Fishing off the coast of Puerto Vallarta
This pristine coastal town is infamously known for its world class sport fishing. Puerto Vallarta’s waters are warm, clean, and action packed. Here, you will have no trouble catching trophy fish, such as the yellow fin tuna, sailfish "pez vela", blue, black, and striped marlin, dorado "mani mani" to name a few.
Vallarta is home to some of the world’s best fishing grounds including El Morro, Corbetena, Punta Mita, and The Banks, and there is no shortage of tour guides eager to take you out on the waters. For larger game, it is recommended that you fish in The Banks or Corbetena areas, whereas smaller game is most often found inside Banderas Bay. The season in which you are fishing will also greatly influence the type of game you can catch (as a rule of thumb, billfish like the cool winter waters while tuna prefer the warm summer waters).
The cost for chartered fishing adventures in the Vallarta area depend on the length of time you wish to spend on the waters, extra activities you include in your tour, and the size of the vessel.
The Mexican government has established some rules and regulations governing sport fishing in the Vallarta area. Authorized vessels must possess and have readily available a valid Mexican sport fishing license prior to commencing fishing activities. Most companies include access to this license in their booking fees, or the license can be purchased from the charter operator. In addition, there can be only one rod per person in the water at any given time and it is illegal to sell any game caught while fishing. Chartered boat captains must ensure that their vessel is at least 250 meters away from swimmers to practice sport fishing and crew members must ensure that fileting of fish aboard its vessel does not occur at any time during the trip.
Whether you are an experienced angler or a beginner, there are several methods used while fishing in the Vallarta area to ensure your experience is rich and rewarding. These fishing methods include:
Fly fishing- artificial bait (made from animal hair) is used to catch small game in shallow, clear waters up to 1 foot deep. Boats are specially designed for fishing in shallow lakes, rivers, lagoons, and inshore fishing in Banderas Bay.
Spinning or light tackle- a durable graphite or polycarbonate rod with brightly colored, large bait or lures is required for this style of fishing, with waters reaching a depth of at least 9 feet. Spin or light tackle fishing is suitable for rivers, lakes, lagoons, and nearshore fishing in the Pacific Ocean.
Bottom fishing- this style of fishing is performed in deep, offshore waters, where the boat is anchored and heavy weights are added to fishing hooks to help sink lines towards the ocean floor. Artificial small game fish are used as lures to catch mid to large size fish.
Deep sea fishing- this is a complex, digitally assisted style of fishing, where equipment is used to locate schools of fish, enhance resistance and rod flexibility, and provide significantly longer reels of fishing line. Live bait is often used instead of lures and is suitable for offshore fishing in the Pacific Ocean. 2 types of techniques are used, depending on the location of the fish: trolling (where the vessel maintains a constant speed as lines are dragged along the ocean floor) or bottom fishing (where the boat idles in deep waters while heavy weighted hooks are sunk towards the ocean floor).
Puerto Vallarta’s Banderas Bay and offshore area is a globally recognized best-class sport fishing destination, for both experts and beginners, 365 days a year. You will have no trouble catching a variety of billfish and trophy sized tuna here.
Book your chartered fishing adventure today and discover the riches of Puerto Vallarta’s waters!
