Travel

With new owner, Ned Mayers, his enthusiasm for saltwater fly fishing has continued to grow and now made its great return to Western Anglers! Ned has teamed up with Jesse Eckley, of Backcast Adventures, to provide some amazing hosted travel opportunities. Please contact the shop for pricing, trip availability and we’d love to get you set up with saltwater gear to make your trip memorable.

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Requirements For Your Trip

• A valid passport that will not expire in the same year as your trip. Mexico requires a passport; birth certificate and driver license will not work! Make copies of the first two pages of your passport and keep them in different bags.
• Make sure you have extra medication you need (or may need) for the week. We will be in a very remote area with no access to a pharmacy. Make sure you pack them safely and in accordance with T.S.A. (no liquids in your carry-on).
• Let us know of any allergies or special requirements you have, the sooner the better.
• Booking flights: we will be happy to book your flight for you or you can do it yourself. If you choose to book your own, make sure you will be at the Cancun International Airport by 2:00 p.m. on the first day of the trip. We will be taking a charter flight from Cancun to the lodge. That charter flight is covered in the cost of your trip. If you miss it you will have to purchase another flight. This could be up to $900 if you are the only passenger. Don’t be that guy!
• Required Gear
  • Polarized glasses, two pair in case you loose or break one. Amber colored lenses are the most popular for shallow water fishing.
  • Sunscreen (lots of it!) and lip balm
  • Wide brimmed hat.
  • Buffs. We recommend you bring more than one.
  • Sun gloves.
  • Long sleeve shirts and pants. The sun can be very intense on the water so we recommend “technical” fabrics that are moisture wicking and quick drying. Cotton can be very uncomfortable in the heat and cold if there is rain.
  • A good rain jacket. We all plan for the sunny, tropical vacation but it can rain and when it does you will need a good coat. If you get chilled easily rain pants are recommended as well.
  • Wading boots or sandals, you may also want a liner sock.
  • Insect repellent. Bugs typically aren’t a problem on the water but can be a problem after dark.
  • Fishing pliers, nippers and hemostats.
  • A dry bag of some kind for all your gear while you are on the boat.
  • Fly line cleaning pads and conditioner.
  • Rods and reels:
    • Rod weights between 7 and 10 will be sufficient for this area.
    • 7 or 8 wt. for bones.
    • 8 or 9wt. for permit
    • 10wt. for snook and tarpon
    • Reels need to be built for saltwater use with good drags and able to carry a couple hundred yards of 20# backing.
    • Fly lines need to be saltwater, tropical models. Floating lines will work for everything but some people like to have some clear, intermediate tip lines as well.
    • Leaders and tippet:
    • 10lb. for bonefish, 9’ long.
    • 15lb. for permit, 9’long. You can add tippet as needed for extra spooky fish.
    • 4’of 50lb.- 4’of 30lb.-4’of 50lb. This is our standard tarpon leader and allows us to put maximum pressure on the fish and land them quickly. We strongly recommend using fluorocarbon for all leaders and tippet.
  • Flies:
    • All the standard bonefish flies will work; Crazy Charlie, Gotcha, and small crab patterns. Tan, pink and white are good colors in size 6 or 8.
    • Permit flies include Merkin, Raghead, Squimps and spawning shrimp patterns. Hook sizes in 2 thru 6.
    • Good tarpon flies are the Tarpon Toad, in chartreuse, orange and purple. 1/0 hook size Half and half in white and chartreuse 1/0 and 2/0 hook size. EP baitfish patterns, dark and natural colors. 1/0 and 2/0 sizes. All the traditional patters still work as well; Black Death, Cockroach, Sunrise Patterns etc.
  • Traveling with gear:
    • We recommend to carry-on your rods and reels with you on the plane. Security should not give you any issues with rod cases. Some people carry their flies on as well, but we have heard of problems with T.S.A. and carrying sharpened metal objects. (There are a number of different styles of rod cases for travel and many of them also have storage for the reels as well.)
    • A fishing sling bag that fits under the seat is a nice carry-on as well. This bag works well for electronics, phone, iPad, etc., and travel documents. Once we arrive at the lodge, this bag becomes a boat/wading bag.
    • One main gear bag you will be able to check but it must be a soft-side bag. (When we transfer to the small plane in Cancun, luggage space is limited and hard style luggage will not fit. It will be transported by boat, arriving at the lodge the next day.)
    • Weigh your checked bags before you leave home! The maximum weight for luggage is 50 pounds for most USA airlines, however, you can be charged a fee once leaving Mexico because the weight limit is 45 pounds. We recommend to keep your bag in the 40 pounds range or less.