Right now we’re a week deeper into “fishing high season” and what a difference a week can make! Suddenly Dorado are pretty much at all our world famous fishing grounds! Sailfish numbers are picking up nicely like they always do come mid-September. Marlin and Tuna are more active and larger at Corbetena and El Banco. It’s all about mostly blue water, but there are days where we’re seeing the clean green water, but it isn’t effecting the fishing any. Just about any species you want to target right now is in the mix. For now, the first time I can remember in many moons, a shorter day trip can be your best bang for your fishing dollar! Those looking for larger gamefish, El Morro is alive and kicking with Sailfish. Punta Mita is another option for the longer duration guys. All and all, fishing is hard to beat right now. And let’s face it, we wait all year long and now the fishing is incredible. So check the Calendar, you’ve only got so many months of this level of action before you’ll be back in the “waiting” game. The fishing in Puerto Vallarta right now is as good as it’s going to get all year long! So get off your butt and let’s go fishing amigos!
I’m afraid this week’s report is much like last weeks, but that’s not a bad thing. As we continue to see Corbetena on and off again when it comes to Marlin, we’ve seen Dorado move into most of our world famous fishing grounds. Now that we’re in the solid beginnings of world class fishing in Puerto Vallarta’s fishing grounds, things will only improve with the coming days. But it’s a “menu” item fishing report. It seems that each area has its particular species of choice. Water temperatures are warmer yet perfect, but don’t expect any changes there with an El Nino year. The water is blue, plenty of bait and the only thing missing is you!
Once we finally enter September, you automatically know the fishing will be great. The only questions is which fishing ground(s) to choose. For now you pretty much can’t go wrong and for the most part you can get your target species if you’re willing to go the distance, literally. For those lucky enough to be in Puerto Vallarta, the fishing is great and getting better by the day. Does that mean there aren’t any fishing challenges? Of course not, but it does mean is the challenges are minimal and we have all the summer species people want. We also have Ballyhoo’s swimming all around the area and this is a favorite bait of the “locals”. Now you can’t, for some reason, purchase Ballyhoo’s at the bait boats in the morning on the way out. This means you need to have the correct equipment if you want to be “in the game”. Now that we’re into the summer species pattern, Puerto Vallarta fishing is wonderful. Not perfect, but good enough to have life long memories and plenty of burning arm action. Not to mention a few less pesos in your pocket.
Every year like clockwork we see the changing of the seasons just about the second or third week of January. This means the water temperatures drop, currents change, and abundant “Whale Food” in the form of hard shell Squids, Red Crabs and massive amounts of Krill Shrimp and Squids. And this is just the tip of the iceberg amigos. At times “too much” bait can be a problem for the vacationing Angler looking for a bucket list Fish to be checked off. But never fear, we have fish if you can get them to take your bait.
As we begin to see the end of the peak fishing season we’re lucky to have good if not unpredictable action. Fishing is a “liquid” sport and I mean that in forms of the word. Fish move and they’re moving all around the bay. With winter here the Whales are back as are the Porpoise everyone but fisherman love. For those looking to boat that bucket list fish before another year passes, I’d suggest you “Get it in gear” before the Marlin head for South America.
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.
Under big blue beautiful skies Puerto Vallarta is a fishing wonderland right now. Normally we have colder water than we do so it’s interesting to see warm water species all over the area in their “off” season. Yes folks Punta Mita is alive with some of the most desirable species we have and they’re not too far out. An eight hour fishing trip can almost make you think it’s summer! It doesn’t matter what you’re looking to catch, you have a shot, maybe a low percentage shot, but hey, it’s a shot, take a pic!
We’ve had a roller coaster week when it comes to fishing in our world famous Bay of Banderas. We’ve been pretty lucky with relatively warm water temperatures lingering later than usual into late January. This week we’ve seen dramatic changes in water temperatures which means we’re square in the middle of winter fishing with cold water species picking up in numbers as the warm water species bug out. While not surprising or devastating it doesn’t stop people from coming into the shop looking for Moby Dick! Human High Season and Fishing High Season are at opposite ends of the calendar amigos!
