Destination : Pesca Maya Lodge – Yucatan Peninsula Mexico

The lodge property is located 90 miles south of Cancun on a long, narrow strip of barrier beach that is virtually surrounded by the waters of Ascension Bay and the Boca Paila lagoons. Situated in the middle of the 1.3-million acre Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, Pesca Maya Lodge offers a great fishing program, good food, and one of the finest values found anywhere in the world of saltwater flats fishing. Pesca Maya first opened its doors in January of 1996, and has since established itself as one of the Yucatan’s most popular fishing destinations. If you’re a beginning saltwater angler, Ascension Bay is one of the best places in the world to catch your first bonefish. For more seasoned anglers, this is one of the world’s best locations to target permit on a fly. With hundreds of square miles of flats, it is not uncommon to see bonefish, permit, tarpon, snook and barracuda all in the same day.

Pesca Maya has 3 buildings, on the beach, 11 rooms, all with A/C, private bathroom and walk-in showers.  9 rooms are ocean-front. Some of the rooms have a balcony or private porch.

Pesca Maya features a number of different accommodation options, with the primary operations focusing on rooms in the recently-renovated Robinson House and the original SeaClusion House. All of the rooms are clean and comfortable, and each one features a private bathroom, hot and cold water, ceiling fans, air conditioning, and screened porches and windows which allow for a constant flow of ocean breezes. The lodge is located on an untouched, solitary white sand beach, surrounded by turquoise waters and a magnificent coral reef that starts only 90 yards from the beach. The original SeaClusion House is currently the center of activities at Pesca Maya, and is home to the lodge’s bar, dinning area, a small tackle shop, and the main common area. Here you will eat all of your meals, enjoy cold beers and frosty margaritas on the porch, tie flies at the “community” fly tying bench, and swap stories with fellow guests and anglers.

Main Palapa – is soon to be finished and will take over as the center of activities; here is where our exquisite meals, cold drinks and snacks will be served after fishing, a great place to meet for flies tying and telling fishing stories.

Meals are home-style with breakfast served at the table or buffet style, box lunch during your fishing day and daily changing dinner menu.

• Breakfast – Fruit of the season, juice, milk, yoghurt, eggs at your choice or pancakes (may vary)
• Make your own box lunch – 2 sandwiches per person, sodas, beers, bottled water, fruit, snacks.
• Mexican Appetizers – [the buffalo wings and dip are to die for]
• Dinner – A variety of soups, salads and vegetables, fish, steak, shrimp, fresh lobster and chicken, alternate through the week.

Please inform us of any dietary restrictions in advance, before departure.

Beverages:

Included – purified water, sodas, beer, wine on the table, and national cocktails like margaritas, screwdrivers, vodka tonic, rum & coke, etc. We do not have imported liquors available; if you have one of your preferences, you can bring it along at no extra charge.

Ascension Bay and Bocapaila lagoons are world famous flats to fish for Bonefish, Permit, Tarpon, Snook and Barracuda. Fishing from the boat or wading are first class.

Pesca Maya Guides

They have very professional native guides with more than 10 years of experience, who know Ascension Bay and Bocapaila lagoons as the back of their hand and will put you on the fish.  Some of them speak very good English and others speak “Fishing English.”  They fish with 2 guides per boat, one head guide and a young apprentice, both have very good eyes. This helps very much when wading: each angler has a guide, when learning to cast or to see the fish, one guide poles and the other is with the angler at the casting platform.

Fishing Program / working with your guides

“Take the initiative to get to know your guide. Establish a report. Remember his name. Let them know what you want to fish for, how you want to fish, your abilities and fishing experience as well as what really trips your trigger when it comes to visit. Let the guide check your equipment, knots, leaders, tippet material, flies, rod and reel, etc., don’t be shy.  Before you even leave the dock, go through the following exercise with your guide.

