Email: nuevovallartafishing@hotmail.com Toll-Free: 1-800-430-6048

Category: Punta Mita fishing

Puerto Vallarta fishing report January 2026

Happy Fishmas and Feliz Año Nuevo from Puerto Vallarta!
¡Bienvenidos, amigos! It’s your favorite salt-crusted captain, Pete, coming to you live from the docks. First off, a huge Happy Fishmas and Feliz Año Nuevo to all my fishing family out there. It’s January 2026, and while I know many of you are back home digging out of the snow or winterizing your rigs, let me tell ya—the only thing we’re “winterizing” here in Mexico is the ice chest to make room for more fillets!

It is my absolute pleasure to bring you the January 2026 fishing report straight from the stunning, blue waters of Puerto Vallarta. If you’re looking for a winter getaway that feels like a literal paradise, you’ve parked your boat in the right slip. We’ve got perfect weather, beaches that’ll make your jaw drop, and some of the friendliest people on the planet. But let’s get down to the real reason you’re reading this: you want to know if the fish are biting. The short answer? You bet your bottom dollar they are.

The January Conditions: Tropical “Chills”
Winter in our neck of the woods is simply magical. Now, don’t let the word “winter” fool ya. Our mornings greet us with a cool, crisp breeze around 65°F—just enough to need a light hoodie while we’re rigging the lines. By the time the sun hits high noon, we’re basking in a perfect 78°F.

The Pacific Ocean follows suit, staying right in that sweet spot between 65°F and 78°F. The locals might call it “cold water,” and sure, it might feel a bit “refreshing” when you first jump in for a snorkel, but for the fish, it’s prime time. This temperature range creates some of the most action-packed Puerto Vallarta fishing you’ll find all year.

The Big Boys: Offshore Fishing
While our friends up north are hunker’d down, we’re just hitting our stride. The cooler waters of January bring a change of guard in the deep blue. The massive blue and black marlin have started their migration to warmer southern waters, but don’t you worry—their cousins, the striped marlin, have arrived in force to fill the gap. These guys are acrobatic, fast, and put on a heck of a show.

If you’re heading out for some serious offshore fishing, you’re also going to run into plenty of sailfish. They love these January currents. And let’s not forget the crowd favorites: mahi-mahi (or as we call ’em here, dorado). These gold-and-green beauties are still lighting up the spread, providing both a great fight and the best fish tacos you’ll ever taste. When we’re out there, we’re constantly looking for those massive schools of sardines. These “bait balls” are like an all-you-can-eat buffet for predators. Watching a striped marlin or a pod of dorado crash a bait ball is a sight that’ll leave your adrenaline pumping and your arms sore from reeling.

Inshore Action and “Rooster” Fever
Not everyone wants to go way out to the Corbetena or El Banco, and that’s just fine because the inshore fishing right now is spectacular. Our 6-hour bay trips are producing impressive catches of yellowtail, Spanish mackerel, and snapper.

But the real king of the shoreline right now is the roosterfish. These “punks of the Pacific” with their iconic mohawk fins are a blast to catch. Pro tip: if you want to hook a trophy roosterfish, we’ve been having huge success using live Spanish mackerel as bait. There’s nothing like seeing that comb-fin slicing through the surf right before your drag starts screaming!

Why Choose Our Fishing Charters?
Whether you are a seasoned pro or a first-timer who doesn’t know a lure from a lolly pop, we’ve got the know-how to help you hook your dream fish. We offer the best prices on deep-sea fishing adventures in the region.

6-Hour Trips: Perfect for families and hitting the inshore honey holes.

8-Hour to Multi-Day: For the hardcore anglers chasing the big game offshore.

Whale Watching Bonus: This is the best part of January! While we’re hunting for sailfish, we often see humpback whales breaching right next to the boat. It’s a two-for-one nature show!

So, what are you waiting for? Come visit the friendliest port city in the world. The sun is shining, the beer is cold, and the fish are hungry. Give me a call toll-free at 800-430-6048 to check our availability. Let’s get you out on one of the premier fishing charters in Mexico and make some memories.

Tight lines and blue water,

Capt. Pete and Crew

Nuevo Vallarta fishing report

Capt. Pete and Crew

Punta Mita fishing charters July 2023

Punta Mita fishing report July 2023. The fishing report begins with exciting news just before all the celebrations on July 4th. There’ll be many big parties here in Punta Mita, Mexico along with huge fish to catch inshore and offshore.

fish for marlin in Punta Mita ,Mexico

We’ll start with the hot Nuevo inshore action. Bay fishing has produced many yellowtail, skipjack tuna, roosterfish, snapper, and mahi-mahi all over the bay. Where have we caught all these fish? Some of the hot spots have been Puerto Vallarta, Palo Verde, Bucerias, Los Arcos, and the middle of the bay. Most of these inshore fishing trips have been of the 6 hrs choice.  Some of the shorter bay fishing trips have produced good numbers of mahi-mahi and skipjack tuna. There have many days when we caught the fish schooling in the bay and it turned into a nonstop action.

