Fish Report

I’ve said it before and I’m saying it again, fishing in Puerto Vallarta, the Bay of Banderas has been nothing short of weird this year. In my last article, Dorado were thin in number, but still at El Morro to Punta Nayarit. Then, all of a sudden, Dorado move back into the bay, even with the cold water. Sailfish numbers are still strong, but the Blue Marlin Population is getting smaller in both size and numbers. Water temperatures are prematurely dropping, and massive amounts of bait are coming into the area. And on top of that, the Whales are back! It won’t be long before our warm water species bug-out. For those looking to catch that bucket list fish, the clock is ticking amigos.

Yellowfin Tuna, I’m sure that got your attention. El Banco last week was sporting Yellowfin Tuna just under 200 lbs. They were an all-day project, but, they were taking baits last week. This week the illegal Long Liners set up their lines and destroyed the fishing. You have to be careful with these “long liners” because if you try to run their lines over, they will shoot at you! Yes they have guns and the authorities are nowhere to be found. When Long Liners are in a specific place, you know the fishing is great there. So for the moment, avoid the El Banco around the high spots. Having said all this, Striped Marlin are in larger numbers about ten miles northwest of El Banco. Yellowfin Tuna run this area also, so it may be worth the extra fuel and passing up the high spots and the long liners. 

Corbetena this week is still working with Blue Marlin running 350 lbs, Sailfish, Striped Marlin and possible Dorado. Yellowfin Tuna have been in the 30 to 160 lb range. Some days they’re there, some days they’re not. If you’re hanging around Corbetena, then anything is possible right now. Water temperatures are still at 78, so Striped Marlin, who love these water temperatures should hang around until after New Year’s with any luck. If you want to target Yellowfin Tuna, you need a boat that will run the entire area from Corbetena to well north of El Banco. If you are serious about Yellowfin Tuna, you should look at our Tuna Safari Packages.

For those who are looking for a shorter day, you have Sailfish, Striped Marlin and Dorado off the Punta Nayarit (aka Punta Mita). This goes for the entire area including El Morro and the Marietta Islands. For the lucky, take a heading of 300 off the point of Nayarit, 25 miles later you’ll find Sailfish and Striped Marlin as well. There could be Blue Marlin in the neighborhood as well. The water here is mostly blue, but once you’re six miles off the point, the water goes from the cold clean green, to the warmer blue water. Feeling lucky?

This week’s big surprise was seeing Dorado move into the bay, when there were none last week. The area off Los Arcos is where the Dorado are hanging around. They’re running 15 to 20 lbs and full of fight. Jack Crevalles are massive in numbers off the La Cruz area and there could also be a freak Sailfish there as well. Bonito to 20 lbs are everywhere, as are Skipjack Tunas at 7 lbs. Sierra Mackerels are showing up again, they’re an early bite and picking up in numbers. Don’t ignore this smaller species, they’re very flavorful and plentiful. Four hours will normally get you your fill. And smaller game like this is fun for the younglings. Right now I’d say your best bang for your fishing dollar is a six hour trip in the bay.

It feels like we’re moving into early winter conditions. Water temperatures will continue to drop in the coming days. Whales are moving into the bay as well and soon there will be our famous whale watching trips. When the Whales come in, so will the Krill and other smaller Whale food types of baits. Once water temperatures dip below 73 degrees, Grouper and Snapper will be moving in and that’s good too. So expect massive amounts of bait to move in and if you’re looking to catch that Billfish before the water gets too cold, now would be a good time go get on the water. The bite these days are a little ‘split’. There is an earlier bite with the Dorado and the Sierra Mackerels. Sailfish and Marlin will be looking more at 08:30 and expect things to slow down a bit by 10:00. So hit the Dorado and Mackerels early, then target the larger Billfish!

Until next week, don’t forget to kiss your fish!

Written by Stan Gabruk