This time its definately mexico 2008

**millser** · 17-09-2007, 17:49

Earlier this year I put up a post for fishing in mexico 2007 but after researching it for August I decided to wait until 2008 and go a bit earlier in the year.
I have got the last 3 weeks in May 2008 off work and have started to look at a package deal (2weeks), I will be going with my girlfriend (who does enjoy a bit of fishing

)
We are looking to go to the Cancun area and I was looking to find out more details re the shore fishing for any species and boat fishing (probably from one of the pangas

) for billfish dorado and tuna if possible or anything else that swims

.

I understand tackle for the boats is supplied but what will I require from the shore? what can I expect to catch? where would be the best places to fish? can tackle be aquired locally?

thanks in advance

**Cascars** · 17-09-2007, 17:58

I would go the other side of Mexico if you can. I believe the Pacific side is far better for the fishing. See Master Baiters reports in the south american forums.

**PanamaJack** · 19-09-2007, 10:39

Here's a link - http://www.mexfish.com/- that several forum members have identified that may help in planning your trip. It's surprisingly comprehensive and covers all form of fishing - offshore, inshore, beach, conventional and fly - on both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts. Additionally there are archived weekly reports that might well help, albeit the few I’ve recently glanced through don’t have too much regarding Cancun and the Yucatan. There's also a summary of the fishing on the Yucatan and May, the height of the billfish season - small Blue & White Marlin and Sailfish - is going to represent a much better option than August. August's the beginning of the Hurricane season!

Also if you look back through previous posts in the Caribbean forum you’ll be able to identify others who have fished the area. Might be worth PM-ing them? Not all members who’ve fished the area are reviewing new posts on a regular basis. In that regard MarktheShark is particularly knowledgeable and tends, on his regular holidays to the Caribbean, to spend most of his time shore as opposed to boat fishing.

Further sources of information you may wish to tap are the relevant forums on sites like US ones - Cancun is a popular desination and http://www.tripadvisor.com. In terms of US sites have a look at the Links to other forums (within the Forum section on my Club's web site - http://www.scbi.org.uk for some suggestions.

Just one last point - Hurricanes. They are extremely powerful, especially category 5s - and can have long lasting, devastating effects on inshore waters particularly in the mangroves. Dean, a big one, struck the Yucatan, south of Cancun, this August and that may have an adverse effect on the inshore fishing through to next year. I was on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, literally hundreds and hundreds of miles away, when it made landfall and its effect was very noticable - squalls and whitecaps everywhere. It was literally sucking moist air in from that distance.
Dave

**Kingfish81** · 19-09-2007, 14:08

Millser. The fishing on the Cancun side can be very good from what I've heard. If you fly fish, there are some outstanding spots for tarpon, bonefish, permit etc. As Dave has already said, May puts you smack bang in the middle of the billfish season for that bit of coast.

Mat McHugh of www.flyodyssey.co.uk was out there pretty recently , staying on cozumel, and fished a fair bit. He went out with a skipper who said that in May the number of sailfish around had to be seen to be believed!!! Good opportunities for tarpon as well I think in that area.

It might be well worth your time dropping him an e-mail. He's on this forum fairly regularly under the name MatM. I've no doubt he may be able to sort something out for you. Mat has fished the Yucatan a fair bit, so will have a pretty good idea of what to expect out there.

Dave's covered most bases with regards to sites to search(!), but it might be worth sticking a post on Dan Blanton's forum (www.danblanton.com). Although it's a flyfishing site, if you put a generic post up saying that you're going to the Cancun area in May and want to sort out some fishing, I'm sure people will point you in the right direction!!

