CHARTER FISHING BOAT PRIME TIME RETURNS TO PUERTO VALLARTA

Aug. 7, 2005, Josh Temple, Prime Time Adventures, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Fishing Report:

We are returning to Puerto Vallarta from our northern fishing grounds at Prince Rupert, British Columbia.

On the way down to Puerto Vallarta, we’ve been talking strategy and setting goals. Last season we had 29 yellowfin tuna over 200 pounds, and 6 tuna over 300 pounds. This year, we’re shooting for 50 tuna over 200 pounds, and 10 over 300 pounds. It’s COW TOWN. ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

As we speak Shrek and I are barreling down I-5 at exceptional speed, so fast that I’m afraid to look over at the gauges and register just how fast my wingman is whipping us through 3 a.m. traffic. We’ve already blown one speaker in the truck, a necessary sacrifice because when you’re this amped nothing short of speaker-blowing volume will match the level of adrenaline coursing through your veins.

It’s COW TOWN--Puerto Vallarta--OR BUST, and we are literally vibrating to the beat of the drums.

We’ve left behind an epic season up north, one that will go down in the books for a number of reasons, giant kings, new glory holes, and the year the Mexicans invaded Prince Rupert.

Lora had an incredible year, never mind the fact that he’d never set foot outside of mexico let alone rigged a fresh herring for monster kings. The kid has the fever and riding shotgun to Shrek and I has only encouraged his infection…which by now is terminal.

The highlight of Lora’s season had to be the helicopter trip we took up the wild and rugged Skeena river during the last few weeks we were up north. It’s not every day you get to see a Mexadian don flight gear and strap into the copilot seat of a Bell 206 Long-Ranger for a white knuckle ride of nip and tuck up the sheer Skeena river canyons. I can only imagine how many generations will hear that story back in Punta de Mita. “Amigos…did I ever tell you about the time.” What a riot. Lora will never be the same.

The last few weeks' fishing up north was an all out balls to the wall assault on the remainder of the king season and what a finish it was. Shrek, Jim, Lora, and I put in nonstop days milking everything we could from one of the most astounding places on this earth during the short summer months. By the end of it, before I hit the road for Vegas, I felt like we had a team of guys out there who operated as one. I cannot express how amazing it feels to work with a group of guys who share this kind of passion for this sport. UNBELIEVABLE. What a feeling to wake up each and every day stoked beyond belief and literally screaming at the top of your lungs as you race out to the fishing grounds, looking over your shoulder and seeing the rest of your crew running along beside you, spray flying…music blaring, and a world of opportunity laid out before you…tons of fish, miles of wilderness. This is as good as it gets…

But that’s all behind us now. We’ve closed the book on another season in Paradise North and there’s no looking back. When US customs finally gave us the green light and Shrek and I steered our big Dodge diesel towards California we looked over at each other and we knew, as exciting and amazing as it is chasing kings and hali’s around we’ve spent the last 3 months subconsciously exercising our patience, counting down the days, tossing and turning in restless sleep, 3 months, 2 months, 4 weeks, 3, 2, cow town, cow town, Cow Town--Puerto Vallarta. We’ve said it over and over in our heads, played and replayed the highlight clips in our minds from last season, and before you know it, it’s kickoff time and we’re zooming down I-5 at the speed of sound…one speaker down.

Man I am STOKED. It’s finally hitting us.

The hardest part is going to be getting to Puerto Vallarta and getting the boat ready. We’ve only got a week and a half to get everything done. First charter’s on the 14th and there’s precious time between now and then. Can it be done? We’ll see. I can’t imagine we’ll be able to sleep anyway so there’ll be some extra nighttime hours to work with between now and then.

More than anything I’d say we’re super stoked over the fact that we’ve learned so much over the last year that we’re both eager to put it all together from the get-go. We spent a lot of the early part of last season in trial and error, figuring out which hook was right, what rigging combo worked the best, where to find em, how to hook em, how to fight em, try this, try that. It’s been a crash course over the last few seasons there’s no doubt about that. This year though we’re going in with some serious advantages, confidence, and teamwork that only days on the water together can bring.

Don’t get me wrong. We’re humble, but damn we’re feeling good…

We’re racing off tonight southbound for White City, Ore., where we will no doubt pass out in the parking lot of Rogue Rods somewhere around 5 a.m. That is to say if we can actually fool our bodies into accepting sleep. The factory opens at 8 and we’ll be outta there southbound for California by noon loaded with a ton of new rods for the upcoming season and the blessings of the good people at Rogue behind us.

From there we freight-train it to Braid, Avet, Berkley, Pelagic, Owner, Costa Del Mar, etc. I hope the Mexican border agents don’t have a field day with us. Let’s hope that last year’s fiasco at the border crossing will count as dues paid for this time around.

(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.