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?
Fishing in Puerto Vallarta is never a sure thing if targeting only one species, but if you are looking for action we always have that. I know my reports lately seem to be a little “cookie cutter”. But if you’ve been reading my articles here in the past, you know this is the time of the year when the fishing seasons change. I call it a “Transition Period”. In a “normal” year the tourism season is normally over. With Covid restrictions winding down, we’re seeing a “second High season” in June. Thankfully we have Stripers still running the area, Yellowfin Tuna are small but out there. Blue Marlin are sparse and Sailfish are hard to find. What does this all mean? It means the fish are out there, the question is: Are you willing to do what it takes to boat a Bucket List fantasy?
Things have gotten even a little strange for a transition period. It’s a yearly thing, cold water currents changing to warm water currents from the opposite direction can at times be “confusing”. Right now the mix-up is with the species and the water temperatures. Honestly it’s like they don’t know if they’re “coming or going” literally. The good news is normally when we see the “clashing currents” we get dirty water stirred up from the bottom of the bay. For now it’s mostly blue water, but there is that “clean green” that is cold, not blue, it’s somewhere in between. There has been some of that, but for the majority of the area the water is blue and waiting for you to arrive.
Written by Stan Gabruk Introduction: I wrote this article last year for a local publication last year and thought it’s good to revisit this article and remind folks that we’re coming into High Season for Fishing. Most people assume our high season is in the winter. Tourism likes the cooler weather, fishing favors the hot […]
After weeks and weeks of Yellowfin Tuna ignoring any bait put in front of them things are finally changing. My good friend Joel called the shop today to let me know I was full of “BS” and that there were Tuna hitting baits like Poppers and Goggle eyes at Corbetena. Well I had to laugh because I publish articles on the web and on my webpage. I always update the web page, but I can’t update articles in the PV Mirror for instance. But Joel is right, about three days after my last article things changed. Now I’m not talking about anything drastic, but small changes are better than no changes. One nice change is Yellowfin Tuna are still at Corbetena and the YF Tuna are taking baits again finally. That can only mean that the three inch Squids which are still there are finally thinning in numbers. Finally a trip to Corbetena is worth the effort and the fuel expense, YeHa!
Well folks, the cold snap continues and frankly we’re in the middle of a transition period. The warm water species have left, except for Yellowfin tuna. The water at Corbetena is dirty as is most of the fishing grounds around the area. Whale food aka plankton is so massive in the area, it’s turned into a fish smorgasbord! Yes folks for the moment, remembering that things can change in a heartbeat, fishing outside of the bay is “challenging” at best.
Every year, for a brief few weeks, we see perfect fishing conditions in a comfortable climate! But this is how a transition period begins. It happens every year and we hope it’s late so we can get through the holiday season with world class fishing. And like every year we start to see the changing currents and thus water temperatures drop. Every November we have the Whales visit our bay and hang around until March. This is the first indication the seasons will soon be changing.
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.
