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 2: Chetumal Bay - The Road to Nowhere
After several days of mediocre fishing along Xcalak's ocean coast, we turned our attention to Chetumal Bay. This, the locals told us, was THE place for bonefish. Prior to leaving for Mexico, I'd corresponded with a nice fellow (Chris P) who'd said that very thing. But Chris had also warned us that, without a boat or guide, finding fish in the vast expanses of the bay might be a very hit or miss proposition. You guessed it: we missed.
The
Road to La Aguada
Access to Chetumal Bay is limited. The coastline is bordered in most places by impenetrable mangrove swamps. The only foot access we found was at a place called La Aguada, 15 kilometers northwest of Xcalak.
There's nothing at La Aguada except a large ferry dock, built 15 years ago the Mexican government. The ferry was to connect Xcalak with the city of Chetumal, 40 miles west across the bay. Unfortunately, it was only after the dock was constructed that they realized the bay was too shallow for the ferry. Since then the dock sits abandoned.
The
Ferry Dock
...at La Aguada is enormous, an impressive monument to bad planning.
While in Xcalak, we heard rumors that changes are coming to the area. The Mexican government has plans to develop Xcalak as a tourist area along the lines of Cancun. A major airport is being built in Majahual. There is talk of a casino. In a few short years, drunk American college students may be able to spend their Spring Break throwing up in Xcalak.
Chetumal Bay
This is what Chetumal Bay looks like. Big. Really big. Most of the bay is shallow, and the flats go on for miles. The bottom ranges from hard pack to muck to sand to grass. Much of the grass we saw was coated with fine silt.One fellow we talked to in Xcalak (Charlie from California) had been out with a guide several days earlier and saw huge schools of bonefish. On that trip he took 15 in one morning. But the bonefish are not everywhere in the bay, tending instead to be concentrated in specific places.
Waiting
for the Fish
After several hours of fishing, we still had not seen a bonefish. Jack waded to a small mangrove island, where he found an old hammock and promptly took a siesta. I entertained myself catching needlefish and small barracuda in the shallows.
The midday sun on Chetumal Bay is relentless. The weather can be oppressive — humid and hot and given to sudden, fierce thunderstorms. When the wind is down, mosquitoes can be thick. One local fisherman we talked to conceded he didn't like the place much.
I
Am Your Destiny
After failing to find bonefish on the flats around La Aguada, we walked out onto the ferry dock, thinking we might find jacks or snook under the pilings. Half an hour of casting resulted in this 4 inch jack. Perhaps I'd gotten too much sun, but I thought I heard the fish say "I am your destiny." Anyway, it was at that point that we decided to leave Xcalak the next day for Boca Paila.
BTW, there ARE bonefish to be caught around La Aguada. At our hotel, we met Tom from Vermont, who'd caught two there the day before.
Sunset
over Xcalak
And so we crammed our rods and our bag of oranges back into the car and headed north. We'd spent four days in Xcalak. Our biggest fish were some medium-sized jacks and barracuda. Jack also took a nice Cubera snapper, whose vampire fangs delighted him. On a positive note, Xcalak really is a beautiful area. The water is pristine. Dale and I spent one fine afternoon snorkeling happily around the reef. Like fishing anywhere, more time and increased knowledge of the area might have yielded a very different result.
Page 1: Xcalak - Pescadores Interuptus
Page 2: Chetumal Bay - The Road to Nowhere
