Fishing Hot Spots

Lake guides for this map

Month-by-month patterns, fish, ramps and rules for each water:

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Fishing Hot Spots by area

Cayes, flats, reefs and channels with good fishing water. Tap one to fly to it on the map.

Sailfish off Cancún, permit on the flats and a 300-km barrier reef

From late winter into spring, huge schools of sailfish push past Isla Mujeres and Cancún chasing sardines, and boats out of Cancún, Isla Mujeres, Puerto Aventuras and Cozumel also troll for mahi-mahi, wahoo, blue and white marlin and tuna along the deep edge of the Yucatán Channel. Holbox is famous for baby tarpon in the mangroves. South of Tulum, the Sian Ka'an flats at Ascension and Espíritu Santo Bays are among the best places in the world for permit, bonefish and tarpon on fly. In Belize, the barrier reef and the atolls of Turneffe, Lighthouse and Glover's hold bonefish, permit and tarpon on the flats and snappers, groupers, jacks and barracuda along the reef, with deep water and pelagics just outside.

Mexico's marine national parks (Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, Cancún, Puerto Morelos, Contoy and Xcalak) and Belize's marine reserve no-take zones, spawning sites and national parks show in red, and BigJoe does not put fishing spots in or next to them. Sport fishing in both countries needs a license, and flats fishing in Belize and Sian Ka'an is catch and release for bonefish, permit and tarpon. Check CONAPESCA (Mexico) and the Belize Fisheries Department rules before you go.