What has been the best method for fishing inshore? Here are a couple of our top performers. The Rapala coupled with some small jigs has been working incredibly well. With this set up you can Sometimes land three or four simultaneously. It doesn’t take long to have a boatload of fish when you are catching them three at a time. Sight casting from the bow has worked all week long and should hold strong all summer.  Bring your favorite casting rig or use one of ours for some fun catching fish here in Mexico. Cut bait works extremely well around some of the buoys that have been holding mahi-mahi. Once you get one of these action-packed fish on the line they will keep biting until you run out of fresh-cut bait. This is a fantastic way to catch and land some fast-feeding fish. Last but not least is our favorite fallback method.  Live bait. In the summer months, we love to use goggle-eye. These baits work well inshore and offshore. The marlin, tuna, mahi-mahi, sailfish, and yellowtail can’tPunta Mita fishing report for July resist these baits. When the sardines show up nothing works better than a couple of scoops of sardines thrown in the water to bring up all kinds of pelagic fish for live baiting. When all else fails, we use our troll with natural baits and lures. This seems to work well inshore and especially offshore. As most of our repeat clients know we love the Black Bart lures. Let’s take a look at the offshore fishing in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico.

Rates for fishing in Punta Mita, Mexico

Deep sea fishing in Nuevo Vallarta is always good in July. The waters have warmed up to some nice numbers. Offshore water temperatures are ranging from 84 degrees to 87 degrees.  These temperatures are conducive for marlin, dorado-mahi,tuna and the fastest fish on the Pacific Ocean, the sailfish. Most of these pelagic fish are caught around thermoclines and crystal clear waters we see offshore every day.

The bait movement is critical for fishing tuna and sailfish.  I always say if you find the bait you will find the fish.

The best bet for offshore fishing is 8 hrs to 12 hrs. The more time on the water the better odds you have of hooking that wall hanger or fish of your dreams.

The hotspots will be out by Punta Mita, Marieta Islands, El Morro, Corbetena and El Banco.  Some of the top places to fish in the world for big fish or a fun day.

Come down and join us for a spectacular day of fishing here in Punta Mita, Mexico.

Remember money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy a fishing trip from us and that’s about the same thing.

Happy Fourth of July,

Capt. Pete and crew.

see what’s happening in Puerto Vallarta fishing

Punta Mita fishing report June 2023

Let’s take a look at the June fishing report for Punta Mita, Mexico. This report has the most changes of any fishing report we do all year long.
If you want to know why please read on. The first big change is the weather. June 15th. is when the rainy season starts and lasts until October 15 th. Some folks think the rains are bad. It’s just the opposite. The rains we received late in the evenings almost every day have a profound effect on fishing. Often, rains bring pelagic fish and bait into our bay. I also tell clients that if you find bait movement you will find fish. Some days we will receive heavy rains. The causes a flooding affect our numerous rivers emptying all kinds of debris into the bay. The sailfish,mah-mahi and even marlin like to hunt on these trash lines we call them. There will be a distinct line in the water where one side will be dark blue and the other side will be off-colored. There is no doubt that pelagic fish love to hunt the conditions of the water. Live bait slowed trolled is one of the best methods. fishing Nuevo Vallarta
With heavy rains, it is not uncommon to see huge trees, small islands ,and just about anything you can imagine floating in the bay. These serve as excellent places to fish and score some dorados, sailfish, tuna, and all kinds of small game right here in the bay.
The offshore fishing action heats up about as hot as the Texas weather in the summer months here in Punta Mita, Mexico. There is fantastic fishing in the bay, but if you want huge marlin and tuna you will need to venture offshore.
With the rainy season coming and the summer months around the corner, there is only one thing. The big fish will be here for the taking. To mention a few of our favorite fishing spots: Morro, El Banco, and La Corbetena. These honey holes are perfect for fantastic marlin,tuna, mahi-mahi and sailfish. They may be farther away, but they are well worth the ride out to these fishing grounds. Nothing like the feeling of dropping a ten-pound bait off one of our Avet 2-speed fishing reels with almost a mile of line on it. Then waiting for the big one to hit first thing in the morning. In the summer, especially in June, there are many ways to fish here.
For marlin, sailfish, and mahi-mahi we love to run some of our top water fast-speed lures first. These lures can be run with some natural baits as well. While fast trolling, we often see marlin, dorados, or sailfish come into our spread and look at all the baits, but not one. This is a good time to deploy live baits. The three rules of deep-sea fishing in Punta Mita are
Live bait, clear water, and bait movement. When you have three you will be on the fish.
family fishing in Nuevo Vallarta
Every summer, I receive a thousand calls asking about our weather. Our fishing clients will look on Google Weather and think it’s going to rain all day. Punta Mita rarely rains, mostly in the evenings. In the morning, it may look overcast but nine times out of ten it always clears up for an exceptional day of fishing. Before any of our boats leave the dock, I check the weather for all our clients. After 36 years of fishing here and no accidents, our record speaks for itself. If anyone needs to speak with one of our Captains about fishing conditions, weather or what to catch here in June please give us a call. We are the only deep-sea fishing company where you can actually talk to a qualified captain. That fish is here every day.
Did you want the latest fishing report? This can be done via email or on our toll-free number 800 430 6048. Our hours are 6 am to 9 pm daily.
There is another way to see the catches from the last few days and that’s Facebook. We try to post current catches here for anglers to see when time permits.
Here are some tips for fishing in Punta Mita in the summer months. Bring plenty of live bait. Make sure your boat has tuna tubes for offshore trips. These are essential for huge tuna and marlin fishing. Make a plan for big fish and work together. Don’t worry about the e never take you out in dangerous conditions. Think about big marlins and sunny days. Don’t forget a few beers to celebrate the huge catch and all the fun you will have fishing here in Mexico.
Fishful thinking
 
