Upon arriving at the Boca Paila Fishing Lodge without delay at 7:30 am, we noticed the place was already jumping. Guests had been polishing off breakfast and the guides were getting the last of their gear within the boats while being expertly directed by Chico, the general manager and the main host of the property, this was not any typical tulum hotel. Obviously this was not the opening occasion these guys had done this, in actual fact Boca Paila has been present since the late 1960s. To say these guys are pioneers of fishing in this region is a real understatement, they were the only game in town long ago and it was a 2 hour drive from Tulum, not 20 to 30 minutes as it is now.
We came in favor of the fishing and they had been prepared for us. Following brief introductions with Chico, he informed us that our boat and guide Alfonso had been by now waiting at the dock in favor of us. A quick assessment of our tackle and off we went. Chico made sure we also had a variety of the best flies and jigs on behalf of the area and time of year before we departed and handed those to our guide Alfonso following he personally escorted us to the boat.
Once on the water, Alfonso didnt waste much time and we took off across the glass lagoon in the hunt for our first fish of the day. There was a brief stop at a cut within the lagoon, where it meets the sea, and Alfonso said we needed to stop on behalf of something there. Devoid of giving away all the secrets and techniques of the locale, the stop proved to become relatively advantageous during the day.
Following the “stop” where the lagoon meets sea, we made our approach to the opening of many of what I assume are Alfonsos favorite spots within this magical lagoon. There awaited at least 30 miles of virtually untouched and guarded wetlands and interrelated unaffected waterways.
Alfonso killed the engine as we arrived at the opening spot and he commenced poling us across the black rooted mangrove shoreline as he surveyed the water with his practiced ability to see. Inside 10 minutes he saw first bone fish and we had been directed to “11 ‘o clock about 30 feet out,” and then the rapid call to “strip it, strip it, strip it!” We followed our guides order and bingo, my Dad had our primary fish on. Within two minutes, another good sized bone fish was caught and released by me. This was gonna be entertainment!
Further along the shore, Alfonso continued to survey the waters from his 3 foot platform on behalf of the next catch. This time it was Permit and I had one on the line. If you have not caught a Permit fish on a fly rod or even light tackle, its tricky to explain just how much excitement it sincerely is. It was average size for the region, about 10 pounds but it fought for 15 minutes before relenting and following a quick photo {it was} released. What a rush and what an exquisite fish!
a number 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 many 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.
After about an hour of poling along inside the briny waters close to our first prize pool we had caught a number more of the undesired Snappers, Jack and Porgy so we decided to maneuver down once more. I ought to remark that there is rarely a dull instant on the lagoon. Even when you arent catching fish, theres a lot to see. In the course of the day we in all probability saw twelve rays of various species and witnessed a number of instances of Mullet boiling, bursting and leaping out of the water to escape from a striking Barracuda with countless birds of numerous species and colors. We also saw a nesting pair of Sea Eagles (Osprey).
We crossed the lagoon at great speed the 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 a particularly gifted fisherman and guide in Alfons. I didnt see a 10th of what he spotted for us, of course 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 fifteen pounds and he wanted to run. The Permit are relatively common within the Tulum, Boca Paila area of the lagoon so I shouldnt have been too startled to catch sight of 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 jump. The fish gave me my answer 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 ready this time.
After lunch, which was great by the way, a ham sandwich, chips and a beer. After being {in the} sun for 4-5 hours, it was one of the best lunches I have had in a while and Alfonso showed us the Mexican method of adding various hot sauce into the sandwiches{it was} excellent. We moved closer to shore and again commenced to stalk the next catch, it had been hot and the fishing appeared to slow a bit inside the afternoon heat, but Alfonso was persistent and when he caught me sitting on the bow he demanded that I stand up. “You can’t catch fish sitting downstand up and get ! I was up straight away and was slightly embarrassed but that ended instantly after I hooked into an additional Permit, this one was a bit smaller, probably 8 pounds but the struggle lasted 10 minutes and the thrill was definitely not gone.
We stalked a variety more small groups of Bone Fish and Permit pairs, landing a few more run of the mill sized Bone Fish before moving on once again. This occasion, as we came across the new spot, Alfonso informed us that this was a sizable channel and one of the deeper areas of the lagoon. Still only 12 to fifteen feet deep but we changed up the tackle and went to a large jig with a significant 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 had been passing through or had just passed because it was a feeding frenzy! The first casts for both my father and I produced two large Snook inside the 20 pound range, pretty respectable fights for both, but pound for pound I believe the Permit is tough to beat. Anyway, as things got crazy, and cast after cast produced larger and larger Snook, I started pondering the elusive “Super Slam”; Bone Fish, Permit, Snook and Tarpon. I would have been ecstatic to possess such an incredible day and fall short but then as if on queue another whopping strike and from the water it came, the Tarpon ran past the boat at full speed then made a run back by means of another spectacular jump. While it had been comparatively small for Tarpon at about 10 pounds, it had been the icing on an ideal day of fishing.
We stayed at the channel an additional 20 minutes or so and I was so exhausted and wholly satisfied that I handed my rod to Alfonso and watched him catch a number more Snook while my Dad did the same and brought in a few more Bone Fish respectable measure.
All in all, I must say that this was the best day of fishing EVER. Between the company, the Boca Paila Fishing Lodge, one of the most unique tulum resorts I’ve ever stayed at, services and the awesome number of fish we caught, this one is going to be tough to beat. I would like to once more personally express thanks the staff at Boca Paila for this excellent experience we are going to both always remember!
Tags: fishing adventure, fishing vacations, tulum fishing, tulum hotels
