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When you head to one of the greatest deep sea fishing locations in the Pacific…well…
you FISH!
While in Puerto Vallarta, my husband decided that we absolutely needed to book a fishing trip. Checking around on the internet, we had yet to make a decision on a charter and were lying around on the beach, when we were approached by a gentleman offering to take us out on his boat.
After speaking with him a bit about the expedition, he seemed sincere and we decided to book the trip with him. Paying him a $100 deposit, we arranged to meet him the next morning at the nearby marina. A little later, however, I must admit, that the idea that he may have just collected money from us and would not actually show entered my mind! Probably not the savviest decision on my part!
A quick cab ride the next morning, while the sun was rising, deposited us at the marina and thankfully, Hector was there…loading up his boat and waiting for us!
Boarding Hector’s thirty-six foot cabin cruiser, The Miramar, we made ourselves comfortable and were soon motoring out of the harbor into the open water.
As the sun ascended, the calm blue water spread before us like an open road. Half asleep, we suddenly heard the captain shout. Opening our eyes and following his gaze, we spotted spray shooting up from the ocean’s surface. A Bryde’s whale was breaking the surface and we spied it’s slender, bluish-grey body make its way through the water. It surfaced and dove a few times before we were unable to locate it any longer. Such excitement! Not to be outdone, a pod of bottle nose dolphin decided that it would be fun to follow the boat. More fun for us as we watched them from the confines of our craft.
Excitement aside, Hector began placing the fishing rods in their holders at the rear of the boat…five in all…trailing the lures in the dark blue water behind us.
It didn’t take long…the bonitas were biting! A strong, fighting fish, we all took turns struggling to pull them in one by one, even though they were not the largest fish we had ever caught. A few Spanish mackerel even took the bait! Pretty soon, the sun was high, the air was warm and our live well was teeming with a multitude of fish.
After three full hours of fishing, it was finally time to turn and make the return hour-long journey. One of the best parts of the day, however, was yet to come. Unable to take our catch home with us, Hector had brought the necessities to make cerviche. We marveled as he made quick work of cleaning our haul throwing the entrails out into the water…the seagulls swooping in for a free meal.
We watched, mouths watering, as he chopped red onions, white onions, jalapeno, tomatoes, cucumbers and limes. Letting the concoction marinate for a bit, it was soon time to taste the fruit of Hector’s labor…
Muy delicioso! Hector’s cerviche was spicy and probably the best I had ever tasted! SO good that I had to steal his recipe (which I fixed when I got home with some fresh fish we caught in our lake)!
Enjoying our light lunch, we sailed back into the marina. Our fishing adventure had come to an end! Thanking (and tipping) Hector and his captain, we gathered our belongings and disembarked The Miramar, hopping onto a local bus for the short journey back to our hotel.
Though we did not venture out for an entire day’s trip, nor did we catch any larger game fish, the journey out on the Bay of Banderas was a fun and exciting one!
Things to keep in mind…
A valid Mexican Sport Fishing License is required before fishing in Mexican waters. Fishing license are usually included in the booking price (as ours was) or can be purchased from the charter operator.
One rod per person in the water at all times.
It is prohibited to sell the catch.
You need to be at least 250 meters away from swimmers in order to practice sporfishing.
For smaller fish, expect to book a four or five hour charter and remain in the Bay of Banderas. For larger, sport fish, expect to book a full day’s charter and a lot more time in the boat making your way out to the fishing grounds.
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Puerto Vallarta Fishing Charters