Upon arriving at the Boca Paila Fishing Lodge beyond the long row of beachfront Tulum Hotels without delay at 7:30 am, we noticed the place was already swinging .  Guests were   polishing off breakfast and the guides had been 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 occasion these guys had done  this, in fact Boca Paila has been present since the late 1960s.  To say these guys are pioneers of fishing in this locale is  a real understatement , they were the only game in town long ago and it had been a two hour drive from Tulum, not 20 to 30 minutes as  it is now.

We came in favor of the fishing and they were prepared on behalf of us.  Subsequent to brief introductions with Chico, he informed us that our boat and  guide Alfonso had been already waiting at the pier in favor of us.  A quick examination of our tackle and off we went.  Chico made certain we  also had a variety of the best flies and jigs on behalf of the locale and season before we departed and handed those to our guide Alfonso  following he personally escorted us into the boat.

Once on the water, Alfonso didnt waste much time and we took off across the glass lagoon in search of our opening fish of the  day.  There was a brief stop at a slice within the lagoon, where it meets the sea , and Alfonso said we needed to stop on behalf of   something there.  Devoid of giving freely all the secrets of the locale , the stop proved to be relatively beneficial in the course of the day.

After the “stop” where the lagoon meets sea, we made our approach to the opening of many of what I presume are Alfonsos favorite   spots inside this magical lagoon.  There awaited at the very least 30 miles of nearly untouched and protected wetlands and  interconnected genuine waterways.

Alfonso killed the engine as we arrived at the opening spot and he began poling us across the black rooted mangrove shores as  he surveyed the water with his practiced vision .  Within 10 minutes he saw the bone fish and we were directed to “11 ‘o  clock about 30 feet out,” and then a swift plea to “strip it, strip it, strip it!” We followed our guides instruction and  bingo, my Dad had our opening fish on. Inside two minutes, an additional good sized bone fish was caught and released by me.  This  was going to be excitement !

Further along the shore, Alfonso continued to assess the waters from his 3 foot platform in favor of the next catch.  This time it  was Permit and I had one on the line.  If you have never caught a Permit fish on a fly rod or even just light tackle, its tricky   to explain just how much fun it sincerely is.  It had been run of the mill size for the region , about 10 pounds but it fought for 15 minutes  before relenting and following a quick photo it was released.  What a blast and what an exquisite fish!

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

Following about an hour of poling along within the brackish waters in the vicinity of our opening prize pool we had caught a few more of the  undesired Snappers, Jack and Porgy so we decided to move along once more .  I ought to point out that there is seldom a boring instant   on the lagoon.  Even when you arent catching fish, theres an awful lot to see .  Throughout the day we probably saw 12 rays of  various species and witnessed several instances of Mullet boiling, bursting and leaping from the water to escape from a   striking Barracuda along countless birds of numerous species and colors .  We also saw a nesting pair of Sea Eagles  (Osprey).

We crossed the lagoon at great speed the afternoon fishing before gliding in, engine off and back to the poling for  Alfredo.  I should mention that Boca Paila Fishing Lodge has a particularly gifted fisherman and guide in Alfons.  I didnt  see a 10th of what he spotted for us, of course he was sitting up 3 feet higher than us, but he was amazing.

Just prior to lunch I got into my second Permit and this one was closer to fifteen pounds and he wanted to run.  The Permit are  rather common within the Tulum, Boca Paila area of the lagoon so I shouldnt have been overly bowled over to catch sight of Alfonso making lunch  while I fought this fish.  What did amaze me was that when I said “I think he’s coming in, get the net”, Alfonso didnt  jump .  The fish gave me my reply when he took off on an additional long run and I caught a wry smile from Alfonso and went back  to my fish.  an additional 10 minutes and I did at long last land that one, and yes, Alfonso had the net equipped this time .

Following lunch, which was wonderful by the way, a ham sandwich, chips and a beer. After being in the sun for 4-5 hours, it had been one  of the very best lunches I have had in a while and Alfonso showed us the Mexican way of adding various hot sauce to the   sandwiches… it was good .  We moved closer to shore and again commenced to stalk the next catch, it was hot and the fishing  appeared to slow a little in the afternoon heat, but Alfonso was unyielding and when he caught me sitting on the bow he demanded  that I stand up. “You can’t catch fish sitting down…stand up ready !”  I was up and about straight away and was somewhat   embarrassed but that ended instantly after I hooked into another Permit, this one was a little smaller, probably 8 pounds but  the struggle lasted 10 minutes and the thrill was without doubt not gone.

We stalked a variety more small groups of Bone Fish and Permit pairs, landing a few more run of the mill sized Bone Fish before  moving on once again.  This occasion , as we came across the new spot, Alfonso informed us that this was a large channel and one  of the deeper parts of the lagoon.  Still only 12 to fifteen feet deep but we changed up the tackle and went to a large jig with  a significant leader.  I am guessing about 20 to 25 pound test.

This is where things got very interesting .  We must have hit that channel as a school of baitfish were 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 respectable fights for both, but pound for pound I think the Permit is tough to beat.   Anyway , as things  got peculiar , and cast after cast produced larger and larger Snook, I started pondering the obscure “Super Slam”; Bone  Fish, Permit, Snook and Tarpon.  I would have been thrilled to possess such a great day and fall short but then as if on queue  another whopping strike and from the water it arrived , the Tarpon ran beyond the boat at full speed then made a run back by means of   another spectacular leap .  While it was relatively undersized a Tarpon at about 10 pounds, it was the icing on a perfect day  of fishing.

We stayed on the channel another 20 minutes roughly and I was so tired and absolutely satisfied that I handed my rod to  Alfonso and watched him catch a variety more Snook while my Dad did similarly and brought in a few more Bone Fish respectable   measure.

All in all, I have got to say that this was the very best day of fishing EVER.  Between the company, the Boca Paila Fishing Lodge  services and the brilliant number of fish we caught, this one will be tough to beat.  I want to once more personally express thanks   the team at Boca Paila for this wonderful experience we will both never forget !