It took a while, but we’ve finally arrived in the best time of the year for fishing in Puerto Vallarta’s Banderas Bay.
I should have titled this article ‘Pick Your Fish’! Right now, finally, everything is coming together nicely. The hurricane season is over, and what the recent storms have left behind is a fisherman’s paradise. Perfect conditions with high visibility, blue water, perfect water temperatures, plenty of bait, and smooth seas are hard to beat. Mix in large Yellowfin Tuna, large Blue and Black Marlin, large Dorado outside of the bay, throw in Sailfish that are
overly abundant, and once you realize this is really the beginning of the best fishing of the year in Vallarta, you’ll thank your lucky stars you’re here boating your ‘fish fantasy’. And it’s happening right now!
Once you’re past the Marietta Islands, anything is possible. The normal rules we operate by are not applicable at this time. If you’re targeting Black Marlin, Blue Marlin, and Yellowfin Tuna, Corbetena has been the most active location. Well, actually, I can’t say it’s the most active, but it is the closest world-class fishing area to Marina Vallarta, and it’s a reliable location to start your fishing day. Black Marlin to 500 lbs. or larger are running the entire area. Now we’re talking about Corbetena right now, but the simple fact anywhere from the rock to 15 miles or so north of El Banco is fertile ground for anyone looking to catch that “Bucket List” finned fantasy, dreams are made of.
I’m not saying things are perfect, but it’s not far off. Now there is plenty of bait out there,
which is normally a good thing. Some of this bait is tiny, and you may experience a situation where you’ll be in the middle of 60 to 150 lb Yellowfin Tuna, only to find they’re not interested in your bait! Frustrating, you bet! Then the very next day, in the same place at the same time, it can turn into a Tuna Factory. The upside is that where there are Tuna, there will most likely be Marlin. They’re not interested in tiny bait; they’re looking for something more substantial. So, if you’re flexible in your targeted species, you’ll have a fishing experience you’ll never forget.
Sailfish are picking up in numbers as we expect at this time of the year. They’re good-sized and they’re just about everywhere. For those looking for a shorter day, the point off Punta Nayarit, Dorado running 15lb to 30lb have finally moved in, and many of those being caught right now would have won our local tournament last year.
Magnifico, our 31 ft Bertram Classic, at 8 miles off the point. was running dead bait (if you can imagine that). They released two Blue Marlin over 350 lb, a 20 lb Dorado, and a Sailfish, all in one eight-hour duration fishing trip. Catching fish this close to the shoreline is unusual, but with the currents pushing baits closer to shore, it makes for an unforgettable shorter day.
Once you pass the Marietta Islands, you can run into roaming Schools of frenzied Dorado attacking baby Bonito and Skip Jack Tuna. As long as you’re not targeting Yellowfin Tuna, you don’t really need any luck, you just need to show up!
Once we hit this time of the year, we normally have an abundance of Dorado in the bay, especially at the south end near Los Arcos. For some reason, I have an idea about this, the Dorado in the bay is small at best. Bonito to 15 lb, Skipjack Tuna to 10 lb, Sierra Mackerels, and Jack Crevalles to 35 lb are the primary players.
At this time of the year, our focus turns to the deep-water fishing grounds. But for those looking for a shorter day, you’ll have plenty of action, but you won’t be boating Moby Dick! And, you still have the opportunity to boat a Sailfish off Los Arcos, or near the La Cruz Marina. Feeling lucky?
So, with a fishing report like this, you may ask ‘Where should I start my fishing day’? I would first head out to the Marietta Islands. Once past the islands, drop baits there. Dorado are in the area, and Sailfish are there as well. I would roam a bit, look for the birds, then head towards Corbetena. About ten miles out from the rock, be at the ready. Magnifico had their best luck using dead bait. So, keep an open mind when you’re presenting baits; these fish will hit a dead bait at times like this, even when there’s abundant live bait. Being a contrarian can pay dividends.
With water temperatures at about 90 degrees, you may want to use a downrigger to get a bait in front of the Yellowfin Tuna. But like another boat I put out for a two-day trip, the downrigger baits were being attacked by Seals! So, there are always challenges, no matter how perfect the conditions are.
One big secret is that the bite is a little earlier than it has been, so be where you want to be before 08:30. And by the way, the late bite has been around 3 pm.
Until next week, don’t forget to kiss your fish!
