TWO BIG TUNA OF 323 AND 239 POUNDS LANDED BY THE BOAT PACIFICO

July 8, 2006, Manny Ocaranza, The Pacifico lands a 323-pound yellowfin tuna at Puerto Vallarta:

Two amigos from California came down for 4 days of fishing at Puerto Vallarta on the Pacifico. Yesterday, Mark Stoneking and his amigo Dennis, a couple Bloodydeckers, caught and released a 350 pound Blue Marlin and had multiple knockdowns from good sized tuna, including one that inhaled a skipjack that was being brought to the boat with a Diamond Jig. That fight was over before it started, adios atun!

Fishing today, angler Dennis brought Puerto Vallarta's first 300-plus pound yellowfin tuna to the boat after a 1 hour fight. At the Puerto Vallarta marina the fish weighed at 323 on Pacifico's certified Scalemaster II scale. It ate a bleeding skipjack not 12 feet from the boat, as we preparing to replace the bait with a new one. We had been fishing at El Banco for hardly 15 minutes.

Later in the afternoon Mark hooked up on what he called his diablo tuna, a teenager that took him 90 minutes to bring to the boat, and weighed 239 pounds back at the marina. The water color was blue and 85 degrees, compared to yesterday that was a little greener but also a little warmer. It looks like we are ready for a great early season on the big fish.

(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.