**daikent** · 15-11-2007, 13:40

Millser,
I was in Mexico 10-13 May (part of my 5 week Round the World fishing trip as a retirement present to myself from the Navy)(loads of stories!)....anyway, Puerto Aventuras is the place to go in May, about 100 miles south of Cancun. Offshore Fishing starts about half a mile off the Marina. I had a lovely sailfish about 1 mile in front of my hotel! Also Dorado in numbers and lots of barracuda.
Tried off the little jetty for some nice permit on a little travel rod too...great fighters lb for lb...was into one when a huge streak of silver explodes at my feet and a 4ft barracuda decided it was easier to take one on a hook than chase around the free swimmin' ones. Suffice to say the battle lasted about a nanosecond before he took me straight into the pier. Back to my room for some bigger gear!!! He was hanging around waiting for another meal...a small livebait under a float on a 50lb handline was attacked in about a minute. Unfortunately he snapped me again in trying to stop him getting back under the pier.
Following evening I tried the same technique but further out using my Shimano Exage heavy duty 4-piece, hoping to persuade him to head for the open sea rather than dive straight for the pier. He took the bait and did a run for the open sea...hurrah!... at last a bit of a fight was on. Got him back to about 20 yards off when he suddenly realised where he was and came straight towards me at about 100knots. Yep, the canny b*****d went straight under the pier again before I could stop him. Bloody frustrating but great fun!
Stick Puerto Aventuras into any search engine and you'll see some of the boats around (pretty reasonable rates compared to some places in the World) and some good accommodation deals can be found on the "locogringo" website.
Cheers,

**PanamaJack** · 15-11-2007, 16:27

Originally Posted by daikent

Tried off the little jetty for some nice permit on a little travel rod too...great fighters lb for lb...was into one when a huge streak of silver explodes at my feet and a 4ft barracuda decided it was easier to take one on a hook than chase around the free swimmin' ones. Suffice to say the battle lasted about a nanosecond before he took me straight into the pier. Back to my room for some bigger gear!!! He was hanging around waiting for another meal...a small livebait under a float on a 50lb handline was attacked in about a minute. Unfortunately he snapped me again in trying to stop him getting back under the pier.
Following evening I tried the same technique but further out using my Shimano Exage heavy duty 4-piece, hoping to persuade him to head for the open sea rather than dive straight for the pier. He took the bait and did a run for the open sea...hurrah!... at last a bit of a fight was on. Got him back to about 20 yards off when he suddenly realised where he was and came straight towards me at about 100knots. Yep, the canny b*****d went straight under the pier again before I could stop him. Bloody frustrating but great fun!

It's a shame that Barracuda seem to have got this reputation for fighting like a 'sack of spuds'. Nothing could be further from the truth when they're in shallow water! OK offshore, on heavy trolling tackle, they soon get the fight knocked out of them. But inshore their acceleration from a standing start, as Daikent mentioned, is unbelievable. And they will even, on occasions, jump.

Just a story about this running for cover though. A few years ago with some friends we were fishing on Turneffe Atoll off the coast of Belize. It has a coral reef around large parts of it and, on the shallow Flats behind it are large shoals of Bonefish. And of course the Barracuda are often targeting them.

Well a friend of mine hooked into a Bone on his fly rod and, seeing a Barracuda, the guide hooked it up on a tube lure on a set of spin gear. Well it wasn't exactly a pier but the Barracuda, with one set of trebles free, shot straight between my friends legs in the knee deep water. Luckily said treble didn't catch anything!

Its fate? Well unfortunately despite their other reputation for being infected with Ciguatera toxins they're evidentially good to eat. It ended up in the pot.

**millser** · 24-11-2007, 01:49

Just a quick question - do you require a fishing licence to fish from the shore in mexico?

**Cascars** · 24-11-2007, 04:44

Not to my knowledge. I never had a problem out there. Drop a PM to Masterbaiters of PV, he will answer it for you.

**Billy Boy** · 24-11-2007, 18:24

Amen re the Cuda!

I had a 20lber on a 60grm spinning Rod in March. The think fought harder than a tope and even pretended to be dead only to charge towards the skiff before you could catch up!
Definately underated - why do people wade miles for bones when youve got toothy ferraris all round you!

Will H

Manchester