5/5 Brenden H. 4 years ago on Google • 31 reviews
In
short:
This
is
who
you
should
book
with
if
you
are
looking
for
a
fishing
charter
in
the
Puerto
Vallarta
area.
Bernard
and
his
crew
are
the
top
fishermen
in
this
area,
by
far.
Booking:
I
went
with
the
hotel
suggestion
last
year,
it
was
easy
and
I
was
hesitant
about
finding
a
charter
myself.
We
ended
up
with
Gilligans
and
we
caught
a
bunch
of
small
fish.
I
was
satisfied
with
the
result,
but
this
year
decided
to
try
to
find
something
better.
I
contacted
a
bunch
of
different
charters,
including
Bernard
at
Fintastic
Fishing
Puerto
Vallarta.
They
all
told
me
they
could
take
me
out
into
the
bay
and
catch
whatever
I
wanted,
except
Bernard.
Bernard
was
the
only
one
to
explain
to
me
that
there
was
a
huge
sewage
spill
(big
news,
but
I'm
not
from
the
area
so
had
no
idea)
in
the
bay
and
the
fishing
had
been
very
poor!
He
told
me
if
I
wanted
to
catch
fish,
he
could
take
me
out
a
bit
farther
for
Jack
Crevalle
since
they
seem
to
be
biting.
He
explained
how
far
out
we
would
go,
what
type
of
boats
we
could
go
on,
and
how
the
fishing
has
been
for
the
past
few
weeks.
He
was
up
front
and
honest
about
the
entire
trip.
During
the
phone
call,
I
found
his
website
and
could
see
everything
offered
in
english
with
pictures.
After
some
discussion
on
what
boat
and
time
frame
would
be
best,
I
booked
a
private
charter
for
me
and
my
wife
with
Bernard
and
his
crew.
Oh
and
the
cost
was
cheaper
than
the
other
charters,
which
was
a
bonus.
Meeting
at
the
dock:
During
the
booking
we
asked
if
we
could
be
picked
up
in
Nuevo
Vallarta
as
this
was
closer
to
our
hotel.
Bernard
had
to
make
sure
the
boat
had
the
right
docking
permit
to
dock
there
(which
it
did)
and
so
we
met
at
Paradise
village
marina.
Bernard
and
his
crew
showed
up
right
at
7am
(the
agreed
meeting
time)
and
had
everything
ready
to
go
(bait,
rods,
crew).
We
were
off.
Fishing:
Once
we
got
out
to
the
first
area
we
started
trolling
as
the
crew
looked
for
signs
of
fish
feeding
(birds).
We
caught
a
few
very
small
Bonita
during
this
time,
however
the
crew
and
Bernard
were
not
at
all
satisfied
(My
previous
charters
would
have
been
celebrating
with
any
type
of
fish
caught).
Bernard
and
his
crew
were
constantly
moving
around
the
boat,
calling
other
boats,
searching
for
something.
After
about
30
minutes
they
located
a
school
of
Jacks
and
we
were
off.
In
the
next
2
hours
we
hit
10
jacks
and
missed
3
or
4
others.
Our
arms
were
so
sore
we
could
barely
reel
in
the
last
few.
We
released
most
of
them,
but
kept
a
few
that
were
gut
hooked.
These
went
to
the
locals.
The
boat
and
equipment:
We
went
with
the
28'
Super
Panga.
The
boat
was
extremely
clean
throughout
the
entire
trip
(The
crew
made
sure
it
stayed
clean).
The
boat
ride
was
very
smooth
and
handled
any
waves
with
ease.
It
was
a
very
stable
vessel.
The
equipment
was
professional
quality
and
in
great
condition.
There
were
no
technical
issues,
and
I
would
not
expect
any
with
the
type
of
equipment
they
use.
The
crew:
Bernard
and
his
crew
are
amazing.
They
were
constantly
working
to
find
fish.
Once
the
fish
were
found,
the
crew
continued
to
work
hard
to
stay
on
top
of
them.
They
were
professional
and
always
courteous.
Bernard
spoke
perfect
english
and
was
very
easy
to
talk
to.
The
other
2
crew
members
also
spoke
english
well
and
were
great
to
be
around.
On
the
way
back
to
the
marina
the
crew
was
playing
pranks
on
Bernard
which
we
found
hilarious.
The
crew
was
serious
when
they
needed
to
be,
but
they
were
also
fun
and
made
the
trip
that
much
more
enjoyable.
To
conclude,
we
had
an
amazing
time
with
Bernard
and
his
crew.
I
was
thinking
of
going
to
Cabo
next
year,
however
I
am
now
leaning
towards
another
Puerto
Vallarta
trip
so
we
can
fish
with
Bernard
and
his
crew
again!
Truly
a
great
experience,
thanks
guys!
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