Bob Poole of Atlanta has sent in a report on a trip that he took with Pesca Maya while staying in Akumal, Mexico. This is a great way to augment a DIY trip, by booking a guide for a day or two. There is some excellent DIY fishing in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere that can be reached on your own driving south from Tulum. “I booked with Pesca Maya mistakenly believing that they were much closer to where I was staying near Akumal (about an hour’s drive south of Cancun) than another recommended guide service in Cancun. One of the selling points with Pesca Maya was the included transportation, which was not included in the Cancun service. The day began with the Pesca Maya driver, Felipe, picking me up on time at my resort, El Dorado Seaside Suites. Felipe, as I discovered, had the reputation of being “the fastest driver in the Sian Ka’an”. This was just as well, as the road in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere can accurately be described as The Worst Road Ever. The trip down from my resort (along with two other parties from two nearby resorts) consisted of a half hour drive on a paved road to Tulum and then an hour and a half trip each way on the Sian Ka’an road. So figure 2 hours each way to and from Pesca Maya if you are staying near Akumal. We were dropped off beside the water in the Sian Ka’an, where a waiting boatman took us to the island where Pesca Maya is located in Ascencion Bay. There they fed us a good hot breakfast in the open air lodge, sold us one day fishing licenses for $5, and rigged up our rods for us. I had taken an 8 wt. rod and saltwater reel along with leaders and crab flies recommended by Orvis Atlanta, and my guide Isa agreed with those selections. The Pesca Maya service advertised that they would supply one rod and reel, and you could purchase leaders and flies there as needed. Isa took along a second rig “if needed”, but we exclusively used my gear, and there was no additional charge. Isa was a friendly guide who spoke excellent English. He poled our boat and directed my casts in several locations–it was windy, and unfortunately we had to remain close to shore most of the day, which Isa said negatively impacted the fishing as we usually would be wading further out from land (and also the wind caused the fish to be more jumpy). In spite of this, I caught about 15 bonefish, mostly small, and one accidental jack. We saw plenty of wildlife, from barracuda, snapper, and stingrays in the water to spoonbills and herons in the air. My lack of fly-fishing experience was responsible for not having a bigger day–several times I cast to large bonefish and only managed to drop the fly directly on their heads. Pesca Maya is locally owned and flexible to meet your needs–one person from Canada who shuttled down with me fished primarily for snook and tarpon. They provided a good box lunch for while you were fishing with water and two beers per person. The guides were friendly, local, and at least in my case, very knowledgeable. Pesca Maya has a good website with tackle and equipment lists and all the information you need to book a trip of one day or longer. Of course, we had to return on The Worst Road Ever, but at least then we were prepared for it.” Bob put the price of his day at $513 which included pick up and drop off at his hotel in Akumal. I can tell you from personal experience that Bob is not exaggerating when he says it is a rough road. It can be a bone jarring trip. I heard recently that the road has been graded and right now is very good. That of course changes as it gets used and the rains come.
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