Fish Report

As we exit March and move into the spring fishing season, things can be strange and unpredictable. But seldom is it ‘weird’. With the unusual swing conditions from La Nina to El Nino and then back to La Nina or colder water conditions, any resemblance to our normal yearly expectations are now out the window. Water temperatures have dropped again in the last two weeks to 67 degrees Fahrenheit. Normally this happens about mid-February, not early March. Dropping water temperatures as we enter ‘spring’? But that’s what’s happening. When you have 120 lb Yellowfin Tuna, Sea Bass, Grouper and Striped Marlin, all in our world-famous fishing grounds is nothing short of ‘weird’. Stay tuned, this is an interesting report this week.

For weeks and weeks now I’ve been telling those that will listen to me or read these articles, that nothing but nothing was happening at El Banco and Corbetena. Well, that’s changed, for this week at any rate. All of a sudden, in the coldest water of the Year, we have 120 lb Yellowfin Tuna show up at El Banco! How many did they catch you may ask? One, the only report I got this week as about ‘one’ of these larger Yellowfin Tuna. That Yellowfin Tuna was caught on our 35 ft cabo. Also at Corbetena, they boated a Dorado at 25 lbs, one Dorado. Striped Marlin are running the area but your chances of boating one or more is pretty slim. For weeks now I’ve been telling you about what seems to be the never-ending dirty water conditions. They still exist, but now for some reason as we enter spring conditions, we have summer species showing up? So, just so you understand the dilemma we have, the water is a chilly 67 degrees, the water is dirty, Sardines are showing up in big numbers and now if you’re lucky enough to get a bait in front of one of these summer species, they’ll probably take it. For the hardcore guy who wants to try his hand at a Striped Marlin or Yellowfin Tuna, well… More power to you amigo, buenos suerte!

Moving closer in, the strange fishing conditions continue into the eight-hour duration fishing grounds between El Morro to Sayulita at Punta Mita point. With an abundance of varied baits, Sailfish have been cruising the area, remembering we caught one this week. I’ve seen some reports of Roosterfish at Carrielles and at Marinol rock. Throw in Jack Crevalle’s and Bonito into the mix and you’ve got a pretty good understanding of why we haven’t been recommending trips out of the bay. The way things are going, if the water clears up, then we may have some interesting things start happening. Stay tuned for more weirdness.

Inside the bay, we’re seeing some strange stuff as well. One example of this is a Sailfish boated off La Cruz Marina in the north end of the bay. Four-hour trips are still ‘iffy’ at best and most of the time come up short. Six hours in the bay will enough time to find Jack Crevalle’s at 20 to 35 lbs, Sierra Mackerels at 10 lbs, Bonito to 20 lbs. And, if you’re one of those lucky people, you may find a freak Dorado by Los Arcos or even a baby Sailfish. A six-hour trip in the bay, jumping on our ‘action fishing’ trips and you’ll have the action you’re looking for. Even if it’s not the species you want, it’s still fun bringing in Jack Cravell, aka Toro since they fight like bulls.

Once again, the bite is still after 09:00 to about 12:00 and then things can get a little calm. You don’t want to leave too early or you may just miss the ‘bite’. Water temperatures are a steady 67 degrees. This is very late in the season for the cold water. Normally about mid-February to the end of March is our Sea Bass and Snapper season. Every seasonal indicator is off by about six weeks right now. With the Dorado and Yellowfin Tuna turning up at our deep-water fishing grounds, to me this indicates there are some strange, warmer currents moving in. This could be an early indicator of an early summer season, maybe. Soon we’ll see warmer water temperatures, the question is “When will we see Dorado come in”? When we start seeing Dorado move in, we’ll know the summer currents have begun. And of course, from that point forward anything is possible.

Just a reminder, if you’re in Marina Vallarta and somebody comes up to you and says they’re with Master Baiter’s, they’re not. FYI: We operate out of our own offices in Marina Vallarta, and we sell a lot of T-shirts. So don’t be scammed by some guy wearing one of our famous shirts. Or, for goodness sake, don’t give money to people if they want a deposit. I’ve had some people come into the office upset about what my ‘agent’ sold them and it wasn’t us. This is nothing new for us, I’ve dealt with this for years and it’s unstoppable.

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