In May of aught-one, Jack Gartside, Dale Linder, and Mike Quigley (your humble author) took a ten day road trip through Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. No lodges, no guides, no set itinerary. Just three guys in a rental car with a trunk full of fly rods, driving around looking for fish. What follows is a photo journal of the trip, divided into three pages:
Page 1: Xcalak - Pescadores Interuptus
Page 2: Chetumal Bay - The Road to Nowhere
Page 3: Boca Paila - Things Get Better
Page 3: Boca Paila - Things Get Better
Boca Paila (it means "basket mouth") is a large estuary, extending south from Tulum. The name is often used interchangeably to mean the the estuary itself, the mouth of the estuary, or the area in general, including the oceanfront. The entire estuary is contained within Sian Ka'an, a 1.3 million acre biosphere (wildlife reserve) established by the Mexican government.
After tough fishing in Xcalak, we arrived at Boca Paila with the feeling of returning to an old friend. It was a place we knew well; at least, well enough to feel confident in. And Boca Paila did not disappoint. During the day, we caught big fish in good (though not huge) numbers. Most nights we ate at Don Hernando's, Jack's favorite sleazy restaurant (although he lamented it wasn't as sleazy as he remembered).
New
Digs
The Cabanas Tulum is the kind of place just right for 3 stinky fishermen: informal, affordable accommodations with a breezy porch for drying sodden clothes. From there, it was a short ride south to good fishing. Although we didn't take advantage of it, there were barracuda and sometimes permit in the surf directly in front of our room.
Candle
Coffee
Unless you make your own, it's hard to get a cup of coffee before 9 a.m. in Mexico. The restaurants just don't open that early. We brought a small gasoline-fueled camp stove with us for heating water. When the gas ran out, Jack showed us how to heat water by supporting a pot over three or four lit candles. It doesn't actually boil the water, but it works more or less.
A
Clue, Watson
It didn't take long to find recent and numerous signs of bonefish. Some of the tracks in this picture are 4 inches wide. (Bonefish "tracks" are the holes feeding bonefish make when routing shrimp, and other tasty morsels from the bottom.)
While Boca Paila's bonefish typically run small, on this trip we caught them up to 5 pounds (well, Jack did anyway). The biggest specimens were along the oceanfront. The bonefish in the estuary were smaller but more numerous.
Captain Dale Linder
...of the inflatable raft, Sinky II. An inflatable raft is a handy thing to have with you in Mexico. While I wouldn't recommend trying to cover large areas of water in one, it's just the thing to reach otherwise unreachable flats lying across deep channels.
My
Favorite Bonefish Flat
...was this sandy rise bordered by grass on the left and mangroves on the right. At any stage of the tide, this flat always seemed to hold at least a few bonefish, who worked systematically back and forth from one end of the flat to the other. It was possible to cast your fly to a particular point and then wait until the bonefish arrived over that point. A gentle twitch or two was all that was needed to elicit a strike.
The
Day They Gave Bonefish Away
Jack releases a nice bone back into the surf. This fish was taken on a soft-hackle deceiver; no need for the traditional #6 shrimp patterns for these larger specimens. A #2 or #1 minnow imitation worked just fine. Thus it was possible to use the same fly for bonefish, snook, jacks — everything really.
The
Crooner's Remorse
We met a group of German masseurs in the restaurant one night. After dinner, Jack and Dale joined them at their flat for wine and a sing-along (I demurred in favor of sleep). Late into the evening, the strains of of old standards drifted down the beach. The next morning Dale experienced the remorse of having sung "You are My Sunshine" in public.
The
Coast Near Boca Paila
Like the Xcalak coast, the coast from Boca Paila to Punta Allen (20 miles south) is essentially deserted. It includes miles of open sand beaches, coral bays, and broad lagoons. There is easy access from the road at various points. Most anglers visiting Boca Paila focus on the estuary; the coast is largely unfished.
Fishzilla
The surf north and south of Boca Paila has good numbers of large barracuda. This one was 50 inches, and we saw some that were at least 60. And yes, that's a spinning rod I'm holding. The surfside barracuda we encountered were alert and hard to fool. If they saw you, they would not strike. Hence, a spinning rod, with its increased casting range, worked better than fly tackle. Even so, when casting to this fish, I was down on my knees, crouching beneath wave height to keep out of his line of vision.
Biteyface
I confess to a fascination with the patrician glare and abundant teeth of the barracuda. I often think it would be fun to dress up as one and walk around the neighborhood, frightening children.
We
Missed Last Call
...by about 15 years. On the road to Punta Allen, one comes upon a collection of broken-down palapas that was once a thriving hotel, complete with a lively little bar. The owner abandoned the property in the 1980s in the wake of a drug-related murder, for which his son was eventually convicted. Believe it or not, Jack himself was briefly a suspect in the case! You can read about it in his story, The Circus at the End of the World.
A
Likely Spot
Jack casts to a school of fast-moving permit. This sandy beach held bonefish, jacks, permit, snook, and barracuda. Bonefish and snook were usually in or near the wash of the waves, barracuda in the blue water beyond. Jacks and permit worked up and down the shallow depths in-between.
Parting
Shots
Snook are typically thought of as estuarine dwellers, lurkers among the mangroves. But at Boca Paila we found them working the surf line, often traveling in pairs. Dale broke off a huge snook that might have gone 25 pounds. We also found schools of jacks, skittish and fast-moving. Getting a fly in front of them was tricky, particularly when the wind was blowing.
Page 1: Xcalak - Pescadores Interuptus
Page 2: Chetumal Bay - The Road to Nowhere
Page 3: Boca Paila - Things Get Better