1. Get on the casting platform, with rod in had and review the basic “clock” 12 o’clock being the bow (front) of the boat, 6 o’clock being the stern (back), 9 o’clock id directly to port (left), while 3 o’clock is directly to starboard (right).  It’s imperative that you both have this straight.  More than likely, your guide will call out fish in the following manner.  “tarpon at 3 o’clock, 60 feet, moving right to left.”
2. Still on the casting platform, strip out some fly line and throw a short cast as the guide watches, next throw a medium cast, lastly throw a long cast.  The guide now knows your casting abilities.
3. If you have a problem seeing the fish, let the guide know before you start fishing.  Anything that you can relate to your guide concerning your abilities, your wants and needs, your dislikes and so on, will make his job much easier and your fishing day more enjoyable.
5. If your guide spots a fish and you don not see it.  DO NOT cast until you see that fish.  Point your rod out in front of you like a pointer on a chalkboard and have your guide direct your rod to where he sees the fish.  Your guide might say “3 o’clock, more right, and keep going, keep going, STOP” this is where you should concentrate your vision and again DO NOT cast until you see the fish.
7. Follow you guide’s instructions.  If he says strip, STRIP! Stop, STOP! Set the hook, SET IT! You’ll see that by listening to your guide your success rate will increase substantially.”

Boats

The have 12 Mexican made boats, commonly known as “pangas” with 4 stroke, 40 or 50 HP Yamaha engines, properly adapted with floor, casting platform, seats, rod holders and fiber glass pushing poles.”

Fishing Conditions

Most of our flats are crystal clear and ideal for wading and sight fishing for bonefish and permit along hard sand and turtle grass areas. If you are specifically targeting permit or tarpon, you will mostly be fishing over soft bottoms or in waters too deep to wade in. Much of the fishing in these areas is done by boat.  Rain and weather conditions in general may affect the water’s quality and visibility, but they mostly pass quickly with a change of weather or wind direction.  Most fishing areas in the Yucatan experience a constant breeze, but wind free days are possible. It is normal for the winds to be calm in the mornings and pick up in the afternoon or evening.  They recommend you practice your casting both into the wind and across the wind prior to your trip.

Equipment rental

Fly rods and reels can be rented at the lodge for US $25 per day.  [It is highly recommended to bring your own equipment.]  You don’t know what will be available.  Fishermen’s Spot Travel will provide you a detailed packing list at time of booking.

Fishing License

Fishing license is now mandatory in Mexico, price is 118.00 Mexican Pesos per person / per day or 256.00 Mexican Pesos per person / per week, they are not included in the rate and will have to be paid in cash at the Lodge.

Pesca Maya is open year-round. While the traditional “peak season” runs from March to June, more and more anglers are taking advantage of medium and low season discounts (10-20%) during other times of the year. Below is a brief description of the seasons at Pesca Maya.

FALL SEASON – More and more anglers are starting to take advantage of the low rates and un crowded fall conditions. October and November can sometimes be fantastic at Pesca Maya, with beautiful sunny days, moderate breezes and low winds. Lot’s of local bonefish, permit and some baby tarpon, plus larger migrant tarpon still in the area. When the weather is good, this is a perfect time to fish. Rain can appear for short periods throughout the day. It’s also the tail end of hurricane season, so we strongly recommend a travel insurance policy for all fall trips. (We offer a 10% discount during the month of November.)

WINTER SEASON – December, January, and February can be dry months in this part of the Caribbean, offering sunny and warm conditions. Plenty of local bonefish, permit, tarpon and barracuda are around. Winter is obviously a perfect time to run away from the cold weather of the north to fish the Caribbean. This time of the year can occasionally be windy if cold fronts from the north pass through the region. (We also offer a 10% discount during the months of December and January.)

SPRING SEASON – March, April, May and June are peak season for fishing the area. It is generally accepted that this time of the year weather is better, with a lot of sun and manageable winds. Sometimes, however, heavy winds and rain can be a factor, especially during early spring. This is a great time of the year to focus on permit!

SUMMER SEASON – If you want the best bet for the best time of year to fish without wind, summer is the time to do it. Flat and crystal-clear water, plenty of migratory tarpon, and hungry, happy fish. The average temperature is higher than during the rest of the year, but usually manageable. Early summer is generally the rainy season, which means that you might have some clouds and rain. These conditions will usually come and go in about one hour. You might want to take advantage of our 20% discount during the summer and early fall season!

