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Not the most glamorous fishing location out there, but its a free trip from Work and I've got two days to kill so I don't have to hang with the other 20 people from office who will be there.
I fished Isla Holbox a few years back for Tarpon and Snook, but thats a bit of hike from cancun and logistically not the best idea.
It looks like there are a few operations down there, anyone fish with them?
Thanks Boys.
there are flats on Cozumel, you take the ferry over, didn't fish with them and it looks like they are making due with what they have by way of flats and fish
snapt has some contacts down there, sounds like a great op
I'd be heading straight to the ferry to Isla Mujeres. Stay here for a night, rent a golf cart, hit the Soggy Peso for a marg, Zama beach club for chillin', El Veradero for kickass Cuban food.
Haven't fished there but here is a list of contacts, there are a few more on the diving/snorkeling page. Snorkeling with el Buceo to el farito was kickass, although all swimmers have to wear full foam PFD's.
Isla Blanca for sure. I've fished quite a bit with Yucatan Fly Fishing Adventures as I used to book a ton of clients to their various destinations.
Their boat launch is about a 20 minute drive from downtown, they'll pick you up at the hotel and drop you off in the evening. Shots at Perm, Bones, Tarpon, and Snook. Time of year and tides determine what's around and how good it can be. Fishing at Holbox has dropped off a bit so a few of their boats will run all the way down, but not much pressure overall.
Marco Ruz is the proprietor and I consider a good friend, he has some really great guides that work for him, and he treats them well. Thee are a few independant guides down there that can be pretty hit or miss. If you make it please say hi to Marco and crew for me.
http://www.yucatanflyfishing.com/isla-blanca/
Dylan Rose at FlyWater Travel is handling their stateside booking now and is down there yearly so he can give you a ton of details.
http://flywatertravel.com/destination/CancunMexico
If you had more free time and were going in the summer I'd highly recommend Tarpon Cay Lodge near Rio Lagartos. Probably the most fun destination I've fished in the salt. Owned by the same folks.
Let me know if I can answer any more questions.
Excellent, thanks for this. I'll reach out to Dylan and go from there.Quote:
Originally Posted by snapt
Trust me, There are a million places I'd rather go than Cancun, but when the company puts you up at the Ritz and comps your expenses for the trip, ya can't really complain. :fmicon:
This place is about 2 hours south of Cancun located in the middle of a nature preserve, it was worth the trip.
www.bocapaila.com
January - March/April that area is one of the best places in the world to catch a (or many) sailfish. You'd be offshore all day on a fairly big boat, so it wouldn't be cheap, but it can be spectacularly good. The best day I ever had there we caught & released 41 sailfish.
I haven't fished there since 2002, and I had my own boat then, so I don't know much about the chartering options. There will be a bunch of boats fishing out of a couple different marinas on Isla Mujeres. Back then, the boats from the mainland mostly left from the Marina Hacienda del Mar. I do know that Anthony Mendillo on the Keen M has a great reputation.
When I was last in Mexico fishing Holbox I ran into a couple of guys in the airport having a beer who were down for the sailfish bite. Both were captains of private sportfishing boat, one was a Viking, the other a Carolina Custom. The owners sent them down to tighten up on their circle hook game, I guess the tournaments they fish were moving towards fishing only circles so they spent a few days practicing circles with "Dozens" of Hook Ups per day.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Suit
If I was with the guys I fish with year round here, I would go fish sails, But its just me, and I really don't want to spend any more time with co-workers than required so I'm going for tarpon and permit.
Thanks for the links guys (snapt, Pow4Brains).....
I used this guy:
Ascension Bay, like Boca Pailla. He tends to be a bit cheaper than the others.
http://www.clubgrandslam.com
Just found out I have to go to my wife's sister's destination wedding at the GR Caribe in Cancun in July. I get to spend two of those days fishing. I'm think I'll go with snapt's advice on the guide. I've got a rod and reel already (Redington CPX 8wt, Lamson Velocity 3x) but not sure on what line? Bonefish? Quickshooter? Something else? Never fished salt before so any advice is greatly appreciated.
Personally I like the quickshooter line. To me it seems a little more versatile.
Quickshooter for sure will be nice for all your flats/mangroves shots.
it seems a little more versatile.http://weber.ninecomputer.com/2.jpg
Cool, Quickshooter it is. Now school me on backing. Dacron? Gelspun? What weight and how much do I need?
Daiwa Saltiga Boat Braid. They don't make less than 40#, and it lasts forever. Keep your fingers clear, and put as much as you can fit on. 250 with that reel?
I loath gel spun, but on the 3x you should probably run it. +1 for saltiga boat braid, pretty good stuff. 150 yards should be plenty.
DickeyM, as this is your first foray into salt, you may google some tropical fly guides and look at their packing lists. Things you may not think of. If you are doing anything without a guide, say so. The packing list changes drastically.
Rent a car and drive south of there and fish in Sian Ka'an with a paddle board or packraft. I did it in January and caught loads of bonefish, jacks, baracuda, spanish, and lookdown fish. Big ass jacks and huge snook as well. Do the research and put in your time. The tarpon bite gets better in the summer but the snook bite may be starting to wane. Generally summer is more consistent fishing but it can be too damn hot.
Curious, why the hate for gel spun? I've never used it but a guide in Hawaii highly recommended it. He said it doesn't get cut when it gets near coral and other sharp shit.
It's sharp as fuck, if you're new to salt and not used to backing leaving in a hurry you can lose skin, blood, etc in a hurry. makes sense for HI, no need for that on Mexican flats.
I have 65# power pro on all my reels 8-12.
I have never fished with the gel spun backing made specifically for fly reels.
Does anyone know the difference between the two? They seem very similar to me but with the larger size I am using maybe its not quite as scary as say a 30# power pro???
So the trip is booked and paid for. Went with Yucatan Fly Fishing Adventures (booked through Dylan Rose at Flywater, who was super helpful and personable, thanks again snapt) for two days in Isla Blanca. Super fucking stoked.
Has anyone fished the Bruce Chard lines (SA Grand Slam or Airflo Chard's Tropical Punch)? They seem really interesting and I love my Airflo trout line. How would this stack up to the Bonefish Quickshooter? Also, I've heard a 9wt line would be better with the 8wt CPX than an 8wt line, is this true?
Have fun, can't really go wrong with either line, I'm bias to the RIO. If you do go quick shooter no need to upline as its a bit on the heavy side already. Looking forward to a report!
Alright, got all the gear, passport, tickets, etc ready and am set to depart Wednesday morning and the first day of fishing is Thursday. I ended up picking up a 10wt Redington Predator and an Orvis Hydros reel for it, so no need to borrow from the guide. Also decided to book another day, so we'll spend three days on the water. My wife decided she'll come along so we'll be taking a lot of pictures. Super stoked!
Alright, I said I'd post some pics up when I got back, but I've been busy so here they are finally.
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Used this advice, heading down there next week for a work trip and spending a day with Marco booked through Flywater.Quote:
Originally Posted by snapt
Will make sure to post any pics but since I’m a hack and will probably be hungover, going in with low expectations.
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