| | |  News from Around Banderas Bay 
Vallarta Fishing Experience: In Fish City, Spring is in the Air - and Summer is Around the Corner
 Stan Gabruk - PVNN
May 03, 2010
| | Bill Rudgier caught this Jack Crevall on a four-hour fishing charter aboard the PoliconFolio on March 20th. | |
Normally at this time of the year we are talking about how there are all kinds of fish out there, but tourism is down, which of course is normal for post Easter Holiday travel. "Normally" there are large Dorado, Sailfish and the beginning of Striped Marlin moving in. But that is normal, and nothing has been normal since the El Niño conditions began about this time last year.
Now we are on the other end of El Niño, which can mean a couple of different things. The first being La Niña, which is the opposite of El Niño. This is when the water temperatures turn cold and the currents that should be flowing aren't. This keeps the water temps chilly, which in turn means you are heading out eighty miles if you hope to see Yellowfin Tuna come July. The other option is we see no chilly water and that the currents flow as they should.
Now La Niña happens about 30% of the time - and we are due. Right now we are seeing water temperature in the 74 to 76° degree range, which is chilly for almost all the deep water game fish like Yellowfin Tuna and Black Marlin. Dorado, Sailfish and Blue Marlin will hang in slightly cooler waters - as long as there is bait in the area.
Right now the temperatures are lower than they were all winter. I would expect the water to be warming up as we move swiftly into summer conditions. But again, these temps are normal for this time of year if you look at a chart. Stay tuned...
Just a few weeks ago there where Yellow Fin Tuna all over El Banco where they were hitting squids traveling with warm currents like they were candy. Those were in excess of 150 pounds. Now you need to head out a minimum of fifteen miles out from the high spots. Frankly, halfway from El Banco to the Tres Maria Islands are still producing Yellowfin Tuna. Those would be in the 60 to 85 lb range.
It's going to be a sixteen hour day for those willing to brave the long day. It's really not that big a deal, you just mentally prepare for it and enjoy the "one-ness of you and the sea..." Just make sure to drink the beer on the way back, or you could be Gumby before you even make it to the fishing grounds!
OH, the fishing grounds will be 75 miles ONE WAY, so figure three to four hours travel time one way. Still interested? Only the die hard, hard core types will understand what I am saying... On the east coast they have to hit sixty miles off shore before they can even consider dropping a line, in rough and cold weather. So in reality, these guys who cry about having to head out fifty miles in warm, flat conditions just make my butt itch.
If you were fishing at Corbeteña or El Banco this past week, you might have seen some Striped marlin roaming the area. Amber Jacks, Rainbow Runners, Snappers if lucky. All and all, not a happening location this week. But again, spring is in the air and their stomachs are not really on their minds, (wink, wink!)
Strangely enough, Punta Mita sprung to life this week with Pargo, or Snappers in English, just appearing out of nowhere. They were also surface feeding on the vast bait balls in the bay. So surface trolling was working and the table had your catch!
El Morro to the Marietta Islands is still producing, but they are still hot and cold. Some days you hook into thirty fish, other days you will have your work cut out for you. Again, with the Spawning season in gear, you should call it a fish orgy, it can be difficult to grab their attention. Still, Jack Crevalls, Pompano, Bonita, Snapper, Sierra Mackerels and a host of others make the area worth an eight hour day! Just be patient and have a backup plan.
If you look closer in to shore around the river mouths, many times these areas will go ignored. Fish are where you find them and if you can find them closer to shore in the surf line, then head to the surf line amigos! Deeper in the bay Jack Crevalls, Bonita, Needle fish, Snappers are hanging in the south and north sides not too far from Marina Vallarta! Lots of bait in the water as well, so when the participants let their attention move on to other things, the bay will be like a smorgasbord to them.
Planning: If you are looking to go Sportfishing in Puerto Vallarta this summer, I suggest you start thinking about the conditions and the time frame you would want to be here in Fish City! You can have world-record sized fish out 35 to 50 miles! Black / Blue Marlin are a given, Yellowfin Tuna can range in size from 60 lbs to over 250 lbs from Early July to New Years.
Mid-July to late October can produce Monster fish! Sailfish will be long and thick, even in shorter distances. Dorado sometimes takes a vacation in August, but they can reach anywhere from 25 to 65 lbs, deep water being where the larger species are with smaller sizes closer in.
Share this info with your friends and plan a group trip for more than one day. Multiple days are the way to go and always produce plenty of fish. So one bad day will not be a disaster. Start Saving those nickels and dimes!
Something to Remember: Credit Cards are not widely taken by Puerto Vallarta Sportfishing companies. There is plenty of fraud going around and that is not with the vendors, but the clients. So be prepared with cash when going fishing.
Don't Forget: We are now selling our world famous T-Shirts online at MasterBaitersGear.com. Also, you can keep up with my periodic Vallarta fishing reports on my blog. Check out masterbaiters.wordpress.com for my quickie reports - with pictures for the reading impaired!
Well that's about it for now... Until next week, don't forget to kiss your fish!
Stan Gabruk is the owner of Master Baiters Sportfishing and Tackle in Marina Vallarta. He came to Puerto Vallarta for a brief, three-week vacation and never left. You can find Stan at his Master Baiters Sportfishing shop in Marina Vallarta, located on the boardwalk down from the lighthouse next to Tikul Restaurant. For more information about fishing in Puerto Vallarta, click HERE, visit MasterBaiters.com.mx or email Stan at Catchfish(at)MasterBaiters.com.mx.
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