Well, we made it past the holidays with decent fishing if not challenging. When it comes to Sportfishing in Puerto Vallarta, right now anything is possible. From Corbetena to Punta Nayarit (aka Punta Mita) it’s a real mixed bag and if you don’t have the inside scoop, you’re struggling. For the last few weeks we’ve seen a rollercoaster of water temperatures, crazy currents, massive amounts of Krill (aka whale food), Blue water, Clean Green water, you name it, we’ve been dealing with it. Some days the fishing is on fire, other days they’re nowhere to be found and even worse, when you do find them, they won’t take bait. We’ve seen this all before and the experienced captains know what to do. So what’s the answer, for now we’re throwing the “kitchen sink” at them, once again demonstrating how important a “bag of tricks” at the ready is! Even with massive amounts of bait in the water lures will still “work”. But things will be changing soon, our warm water summer species of Marlin and Tuna will be bugging out soon. For now if you’re lucky enough to be in Puerto Vallarta fishing, you’ve still got time to get that “Bucket List” finned fantasy before we transition to winter species.
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.
Last week I reported that water temperatures had dropped drastically, incoming massive Whale food in the form of Krill moving in and Dorado moving out of the bay. That was all accurate and frankly I was more pessimistic about fishing in the “coming” week. I was about half “right”. The massive amounts of Krill are still in the bay, but the Whales have turned up and they’re doing their job consuming and breeding. Yes folk’s winter has returned to the Bay of Banderas with the arrival of our yearly visitors. This of course means that it won’t be long before we’re all targeting smaller game fish in the bay as the deep water locations “cool off”. But for now, Billfish are at Corbetena. The swirling currents are a normal part of the “process” and of course there are still plenty of “Dinner Mahi” for those willing to go the extra distance to our world famous deep water fishing grounds.
It was amazing, last week, what was looking so promising for the rest of “high season” for fishing, has now changed with the early indicators of early winter currents. Suddenly the drop in water temperatures dropped from 84 degrees to 79 degrees in a matter of a few days with early winter currents are going take it’s toll. We’re also seeing the winter currents stirring up the sediment on the ocean floors in some areas. When we get these winter currents, Krill or Whale food show move in as expected at this time of the year. The annual challenge of competing with local baits versus the baits you’re running is nothing new. It happens yearkly and the local Captains know how to deal with this. Having Said that, Blue Marlin are picking up in numbers and size. Dorado are still thick at Corbetena, Sailfish are spread out, with concentrations from Punta Mita aka Punta Nayarit to Corbetena and El Morro. Fishing is always the process of dealing with daily challenges, nothing new there. Normally they come about a month later in the season. Are you up for the challenge?
Well, we’ve finally come to the time of the year when “tourist high season” meets “fishing high season”. What does that mean? It means that we’re in the best two months of the year to target Marlin, Sailfish, Dorado and Yellowfin Tuna. Weather or climate is a beautiful 83 degrees during the day and the water temperatures are prefect for world class fishing. You don’t have to be an expert to have the experience of a lifetime right now. Bait is plentiful, the water is blue and the excitement is high. In fact, it’s time to “Pick Your Fish” at Puerto Vallarta’s world famous fishing grounds, YeHa!
When we enter this time of the year Hurricanes are a part of our daily life. Now we don’t get hit with Hurricanes, but they do pass the Bay of Banderas frequently. More frequently than you might think. We’ve see some interesting situations. Clashing Currents from two different Hurricanes hundreds of miles apart came together perfectly outside of the bay and we had some large swells with short intervals. It put the idea of fishing out of the picture. That doesn’t mean we didn’t have any fishing. It just means you couldn’t get out of the bay!
After what seems like months of “Wishy Washy” fishing conditions from May to mid-June, it has finally turned into something I can write about, thankfully. What am I talking about, how about some sizeable Yellowfin Tuna at Corbetena. Dorado at El Morro, Marlin, Sailfish, Rooster fish. They’re all out there. Not that they’re not super abundant, but they’re out there and that’s all a fisherman needs to know! Short day, long day, it doesn’t matter, we have great fishing in Puerto Vallarta and it’s only going to get better.
We’ve been waiting for it, mostly patiently and finally it happened, we have fishing in Puerto Vallarta’s world famous fishing grounds. Now this is not some declaration that fishing from this point forward is going to be perfect. But it is an announcement that we will now begin to see normal summer conditions. With Hurricanes, Dorado, Marlin and more finally taking baits and moving in, it would be hard to deny “Summer Fishing in Puerto Vallarta” is finally here!
Written by Stan Gabruk, owner Master Baiter’s Sportfishing & Tackle Normally in Puerto Vallarta April is the “last” month of the year where you are still blissfully ignorant that summer is coming. But the last week or so we’ve seen much warmer and longer days. For most of the world it’s early spring, for […]