You’ll need to book in advance during peak season in November – May, otherwise a month ahead is advised.

The lodge is open year round and anglers can arrive and depart on any day of the week.

Remember Fishermen’s Spot Travel services are always FREE to you!  You never pay more than what you would pay if you booked directly with the lodge.

What’s Included:

• All Meals
• Beverages (including beer, wine and national cocktails)
• Guides (one per two anglers standard)
• Transportation to and from Cancun International Airport (CUN)

What’s Not Included:

• Airfare to Cancun
• Fishing Licenses
• Personal expenses like international telephone calls, laundry, flies and rental equipment
• Gratuities for guides and staff

Gratuities:

Gratuities for staff are at client’s discretion. We suggest US$30.00 – US$ 50.00 per boat / day and US$ 20.00 per person / per day for lodge staff. Please tip your guide directly at the end of your trip. We also suggest you tip the shuttle driver at the end of the day. (Somewhere around US$ 10.00 is appropriate.)

You will fly to Cancun International Airport, Mexico, (CUN) and should plan on arrival between 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM, Cancun time.  Cancun is serviced by numerous domestic carriers, including American Airlines, Continental, US Air, and others. Non-stops flights are available from Miami, Dallas, Houston, Newark, Denver, L.A. and several other cities. Connections from most USA cities allow arrival before 2:00 PM.  If you have any flight delay, please call us at the office and we will wait for you until the next flight.  The latest arrival time is 4:00 PM.  If later, there is an extra charge.

Customs and immigrations

Upon arrival in Cancun, you will first clear Mexican immigrations, where you will present your documentation, your passport to be stamped and your Mexican Customs Declaration Form (this one can be provided by your carrier, if this is not the case, you can get one at your arrival and fill it out in that moment). Next you will claim your luggage and clear Mexican customs. After you clear customs, proceed to the arrival lobby.  Sometimes other planes arrive at the same time and the wait can take a couple hours.  Please be patient.

Transfer to Lodge

After you leave customs, right outside the building, our Pesca Maya driver will be waiting for you for transfer to the lodge. The drive to the lodge takes from 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Due to the duration of the transfer Pesca Maya schedules the departure from Cancun between 1:30 PM and 3:00 PM. If you arrive early (11:00 AM for example), you may have to wait for other guests to arrive. If there are no later arrivals that day, you will depart Cancun airport immediately.

However, guests arriving in Cancun after 3:00 PM, may be charged a special transfer surcharge (US $200.00), if the normally scheduled Pesca Maya shuttle has already departed for the lodge. If there are no other arrivals on your arrival day, Pesca Maya will schedule the transfer to your arrival time. For arrivals later than 05:00 PM we recommend to overnight in Cancun. We will pick you up the next morning at 5:00 AM for fishing.

Upon arriving at the lodge, you will be greeted by our resident manager, who will assist you with luggage and show you to your room. You will have time to unpack, settle in, and take a swim or even fish from the beach before dinner at 7:00 PM

Departure:

For departure, please schedule your flight no earlier than 2:00 pm. For earlier departures, a private transfer might be necessary and a surcharge of US $200.00 will apply in this case.

While Pesca Maya is primarily a fishing-focused operation, non-angling guests will feel comfortable and well-cared for. The lodge can easily offer a variety of activities, including bird watching, snorkeling, exploring Mayan ruins, beachcombing, and just plain relaxing. The lodge itself is located in one of the world’s largest protected wild areas, the Sian Ka’an, Biosphere Reserve. This pristine reserve covers over 1.3 million acres and has been designated by the United Nations as a World Heritage Site. The abundance of marine and wildlife in Sian Ka’an is hard to imagine until you have seen it for yourself. You can find over 325 species of birds, four different types of marine turtles (Loggerheads, Green Sea Turtles, Hawksbills, and Leatherbacks), and fish species too numerous to name.