Game Fish On Tap!

Many people know me from my shop on the Malicon or Boardwalk here in Marina Vallarta. They come and talk fishing, sea conditions, bait to use, techniques, and everything else under the sun about fishing and related subjects. But when I talk with people that live here in Paradise, also known as Puerto Vallarta and they tell me that they’ve never been fishing here, well it shocks me. That would be like living in Aspen and not skiing. Even if you don’t know a thing about it, you owe it to yourself to try it at least once! For those living or visiting our little corner of heaven, the fishing is coming on strong. Even if you don’t want a monster trip of ten or twelve hours, there’s nice sized fish in abundance everywhere!

In the south end of the bay, just of Yelapa, the Bonita, Skip Jack Tuna and even Yellowfin Tuna (footballs of course) are there for the taking. This would be a four hour trip and if there’s four people going on a Super Panga, then it’s down right cheap. A little father down to Cabo Corrientes, you’ll hit Sailfish here as well as Mahi Mahi that may surprise you when you see them in the 40 lb range all with in a four hour tour.

Shooting for a little longer trip, out in front of Sayulita Sailfish or Pez Vella in Spanish, are lounging around on the surface just waiting for some angler to present a bait to them! Rooster fish in the six foot range have been boated here as well this past week and if you’ve never hooked into a Rooster fish, you don’t know what you’re missing! They look like fish demons if there ever was one, they fight like demons also!

Now the deep water locations, Corbetena and El Banco or The Bank in English is where you’ll see the world class fish you see in articles like this one. Blue Marlin, Black Marlin now have arrived also. Lures pink in color will get the Mahi Mahi’s attention, but live bait works also. Yellowfin are still “footballs” but that will change soon! These are ten and twelve hour trips. Many people don’t “feel” like being out that long. I understand, that’s why there are shorter trips. But you’ll never catch Moby thingy in the bay amigos. Now I know these time share guys will tell you anything you want to hear, but let me keep it straight for you, if you catch a Marlin in the Bay, it’s either sick, lost or drunk! Not that is hasn’t happened, but it’s like hoping to get struck by lightening, it probably won’t happen in your life time.

Here in Puerto Vallarta, many people are interested in “Cows”! Also known as Yellowfin Tuna over 200 lbs.. Usually by the end of June they start rolling in, but by the end of July they’re “Monsters”. Or rather a Yellowfin Tuna over 300 lbs and let me tell you, boating a fish of this size, with it’s incredible strength will test the metal of any seasoned Angler! For every hundred pounds this fish weighs, you can expect an hour in the “chair”. This is no B.S. amigo and what makes it worse, they don’t even jump once you’ve set the hook. Unlike Marlin, Mahi Mahi, Sails, Yellowfin Tuna just turn into Submarines. They go down, down, down then you Pull, Pull, Pull…. Once they get close to the boat, and they realize what’s happening, then it starts all over again. Once you’ve gone through this process five or six times, I guarantee, you’ll have used every off color word in the book and even a few nobody has ever heard of. Funny how creative you can get when you’ve given it your all and it’s still not enough. To be fair, no normal human in a fighting chair will boat a YF Tuna of these sizes alone. Once you’ve finally boated one of these gorgeous fish, you may never want to catch another this size again!

The season is shaping up nicely, we expect July, August and September to be spectacular with all the conditions finally coming together in the right mix. Blue water, abundant bait and perfect water temperature of 85 degrees…. the perfect recipe for you boating that finned fantasy of a lifetime!

Master Baiter’s Carlos is still out there painting over that ugly eye sore of Graffitti from those with a low I.Q. and a spray can. It’s an ignorant and criminal act of vandalism that we just won’t tolerate. If you’d like to donate towards the cause, come by our Marina Store on the Malicon and donate what you can.

That’s if for now, Until Next Week, Don’t Forget to Kiss Your Fish!