Now that we’ve moved into what I call “Fishing High Season” conditions are much the same as last week and that’s not bad. Sailfish are picking up in numbers at Corbetena. Black and Blue Marlin are at both El Banco and Corbetena. Two weeks ago “making bait” at the deep water fishing grounds were an issue. Right now we’re seeing massive amounts of different baits moving into both the bay and the deep water locations. Fickle fish are full of Ballyhoo’s, flying fish, Squid and more. Water temperatures have stabilized and there is a nice circling current from Corbetena to El Banco like we used to have! With more of our treasured summer species moving into the area with these favorable conditions including perfect high visibility blue water, if you don’t catch fish right now, that’s all on you amigo!
Summer is here bringing with it the seasonal rains, many call monsoons, but in reality it’s just a mostly daily heavy rain that will last a few hours then leave a nice, “fresh” breeze to follow. If you’re a local, it’s a welcome break from the heat and humidity. But if you’re a “fish”, the rain is a god send. The rain fills the rivers, washing the organic materials like leaves, twigs, seeds and many other things fish love to eat. We call this a trash line, clean water on one side, dirty water behind it. Finding a mature trash line can guarantee Dorado. Same goes for floating debris or floating logs, you have a Dorado Goldmine! Trash lines can be great for Dorado and other smaller fish. But if you’re looking for a species bigger than your car, aka a Black Marlin, you’ll need a ten hour day. Bucket List Marlin are presently at your disposal and being boated daily! It appears that we’re finally in the middle of our summer fishing season. For those holding off on making reservations hoping for better Marlin or Tuna, it’s time to make a move.
As I’ve been saying all along, this is an El Nino year and we’ll have to wait and see what Mother Nature dishes out to us. For the last couple of weeks the fishing has been “fair”, but that’s reversed itself and we’re seeing warmer water than we like and a lack of bait in our deep water fishing grounds. I’m sure you can see the direction this report is going. I look forward all year to write incredible and exciting fishing reports, but I’m reminded by the present conditions, that maybe I’m putting the “Cart before the horse”. Having said that, it’s not a “doom and gloom” scenario by any means. But for now if you’re targeting Marlin at the deep water fishing grounds of Corbetena and El Banco, you’ll need “bait insurance” in the form of tuna tubes!
Welcome back to another incredible week of improving fishing. We aren’t quite up to the level that’s considered world class, but we’re right on time. Coming out of the winter fishing season, everything is in a state of flux as should be expected this early into the fishing season. Water temps have dropped a little, the clean green water is moving in and out. Blue Marlin made an appearance at Corbetena. Corbetena is stuffed full of bait and even a Wahoo or two have shown up. We’re moving forward into what feels like another world class season, but like always, it’s a day at a time.
In the world of world class fishing, not every day is a perfect day. The fishing grounds of Puerto Vallarta are considered some of the best in the world. Yet we still have to pay homage to the changing season, changing currents and of course changing water temperatures. We also know we have a seasonal swing from winter species to summer species. Conditions are changing and there’s no escaping that. Right now we’re in the middle of this seasonal change, which means there are some days are better than others. With plenty of bait in the area, the down side, temporarily I might add, is we now are experiencing red tide. Red tide, which is created by dead or dying plankton has taken over the entire area. We’ve seen this now for about a week and it could last for a brief while longer. Red tide is a normal condition and fishing in this red water is difficult at best. While not preferable on any level, this is a short lived condition. As you read this article, keep in mind things have probably already changed. Fish are out there, your challenge is finding clean water, even if it’s green. If not for the red tide, we’d still be dealing with “pregnant” fish!
Here we go again, the rollercoaster of rising and falling water temperatures has struck again. It’s frustrating because we know “The Big Chill” is coming. Every year I hope we get through the holiday season with warmer water temperatures so the fishing remains great for the holiday travelers. So we got past Christmas, but barely and now we’re seeing dramatic drops in water temperature. Which means we saw the return of dirty water and the clean green water. Both are indicators of colder water temperatures, but we’ve seen this as recently as two weeks ago. So what happened? Who knows, all I know is we have to deal with it. The good news is we still have Marlin, Sailfish and Dorado. The bad news is we also have massive amounts of Krill or Whale food. This means every species in the area is chowing down on the “fast food”, which is known as Krill. The challenges are obvious. But even with massive krill, which even the bait if feeding on, you can still have some great action. It’s not going to be easy, being equipped with the right information can improve the odds, stay tuned.
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?
It’s mid-July now and the calendar tells us we should have warm water, Blue and Black Marlin, Sailfish, Dorado, Trash lines and some normal dirty water close to shore in the bay. Everything that is happening is exactly right on time! With plenty of bait in many forms, blue water, smooth seas and about any “warm water” species you could want. The fishing has finally improved to measure up to a “world class” fishing experience. Tournaments have started and at weigh-in, the fish being brought in are “tournament worthy”. Now things aren’t perfect, they never are. But the fishing has gotten to the point where you can pick your fish, if you have the time and the fuel money. For those on vacation now and are “budget” locked, we can help you too. Inside the bay we’re seeing many freaky things, Sailfish are weird, but not that weird. What is weird is Black or Blue Marlin in the bay! I’m at a loss for an explanation, so I’ll keep my mouth shut and just enjoy the action!
Sometimes it feels like I’m almost making excuses for the “fishing conditions”. Clients come into my shop midwinter looking for summer species. Being at the wrong end of the calendar it’s disappointing for some. Things have changed, water is warming up, Red Tide has all but disappeared, No dirty water to speak of and we have a trash line. With the La Nina keeping water temperatures down I was wondering when the numbers and species would ever pickup. But we’re back in the Summer High Season for Fishing in Puerto Vallarta. Conditions are improving by the day, the “locals” are stuffing themselves with varied “karnada” or baits. Now if we could just figure a way to keep the air temperatures and humidity down, everything would be perfect!
