As we enter the Spring Fishing Season here in Puerto Vallarta, the Bay of Banderas is alive with action. Presently, we’re seeing the seasonal transitions we experience yearly. Cold water species will be moving out, as they’re beginning to do now, as warm water species begin moving in the area. And in the middle of all this, we see the spring spawning season has begun. Yes folks, the fish are in breeding mode. This is nothing new and it happens every year at exactly this time. So, the fish can be a little fickle, but in reality, if you are a little flexible with your departure time in the morning, the fishing can be great. Right now, it’s a mixture of timing, luck and the local knowledge expertise. It’s all about action fishing, if you can get their interest from the call of mother nature.
Well, we’ve run completely through ‘High Season’ for tourism. The people have for the most part left or are getting ready to leave. The Americans, the Canadians, everyone. Those that are left are the hardcore, salty feet types, aka ‘Pata Salada’. Once we enter May, things change pretty quickly. First you notice the increased humidity, then you’ll notice a slight bit of perspiration. The house is a little warm in the afternoon, so you turn on the A/C for the first time since last November. Water temperatures are increasing along with the climate. Summer is coming on and soon we’ll be roasting like Jalapeno’s in the sun. The water is finally getting blue; the bait is moving in as we see Banderas Bay move into ‘High Season’ for fishing in Puerto Vallarta.
Every year at the end of our tourism season here in Puerto Vallarta, fishing goes into a holding pattern. What we see is the cold-water temperatures start ticking up, little by little. This year it’s been a little different. If you’ve been reading my recent articles, you already know we’ve been dealing with confusing fishing conditions. After unusual drops in the local water temperatures, at the wrong time of the year I might add, it’s been nothing less than frustrating. We’re now seeing drastic temperature increases. With the stretch of ‘iffy’ fishing, things are improving slightly. There are some active fishing grounds if you know where to look. As we move into spawning season, skills are important, but local knowledge and experience means inexperienced Captains and Crews will be making excuses at the end of the day.
As we exit March and move into the spring fishing season, things can be strange and unpredictable. But seldom is it ‘weird’. With the unusual swing conditions from La Nina to El Nino and then back to La Nina or colder water conditions, any resemblance to our normal yearly expectations are now out the window. Water temperatures have dropped again in the last two weeks to 67 degrees Fahrenheit. Normally this happens about mid-February, not early March. Dropping water temperatures as we enter ‘spring’? But that’s what’s happening. When you have 120 lb Yellowfin Tuna, Sea Bass, Grouper and Striped Marlin, all in our world-famous fishing grounds is nothing short of ‘weird’. Stay tuned, this is an interesting report this week.
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!
After years, if you’ve been reading my articles, then you know what happened last week or even yesterday is no guarantee of what will happen tomorrow! But if this week is any indication of what is to come, then we’re going to have a great fishing season! With Black Marlin finally making an appearance, Yellowfin Tuna are right there with them. Now fishing this early in the season is always hard to call, but we have fish! If you’re thinking about coming to go fishing in Puerto Vallarta, world class fishing awaits you now.
