Sportfishing Is Good Year Round In The Riviera Nayarit

The Pacific waters that bathe the beaches of the Riviera Nayarit are a blessing that bring multiple benefits to many different people. One very fortunate group is made up of fishermen, who find plenty to angle for both offshore and on. 

The waves right off the Riviera Nayarit are home to big game fish such as Marlin, Tuna, Sailfish and Mahi Mahi, the main protagonists of several different sportfishing tournaments held in the area. 

The Riviera Nayarit hosts three important international sportfishing events every year, which have become a mainstay in the Destination thanks their brilliant success. 

• The San Blas International Fishing Tournament has celebrated 55 years of rods and reels; this year it took place in May at the San Blas Marina.

• The Banderas Bay Fishing Tournament, which celebrated its ninth anniversary just this past July, is hosted out of the Marina in Nuevo Vallarta.

• The La Cruz de Huanacaxtle International Sportfishing Tournament—the youngest of the three—will be celebrating its fourth year in October. This one takes place at the Marina Riviera Nayarit, the largest and most modern of its kind in the Pacific. 

This style of fishing is common in many seaside villages as a form of entertainment and a way to get a meal on the table. There are even itinerant tournaments to make it more challenging in places such as Sayulita, San Pancho, Lo de Marcos, Nuevo Vallarta and others. 

The little ones can also enjoy this fun sport, and there are special events in San Blas and Nuevo Vallarta where kids and teens can try their hand at it.

There are plenty of smaller species that are just off the beach for shorefishing, including sea bream, milkfish, sea bass, catfish, snook and snapper, to mention just a few. 

All of the tournaments have minimum weight requirements for catches in order to avoid interrupting the natural reproductive cycle of the species, helping maintain our peaceful coexistence with the bountiful Mother Nature.