It looks like our Fishing grounds are in a season of contradictions. With lingering warm climate into winter and cooling water temperatures have created the contradiction. Black Marlin have finally decided to join the party, as water temps drop? Dorado are plentiful everywhere, yet they don’t like water temps on average under 80 degrees. And having said that, the ultimate contradiction is the fishing is great even with dropping water temperatures! Short days, long days, it doesn’t matter. If you’re serious about fishing and you’re looking for a “no-brainer” fishing day, now would be a good time to jump on on a boat and abuse this fishing opportunity of the year.
It happens every year. We know it’s coming and it looks like were in a transition period about a month early. It’s a La Nina year and we never know what that’s going to bring us when we talk about fishing in Puerto Vallarta. Water temperatures have been holding steady, but the water conditions are changing. Bait is plentiful, but our famous summer species are starting to thin in numbers as winter species like Jack Crevalles, Amber jacks and Snappers begin to move into the area. For now the fishing is still good, but with the changes that are happening now it could change things. The good news is Striped Marlin are moving in as we’re seeing the beginning of another transition season.
It looks like our Fishing grounds are in a season of contradictions. With lingering warm climate into winter and cooling water temperatures have created the contradiction. Black Marlin have finally decided to join the party, as water temps drop? Dorado are plentiful everywhere, yet they don’t like water temps on average under 80 degrees. And having said that, the ultimate contradiction is the fishing is great even with dropping water temperatures! Short days, long days, it doesn’t matter. If you’re serious about fishing and you’re looking for a “no-brainer” fishing day, now would be a good time to jump on on a boat and abuse this fishing opportunity of the year.
Puerto Vallarta has over six million people yearly come into our airport destined for local hotels and destinations. Mexico for the most part is an open country, but Mexico has immigration laws which for years they (Mexicans) haven’t enforced. Now you may argue with that point, I know many people who have been deported, my brother included. Normally the deportation laws are used for the worst type of offenders, like forgetting an ice cream in your hand and forgetting to pay for in a mini-super. But now it’s worse. What you think you know about immigration law is most likely from what you’re already doing and getting away with. You were told by friends, family and even Mexican Real Estate agents you had no problems of any kind. Just keep coming down, spending your money in the local markets as a blood line to the local and state economy. There are no legal issues with older retired people and travelers other than the normal tourism issues daily which are quiet common. Now for the Law abiding, “mind their own business” types. It may be interesting for you to learn, you could be a criminal in the eyes of Mexican Immigration law.
It looks like change is coming. Water temperatures have dropped drastically this week. Water is dirty, not unusual but very late in the season. Dorado is the dominant species right now but with lower water temperatures things could change soon. With changing currents this will bring the dirty water and the cooler water temperatures. It’s very early in the season for a drop of this magnitude, obviously this is the result of La Nina. It’s interesting that when the water temps dropped, the whales showed up. Also there are a few whales in the bay now. So things are changing, but the fishing surprising enough is still pretty good.
For the locals in Puerto Vallarta we all know that no matter how good things were yesterday, it’s no promise for tomorrow. Don’t take that as a suggesting that fishing has taken a turn for the worse, quite the opposite. We’re finally heading into the time of the year when the fishing is about as good as it’s going to get. From this point forward Marlin, Sailfish, Dorado, Tuna, you name it will be on the increase. But like always there is a “monkey wrench” that will soon be affecting our fishing both here and up the coast into the states!
People always ask me what it’s like to live in Mexico? Mexico is a pretty diverse place and I’ve only really lived in Puerto Vallarta, for better or worse it’s been fun. Being in the Sportfishing business I work with many visiting tourist looking to go fishing. Now we have a couple of boats, but I also work with many boats in Marina Vallarta. Many of the Captains and Crews become friends and with time are almost family. Once you get away from the “tourism leaches” the people in PV are incredible. Famous for being nice people, the “Pata Saladas” or original locals will do anything they can for you with a smile.
Living in Puerto Vallarta for as long as I have, I’ve seen many changes. I remember when Puerto Vallarta was a “small” town on the Bay of Banderas. Things always change, but in reality Puerto Vallarta is still much the same, without the hotels. You may say, “without hotels”? Yes, you see when I arrived to PV all of the hotels were located in the downtown area. People would go to breakfast in El Centro / down town, leaving the several nice hotels for a brief while. Now the hotels had restaurants naturally, but food was “extra”. And for the most part, you got gauged, but you bit the bullet because it was “there” and convenient. Most people would agree that breakfast and drinks around the pool had its “cost”. People would walk around and shop at the many unique “tiendas” or shops in English. The town was always in a constant state of movement. The town would literally “breathe” with tourism as the cities “life giving breath”. That was more than ten years ago. Puerto Vallarta still has some hotels, but nothing like the “good old days”.
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 more than twenty years in the business of fishing in Puerto Vallarta I’ve come to understand that what happened yesterday is not exactly what’s going to happen today or tomorrow. Such is the nature of world class Deep Sea Fishing. You see fish move, conditions change and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. When the seasonal rains begin, there’s a whole new batch of factors that also come into play. Fishing is always a challenge, but this is nothing new, how you handle this challenge ends in catching fish or going in empty handed. The good news is we have fish. Marlin, Sailfish, Dorado, Rooster fish, you name it. It’s best if you have an experienced captain but non-professionals will catch fish as well. That’s why I’m here, doing my best to send you in the right direction. Right now that’s going to be Corbetena where you’ll catch fish. Now which “fish” is the question?
