Fishing Report for Week of November 3, 2008 for Master Baiter's Sportfishing and Tackle
Written By: Stan Gabruk
It's a Moving Target Out There Right Now
When you think of fishing in Puerto Vallarta (PV) you think of three places primarily. El Banco, Corbetena and in the Bay of Bandaras. It's understandable since most charters are going to head out towards those directions. It's almost automatic. This is what I would call the conventional, locals wisdom. But there are alternatives to these areas and when things aren't happening in the usual locations it's good to branch out and risk a few fuel dollars and try some of those options. Remember, fish don't know that they're supposed to be in a particular spot when you're heading out. Now if you called ahead of time and put the word out you'd be at El Banco, then maybe you have a chance. That is if you speak Marlin or Yellowfin Tuna. But forget the Mahi Mahi, they don't listen to anyone! One thing to remember, if you are at El Banco and you're shooting for Black Marlin, lures are working better than live bait. The secret color is GREEN …. But remember, keep this between us.
This week an example of how these fish will move from spot to spot is how El Banco one day was on fire, the next, nothing was happening. It's a fickle world this game of fishing. The days where there was some serious action, we were seeing multiple hook-ups on Marlin and Sailfish. The average sizes on the Black and Blue Marlin were in the 450 to 700 lb. range. But like I said, these fish come and go, which will drive you nuts. Remember, fish are where you find them! Now if you're in the market for Yellowfin Tuna you'll have to hit El Banco or Corbetena. They're plentiful, but we haven't seen the Monster YellowfinTuna we're know for here in PV. Right now they're mostly running in the 40 to 60 lb. range mostly. Those who are coming in with larger Yellowfin Tuna have been "chunking". Basically this is just another wood for chumming. Nothing more than tossing dead fish parts in the water while drifting and hoping this will draw their attention. It was the "common" wisdom that chunking didn't work, then one day some guy who didn't "know" anything started using this technique and bingo, fish came to the boat. Imagine that. Me, I bought it, but never figured out why it wouldn't work, I just bowed to those with more experience and "knowledge" than myself. Now I know that anything that works else where, can work here as well. So learn from my mistakes. If it works in Florida, it works here in PV!
From what I've been seeing the last week or so, there are so many Mahi Mahi in the Marietta Island area and closer inland that they're drawing in Billfish like Crazy. This included Black Marlin amigo, again, this goes against conventional wisdom. In fact I had a client go out for the afternoon bite, a four hour trip. He came in with some nice Mahi Mahi. One small one had what we call a "Bill Whap". This is when a Marlin or a Sailfish will smack the fish with their bill, then when the fish is floundering around, they eat it. Now when you're reeling in a fish, especially inside the bay, way inside the bay, this is pretty amazing! Remember Mahi Mahi isn't just for people looking for the blue plate special, Billfish they kinda like them also! What this means is the billfish are coming in closer to shore where there's plenty of bait. This could explain why the inshore fishing is beating the deep water locations. To say this is unusual would be an under statement! This doesn't happen, so if you can take advantage of this condition, I'd highly recommend the afternoon bite!
Now here's something I want you to keep between us, the place to be RIGHT NOW is ten miles outside of Sayulita, and you'll catch what the guys at Corbetena and El Banco are looking for. Mahi Mahi as big as a Mexican Senorita, and yes, even mid sized Black Marlin are out there, Sailfish also. So why head out to El Banco when for your fuel dollar it's better north of Punta Mita. Heck, with a little luck, you'll find Sailfish as well. Again, this is out side of the normal places to be.
Another thing you'll run into is Tourneos, or Spinner Dolphin in English. They always cruise with Yellowfin Tuna "footballs" and nothing has changed. They're all over the place here and when you hook into twenty or thirty of these beauties, how can you complain about that?
Now if you're thinking of a short duration trip, then a four hour shot in the bay towards Punta Mita is like Magic. If you check out the picture of the guys with the sunset in the back ground, you'll see what I mean. If you can blow up the photo, you'll see the "bill whap" I talked about earlier. The contrast of the guy's shirt behind the Mahi Mahi will show what I'm talking about.
In a couple of weeks we'll be having the yearly Pez Vela Tournament and I still have some boats that are available to rent. We don't double our daily prices, so you can save a few of those hard earned dollars and still have a chance to win a nice prize or even the whole darn tournament. So if you'd be interested in being a participant and who knows, maybe even a winner, contact me through the link on this site and we'll see you here. The tournament is Nov. 13th thru the 15th, with the Captains Sign up Meeting the evening of the 12th. If you can't enter the tournament, and you're here in PV, then come down to the end of Marina Vallarta to see the daily weigh in and be part of the action.
Until next week, don't forget to kiss your fish!
At Master Baiters Sportfishing and Tackle, as one of the oldest and most established charter companies in Puerto Vallarta, our goal is to provide you the fishing experience of a lifetime at competitive prices! We also have a wide selection of unique high quality boats to choose from that are our Master Baiter's exclusive boats. Our stores in Marina Vallarta and Down Town in the Rosita Hotel have a broad line of Hats, T-Shirts, souvenirs and novelty items! We're also recommended in the 2007 and now 2008 Fodor's Travel Guide for Puerto Vallarta. Come to our Marina Vallarta store located down from the Light House at Dock "G".. You can Email me at CatchFish@MasterBaiters.com.mx or call our Master Baiter's Shop: from USA / Canada: 011 52 322 209 11 28 or 24 Hrs at: 011 52 1 322 779 75 71 Remember we're on Central Time in PV. Check out our revamped web page at: www.MasterBaiters.com.mx
