Campeche Report

Brad and Karen have recently returned from a saltwater trip to Campeche, Mexico and sent us these images of their first tarpon. Way to go Brad and Karen!

Give us a call at 800-552-2729 to book your trip to Campeche!

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Baja Report

Team Beulah hard at work "product testing"

Reports are rolling in from anglers fishing in Baja these last few weeks. Fishing has been good and it seems to be a big fish year for James Shaughnessy and his crew at Bahia de los Suenos.

You can practically catch fish from your lounge chair

Life is good in Baja! Wish you were here.

Give us a call at 800-552-2729 book your next saltwater adventure!

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Smoking Deal! – Pesca Maya Lodge

Picture yourself fishing in a warm crystal clear water flat.
A bonefish tail is showing 60 feet away.
You quietly wade to position yourself with the wind on your back.
Suddenly your guide shouts: “ permit eleven o clock, 90 feet!”
You need to be there!

Pesca Maya Ascension Bay is your best shot!

If you are still searching for a quick getaway, then look no further! Pesca Maya Lodge still has availability throughout the holiday period. The Lodge offers comfortable accommodation, fine food and drinks and relaxation in a peaceful oceanfront setting. Whether you seek adventure, relaxation or a little of both… paradise awaits you in Ascension Bay. An unforgettable fishing experience!

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Book your package now for February or March 2011

US 2,800 per angler for 7 nights, 6 fishing days (based on double occupancy)

Give us a call at 800-552-2729 if you’d like a sunny getaway to Ascension Bay!

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Pesca Maya Report

Our good friends Matt Mohr and Janine Arsenault have just returned from Pesca Maya Lodge in Ascension Bay, Mexico:

“Thanks for the help putting our Pesca Maya trip together. Our first salt water fishing trip went off without a hitch.

The fishing was fantastic. Our guide, Louis, is a master. Where ever he took us, we were on fish. He and his assistant, Miguel (Louis’s younger brother), worked their butts off! We saw so many fish, that on the fourth day, when I was lucky enough to complete a Grand Slam, I thought it was common. Come to find out, it is a rare occasion. Thanks to Louis’s patience and local knowledge, he made it possible.

Janine and I have started saving to return!”

Thanks Matt and Janine! That looks like way too much fun.

Give us a call toll-free at 800-552-2729 if you’re ready to try for your own grand slam!

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Isla del Sabalo Photos

Here are a few pictures sent to us from Tom Flood, who recently visited Isla del Sabalo…

Island of Tarpon indeed!

Give us a call toll-free at 800-552-2729 if you’re interested in visiting Isla del Sabalo!

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Baja Trip Report

This came in from Mark Sprague, who went to Bahia de los Suenos at the end of May:

“So last year was great but this year topped it. I had a tight timeframe to get a trip in this year and James made it work. That is what is so great about James and the operation he runs, he makes it all work easily for you. I was gone from Los Angeles for a total of 55 hours (left Monday at 10 AM and returned Wednesday at 4 PM), We fished the late afternoon bite on Monday and then full days on Tuesday and Wednesday.

You’re picked up by your panga on the beach in front of the hotel with bait already in the boat (maximizes fishing time). James sends his captains out to get bait very early so you’re always the first boats with lines in the water. He also has some other tricks that I won’t disclose but in summary you spend 99% of your time fishing and only 1% running for bait. The other great thing is that the prime fishing area is less than 5 minutes from the hotel.

Now the fishing – we were pretty much wide-open for big, quality Roosterfish the whole time. If you check other reports for Baja at that same time (late May 2010), you’ll see that the conditions were not good. The amount of fish you catch is strictly based on how well you fish because James gets you on the fish. I consider myself a novice but James gets you casting and stripping like a pro in no time. We had multiple double hook-ups each day. We out-fished the bait boats who would try their luck in our area. The highlight for me on the trip was getting the first dorado of the season. We’re fishing for Roosterfish and two streaks come under our boat (remember we’re 50 yards from shore). James yells dorado, I get my fly in the water and after two strips, I got the dorado on. James grabs his rod, casts and hooks his own dorado. Double hook-up of dorado on my last hour on the water.

As I said last year James runs a first class operation, is fun to fish with and has an amazing attention to detail. He knows the waters well and has the best panga captains. He also has incredible equipment (I tried 5 different fly rods he had before settling on a custom surf rod he built) and is not afraid to go through as many flys as necessary for you to catch fish. I know it is his business but I never get the sense that he is worried about the money aspect of anything which is very refreshing and makes the experience even better. This is a great trip for fisherman but also for their wives, husbands, etc. as they can relax on the beach or get in some fun fishing without a lot of hassle.” – Mark

Thanks Mark! Give us a call at 800-552-2729 if you’re interested in a trip to Bahia de los Suenos!!

