Warm Dirty Water, Marlin, Aggressive El Nino!
Well, here we are again, I have to tell you, soon we’ll be in the spring season, even though we’re already seeing spring water temperatures. This is very important since Puerto Vallarta’s Fishing Grounds should be about 70 degrees, not 78 degrees or warmer in some areas. We should be seeing Red Snapper, Grouper, Sea Bass and other cold-water species. This window normally will last up to eight weeks, but not this year. Instead, we’re seeing most of our summer species hanging out between Corbetena and El Banco. Obviously, we’re getting mixed signals as to what our “norm” is. For those lucky enough to be in Puerto Vallarta fishing right now, you’ve got a very rare opportunity to boat a bucket list fish in an off season. But there is always a down side to deal with. If you’re coming down to PV or if you’re here, you’ll be glad you read this weeks report of the surrounding area of Banderas Bay.
This will be a little bit of a strange report this week, but you already know that. Starting with the water conditions, we had a strange current come through, bringing dirty water with it. Now this isn’t the ‘clashing currents’ I normally write about at this time of the year. That’s where the silt on the ocean floor gets mixed into the local waters. No, this is a real, dirty current. For that reason, most of our fishing grounds are a mix of dirty water and wide ‘splotches’ of blue, warm water. This water is full of bait and right now it’s your best bang for your fishing dollar. If you find yourself about ten miles north of Corbetena all the way to El Banco, you’ll find a complete ‘bucket list’ of species. You looking for Marlin, great we have three species out there right now. Black Marlin and Blue Marlin are still running in the 350 to 500 lbs range. Looking to target Sailfish in their off season, you got them amigos. Dorado, yep and they’re running about 25 lbs. Striped Marlin are anywhere from 125 lbs to about 250 lbs. for the lucky. And now, here’s the kicker, Yellowfin Tuna in the 60 to 200 lbs. range are running with Porpoise or Dolphin, anywhere from North Corbetena to El Banco. We’re not talking about Spinner Dolphin now; we’re talking about the “flipper” sized Dolphin! The whole area is alive with ‘summer species’ in late February. I didn’t know this since we put so few boats out last week, but this has been happening for days and it appears they may be in the area for a while. Dolphin have a tendency to hang where they’re comfortable and have plenty of food in the water. Things could change quickly and those interested in this off season fishing better get their butt in gear, this won’t last forever.
If you remember, last week we had great sized Dorado, aka Mahi off El Morro to the Punta Nayarit area. That was last week, this week, they disappeared. There were also Sailfish off the point of Nayarit, they disappeared as well. Those taking eight-hour trips with us this week got a few free hours, that is if their schedule could handle it, because we’re in the business of catching fish, not making excuses. Putting out my new 36 ft. Cabo Express, with Capt. Fredy (a proven world class captain) out from Marina Vallarta, clients Got a blue Marlin Hookup and the game was on! Things can change in this area in a heartbeat, so stay tuned.
Inside the bay, normally at this time of the year, there is plenty of arm burning action for anyone interested in having a great and affordable day on the water. Jack Crevalles are thick in the bay right now running anywhere from 25 to 50 lbs. I had clients mount some of these super large ‘Jacks’ this week and the group picture with all the Jack Crevalle’s is a four-hour trip in the bay. Sierra Mackerels are not the biggest species in the bay, but they’re definitely one of the best tastings. Running about 12 lbs., these Sierra’s are a lot of fun on light tackle. The Sierras seem to always have an early bite, so right now it’s a good idea to target some Sierra Mackerels early, then head out. The Jack Crevalle’s for some reason have their strongest bite of the day come about mid-day, not the morning’s amigos, for now anyway. Throw in our Arctic Bonito (tuna family), Skip Jack Tuna at 15 lbs. and several other species for those who don’t discriminate against bottom fishing and jigging. There is always great fishing in the bay if you’re open to all the fun options available. For now, those looking to save some money on a shorter duration fishing day, will be very happy they chose that option. I suggest six hours, that will give you time enough to cover some ground. The term we would use is “push some water” chasing tail! And remember, you can make a six-hour trip into a Whale Watching / Fishing / Snorkeling trip all on the same vacation dollar. Something to think about.
The details; The all-important water temperatures are a very toasty 78 degrees at the deep-water locations. In some areas the water can be over 80 degrees, so you can imagine why we’re still seeing Dorado at North Corbetena with these summer water temperatures. If heading to this area there is plenty of bait in the form of Sardines, flying fish, Goggle Eyes and the list is almost endless, but I will say that the Krill seem to be disappearing. No surprise since they’re a cold-water, fast-food item for the Whales. The bite has been all over the place this week. The Sierra Mackerels are an early bite, so hit them before going to your planned fishing grounds and get something worth eating before heading out. If you’re fishing in the bay, the bite is about 09:30, but the Jack Crevalle’s have been hitting baits closer to mid-day. If you’re at the deep-water locations, expect a mid-day bite and sleep in a bit. But for those lucky enough to be here in PV now, the fishing is better than it should be!
Normally, I would not address any of the local issues here in PV, but this week Puerto Vallarta was all over the international news. The reports, and the continuing reports, show PV as a war zone. The news shows our Costco on fire, it wasn’t. Drone videos show columns of smoke all over town, they were burning cars in the streets. The rumors of the local Oxxo’s being set ablaze are completely accurate. All those things happened on a Sunday. Now this is significant, and most people don’t quite understand how all these cultural issues fit together here in PV. One reason it’s so hard to root out the cockroaches is the mere fact, your average Mexican family at the Christmas holiday will have “cartel” types at one end of the table, the Police types at the other end of the table and the family in between. How you weed all that out and disconnect the family from what they for the most part deem ‘normal’. That’s the issue, but on the other hand, it’s not the huge issue the press is pushing. If you notice, everything happened on Sunday, why? Because their families need to work. On Monday after the international news stories, the burning cars were all hauled away before mid-day. The continuing news stories are from the one day, but the press pushes fear and click-bait. Here we are, almost a week later and PV is normal, that is unless you’re looking for an Oxxo. Again, normally I’d ignore these one-day news stories, but I’ve had so many customers, family, friends and even strangers call me, message me and send friends to make sure I was safe. I would like to thank those who were concerned. But like most of you know, I’ve been in PV now for 26 yrs., I’ve seen it all and can navigate any situation that may arise. But the press is pushing fear and Click-bait at the expense of your vacation, and frankly my business. All the craziness has been neutralized with massive amounts of support officers and military types making sure the radical elements are being picked up as “Normalcy” returns to Puerto Vallarta. If you have any questions on PV, feel free to send me an email, or call! Enough said!
Until next week, don’t forget to kiss your fish!
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Written by Stan Gabruk
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