Back to one of my favorite places to go to… Punta Allen, Ascension Bay, Mexico–specifically Kay Fly Fishing Lodge. Punta Allen, nestled in the Sian Ka’an Reserve, is approximately 3-4 hours south of Cancun known for its abundance of permit, tarpon, bonefish, and snook. Despite its somewhat challenging accessibility, the journey is rewarding. In mid November, Westbank went to Kay Fly as a company to do some fishing and most importantly some company bonding.
While this trip consisted of experienced anglers, many in the group had not targeted permit or been saltwater fishing in general. This meant getting to share a wide array of new experiences together both on and off the water. For example, it is tradition in Mexico to eat a scorpion after catching your first permit and many scorpions were eaten this week… most were kept down. In fact everyone walked away with a permit to hand, which made the trip a memorable one for all.
Weather is always a big challenge when saltwater fishing and you never really know what card you’re going to draw. We lucked out with about 60% good weather, which I would call a success on any saltwater trip. The week was filled with a mix of challenging and ideal fishing conditions. The group experienced mostly glassy waters and clear skies early on, with several permit, bonefish, and snook landed.
Glassy water conditions can be fun because you can often see fish and nervous water from very far out. However, it presents tougher shots as it’s hard to get close to fish and often very easy to spook fish. Day three stood out as the highlight, with perfect conditions leading to an impressive 12 permit caught. Though cloud cover and rain made fishing difficult toward the end of the week, the group still managed to land a few more permit, proving that with persistence, anything can happen on the water. Overall it was an extremely successful week with 22 total permit and several bonefish, tarpon, snook, and jacks.
Kay Fly has phenomenal staff, local cuisine, and most importantly some of the best guides you’ll find in Punta Allen. The guides are truly what keep me coming back year after year. It is what makes this place one of a kind.
