The 69th Puerto Vallarta fishing tournament is set for Nov. 12–15, with big marlin, tuna, and dorado in play—and no sailfish again. Expect 40–50 boats, daily weigh-ins on the Marina Vallarta boardwalk, and a top marlin prize of 500,000 pesos. The opening flag waves at Hotel Rosita, then midnight departures keep lines busy. Why drop sailfish, and how big is the purse? Here’s what’s new this year, what’s at stake, and how the event shapes the bay.

Puerto Vallarta fishing tournament

Puerto Vallarta’s signature sport-fishing week returns November 12–15, 2025, taking over Marina Vallarta’s boardwalk with weigh-ins, crowds, and that end-of-day buzz when a fish hits the scale. The tourism board lists the four-day event on its calendar, confirming venue and dates as the city leans into peak fall conditions offshore. See the official events page for the public schedule and visitor info.

This year, organizers again pull sailfish from the competitive categories. The Fishing Club says the decision is meant to help the species recover and follows a trend seen in other tournaments that shift billfish toward release or remove the category outright. It’s a conservative call in a place that markets big-game angling, and it signals a longer view of the fishery. Local media highlighted the exclusion during the press rollout this week.

Prize money, field, and what’s on the board

On the line: 500,000 pesos for the heaviest marlin, 100,000 for top tuna, and 50,000 for dorado, with payouts to third and gear prizes beyond that. That purse, roughly one and a half million pesos across categories, keeps Puerto Vallarta in Mexico’s first tier for offshore competitions, even as events elsewhere chase eye-popping jackpots. Organizers expect 40–50 teams, many from the U.S., Canada, and across Mexico, alongside local crews who know the banks cold. The Club’s 69th-edition page lists the full purse by species.

Expect the action to spool up fast. Registration opens Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 5:00 p.m. at the Club, followed by the traditional flag ceremony and first day’s start Thursday, Nov. 13 at 7:00 a.m. in front of Hotel Rosita. Boats have free departures at midnight on Friday and Saturday, with weigh-ins from 2:00–6:00 p.m. at the Marina Vallarta malecón. The awards ceremony is set for Saturday, Nov. 15 at 7:00 p.m. The Club’s published official program maps it out stop-by-stop for spectators.

Why sailfish is out—and why that matters

Mexico’s rules already recognize billfish as special. National regulations reserve species like marlin and sailfish for sport fishing and cap billfish to one per angler per day, counting as five toward the daily limit. In practice, many high-profile events push even further with release-heavy formats or, as here, by dropping sailfish entirely to reduce pressure during a hot bite. That’s the logic behind the Puerto Vallarta call: keep the spectacle, focus effort on marlin, tuna, and dorado, and move the needle on stewardship without killing the vibe—or the economy that depends on it.

For visitors, the visuals sell the story: the dockside hoists, the radio chatter, the late surges when crews race the clock. For locals, the value is steadier—full restaurants, busy tackle shops, and a boardwalk that feels like a festival. And for anglers, the pitch is simple: fat fall fish and a purse that justifies a long run to the banks. Watch the official program for any last-minute changes and weigh-in theatre; that’s where the community gathers, phones up, and legends grow by a kilo a minute.