For all my loyal readers, I guess we’re all in the same boat, rough seas (aka COViD-19) and all. I think the glass is half full and refuse to believe it’s the end of the world. Most of Mexico in this moment is actually situated pretty well. Yes the numbers change daily but we live in a warm if not hot and very humid environment. All on the plus side, if you don’t melt that is. But I’m in the fishing world and I think it’s time to focus on something else if for only a few minutes. The silver lining is I actually get a chance to “speak” with you about more than a fish count. So lean back for a moment and lets talk about our fishery! 

 

It’s almost automatic, when the weather cools down and water temperatures drop, this is when you can expect the “warm water” species like Marlin, Dorado, Yellowfin tuna, Sailfish and others take a powder. Now things fluctuate, but once the water goes south of 80 degrees the species will start to change. Now before we move forward, we have to remember that Mother Nature will make conditions enticing many times to the local warm water species with massive amounts of bait in the water. Or you can call it “Whale Food”. Either way every species around is in for the fast and free food the Bay of Banderas offers as water temperatures inch their way down. For this reason many times you’ll find warm water species hang around when you know It’s chilly to their systems. This year we had a very late fishing season where the water temperatures remained high into mid-February. So “general” rules are just that, general, so don’t hold my feet to the fire on what follows amigos! 

 

As we enter spring, as we are now, the cold water species of Jack Crevalls, Snappers, Sea Bass, Sierra Mackerels and others will go into breeding mode. There will be times when you can practically walk on Jack Crevalls and they won’t take a bait. Most bay species as we get into mid-April will start breeding season. Yes folks “Fish Love” in the bay. This of course means some days fish take baits, other days they ignore you, reminds me of my ex-wife. We normally get into May before this becomes too extreme. For the local fishing companies this isn’t too much of a bother as tourism falls off the table at this time of the year. By the end of June we see this change as we finish the transitional period into warm water. We’ll normally see dirty water which occurs with clashing currents stir up the muck or sediment on the bay ocean floor. It’s an “indicator” showing current changes, which of course means a seasonal weather change is on the way. As the days get longer and warmer we’ll see things stagnate to a degree. We’re lucky in a way. While the water current and weather changes at this time of the year, tourism basically ends in the first week of May. Those fishing in PV during this seasonal downturn in tourism normally find it challenging. Again breeding season means fishing can be almost impossible when they ignore your bait. As we enter Mid-June we see water temperatures solid and back in the 80’s. At this time we’ll see more and more Sailfish which in a normal year will return in March. This year they never left. Marlin will be moving in, first you’ll see Striped Marlin as they like cooler water than say Black Marlin. Once we see the Stripers we know the warm water is moving in and quickly. Yellowfin Tuna used to show up at Corbetena by mid-june, now it’s more like late July now at Corbetena / El Banco. Years ago Dorado would come in mid-June as well. Now we’re seeing Dorado in August if we’re lucky. Now that the laws have changed about freely shipping Dorado out of Mexico we’re seeing numbers inch up. Long Liners are unrestrained and the biggest threat to the Dorado populations, other species as well. 

 

As tourism “restarts” late June, the fishing is in pretty good shape. Marlin are moving in, Sailfish are picking up in numbers, hopefully smaller Dorado will move in. But once again, the cold water species of Jack Crevalls etc as mentioned earlier will be moving out quickly. Water temperatures rising will be the fertile fishing grounds best friend, mine as well. So for those of you wondering how this will affect the fishing in PV, well it isn’t exactly a good thing to halt tourism in the thick of high season. But when it comes to fishing, if there is a silver lining, the fishing isn’t the best from May to June. Now if you had to cancel your PV vacation, you can use this information to plan your follow on trips! 

 

Some encouraging news is that Mexico is holding it’s own on the C-Virus. Very few cases and those have been isolated quickly. All the incoming planes have come to a halt, means incoming germs aren’t coming in”. Keep an eye on these articles as I expect Mexico will not have as long a wait for this hellacious flu to end before the USA opens up again. So those with May Fishing trips and Vacations planned is still viable, keep an eye on the Mexican news. I hope this information is useful and I am glad I get a chance to explain how the season will be changing in the middle of this pandemic. So the world is not coming to an end, we’ll get through this and soon life will slowly return to “normal”.