What a difference a week can make! All of a sudden, we see Puerto Vallarta’s world-class fishing grounds come alive. No, it’s not perfect, and remember, it’s the start of Vallarta’s ‘high season for fishing’; we’re finally moving into a typical summer fishing season pattern. So, conditions are more favorable by the day.
Water temperatures are where they should be, the water is blue, and there’s no shortage of bait to entice those ‘Bucket List” warm water species into the area.
As I’m writing this, the west coast of Mexico has already seen five hurricanes in three weeks. They’ve brought some rain into the area, but they’re also pushing fish into the Bay of Banderas. This is the pattern we were lacking last year, and I’m already getting excited for the season with the arrival of Blue Marlin, Sailfish, Dorado, and more!
We finally have some people in the city again after our yearly drop in tourism at the end of May. But people are coming back in smaller numbers, and they’re discovering Corbetena. With amazingly blue water filled with bait, Blue Marlin, in excess of 300 lbs, have rolled in at the rock and the surrounding area.
Your chances of boating a Blue Marlin right now are at 70%! Midsized Sailfish are picking up in numbers, and there are some Dorado in the 15 lb range here at the rock as well. Spinner Dolphin are also running with 25 lb Yellowfin Tuna. Quite a difference from a week ago. Oh, I forgot to mention that Yellowfin Tuna in the 40 lb range are also roaming the area. Excited yet?
At the eight-hour charter distance, you have a good shot at Dorado at Punta Nayarit. Roosterfish are at the Marinal Rock, north of Sayulita. Sailfish are also a possibility, and of course, there are Sardines, baby Skipjack Tuna, and a host of other bait fish in the area to keep the fish interested.
But right now, there’s a secret, so keep this to yourself: Green Runners are the secret to catching Dorado in the bay. You’ll have to find them, but they’re guaranteed to produce arm-burning action. And since we have a history of Blue Marlin about 15 miles off the point, they could well be running the area by the time you read this.
Inside the bay, we’re still seeing great fishing, and we’re seeing some new players in the bay. Our 30 ft center console boated a nice 15 lb. Dorado in front of the La Cruz Marina. This area can also produce unexpected Sailfish and Jack Crevalles for the lucky.
At the south end of the bay, around the Los Arcos Rocks, there are smaller Dorado in the 7 lb. range, which are, of course, released. But there are also larger Dorado in the mix running 12 to 15 lbs, and those are keepers. Naturally, we’re still catching Bonito to 20 lbs. Skip Jack Tuna are small at 8 lbs, but great tasting. Sierra Mackerels are an underrated fish that tastes great, but they don’t get any larger than twelve pounds.
Roosterfish are at Cabo Corrientes in the 35 to 50 lb. range. Jack Crevalles are still running the bay, even though the water is warmer than they usually like, they’ll stick around if the bait conditions are perfect like they are now. So, there is plenty of action for those looking for a shorter day.
The important details: Water temperatures are sitting at a perfect 84 degrees at all the fishing grounds. There is an array of different baits from flying fish, Sardinas, Ballyhoos, Baby Skip Jack Tuna, and the list goes on.
The bite is still about 09:00 in the morning, but if farther out of the bay, it’s more like 10:00. The water is blue, and soon with all this rain, we’ll have a trash line that will just improve the fishing conditions two-fold.
For those unfamiliar with fishing in Puerto Vallarta, we go out rain or shine. In fact, if it’s raining, the fishing is always better. So come prepared for rain. The good news is that the rain is a short-lived thing, and all the boats have protection. So, unless you’re made of sugar, it’s nothing to stop you from going fishing, amigos.
Until next week, don’t forget to kiss your fish!