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El Salto Bass Fishing, Mexico

El Salto Lake, Anglers Inn

“The service at El Salto was really super!!  I can’t think of one single thing that those people had not thought of to do for us.  And my very favorite on shore, were the rocking chairs on the veranda where I could sit and read in the beautiful weather.  Really a very neat place. A Super Thank YOU Rachel for all the hard work!!!”  – Donna Murrill

“My fish went 9-pounds, and Diane’s was 91/2.  Both were taken on poppers.  The guides said that the longer, thinner body of mine is typical of male bass and Diane’s shorter, heavier body is typical of females. The other picture is the, “Talapia’s Revenge,”  –  Ray Narbaitz

 

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4th Year in a row says it all! Pesca Maya, Mexico

Pesca Maya Lodge

“Yes a good time was had by all. We were very fortunate with the weather and we really enjoyed our guide, Pancho. He really helped with Karen and I on the water and we caught even more bonefish than last year. Her casting improved greatly and he kept putting us in a perfect position to fish. Thanks for helping with those arrangements.” 

– Anglers Brad and Karen Ghent

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La Paz, Mexico Fishing Report || May – June

 

Bahia de los Suenos Lodge, Mexico

Submitted by Mark S.
May, 2009 – Bahia de Los Suenos (La Paz, Mexico)

Warm weather, cold beer and great fishing (or for our trip “catching”) – Those are 3 things that make a perfect vacation and our trip to the Bahia de los Suenos with James Shaughnessy was perfect.  After a quick 2 hour flight from Los Angeles, we were met at the airport by the General Manager of our hotel who drove us to the resort.  At the resort, they had our rooms ready and pre-stocked with the essentials (beer, water, and tequila) that we had pre-ordered with James a week prior.  I knew at that point that James was going to be great as the beer and tequila were the exact brands we requested.  On a side non-fishing note, the resort was amazing and our room was 50 yards from the ocean.  The food and service were equivalent of the best hotels in the US.

We were picked up the first morning (Thursday) by our pangas on the beach in front of the hotel.  We headed off to get some bait and start fishing.  The panga captains were great.  I have been to Mexico and had some bad experiences but not with James’s crew.  They had a lot of respect for James and James showed a lot of respect for them.  I think that was very important because they work hard for him.  While I didn’t know it at the time, one of the keys to catching roosterfish (or other fish) on the fly is to have a lot of good live bait.  James had relationships with the bait boats that allowed us to get bait easily and plentifully (at one point, we had the bait boat following us to the various fishing spots).  On our first day, we caught roosterfish and jack crevalle throughout the day.  After fishing the Bahamas last year for bonefish, I thought I would never go anywhere else but I have to admit, this was more fun and more challenging.  At one point, James told the pangas to stop so we could catch dinner.  We promptly landed a nice yellowtail which turned into sashimi and dinner (cooked by the hotel chef).  To end the first day, James had us fish not more than 400 yards from our resort and the roosterfish were in abundance.  The amazing thing about the attached roosterfish pictures is that the fish were caught within 400 yards of the bed I slept in.  We got bigger fish but I thought that the access to fish was so incredible, we had to highlight it.

Day 2 (Friday) continued with more great fishing.  I started the day with the jack crevalle in the picture that was 2 pounds from a world record.  This day brought some tuna on the fly also.  As the day progressed, Nico and I wanted more fishing.  We inquired about this with James and he asked one of the panga captains if he wanted to work an afternoon/evening shift also.  He said yes and even arranged to have the bait brought to us in front of the resort (about a 25 minute run in each direction).  We fished and explored some new spots and really learned how to fly fish for roosterfish.  James is a patient and great teacher who tweaked my poor casting form allowing me to catch more fish.

Day 3 (Saturday) was exciting because we started to see some new species of fish.  Nico hooked (but lost) a nice dorado, snapper were around the boat so thick that the water was red, I landed a yellowfin tuna and I had a wahoo circling the panga.  The real highlight was having a 200 lb blue marlin cruise around the boat for 2 minutes (just didn’t want my fly).  All these fish are within 500 yards of shore and not more than an 8 minute panga ride form the resort.

James runs a first class operation, is fun to fish with and has an amazing attention to detail.  He knows the waters well and has the best panga captains.  From the cervesa delivered to our door each morning by the panga captains to the multitudes of fish we caught, I can’t think of a more perfect trip.  I would recommend this trip for anyone from novices who get seasick (flat seas, never more than ½ mile from shore) to expert fly fisherman.

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James Shaugnessy, Bahia De Los Suenos, Mexico

We are having an excellent year down here in Mexico. So far, all guests have landed at least one roosterfish and some up to 10 in a day. I have seen schools of roosterfish 50-70 strong in the 15-20lb range sometimes boiling the surface, this is new to me. The monster size fish have been few in numbers and I am still expecting them to show in the next couple of weeks.

Ken’s popper fly was absolutely torn to peices this morning by some ravenous roosterfish. I have a  78 yr old who I set up with the Beulah 11′ surf rod, shooting head and Ken’s popper fly. All he had to do was roll out the 30′ head and he had 2-4 fish fighting over it on the way in. 3 fish landed and then the fly lost it’s eyes. We caught a couple more before it was so unrecognizable I had to change it up.

The Gran Sueno is a beautiful 5 star hotel, over the top setting and we have fished 200 yards in each direction. We have landed pargo, dorado, roosterfish, jack crevalle, cabrilla with wahoo and blue marlin within casting distance of the panga.

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