Yellowfin Tuna Challenges, Perfect Conditions, Blue and Black Marlin Dominate!

All year long we wait for this part of the “fishing year”. As we are finally entering “Peak Season” for fishing, we’re seeing nothing short of perfect conditions! Black Marlin, Blue Marlin, Sailfish and of course Yellowfin Tuna are all in the area. Naturally these fish aren’t going to jump into the boat, so there are always challenges. With a positive attitude and plenty of fuel, not to mention a little work, you too could boat a “finned fantasy” on any given day.

One thing to remember, nothing in the world of fishing is easy or constant. Luck can play a big part, but it’s luck mixed with skill in equal measures that gets the trophy. The local Captains have been dealing with these sorts of conditions from the time they were walking around the docks in diapers. New captains to the area or those with little experience will see present conditions as difficult. Experienced captains will see this an opportunity. It’s the times when challenges exist that you learn which captains are worth their “Salt”!

At Corbetena with water temperatures as warm as I can ever remember, they are likely not to get any warmer, that’s good news. More good news is there is plenty of varied bait, which is also the bad news. Two inch Squids have moved in, Red “Tuna” Crabs have returned. Sardines, Bullet Bonito, Skip Jack Tuna and the list goes on. It’s too much of a good thing. On the other hand we have Yellowfin Tuna from 40 to over 100 lbs jumping all over the place, if you catch the bite just right and they surface. Otherwise they’re sounding or heading into the deeper water to regulate their body temperatures. Larger Tuna are around 130 feet, smaller can be as low as 50 feet. Your electronics will give you the exact info, good luck! Black Marlin are in the 300 to 600 plus pounds, Blue Marlin are in the same ranges. And of course at this time of the year Sailfish are increasing in numbers by the day. Cubera Snappers are here, not taking baits for some reason. Rainbow Runners at forty pounds and the list goes on. With plenty of Skip Jack Tuna, baby bullet Bonito and Sardines running the area you have to figure a way to turn their heads. Again, skill counts, cheap captains on slower boats, well I’ll keep positive and you’ll probably catch something anyway. El Banco is much the same as Corbetena right now, there could be some larger Black Marlin and bigger Yellowfin Tuna. Sailfish are thick and with all things being equal, Corbetena is probably your best option saving on fuel for the same size and species! So there you go, we have some really big fish, but you’ll be working it all day. Ten to twelve hours is your best value to species right now.

At this time of the year an eight hour trip is standard. Sailfish are picking up in numbers and hanging around Guyavitos, Punta Mita, El Morro and everywhere in between. Rooster fish are near Sayulita they’re running in the 15 lb range, so throw them back. Dorado are running the area but they’re not as prevalent as we’re accustomed to. I think they’re all vacationing in Southern California. Some Blue Marlin are still hanging about ten miles of the point of Punta Mita. This would be a secondary option to the deep water fishing grounds of Corbetena and El Banco.

Our world famous Yellowfin Tuna Fishing grounds about a 100 miles to the north are producing world class sized Yellowfin tuna! At this time of the year keeping in the legal zones will produce nicely no matter what the winter “visitor” long range boats tell the boys in Southern California. Hurricanes are not an issue like they’ll tell you, it’s a fear marketing factor. With Cruise ships, Regattas, and all kinds of pleasure craft cruising the area between Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas, there are no Hurricane issues. There is plenty of warning of a coming system, there are plenty of ports, places to avoid pop-up storms behind islands etc. Again, experience and the truth, not fear factors is what we all need as consumers looking to catch a world record YF Tuna! Yes I said world record Yellowfin Tuna. Right now, peak season at the islands can produce a world record every time your line hits the water. This is why the whole area is considered one of the top ten fishing grounds in the world. Yes I said world. Yet we get no attention from the major publications. We have no major sponsors, PV is just ignored which means more fish for us. But it’s bad for tourism, we need people in PV, so this lack of promotion to our Bucket list fishing grounds I guess falls mostly on my shoulders. You see I am the only person putting out weekly reports on fishing conditions in the Puerto Vallarta area! No kidding. So spread the word! We can get you fixed up with affordable fishing in a world class location safely at any level of luxury you’d care to experience… for less! Right now we’ve seen very few Hurricanes for the summer season and when you see a 300 lb Yellowfin tuna hurl itself out of the water like a flying Volkswagen, you won’t believe your eyes! At that point it’s all about getting a line in the water!

Inside the bay, we’re seeing the normal summer species and normal summer conditions. With little rain the Trash Line is a little weak. Still there are “freaky” Sailfish at Los Arcos and around the La Cruz Marina. Smaller Dorado are also in the bay, but throw the ones under 10 lbs back please! Cold water species Jack Crevalls are in the bay, not too many, but still fun to catch and they’re taking baits. Sierra Mackerels are thin in numbers, but still there. Snook are around the rivers mouths and shoreline if they can get past the gill nets at the rivers. Rooster fish from 15 lbs around the sandy beaches and Estiladeras area. Bonito to 30 lbs, 10 lb Skip Jack Tuna and plenty of smaller species around rocks or any structure. So even when it’s off season for the bay, it produces nice family days on the water. Remember you can always just tour the bay for fun also. To be in PV and not see it from the water is like not seeing half the city! Something to think about, I’ll make it affordable!

As I mentioned earlier the conditions are never perfect, but they’re not far from it with high visibility blue water, plenty of varied bait and a mid-morning bite. You don’t need to be at your favorite fishing grounds until about 09:00, so sleep in, but reserve bait as the bait boats bug out about 08:00! As mentioned the water temperatures are at 90 / 91 degrees which means you have to have downriggers to get a bait in front of a Tuna! One thing that I need to mention, the fish are spread out like last week and the week before. Anywhere between the rock at Corbetena and El Banco is the “Promise” Land. So have a full fuel tank and don’t be afraid to move some water! One more thing to think about, which nobody ever mentions. It’s tournament season, the time of the year where every weekend has a fishing tournament. When booking fishing charters try and stay away from Friday, Saturday and of course Sunday. These days the popular fishing grounds will be crowded to the max. Fish go down or leave the area when too may boats show up in the same exact place. Which means you are dealing with too many boats for no reason. Off tournament days are just empty for the moment, but this too will change as we enter October the peak of peak season starts Oct 1!

Well that’s about it for this week, I just want to take a minute to say deeply appreciate the opportunity to write these articles and I appreciate your readership. Please share these post and articles with your friends and family. I like to promote Puerto Vallarta, it’s one of the “Coolest” places in the world and I know it first hand. So don’t expect me to leave any time soon, in fact maybe it’s time you got your family here to experience all the wonder that is Puerto Vallarta!

Until next week, Don´t forget to kiss Your Fish!

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