Fly Fishing in Cozumel
By Rocky Ferraro

As I left Grand Cayman I had developed a case of Bonefish fever. If any of you have
experienced this you know that the symptoms are delirium, tired forearms and week
knees. Some people may even experience whip lash from trying to listen to 2
conversations about the latest bonefish trip simultaneously. I booked this trip through a
website I found about Cozumel fly fishing. They use paypal so you will have recourse in
case something goes a rye. http://www.cozumelflyfishing.net ;1-800-605-9490. The
people who arrange the trip are not real knowledgeable about fly fishing but they speak
good English and are accommodating. They know a little bit but as I found out until you
meet the guide you may not get all the information you need. In this article I will try and
give you the benefit of my experience. On this trip I met guide at the Iglesia San Miguel
church located in central Cozumel, just a short cab ride away from the port where the
cruise ships doc. Again having4 hours to fish and about 6 hours for the whole trip is no
where long enough to do this but when that is all the time you have, you make do and
enjoy the your beautiful Caribbean surroundings. I met my guide Adolfo Vazquez at a
church. From talking to the locals it is much better to either contact the guide directly or
just show up at the pier down from the church and hire a guide. I vote for pre arranging
the trip directly with the guide. His cell is 044-987-105-67-52 his English is somewhat
limited but you can communicate with him. It would be good to contact him and ask what
are the best times of the year to fish and what are the best times of the day as well as
what flies work or are working.
Adolfo picked me up from the church in a taxi which contained all his gear, ice chest boat
motor odds and ends etc. The ride was not too long and did go for a while over dirt roads
until we arrived at this magnificent lagoon. The lagoon was a vast saltwater flat that went
on for miles surrounded by white sandy beaches. It was a mix of turtle grass and sand. I
showed him the flies I tied and he was very impressed. I ended up using various color
crazy charlies and gotchas I had tied. I also used a couple of his flies which were similar
patterns with a little color variation and a heavier shrimp pattern. The boats they use are
a variation of a saltwater dory skiff. They do not have platforms they use to pole so they
are at the same level as the fishermen when it comes to spotting fish. I did a lot of blind
casting on this trip some was to muds some was to deeper areas. The water
temperature had warmed up by this time of the day and we did not see any tailing fish.
We did eventually see 4 bonefish off a shallow beach area but we spooked them almost
immediately. From talking to Adolfo the fish were just not biting that day.

Since my time was limited he could not take me to the many lagoons he has access too.
Also he told me it is much better casting to tailing fish in the early morning hours around
5am. Another circumstance is the tides. When you have a limited amount of time you
may not be able to go to the best spots according to what the tides dictate. I did end up
catching a small snapper in some deeper water we fished later on in the day. Over all it
was an excellent experience and if you are ever down there have a try at it. There are
many unspoiled lagoons that can be fished for bonefish, permit, snook, small tarpon,
barracuda, jacks, snapper etc, etc.
Fly Fishing in Cozumel
Foster City Rod and Gun Club
Click to enlarge Photos