Happy Fishmas and Feliz Año Nuevo from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
My pleasure to bring you the January 2025 fishing report straight from the stunning waters of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. If you’re looking for world-class fishing and a winter getaway that feels like paradise, you’ve come to the right place. Perfect weather, incredible beaches and some of the friendliest people on the planet. What else do ya need? Of course some biting fish. Let me tell you where they will be this January. Should be a fantastic month for both inshore and offshore.
The holiday season here has been a real delight (pun intended). Our waters are full of fish with, producing impressive catches of mahi-mahi, sailfish, yellowtail, Spanish mackerel, roosterfish, and snappers. Whether you’re an experienced angler or a first-timer, we’ve got the know-how to help you hook your dream fish. The fishing will be hot offshore and inshore action for shorter fishing adventures. So if you can’t decide give me call toll free 800 4306048 for more info about fishing in Puerto Vallarta Mexico.
January: A Fishing Haven
Winter in Puerto Vallarta is simply magical. Mornings greet us with cool breezes, starting around 65°F, while the afternoons warm up to a comfortable 78°F. The Pacific Ocean follows suit, staying between 65°F and 78°F—ideal conditions for both fish and anglers. Locals may call it “cold water,” but trust me, it’s just right for action-packed fishing adventures. We call it cold water but in reality it never gets to cold here to jump in the water while fishing or snoreking here in our beautiful bay. The water will be refreshing when you jump in but only for a minute.
While our friends that fish up north winterize their boats and hunker down, we’re just hitting our stride. The cooler waters of January bring some changes to the fishing scene. Big blue and black marlin have started migrating to warmer offshore waters, but fear not—their striped marlin cousins are here to fill the gap. Meanwhile, sailfish, tuna, and mahi-mahi are still lighting up the offshore action.
Closer to shore, amberjack, roosterfish, and snapper are providing plenty of thrills. Roosterfish, in particular, are a crowd favorite this time of year. Pro tip: Using a live Spanish mackerel as bait can be a game-changer when targeting these beauties. bait always works great in the winter season. Need more info just click here to find out availability.
Bait Balls and Offshore Excitement
January also brings massive schools of sardines into the bay and offshore areas. These bait balls are a magnet for game fish, creating nonstop action for anglers lucky enough to find them. Watching predators like dorado and marlin attack a bait ball is an experience you’ll never forget—and it’s one that often leaves your arms sore from all the reeling!
When trolling offshore, we often rely on live baits like “Google eye” to attract striped marlin, dorado, and sailfish. The excitement of spotting a fin slicing through the water or a marlin breaching the surface is hard to match. Timing is key, and tide changes can turn a quiet day into a frenzy of activity. Keep an eye on the short rigger when trolling for those big marlin. They can be sneaky on the short line.
Best prices in Puerto Vallarta fishing adventures.
Inshore Opportunities
For those looking to stay closer to shore, inshore fishing is no less rewarding. With techniques like trolling, jigging, and bottom fishing, you can target species such as yellowtail, Spanish mackerel, California bonitas, and snapper. Our 6-hour bay trips are perfect for this type of adventure, while those craving even more action can opt for an 8-hour trip or multi-day offshore expeditions.
Whale Watching Bonus
As if the fishing weren’t enough, winter also brings humpback whales to Puerto Vallarta. Imagine fighting a massive fish while a 40-foot whale breaches nearby—it’s the kind of magic you can only experience here.
So, what are you waiting for? Come visit the friendliest port city in the world, where the fish are biting, the sun is shining, and every day feels like a holiday.
Merry Fishmas and Happy New Year!
— Captain Pete and Crew
see our sister city Nuevo Vallarta fishing report
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Puerto Vallarta fishing report for January 2025
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Puerto Vallarta Fishing Report – July 2024
Puerto Vallarta Fishing Report
Exciting news kicked off just after July 4th here in Puerto Vallarta, where we celebrated not only big festivities but also big catches. Let’s dive into the hot inshore action this month. We’ve seen an abundance of yellowtail, skipjack tuna, roosterfish, snapper, and mahi-mahi.
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Puerto Vallarta fishing report July 2023
Puerto Vallarta fishing report July. The fishing report starts off with some exciting news just before July 4th. There’ll be many big celebrations here in Puerto Vallarta along with big fish to go with it. We’ll start with the hot inshore action. Fishing has produced many yellowtail, skipjack tuna, roosterfish, snapper, and mahi-mahi all over. Where have we caught all these fish? Some of the hot spots have been Nuevo Vallarta, Palo Verde, Bucerias, Los Arcos,and the middle of the bay. Most of these inshore fishing trips have been of the 6 hrs duration. 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 fish simultaneously. It doesn’t take long to have a boatload of fish when you are catching them three at a time. Sight casting 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 they with 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’t 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 Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Deep sea fishing in Puerto 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 in 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.
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