bahía del espíritu santo — sian ka'an
Shallow bay with empty shorelines in the south of Sian Ka'an, next to Ascensión. Permit on the fly over vast flats, with bonefish, tarpon and snook.
Bahía del Espíritu Santo lies south of the Bahía de la Ascensión, separated from it by a peninsula, with undeveloped shorelines inside the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve. It is a shallow bay with sand and seagrass flats, mangroves, islets and channels, and it is rich in lobster. Punta Herrero, a lobster fishing village at the southern entrance, is the reference point. Permit is the fish that draws fly anglers; bonefish move in the shallows, and tarpon and snook stay in the channels and mangroves. Few operators have Conanp authorization to take visitors to the bay, and fishing is done with a guide, from a panga, usually in multi-day packages.
best season
Permit and bonefish all year. From March to June the weather tends to be steadier and the water clear; from August to October there is hurricane risk, and in winter cold fronts bring wind.
Local rules: The bay is in the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve (Conanp): fish only with an authorized operator. Eight fish refuge zones in the Cooperativa Cozumel concession (DOF agreement of November 30, 2012, extended on November 30, 2022 for 5 more years) allow only catch-and-release sport fishing; commercial and subsistence fishing are prohibited in them. The agreement of September 12, 2013 created 4 more zones at Punta Herrero under the same rule. Each boat angler needs a Conapesca permit. Confirm local rules.
- getting there
- Access by land is a long, slow dirt road that worsens with rain; most anglers arrive by the lodge transfer. The reference airports are Cancún and Chetumal.
- facilities
- A few fishing lodges with guides and pangas, lobster fishers' camps and almost no shops. Bring whatever you need.
- country
- Quintana Roo, Mexico
tip
For permit, bring crab flies in different weights and a long leader. Cast ahead of the fish and let the fly sink before you move it.
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Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
what you can catch here
before you fish in Mexico
Anyone fishing from a boat needs an individual recreational-sport fishing permit (permiso de pesca deportivo-recreativa), issued by Conapesca and obtained online through the e5cinco system, with fees paid per day, week, month, year or excursion. 2025 values reported by Conapesca: 1 day, MXN 204; 1 week, MXN 510; 1 month, MXN 766; 1 year, MXN 1,021; excursion, MXN 1,453 (adjusted every year). Fishing from land does not require a permit; spearfishing requires an individual permit (NOM-017-PESC-1994, amended in 2013).
- Marlin, sailfish, swordfish, sábalo/chiro, roosterfish and mahi-mahi (dorado de mar) are reserved for sport fishing within 50 nautical miles of the coastal baseline.
- Sea catch limit: up to 10 fish per angler per day, with a maximum of 5 of the same species. Billfish (marlins, sailfish and swordfish), sharks and giant sea bass (Stereolepis gigas): 1 per day. Sábalo, mahi-mahi, roosterfish and baya: 2 per day. In freshwater, 5 per day. Fish caught beyond the limit are released alive back to the sea.
- Fishing within 250 m of beaches with bathers and of commercial fishing boats or nets is prohibited. Sport-caught fish may not be sold, and billfish may not be filleted on board.
- In natural protected areas, sport fishing is only allowed under the terms of the decree and each area's management program (Conanp); many have closed zones and stretches for catch and release only.
The rules and closed seasons in the rest of the app are Brazilian. Outside Brazil, the regulations of the country and province apply: confirm with the official agency.
sources and references
Access, facilities and season information changes: check with the lodge, a local guide or the city hall before you travel.
- official DOF — Acuerdo que establece la red de zonas de refugio pesquero en Sian Ka'an, Bahía Espíritu Santo (30/11/2012)8 zones (about 1,049 ha) in the Cooperativa Cozumel concession; sport fishing only as catch and release
- official DOF — Acuerdo que amplía por segunda vez la vigencia de la red de zonas de refugio de Bahía Espíritu Santo (30/11/2022)New 5-year term; recreational sport fishing only as catch and release
- official DOF — Acuerdo de zonas de refugio pesquero en Banco Chinchorro y Punta Herrero (12/09/2013)4 zones at Punta Herrero; in the recitals, Conanp authorizations for catch-and-release sport fishing in Bahía del Espíritu Santo. An extension after 2018 has not been confirmed