[Luke Ramirez]

Hi all,
Anyone ever fish here before? I'll be there for a week in early April and am looking for some tips. Maybe a good guide? Spots, flies, etc...

Thanks in advance,
Luke

 

[D3Smartie]

I just got back from PV last night. The fish were out at the Marrietas but there were a few to be had. I would negotiate with a Pangero to see if you can get him to take you out there and just fly fish. We stuck around inside the bay trolling on the 2 days that I went out(as a guest) and didnt have much action. I was able to catch several skipjacks and a bonita casting from the boat to jumping schools as we drove by. The prices the guys were quoting at the San Marino Pier were like $400 for a day in the panga but out at Boca(down the rd to the south) the guys were asking 1/2 that and you could have gone out to the islands and fished all day for around $100-150 was the impression i got.
the fly didnt matter much. I think i used a chartruese clouser 1/0 for most of my fish.
One word of caution, I was able to fly with all my gear as carryon on the way down, but they made me check my flies and reels in Mexico on the way back north.

 

[Luke Ramirez]

Great tips D3Smartie! Was there any beach action to be had? I have this idea that it would be fun to walk the beach and throw a line in. I don't how productive that might be though.

 

[D3Smartie]

It didnt look to me like there was much of an option for beach fishing but i could have been wrong. I saw a couple beaches on the way south towards Mismaloya that I thought about trying on an early morning but just never got around to it. we snorkled quite a bit near these areas as well and i never saw anything that i would have bothered targeting. I did hear a rumor that there was a beach with the potential for roosters in nuevo vallarta but didnt ever get any details.
On the second day we were able to drop the girls off on a beach to snorkle and lay out while we went fishing. This was a good option and would be even better if you could make it happen out at the islands.

 

[dms61]

I was in Yelapa last April. The beach fishing opportunities are slim, particularly for fly fishing. The coastline is very rocky in most places. You can hike out to either point at the end of the cove and find promontories, but they're tough to work correctly. If the river is full, there might be some baby tarpon. I'm not sure what the precipitation has done so far this year. I'm guessing it's too low to fish.

I agree with D3Smartie. Go get a panga. There's guys who will greet you at the dock and ask to take you out. Some of them don't know what they're doing, but others have been doing it their whole life. Don't grab the first guy who approaches you. If the pangueros aren't around, ask down by the bars on the beach. Everybody knows a guy who knows a guy, etc. You can bargain. When I was there, I saw a boat that looked considerably better than the others in the bay, so I asked whose boat it was. After I got in touch with him, he came down from PV and picked us up the next morning.

When we got on the water, we found a ton of sierra, small tunas, and red snapper out by the islands. Some sizzling jacks made the day. Not too many mahi, though. We trolled a lone live bait for awhile by the islands and got a huge pickup (probably a rooster) but it kicked the hook. Ton of life last year. If you zero in on the flocks of birds you'll get those little skipjacks. Good luck.

 

[d. rose]

Luke,

First of all Yelapa is so cool!

If you've not been there you'll love it. I was there in April several years ago. I hired a Panga dude from Mismaloya. The guy I went with was named Marin (Ma-Rine). A young guy. When I arrived he saw my fly rod tube and in english said, "I know where you can fly fish". On the way to Yelapa we killed it on Bonito and found some Yellow Tail Jack. Also, bring some snorkel gear and check out the rocks on the way out. Chartering a Panga is worth the money. There would be nothing worse than sitting on the water taxi and witness raging schools of fish tearing up the surface and be helpless.

We stayed at La Gunita which was rustic but very cool. Each morning I'd fish from the rocks in front of the "motel", and caught all kinds of crazy fish, Jacks, Snapper, and Needlefish. Have fun!

 

[Luke Ramirez]

Thanks D. Rose! That actually sounds fun to just go out on the beach on the morning and catch Jacks and Snapper! How much should I expect to pay if I hired someone to take me out?

 

[Plecoptera]

I was just there about a month ago. Amazing place, but like others said, quality fishing from the beach is limited. I didn't fish when I was there, but the local fisherman were coming into the beach periodically with stringers full of fish. Even if the fishing isn't good, you wont be short on things to do.

 

[DiejehHehdudhhe8373737]

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[d. rose]

Luke,

I wouldn't expect huge Jacks and Snapper. I'm talking about a cornucopia of smaller fish. I honestly can't remember what he charged us. I want to say it was like $100 for the day, or something.