If you’ve been reading my articles, you know fishing in Puerto Vallarta is in the middle of a weird transition from an El Niño condition to La Niña in the middle of summer.
It has created an interesting situation I have never seen before. With cooler-than-normal water temperatures, winter species mix with summer species throughout the area. Striped Marlin are running with Black Marlin? That never happens!
Another curious thing is the complete lack of rain in the middle of the ‘rainy season.’ So we haven’t been able to work the trash lines much. We’re just not getting anything close to normal levels of rain in Vallarta; no rain, no trash line.
Another thing is the complete lack of hurricanes. Now, you may think I’m crazy, but hurricanes push fish in all sorts of directions. Since most hurricanes come from the south, this will naturally push fish and currents into our world-class fishing grounds. And the few passing hurricanes just peter out or set a direct heading for Hawaii. So, nothing is normal, which may be a good thing in this unconventional fishing season.
Corbetena’s weak pulse gets stronger every day. Before I get started, the fishing is spread out. With massive amounts of moving bait balls, the different species have been following them around. Many diverse types of bait exist in the bay and at the deep water fishing grounds. If you’re targeting Billfish or Yellowfin Tuna, they could be anywhere between Corbetena and El Banco. So when I say you must be prepared to move some water, your entire day could depend on how much fuel you use.
Blue Marlin are running just a few miles north of the Corbetena Rock. Black Marlin have been in the 400 to 600 lb range. Some schools of Yellowfin Tuna are in the 40 to 120 lb range. But we also have Football Tuna at 35 to 45 lbs and have been running with Spinner Dolphin, primarily closer to El Banco. Sailfish are also in the mix.
What is surprising is the presence of Striped Marlin as well. With 83-degree water temperatures now for weeks, this temperature is in the Striped Marlin comfort range. Black Marlin, in my experience, generally like warmer water and 83 is at the low end of their comfort range.
Dorado like 84-degree water temps and warmer, are also closer to the rock at 20 lbs. Find a floating log or some sort of debris, and you’ve got a Dorado goldmine, amigos. Right now, a ten-hour trip is worth every peso you paid for the charter.
El Banco, located about twenty-five miles north of Corbetena, has seen its share of Black Marlin around the high spots. Of course, Blue Marlin and Dorado are also in this area. As I mentioned earlier, the fish are on the move, so I suggest starting at Corbetena, running the area, and working towards El Banco. I predict you’ll have a day to remember.
From Punta Nayarit (aka Punta Mita), about four miles off the point, you’ve got Sailfish, possibly Blue Marlin to 400 lbs, and Dorado running the area. If you’re in the mood to chase some Roosterfish, north of Sayulita shows some excellent Rooster action, but this is always a fleeting situation. This would be an eight-hour duration charter.
To maximize your chances, start dropping lures about four miles off the point and work your way east and to the south. There have been reports of floating logs and trash off the point, but keep this to yourself. Well worth your time and effort.
The beautiful Bay of Banderas always has great fishing. But again, winter species like Jack Crevalles run along with Bonito, Dorado, and Sierra Mackerels. There has been some decent action off Los Arcos at the bay’s south end. Most of the Dorado in the bay are babies. However, there are some larger Dorado at 20 lbs in this area.
For those looking to target Roosterfish, Cabo Corrientes is where you need to consider. Now, these fishing grounds are off Mayto, where the shoreline is rocky, but there are sandy shores in between. Roosterfish heaven, and they’re there in the shoreline now. You need to figure a ten-hour charter; it’s about forty miles out of Marina Vallarta to the extreme south end of the bay. I highly recommend this trip as the Rooster’s are crowing and have been running from 30 to 50 lbs or larger. Imagine boating one of these 60-inch or five-foot-long dynamos of arm-burning action you’ll never forget. It’s an exhilarating experience.
These are the important details, the bite is still weird, longer day trips of eight hours or more should be leaving the dock at about 06:00. If fishing in the bay, I’d adjust that to 07:00. Remember that Mexico is no longer on Daylight Savings Time, so the sun is up now about 06:30.
Water temperatures are still at 83/84 degrees; this is very cool. Remembering that our average water temperature would be from 86 to about 90 degrees, this water is almost cold. But it’s not affecting the fishing, and in fact, may just be weird enough to morph into a wonderful fishing season.
By now, you know the bait in the bay is one of Puerto Vallarta’s fishing secrets. It’s also one of our biggest challenges at times. Right now, we have baby Skipjack tuna, a local favorite. Then we’ve got larger Skipjack tuna to 20 lbs! Throw in Flying fish, Goggle eyes, Squids, and more, which bait to run can be confusing at best. Good luck with that one, amigos! When there is an overabundance of bait, running a dead bait’s a good idea. Strange logic, I know, but it’s been known to work when nothing else does.
Until next week, don’t forget to kiss your fish!
