Espiritu Santo Bay Lodge, Mexico

UNPRESSURED WILDERNESS FLATS FISHING

Espiritu Santo Bay (ESB) Lodge is located on a beautiful Caribbean beach in the southernmost part of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, just south of the sleepy lobster fishing village of Punta Herrero and within the 1.3million acre Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve. It is a wonderful, remote wilderness flats fishing destination with opportunities to target all four of the Caribbean’s famous flats species: permit, tarpon, bonefish and snook. 

CONSISTENTLY GOOD FISHING THROUGHOUT THE SEASON 

Espiritu Santo Bay is a true Yucatan gem and one of the last remaining wilderness fly fishing outposts along the entire Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. For the dedicated salt water flats fisherman it provides some of the least pressured angling in the entire Caribbean. Robust and healthy populations of bonefish, permit, tarpon and snook abound in it its flats, creeks and backcountry lagoons. The guides at ESB Lodge have years of experience in the area and intimate knowledge of the bays – with an encyclopaedic knowledge of every nook and cranny of this remarkable fishery. The lightweight, super shallow-drfit Hells Bay Waterman flats skiffs can enter the shallow flats inaccessible to the heavier, larger pangas more common in the region.

Espiritu Santo offers very consistent fly fishing for permit and bonefish and can produce excellent fishing for baby tarpon, as well as larger pelagic tarpon in the late summer and autumn. Large snook can be found throughout the season and especially the autumn months. The permit fishing is incredible with fish of all sizes, with some true monsters to cast at, and they have not been over-pressured as at other more popular permit fisheries. The bonefishing offers consistent action, and there are always fish up to five pounds ready to rip into your backing. The tarpon and snook readily take streamers on floating lines and can also be convinced to attack surface flies. Baby tarpon to 40lb can be encountered in ESB any day of the season and the pelagics (100+ pounds) pull into the bay for a rest in August and hold over for a couple of months. The fishing days at ESB Lodge are around eight hours. The most distant fishing areas are a 45-minute skiff run from the dock, while the closest are only five minutes away from the launch. 

PURPOSE BUILT LODGE WITH SEA VIEWS 

The recently built ESB lodge is set on a remote beach overlooking the barrier reef and the Caribbean Sea. It’s a quick ten minute drive to the skiffs which are moored in Punta Herrero. The lodge can accommodate eight anglers per week in four double occupancy rooms. Each room features an en-suite bathroom, two beds, plenty of shelving and storage space. The rooms share a common deck overlooking the ocean – a perfect spot to relax with a beer after a day on the water. The main lodge houses a bar, lounge and gift shop. The large front deck is a popular gathering spot. Food is a blend of traditional Mexican taking advantage of fresh fish, local produce and regional meat dishes. Dinners are simple and delicious, often served fresh off the grill, accompanied by locally grown vegetables, salads and plenty of fresh fruit. Breakfast is served buffet style and a packed lunch is prepared to take on the boats. 

REMOTE YET EASILY ACCESSIBLE  

Anglers should plan to overnight in Cancun prior to their fishing. The following morning the entire group will be collected and transferred to the Private Aviation Terminal for the 45-minute charter flight, followed by a 90-minute drive to the lodge. At the end of the fishing week anglers can expect to be back in Cancun around 1200.