 

Punta Mita fishing report for May 2023

Here in the bay of Punta Mita when the water temperature gets to 78 degrees the fish move into the bay following all kinds of bait.  Just to mention a few are mullet, goggle-eye, ballyhoo, shad, and some larger bait used for offshore fishing.  To get the most out of your Nuevo Vallarta fishing trip be sure and have the proper fishing rigs.  We like to set up for several kinds of fishing action before heading out to the close fishing spots.  There will be numerous chances at casting as during this time of the season as we are more likely to see schooling fish than not. This type of fishing is enjoyable for all fishing anglers who can cast.  There will be many chances of live baiting here in the bay and offshore. The fun thing I like about live baiting is never knowing what you are going to catch. Once we set out live bait you just don’t know what might strike the line. There will be sailfish, yellowtail, tuna, mahi-mahi, roosterfish, and many more pelagic fish during the month of May.  We love to rig up some of the light tackle for bay fishing and keep a couple of larger rods and reels ready for when the big game fish show up. Trolling and jigging are fun ways to fish here in the bay. ThePunta Mita area is fantastic for bottom fishing as well.  There is a huge river that feeds into our bay with fresh water.  This has the effect to attract all kinds of bottom fish. We don’t do a lot of bottom fishing as most fishermen want to troll for a big game.  We are more than happy to do both if anglers will let us know in advance.

 

Here are a few tips we use every day. I often get asked how we find the fish every day. One of the best ways is chatting will all the Captains that work with us and finding out about their catches the days before. We fish every day and have a good idea will the fish will be biting either inside the bay or offshore.  I personally keep an eye on the weather conditions, water temperature and thermocline beaks, and water clarity. All of this info is shared before the clients even step onto our boats. If you find the bait movement, the right water clarity, and the temperatures you will be on the fish. Be sure and ask about tides.  This is one of the factors that can decide if the fish is an active fishing day or not during your fishing trip.

Nuevo Vallarta tuna fishing

In the spring months, it’s not uncommon to find off-color water conditions.  With the warm water and cool water fixing in the bay, this can turn a hot spot into an average fishing spot.  When we encounter these conditions we usually just change our fishing location if time permits.  It does not happen very often, but can happen in the spring season.  Spring months bring more fish, but can offer some downtime when finding off-color water and cooler water conditions.  Remember in our last fishing report I explained how fishing conditions can change with a drop in the water temperatures. Fish like certain water temperatures just like anglers like when taking a bath. Different species like different water temperatures.  Not sure what to fish for the spring season here in Nuevo Vallarta Mexico?  Just ask one of our pros on a toll-free number at 8004306048.

Need help on which boat to take for your upcoming trip, we are just a phone call away.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions before your trip. The more you know before the trip will increase your chances of having an excellent day on the water.

These are just a few of the tricks we use every day when doing our best to put clients on fish.  The water temperature. Sonar, making sure the water conditions are right before we start fishing a certain area, checking the tides, and more importantly, knowing what all the boats we have done the day before.  With this info, we can guarantee our clients a fun day on the water with some nice catches.bay fishing in Nuevo Vallarta

Be sure and check out our availability before coming down with a phone call or email as I said we are on the water every day and only have a certain amount of boats ready each day. Also, take a look at our springtime rates.

Remember money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy a deep-sea fishing trip from us here at Nuevo Vallarta fishing and that’s about the same thing.

Hope to see everyone out there on the water

Capt. Pete and crew

check out the Puerto Vallarta fishing report