Ryan Collins
Mahi-mahi had suddenly moved in within just a mile or two of the beach here in Mexico, so Lauren and I decided to hire a panga boat and try our luck.
In this video we are fishing with local charter captain Juan Santana and his nephew Enrique, in the Los Arcos area of Banderas Bay, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Incredibly, the water here next to shore drops off quickly to 500 feet. This brings the mahi (and other species like sailfish, marlin and yellowfin tuna) well within reach of small boats fishing just a mile or so off the beach.
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Please click play below to watch!
Video timestamps:
0:01 - departing from the Los Muertos pier
1:21 - rigging a skirted Goggle eye for trolling
3:51 - chatting with captain Juan Santana from http://vikingocharters.com/
4:40 - first fish, skipjack tuna
7:38 - second fish, small skipjack tuna
8:17 - rigging small skipjack for marlin trolling
10:51 - hooked up with mahi mahi (dorado)
13:52 - mahi in the boat, kicks captain Juan in the ear!
17:19 - filleting the mahi
Mahi-Mahi are great fish to catch. Their hard fight is challenging. Seeing their flash of color below the surface is always exciting, and it is one of the best tasting fish I know. Thanks for your report.
Well said, and they are a blast to catch on poppers too!
Tight lines ?
I caught one last week in Hawaai now I ordered some from a seafood company too eat. Are they mostly fried? I have to learn to cook them
Hey Greg,
We made mahi tacos with this fish. Here’s a link to the recipe. I hope you enjoy it!
Tight lines,
Ryan
It’s been decades since I fished Baja California. It’s great to see that there are still mahi mahi there! I’m curious. What’s the current price for a panga panga?
Hi Gene ??There are definitely still plenty of mahi in this area of the globe!
Average price here is $50/hour and most boats will let you take 4 or 5 people. So it’s a real bargain, especially if you have a group to split the cost with.
When I grow up I’ll filleting as him…:)
Nice Igor!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing! Wishing it was April already!!
April will be here before we know it! ✌?
Great video and jealous with the weather as our forecast is for frigid cold on Thanksgiving! Boy, could that guy filet a fish!
He did an amazing job filleting and we have definitely been eating well! Stay warm Ron and I hope you have a great Thanksgiving!
great trip! beautiful fish!
It’s been fun so far. Thanks Leslie!
Great trip, and beautiful ocean. Enjoy
Flat calm every morning…
now that’s how to filet!! nice fish bro. did you get a chance to sling flies off that pulpit or is that for darting? i saw the rod!! 🙂
I brought the rod but I didn’t get a chance to use it. However I’m still hopeful that maybe the opportunity will arise ??