Boca Paila Fishing Lodge and Saltwater Fishing Guide Services...

The Boca Paila Fishing Lodge and Guides have been around since 1966.  To put this in perspective for you Cancun didn't even exist and the roads that are now paved highways were rough dirt and it took a full day's drive to get there from what is now Cancun to get to Boca Paila.  With a staff of guides that are unmatched in experience and local fishing knowledge, don't be surprised to find a number of them that have been there since the beginning and many with well over 15 years experience with them.  You don't get that kind of employee loyalty without doing some things right.  They take care of their own and they take better care of their guests.

Thankfully for those of us who love to fish the saltwater flats, things have changed dramatically.  Now you can get to Boca Paila in about 2 hours from the Cancun airport and it is paved highway for most of the way.  You'll get into the rough roads a bit when you enter the Sian Kaan Bioshpere which is one of Mexico's greatest natural treasures of over 1.3 million acres of lagoons and protected wetlands, but it's not far down that road.  Most of the fishing in the area is catch and release and many anglers come from all over the world to fish these rich waters; especially for Permit, which is generally quite rare but very common to the area.  This is one of the few places in the world where the grand slam of saltwater flats fishing is well within reach, especially with an experienced guide.  In fact, based on my personal experiences there, I can tell you the fishing is really tough to beat.  I can't imagaine a better day on the water than what I had this past Father's Day and yes my Father was with me so it made it all the more special!

Read my personal story below about a great day on the water with Boca Paila Fishing Guides and then call us direct to book your trip with guide services and lodging; our arrangement with the Boca Paila Fishing Lodge does not allow us to advertise the great rates we offer, but you'll be glad you called.

For Boca Paila Fishing Guide services please call us toll-free at 
1.800.538.6802

Fishing the Lagoon for Father’s day…

Upon arriving at the Boca Paila Fishing Lodge promptly at 7:30 am we noticed the place was already jumping.  Guests were finishing up breakfast and the guides were getting the last of their gear in the boats while being expertly directed by Chico, the general manager and the main host of the property.  Clearly this was not the first time these guys had done this, in fact Boca Paila has been around since the late 1960’s, to say these guys are pioneers of fishing in this area is an understatement….they were the only game in town back then and it was a 2 hour drive from Tulum, not 20-30 minutes as it is now.

We came for the fishing and they were ready for us.  After brief introductions with Chico he informed us that our boat and guide Alfonso were already waiting at the dock for us, a quick review of our tackle and off we went.  Chico made sure we also had a few of the best flies and jigs for the area and season before we departed and handed those to our guide Alfonso after he personally escorted us to the boat.

Once on the water Alfonso didn’t waste 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 cut in the lagoon where it meets the sea and Alfonso said we need to stop for something there.  Without giving away all the secrets of the area, the stop proved to be quite helpful during the day.

After the stop where the lagoon meets sea, we made our way to the first of many of what I assume are Alfonso’s favorite spots within this magical lagoon; at least 30 miles of untouched and protected wetlands and interconnected natural waterways.

Alfonso killed the engine as we arrived at the first spot and he began poling us along the mangrove shores as he surveyed the water with his expert vision.  Within 10 minutes he saw the first bone fish and we were directed to “11 ‘o clock about 30 feet out”  we followed our guides instruction and bingo, my Dad had our first fish on and within 2 minutes another good sized bone fish was caught and released by me.  This was going to be fun.

Further along the shore Alfonso continued to survey the waters from his 3 foot platform for the next catch…this time it was Permit and I had one on the line.  If you have never caught a Permit fish on light tackle it’s hard to explain how much fun it really is.  It was average size for the area, about 10 pounds but it fought for 10 minutes before relenting and after a quick photo it was released…what a rush and what a beautiful fish!

A few more Bone Fish and a mixed bag of Jack, Mud Snapper and Porgy and off we went to the next spot.  I thought to myself, if all the spots are like that one my arms may not make it the day.  We had some issues with the line on my rod and had to return to the lodge for more line which took Alfonso no time to get back up and running. 

After about an hour of poling along in the brackish waters we had caught a few more of the undesired Snappers, Jack and Porgy so we decided to move along again.  I should mention that there is rarely a dull moment on the lagoon; even when you aren’t catching fish, there’s a lot to see.  Throughout the day we probably saw 12 rays of varied species and witnessed Mullet boiling, bursting and leaping out of the water to escape from a striking Barracuda and many birds of countless species and colors.

We crossed the lagoon for the afternoon fishing and it was engine off and back to the poling for Alfredo.  I should mention that Boca Paila Fishing Lodge has an extremely gifted fisherman and guide in Alfonso; I didn’t see a 10th of what he spotted for us, of course he was sitting up 3 feet higher than me, 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 in the Boca Paila area of the lagoon so I shouldn’t 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, grab the net”, Alfonso didn’t move; the fish gave me my answer when he took off on another long run and I caught a wry smile from Alfonso and went back to my fish.  Another 10 minutes and I did finally 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 was 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 good.  We moved closer to shore and again began to stalk the next catch, it was hot and the fishing seemed to slow a bit in the afternoon heat, but Alfonso was relentless and when he caught me sitting on the bow he demanded that I stand up “you can’t catch fish sitting down…stand up and get ready!”  I was up in an instant and was slightly embarrassed but that ended quickly after I hooked into another Permit, this one was a bit smaller, probably 8 pounds but the fight 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 couple more average sized Bone Fish before moving on once again.  This time as we arrived at the new spot Alfonso informed us that this was a large channel and one of the deeper parts of the lagoon, still only 12-15 feet deep but we changed up the tackle and went to a large jig with a heavy leader ( I am guessing about 20-25 pound test).

This is where things got very interesting.  We must have hit that channel as a school of baitfish was 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 in the 20 pound range, pretty good fights for both, but pound for pound I think the Permit is tough to beat.   Anyway, it was crazy, cast after cast produced larger and larger Snook, I started thinking about the elusive “Super Slam”; Bone Fish, Permit, Snook and Tarpon.  I would have been thrilled to have such a great day and fall short but then another hit and out of the water it came, the Tarpon ran past the boat at full speed then made a run back with another spectacular jump.  While it was relatively small for a Tarpon at about 10 pounds, it was icing on a perfect day.

We stayed at the channel for another 20 minutes or so and I was so tired I handed my rod to Alfonso and watched him catch a few more Snook while my Dad did the same and brought in a couple more Bone Fish for good measure.

All in all I have to say that this was the best day of fishing EVER.  Between the company, the Boca Paila Fishing Lodge services and the amazing number of fish we caught, this one will be tough to beat.  I would like to again personally thank the staff at Boca Paila for this wonderful experience we will both never forget!

For Boca Paila Fishing Guide services please call us toll-free at 
1.800.538.6802