Fishing Report for May 3, 2009

Plenty of Fish in the Warm, Blue Water of El Banco.

Well the world is more than aware that Mexico is on the map these days. With the press blowing things out of proportion on issues like drug wars on the boarder and the latest media produced scare of catching the H1N1 Flu bug, you too may start believing the “Sky is Falling”.

After all, where there’s smoke, there’s fire, right? Here are some simple facts to keep in mind: The whole state of Jalisco, the Mexican equivalent of California, has had 0 cases reported of this flu. Cancun who now receives no flights from Europe have had 0 out breaks. The 150 deaths attributed to this flu just last week have been revised downward to seven deaths.

The only death of this flu has been a Mexican infant who had serious other medical complications and wasn’t even a citizen of the USA. Now if anywhere was going to see an outbreak, it would be Guadalajara, the second largest city in Mexico and they’ve had 0 outbreaks. With vice President Bidens comments about planes, trains, etc it has just fueled the fire. So for the record, it’s safe to come to Mexico! People are not being gunned down in the streets by drug people and you’re not going to get sick. The peso has headed back up to its recent peak and that makes Mexico, PV in particular, the best travel deal on the market. I wrote this paragraph for the folks that read my articles on line, not the locals, they know better. As an American living in Mexico, I’m ashamed of what the USA has presented to the world and it’s time a person living in this country came out and voiced an opinion….. OK, I’m off my soap box now.

The last couple of weeks my fishing reports have been pretty much cookie cutter reports and I wish I could say things have changed in the last few days. But we’re in the winter to summer transition period which is traditionally slim pickings on the shorter trips! But if you’re serious about getting in the game, and get some Puerto Vallarta fishing under your belt,  there are some out of season fish at El Banco which makes the distance and fuel expense well worth the effort! Yellowfin Tuna, Marlin, Sailfish and Mahi Mahi are there, but you’ll have to put the work in. No time for lazy fisherman to come in and brag! Sportfishing in Puerto Vallarta at this time of the year will put you through your paces. Big Game fishing on this level is not cheap. It never has been and this will never change.

Inside the bay this week, my competitors are telling unsuspecting vacationers that they’ll boat a marlin in the bay or barely outside of the bay. Here are the facts, the bay has small fish and if you’re shooting for Sierra Mackerals, Bonito, Jack Crevalls, Snappers and the like, they’re out there. Some days you will find it hard to find one of these, other days they’re out there by the boat load. That’s what makes fishing special, no guarantees makes that fish you caught all the better tasting. Unless you’re fishing at least a couple of days, you’re taking a chance on coming in with an empty fish box. But this holds true for any time of the year. Fishing is fishing and no matter how much I want to tell you you’re going to boat Moby Dick, there’s a chance you won’t!

Most of the charters leaving Puerto Vallarta this week were heading to the Marietta Islands or off the buoys at Punta Mita. Roosters are turning into a stable at the Marietta’s. With an abundance of Sardines in the water, it’s been making it tough to turn their heads. But persistence beats resistance and if you keep at it, you’ll get your fair share. You’ll need an 8 hr trip for this! Punta Mita and the islands off the point are still the place to be for Mahi Mahi. Some days they’re 35 lbs, other days they’re juveniles and should be thrown back.

The secret this week is find the warm, blue water. This is when saving a few bucks on a slow boat that only goes to one place is not a deal amigo! Cheap boats which don’t have the necessary electronics to measure water temperatures mean you just threw your money away, even though you saved a hundred dollars compared to the boat that has this necessary equipment. You may need to move around quite a bit as well since we’re seeing red tide or green (dirty) water in most locations. This is the time of year when you see who the good captains are and who the big talkers are. Anyone can boat a Monster Tuna in summer when it’s like fishing in a barrel. At this time of year, the Captains coming in with fish are the ones you want to go fishing with in August. But remember, Captains change on boats all the time and all are not created equal. When chartering a boat, ask questions, specific questions like how long has this captain been on the boat? What’s the captains name? What baits are working at the moment? What are the water temperatures? Is there a plume or red tide right now? If they can’t answer these questions, walk away from the guy. Simple questions like this will save you money on a decent boat that catches fish.

Master Baiter’s located in Marina Vallarta can answer your questions and make suggestions. We’re looking for your return business, that’s why we say “We Don’t Jerk You Around!