DAILY FISHING LOG OF THE PRIVATE BOAT TINKNOCKER

Oct. 23, 2004, Stan Vath, Tinknocker, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Fishing Trip Report:

This place has a lot to offer and we are having quite an adventure.

10-18-04: Headed out at 0300 hrs and the main bait tank pumps were both frozen. These are new pumps. I freed one up with needle-nose vise grips and we were on our way by 0330 hrs. This schmutzy water in the Puerto Vallarta marina is very hard on things. After looking at the bottoms of the full time renters, I think you should scrub your bottom every 10 days if you are not running on a regular basis. The algae/critter growth in brackish 88-degree water is really accelerated.

We made 25-30 Caballitos in about 30 minutes just outside the marina, then headed straight to Roca Corbetena (“Piedra” as the locals call it). The weather was pretty lumpy this morning. We started jigging for “Choros” (Skipjack) and did real well getting nine on one stop. We put four out as baits and the others in the tuna tubes. In a few minutes I was on a large dorado (48.4 lbs.) and landed him shortly. Just about gaff time a Sailfish hit another Choro and it was brought in and released. These circle hooks have been working great. With a whole day left to fish, things were looking pretty good. Unfortunately the tuna were not biting today. We slow trolled Choros all day with only a couple Dolphin knockdowns. The Dolphins are much like the ones at Clipperton. They grab your bait, run off with it like a tuna, but they just hold on to the center until you set the J-Hook or wind down on your circle hook. The hook comes out of the bait and they have a free meal. The weather actually straightened out late in the day and we had a nice run in. Arrived back at the dock at 1945 hrs. 81 KM

10-19-04: Today we worked on the bait systems and got them in order. We scrubbed the transom and cockpit then gave TINKNOCKER a fresh water rinse. Sandy and Judy Thompson flew in this afternoon. Sandy and I had a glass of cabernet on the boat and then decided to take a harbor cruise in the tender. The evenings are getting quite nice as the month goes by so this is the time for a tour of the river and marina homes, etc. We got back at dark and went up to Napolito’s for dinner. It was excellent as always.

10-20-04: We had a kickback day just loafing around, then going up to the mall for breakfast and the Internet to pick up and answer email. Ran into Josh Temple on the way out and chatted for a long time in the mall. This kid is a real class act. He fishes hard and really gives his customers their money's worth. He is the only one I have met down here that correctly estimates fish weights and he reports accurately. Took a nap, then went up to the hotel to watch the playoffs and have a couple beers. We rented a car for a couple days to do some sightseeing.

10-21-04: We left Puerto Vallarta marina at 0700 hrs. Via car and headed to the town of Tequila in the State of Jalisco. It’s about 275 kilometers and a 4-hour drive. We had a great breakfast at “DINORAS” in the small town of Chapalilla. There is no menu, prices or English spoken. You just kind of order and hope for the best. The food was fresh and tasty and it cost $150 pesos ($13.50 USD) for the 4 of us. We got to the town of Tequila (Pop. 52,000) about noon and proceeded to the Tequila factories. We first tried Sauza but they had suspended tours due to major maintenance going on. We then went to Jose Cuervo and got on a guided tour of their factory. Our guide was Rudolfo and he did a good job answering questions in English and Spanish. Our group of 10 was a perfect size. We went through the entire process from the raw agave, cooking, distilling, and aging in oak barrels then to the pallet. It ended with a 3 glass tasting and final questions answered. This is a must side trip for any Tequila aficionado.

10-22-04: Sandy and I took a trip to town. We first went to Old Puerto Vallarta and did a lap down there. Then off to Zaragoza the marine and tackle store. This place has as good a selection as any store in the US. We picked up some boat cleaning stuff and chatted with the friendly staff. Next stop was Marina Vallarta to check out some more shops and charter businesses. It was very empty of tourists and every shop really hit on you. We got back to PVM just in time to clean up and head to Punta Mita for dinner. This is about a 40-minute drive and is actually the north point of Bahia de Banderas. It is also a great anchorage and there is a panga cooperativo that will shuttle you to shore. We ate at El Dorado and their Coconut Dorado Special was a “10” as were their Margaritas.

10-23-04: Sandy and I took our skiff to Marina Vallarta about 4 miles S/E of Paradise Village Marina. We had a nice breakfast and toured the marina looking at the many Sportfishers and homes. We also checked out the many shops and were constantly hit on for time-shares. We did not bite! We stopped by the Opequimar fuel dock and topped off our tender with MAGNA SIN. 73 Pesos per liter ($2.47 Per gallon USD) I also checked on the availability of diesel as they were out 10 days ago. They claim they have plenty.

(See "Mexico Fishing News" online for current fishing reports, photos, weather, and water temperatures from Puerto Vallarta and other major Mexican sportfishing areas. Vacation travel articles, fishing maps and seasonal calendars, and fishing related information for Puerto Vallarta may be found at Mexfish.com's main Puerto Vallarta page.