COZUMEL ???????

[GRH]

Heading to cozumel and was wondering if anyone has done any fishing down there or has any recomendations for a place to go.

Thanks for any help

[Ufatz]

Some pretty darned good billfishing out of there a little later on-April May etc. Cross over to mainland and further south for flats fishing for bones etc.

Used to be some little known bonefishing right on Cozumel proper and may still be. And you will likely be able to find charter boats for general bottoms fishing etc.

Cozumel a pretty busy place now compare to the old days.

Have fun.

[RonZ]

The bill fishing is real close.You will also catch barracuda,mahi mahi,snapper among others. It's a good time. I will be down there end of March, but in Cancun. I don't have any recommendations for a captain/boat out of Cozumel. If you are down there for a week check out the marina/boats when they come in the first few days you are there. They go out on 4,6 and 8 hr day trips. I think they take off about 8:00am but check with the marina. They will tell you when they come in. You won't see the bill fish(released) but you can talk to the fishermen and watch for big smiles if they liked it. Bottom fishing is also a gas and a gaurantee to catch fish.

[GRH]

thanks, anyone else

[DTro]

I went out of Cancun when I was down there. While I had a great time, I don't think I would do it again. We were out by Cozumel for the Bill fish, and I just wasn't down for riding the roller coaster waves, waiting for my turn to reel in a Tuna.

[Nate McVey]

If you can rent a car and drive out of Cancun, head down to Boca Paila. I fished out of a lodge there a few years ago and the bonefish, permit and tarpon were amazing. I know there are a few places you can get out in the flats and cast, or you can take one of the guides. If I could go somewhere for saltwater, that is the place I would go in a second. One of the top 10 places in the world to get a grand slam.

[Navigator]

From last year GRH, but it's still note worthy.

I fished the north end lagoons with local guide Alex Euan in February 2007.

The whole purpose of this trip, for me, was to catch a bonefish using a fly rod. One, I'm at an intermediate level (at least I thought I was) when it comes to using a fly rod. Mostly from fishing SE MN streams as a kid for trout and back then I used a 7' fly rod. I found out quickly that I was a novice with the equipment Alex uses. A 9' - 8 weight rod, saltwater fly reel, 8# leader with about 40 yards of floating fly line and what seemed like 100 yards of backing. My estimates are probably off, but close enough. After that first hook-set, I can see why he has soo much backing!! The only fish I was able to boat used nearly all of the backing and he peeled it off in less than 10 seconds. Half way into his run I start laughing - Alex starts laughing and I could tell this was going to be a fun day.

It took me about an hour of practice before I nailed that fish, but it was worth the wait. The fish tail in the shallows in groups of three or four and you can see them for 100 yards milling around and then they will move off. When they move is when you have that opportunity to make the cast. I lost count but I probably miscued and missed around two dozen of these pods all because of my lack of concentration. When I did everything right though, which was on three fish, man was that a blast. Like I implied above, they run faster than any fish I have hooked.

Let me explain the whole fishing experience for me, as best as I can:

1. Watching, patience & stealth count for this fish more than any other I have fished.

2. Cast's have to be accurate and in front of the fish, about 8'. Their eye sight is excellent and you can spook them by placing the fly too close. I did.

3. My side arm (SE MN style) of fly fishing doesn't work! I was rushing my back & forward cast too much and I didn't point the rod down on the forward motion which shoots the fly line out through the guides. Finish the cast.

4. Short strips with your rod tip almost touching the water. As Alex put it, 4" to 5"...strip...strip...strip short pause to let the fly sink and strip again. What this does is make the fly jump and man do those fish respond!

5. When they hit the fly, set that hook! I had two decent fish get off because I didn't "rear" back and hit them hard.

I heard multiple times from the back of the boat.....ai yai yai Jon

Alex ties his own pattern which looks like a shrimp. Real beauties too! I had a barracuda hit one and it was gone in a second.

He really worked his tail off to put me on fish. He uses a pole to push the boat, man am I glad I have a minnkota!!

http://www.cozumel.net/fun/fly-fishing/

Oh yeah, I'm heading back in a few weeks!