Lee Ann and I had the pleasure of spending 5 nights at Pesca Maya Fly Fishing Lodge, located south of Tulum, in Ascension Bay, Mexico. To get there, we flew to Cancun, where Felipe, the driver for Pesca Maya lodge picked us up, and drove us south to Tulum, about a 3-hour drive. He dropped us off at a dock south of Tulum, called the Sian Ka’an Biosphere, where Francisco, one of the Pesca Maya fly fishing guides, picked us up in his boat, for a 45-minute ride in Ascension Bay headed south. Boats are much more popular for this final leg vs. a vehicle, as the road south of Tulum and ending in Punta Allen is notorious for numerous, deep potholes and sharp curves which make what should be a 20-minute drive more like 2-3 hours.
We were greeted at the Pesca Maya dock by the staff and were very pleasantly surprised when we arrived at the lodge. Unbeknown to us, the old lodge fell victim to a hurricane and beach erosion, resulting in several of the structures falling into the ocean. So, the Pesca Maya Lodge now occupies a gorgeous and extremely updated lodge a few hundred yards north of the old property, and the new place is beautiful! Amazing upgrade!
Martha is the lodge manager, speaks fluent English, and truly has a passion for accommodating guests. She enthusiastically greeted us with a hearty Buenos Dias every morning, followed by great coffee and breakfast. She introduced us to other guests, to the kitchen staff, and it was very clear that every one of the guests loved her and were made to feel at home.
Our fishing guide, Luis, has been a guide for Pesca Maya for more than two decades. He and his assistant, Pedro, picked us up every morning, also greeting us with an enthusiastic Buenos Dias, and then discussed the type of fishing we wanted to focus on. Ascension Bay is famous for abundant tarpon, bonefish, snook, permit, barracuda, jack and many other species of fish that anglers might want to target. Lee Ann and I decided that we wanted to focus on bone fishing, so Luis took us to a gorgeous flat where bonefish were abundant and hungry!
After hooking and catching 2 bones on a Peterson’s Spawning Shrimp, on 2 consecutive casts, (the go-to fly for Luis), I asked him to change my fly to an Orange Bearded Mantis Shrimp. He was shocked that I wanted to switch out an effective fly for something unknown but did it anyway. A few casts later, I could confirm that the Orange Bearded Mantis Shrimp was also effective, and time to change the fly again!
In the period of that first day, I had bites on 15 different fly patterns (both shrimp and crab patterns), landing 12 bonefish. Lee Ann had equally amazing success using a Peterson’s Spawning Shrimp and a Gotcha. The bonefishing in Ascension bay was spectacular.
Lee Ann and I fished a lot of bonefish fly patterns, and got bites on each of the following flies!
Pesca Maya Lodge usually has inventory of these flies, or you can get them from DiscountFlies Online Fly Shop.
I learned today that bonefish will often chase a shrimp pattern, but not bite it. I was stripping a shrimp pattern today, and Luis told me to pause, then strip again. The pursuing bonefish that had refused to bite, grabbed the fly on the pause. Luis explained that shrimp often try to bury themself in the sand, which triggers the bonefish to eat the shrimp before it escapes in the sand.
Historically, I have found that permit are very difficult to catch on a fly…so difficult that after years of sighting permit, casting to them, watching them pursue the fly, then reject the fly, I resigned myself to the fact that I would pass from this Earth before I ever caught a permit, and would not spend any more time specifically trying to catch one.
On day #3, Luis picked us up and took us to a flat he likes for bonefish, but said he often sees permit there too. We put our wading boots on, jumped out of the boat, and fished the way I prefer; wading! The sun was low, so it was tough to see fish, but the tailing fin said it all!
Cast, pause, strip, strip, strip, and a big tug! My first permit was hooked! Once I landed that fish, celebrated with Lee Ann, Luis and Pedro, Lee Ann told me I better not pass from earth today! Life is good!
The staff at Pesca Maya worked hard at preparing fabulous meals for us every day, and the drinks, including margaritas and mojitos never stopped from the time we returned from fishing until we went to bed.
The combination of a beautiful lodge, attentive and caring staff, a guide that knew the area and put us on fish every day, and the beauty of Ascension Bay in Mexico, made this a memorable fly fishing trip. We loved the time we spent at Pesca Maya Fly Fishing Lodge.
If you are interested in a stay at the lodge, contact Layla
