Certainly, for the ComeKiteWithUs team, we have also fallen in love with the amazing fishing conditions that El Cuyo offers. Whether fishing from the El Cuyo fishing pier, fishing with a friend on a pair of SUP boards (stand-up paddle boards), or chartering a local boat for some larger game fish found a bit further out to sea, the waters of the Yucatan constantly provide a plethora of fish to hook up with.
Offshore fishing from a boat provides lots of options for hooking up with other species of fish, which are typically much larger in size than the fish near shore. Live bait, chunks of large sardines, and a variety of lures and jigs are effective fishing methods.
It is not necessary to have a Mexican fishing license to fish from shore or the fishing pier, however according to law all offshore fishing does require a Mexican fishing license. Charters typically provide them for their customers, but in El Cuyo I would suggest simply purchasing the Mexican fishing license online and then print and laminate it before you visit.
Below are drawings and pictures of the prevalent fish species found in and around the waters of El Cuyo, and tips on how and where you should expect to catch them. Click a picture of a fish to read more about that particular species on the International Game Fish Association website.
The Speckled Sea Trout (on the left), Corvina in Spanish, is one of the first fish to arrive with the season as the ocean waters warm up, showing up in schools sometime around late January or early February . It is not uncommon to see a single person catch 5-15 in a single sitting. Early in the season they average around 2 lbs, but by April and May, it is not uncommon to see a 6-8 lb corvina caught. They have excellent firm, white meat for fish tacos.
The Jack Crevalle (on the right), Curel in Spanish, is a voracious eater and a hard fighter when hooked. We aren't huge fans of the darker, fishier meat it has, but the locals love them...so it is easy to make some friends of the pier (muelle) by giving away Jacks after you play them out. Near the shore they range anywhere from 1/4 lb to 10 lbs. Offshore from a boat, massive schools of Curel numbering in hundreds to thousands of fish, filled with nothing but 40+ lb fish are not uncommon.
Moments like those often result in 3 or more fish hooked at once and 20 minute long battles on a fishing pole.
We have caught some decent sized snook here, but failed to remember to take pictures. Hopefully we can fix that this season.
These species include the following.
World class tarpin fishing can be found within a 1 hour drive...and I have yet to see someone charter a tarpin fishing trip and not hook up with several. Talk to Diego Muniz in Rio Lagartos if you want to land the big ones (30-200 lbs depending on the time of year.)
What are you waiting for? Come kite with us and come fish with us!