YeHa!
As we move deeper into Summer the conditions still could not be better. Outside the bay the blue water is clear and just beautiful. A deeper blue than the Caribbean, the visibility is amazing. Bait is everywhere and varied in species. Bullet Bonito, YF Tunas favorite bait is all around the point of Punta Mita and in the bay. Flying fish in the four inch length are all around the reefs and the Marietta Islands. Goggle eyes, Chorras (bonito, small tunas) are boiling all over the place. Once again it´s a bait smorgasbord, all you can eat for fish. Sounds like a good thing right, well the down side is there should be more fish here than there are. Maybe this is just my impatience, it is still a little early in the Big Game Fishing season, it´s like Christmas and the presents aren´t under the tree yet, but you know they´re coming.
All and all things have not changed much from last week. We still have perfect conditions, perfect water temperatures and more than enough bait. The water is blue, the seas are fairly smooth and frankly the only thing that that could make it all perfect are the seasonal Gamefish we´re still waiting to see. But there are signs of change, Sailfish are taking bait, Dorado are still small, but increasing in numbers and while there is a too much bait in the water, they have a chink in their fish armor. While still held for fish, we´re optimistic and we should see some positive changes by next week, I think, but then again, I´ve been wrong before, just ask my ex-wife.
