Upon arriving at the Boca Paila Fishing Lodge beyond the long row of beachfront Tulum Hotels promptly at 7:30 am, we observed the place was already swinging. Visitors were polishing off breakfast and the guides had been getting the last of their gear in the boats while being knowledgeably directed by Chico, the general manager and the primary host of the property. Clearly this was not the opening time these guys had done this, in fact Boca Paila has been around since the late 1960s. To say these guys are pioneers of fishing in this locale is an understatement, they have been the only game in town long ago and it was a a couple of hour drive from Tulum, not 20 to 30 minutes as it is now.
We came in favor of the fishing and they had been equipped in favor of us. Following brief introductions with Chico, he informed us that our boat and guide Alfonso were already waiting on the pier on behalf of us. A quick examination of our tackle and off we went. Chico made certain we also had a few of the best flies and jigs in favor of the locale and season before we departed and handed those to our guide Alfonso subsequent to he personally escorted us into the boat.
Once on the water, Alfonso didnt fritter away much time and we took off across the glass lagoon in search of our first fish of the day. There was a brief stop at a slice in the lagoon, where it meets the ocean, and Alfonso said we needed to stop on behalf of something there. Devoid of giving freely all of the secrets and techniques of the region, the stop proved to become rather beneficial in the course of the day.
Following the “stop” where the lagoon meets sea, we made our way to the opening of many of what I assume are Alfonsos favorite spots inside this magical lagoon. There awaited at the very least 30 miles of nearly untouched and protected wetlands and interconnected genuine waterways.
Alfonso killed the engine as we arrived at the opening spot and he commenced poling us along the black rooted mangrove shoreline as he surveyed the water with his practiced vision. Within 10 minutes he saw the bone fish and we were directed to “11 ‘o clock about 30 feet out,” and then a swift request to “strip it, strip it, strip it!” We followed our guides instruction and bingo, my Dad had our first fish on. Inside two minutes, an additional respectable sized bone fish was caught and released by me. This was going to be entertainment!
Further along the shore, Alfonso continued to scrutinize the waters from his 3 foot platform on behalf of the next catch. This occasion it was Permit and I had one on the line. If you have never caught a Permit fish with a fly rod or even just light tackle, its difficult to explain the amount of fun it really is. It had been run of the mill size on behalf of the area, about 10 pounds but it fought for 15 minutes before relenting and after a quick photo it was released. What a charge and what a beautiful fish!
a variety more Bone Fish and a mixed bag of Jack, Mud Snapper and Porgy and off we went into the next spot. I thought to myself, if all of the spots are like that, one of my arms might not make it the day. We had a few issues with the line on my rod and had to return to the lodge for line which procured Alfonso no occasion to get back up and running.
Subsequent to about an hour of poling along within the brackish waters in the vicinity of our opening prize pool we had caught a few more of the undesired Snappers, Jack and Porgy so we decided to maneuver down again. I ought to remark that there is rarely a uninteresting moment on the lagoon. Even when you arent catching fish, theres a lot to catch sight of. Throughout the day we probably saw 12 rays of various species and witnessed several instances of Mullet boiling, bursting and leaping out of the water to flee from the striking Barracuda with countless birds of countless species and insignia. We also saw a nesting pair of Sea Eagles (Osprey).
We crossed the lagoon at elevated speed for afternoon fishing before gliding in, engine off and back to the poling for Alfredo. I ought to point out that Boca Paila Fishing Lodge has an especially talented fisherman and guide in Alfons. I didnt see a tenth of what he spotted for us, however he was sitting up 3 feet higher than us, but he was amazing.
Just before lunch I got into my second Permit and this one was closer to 15 pounds and he wanted to run. The Permit are quite common within the Tulum, Boca Paila locale of the lagoon so I shouldnt have been too surprised to see Alfonso making lunch while I fought this fish. What did surprise me was that when I said “I think he’s coming in, get the net”, Alfonso didnt move. The fish gave me my reply when he took off on another long run and I caught a dry smile from Alfonso and went back to my fish. another 10 minutes and I would ultimately land that one, and yes, Alfonso had the net equipped this time.
Subsequent to lunch, which was wonderful by the way, a ham sandwich, chips and a beer. After being in the sun for 4-5 hours, it had been one of the best lunches I have had in a while and Alfonso showed us the Mexican way of adding some hot sauce to the sandwiches… it was excellent. We moved closer to shore and once more commenced to stalk the next catch, it was hot and the fishing seemed to slow a little in the afternoon heat, but Alfonso was unyielding and when he caught me sitting on the bow he demanded that I stand up. “You can’t catch fish sitting down…stand up ready!” I was up and about in an instant and was somewhat embarrassed but that ended instantly after I hooked into an additional Permit, this one was somewhat smaller, probably 8 pounds but the struggle lasted 10 minutes and the thrill was definitely not gone.
We stalked a few more small groups of Bone Fish and Permit pairs, landing a few more average sized Bone Fish before moving on once again. This occasion, as we came across the new spot, Alfonso informed us that this was a large channel and one of the deeper areas of the lagoon. Still only 12 to 15 feet deep but we changed up the tackle and went to a large jig with a heavy leader. I am guessing about 20 to 25 pound test.
This is where things got fantastically interesting. We must have hit that channel as a school of baitfish were passing through or had just passed since it was a feeding frenzy! The opening casts for both my father and I produced two large Snook in the 20 pound range, pretty good fights for both, but pound for pound I believe the Permit is tough to beat. Anyway, as things got peculiar, and cast after cast fashioned larger and larger Snook, I started thinking about the mysterious“Super Slam”; Bone Fish, Permit, Snook and Tarpon. I would have been thrilled to possess such an incredible day and fall short but then as if on queue an additional big strike and from the water it arrived, the Tarpon ran beyond the boat at full speed then prepared a run back by means of another spectacular leap. While it had been relatively undersized for Tarpon at about 10 pounds, it was the icing on an ideal day of fishing.
We stayed on the channel another 20 minutes or so and I was so worn-out and absolutely pleased that I handed my rod to Alfonso and watched him catch a few more Snook while my Dad did likewise and brought in a few more Bone Fish good measure.
All in all, I have got to say that this was the best day of fishing EVER. Between the company, the Boca Paila Fishing Lodge services and the amazing variety of fish we caught, this one is going to be tough to beat. I would like to once more personally thank the staff at Boca Paila for this wonderful experience we are going to both never forget!