Fishing

Sportfishing is excellent off Puerto Vallarta, and fisherfolk have landed monster marlin well over 500 pounds. Surf-casting from shore nets snook, roosters, and jack crevalles. Hire a panga (skiff) to hunt for Spanish mackerel, sea bass, amberjack, snapper, bonito, and roosterfish on full- or half-day trips within the bay. Pangas can be hired in the traditional fishing villages of Mismaloya and Boca de Tomatlán, just south of town; in the Costalegre towns of La Manzanilla and Barra de Navidad; and in the north, at El Anclote and Nuevo Corral del Risco, Punta Mita.

Yachts are best for big-game fishing: yellowfin tuna; blue, striped, and black marlin; and dorado. Hire them for four to ten hours, or overnight. Catch-and-release of billfish is encouraged. If you don't want to charter a boat, you can also join a party boat. Most sport-fishing yachts are based at Marina Vallarta; only a few call the marina at Paradise Village, in Nuevo Vallarta, home. The resort hotels of Costalegre and Punta Mita arrange fishing excursions for their guests. Bass fishing at Cajón de Peña, about 1½ hours south of Vallarta, nets 10-pounders on a good day.

Logistics

Most captains and crews are thoroughly bilingual, at least when it comes to boating and fishing.

Licenses

Licenses are required; however, a new set of regulations requires anglers to buy their fishing licenses ahead of time via a confusing online bank-deposit system. Since boat owners are the ones (heavily) fined if there are unlicensed anglers aboard, you can leave it to the captain to make the necessary arrangements.

Prices

Prices generally hover around $600–$650 for six hours, $600–$800 for eight hours, and $1,000–$1,200 for a 10-hour trip. A longer trip is recommended for chasing the big guys, as you can go to prime fishing grounds like El Banco and Corbeteña. Pangas usually accommodate up to six clients and yachts hold four to ten people. Party boats start at $140 per person for an eight-hour day. Drinking water is generally included in the price. Box lunches and beer or soda may be sold separately or included; sometimes it's BYOB. Pangas and superpangas, the latter with shade and a head of some sort, charge $200–$300 for four hours. You'll obviously save lots of money by going with the local guys in their often fast, but not luxurious, pangas.

Outfitters

CharterDreams. Although most fisherfolk choose to leave around the smack of dawn, you set your own itinerary with this company. Excursions range from trips with one to three people for bass fishing to cruises with up to 12 people aboard luxury yachts. CharterDreams also offers whale-watching and private sailing, sightseeing, or snorkeling tours. Marina Las Palmas II, Locales 1, Marina Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, 48354. 322/221-0690. www.charterdreams.com..

Fishing with Carolina. This Canadian expat has been sending out anglers for 25 years. Fishing tours last 4 to 8 hours and they recently upgraded their boat to a newer and better 30ft powerboat. Whale watching and snorkeling tours are also available. Terminal Marítima, Los Peines Pier, Marina Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, 48333. 322/109-4094. www.fishingwithcarolina.com..

Gerardo Kosonoy. For fishing excursions in and around Barra de Navidad, at the southern end of the Costalegre, contact Sr. Kosonoy. He speaks excellent English and has low hourly rates. Alternatively, you can round up another fisherman with a panga from one of the two large fishing co-ops on the lagoon side of town. There's usually at least one representative hoping for clients at the water-taxi dock. Gerardo and his compadres charge 500 pesos (just shy of $30 at this writing) per hour for one to four passengers or 3000MXN for 7 hours. There's a three-hour minimum. For fishing close to the shore, the price can be split among up to six anglers. Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. 315/355–5739; 315/354–2251 cell. [email protected].

Mismaloya Divers. Do you remember the seductive-looking divers in Night of the Iguana? Well, their progeny might be among the local staffers at this outfitting company. Panga trips here go for $200 for four hours, a bit more for longer trips, and can include anything from whale-watching to fishing to night-diving. Av Paseo del Rio 125, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, 49421. 322/228–0020. www.mismaloyadivers.com.

Vallarta Tour and Travel. Captain Peter Vines can accommodate eight fisherfolk with top-of-the-line equipment, including the latest electronics, sonar, radar, and two radios. Rates are reasonable (four hours $400, six hours $500, eight hours $600, 12 hours $800). Transportation from your hotel is included in the full-day bass-fishing expedition to Cajón de Peña; clients should call a couple weeks ahead to schedule this trip to make sure the bass are running. Marina Las Palmas II, Local 4, in front of Dock B, Marina Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, 48354. 322/294–6240 cell; 877/301–2058 from U.S. and Canada.

Seasonal Catches

Sailfish and dorado are abundant practically year-round (though dorado drop out a bit in early summer and sailfish dip slightly in spring).

Winter: bonito, dorado, jack crevalle, sailfish, striped marlin, wahoo

Spring: amberjack, jack crevalle, grouper, mackerel, red snapper

Summer: grouper, roosterfish, yellowfin tuna

Fall: black marlin, blue marlin, sailfish, striped marlin, yellowfin tuna, wahoo