Whether it’s spirited, sprinting sailfish off the Yucatán or a bevy of massive, beautiful bass in Sinaloa, anglers of each stripe are spoiled for alternative on the shores of Mexico.
After all, it doesn’t hurt that the waters are clear, clean, studded with wildlife preserves and UNESCO world heritage sites, and sometimes a stone’s throw from a radiant beach.
With the assistance of some experts, we’ve turned up the very best of the very best lodges and guiding services, so you may fish what’s good when it’s good.
“Among the finest things about fishing in Mexico is the range,” said Jeremy Kehrein, veteran fly fisherman and manager of travel sales at Orvis.
This world-class fly-fishing outfitter only endorses guides or fishing lodges after rigorous research and first-hand experience. An Orvis endorsement is a gold standard for fly fishers, and the three endorsed lodges in Mexico live as much as the range of experience that Kehrein loves.
The latest addition to the Orvis fold is Casa Clorinda (four-night, three-day packages starting at $4,300 per angler) within the Bay of Campeche on the Yucatán Peninsula. While the UNESCO World Heritage Site architecture is a large draw for a lot of tourists, for fishermen, it’s the greater than 60 miles of protected mangroves just north of town.
It was love at first sight when Enrico Puglisi, a Recent Yorker by the use of Sicily, first touched down and hit the undeveloped mangroves 12 years ago. He built his profession as an revolutionary and highly sought-after hand-tied fly maker, but after that trip, he decided to maintain a foot near the fishing and renovated a 240-year-old house with modern amenities.
Recently, he opened the home to guests, and fishermen have been flocking to fish for juvenile tarpon who love the nice and cozy, shallow water of the mangroves. With Enrique’s guidance, a day on the water can go from good to gangbusters.
One state over is Quintana Roo, most known for its perfect Caribbean beaches around Cancún and Tulum. Many fishermen know to go to Isla Mujeres for sailfish, but for an actual taste of the wild Mayan coastline, head to Xcalak (ish-cal-ack), near the border with Belize. A flight into Chetumal and a two-and-a-half-hour ride leave you on an unspoiled section of beach boasting the world’s second-largest reef.
In Xcalak, the Orvis-endorsed Xflats is the right place to post up (four-night, three-day packages starting at $3,295 per angler).
Non-anglers can calm down on the pristine beaches in hammocks, soak within the sun or enjoy snorkeling and scuba diving. Bonefish and permit fish hit there year-round.
The West Coast of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula could be very different from the Caribbean. The waves of the Pacific bash the coastline but provide a playground for windsurfers.
The farther south you progress down Baja, the hotter the waters get, which is ideal for fish. With ReelBaja (one other Orvis-endorsed outfit; seven-night, six-day packages starting at $4,695 per angler), fly fishers can explore the coastline on the lookout for tuna, billfish, dorado and the highly coveted roosterfish.
Fly fishing is concerning the love of the sport; the movements are athletic, practiced, and nuanced.
Sport fishing, however, is chess, where an angler pits themselves against a wily opponent with only a spinning rod in hand.
Captain Jimmy Nelson, star of fishing television’s “Living the Dream,” has been traveling Baja sport fishing for many years and particularly enjoys the Gulf of California.
“The nutrient wealthy waters herald the large ones,” he said, which is fun for the summer months.
But his hottest tip is that the fish migrate to the hotter waters within the protected parts of the Magdalena Bay (lovingly known as “Mag Bay”) on the Pacific coast in winter, and, “It’s the very best Striped Marlin fishing I’ve seen anywhere on the planet.”
Captain Jimmy recommends Baja Fishing Adventures (two-day, three-night packages starting at $1,106 per angler), which runs boats up and down the coastline from Mag Bay to Cabo and the East Cape.
For freshwater fishermen, few places can truly compare with El Salto, an hour outside of Mazatlán.
It’s been called “The best possible trophy lake on the planet” by Bassmaster Magazine and boasts a median day by day catch (and release) of 70 hulking largemouth bass per boat. But there’s a recent kid on the block just a number of minutes away: Lake Picachos.
“It’s the most well liked bass lake on the planet,” said Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Famer Billy Chapman Jr. “It’s our eighth yr on the lake, and thus far, we’ve incredible numbers and great size. In the future a father and son fishing with fly rods landed 324 fish! It’s wild.”
Chapman runs the fishing-world-famous Anglers Inn on Salto and Picachos (four-night, three-and-a-half day packages starting at $2,195 per angler), that are a must-fish for any bass lover.
