Ascension Bay is located on the southeast coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico and is home to some of the best fishing areas in the world.
Located in the small beachfront town of Punta Allen about 45 kilometers off the beaten path and approximately three hours from the popular tourist destination of Cancun, our lodge is far from the distractions of everyday life. It’s perfectly situated to access our primary fishing objective – the permit.
Nestled in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere, a vast international wildlife park that spans some 1.3 million acres, Ascension Bay has been protected from commercial fishing and development. This has allowed the local wildlife both above and below the water to prosper. The bay has developed into one of the most prolific and diverse bonefish, permit, snook, and baby tarpon fisheries in the entire Caribbean.
Blessed with miles of coastline, shallow flats, and lagoon systems, the fishing opportunities here are endless. Our season is long, providing anglers over 8 months of prime weather to come and stalk the shallow water fish of the Caribbean. Surrounded by pristine mangrove-lined shores with a backdrop of lush green rainforest, it’s the perfect habitat for all the famous flats species. Grand slams and super slams are undoubtedly achievable. Ascension Bay is a destination where the fish are getting bigger, and saltwater fly fishing is getting better with every passing season due to strict regulations implemented years ago to protect this amazing resource.
Permit fishing is well known for good reason – it is some of the most productive in the world. Actually, so much so that Ascension Bay is often referred to as ‘The Permit Capital’. This fantastic fish stands alone as one of the hardest to catch on the fly, the primary reason it is so appealing to anglers all around the world. Our guides fish for permit not only as a job but as a passion. Many take their days off to scout new locations or fish for permit themselves. They all share our common love of this amazing fish, and we as a team will make sure you have the best opportunity to be a successful permit angler at Mayazul.
For a long time, the permit was only pursued by certain specialists. There was not much information about permit fishing, and there were even fewer dedicated guides. Successfully pursuing and catching a permit therefore seemed unattainable for the majority of anglers. Nowadays, the angling world has poured resources and created the demand for an increased understanding of these special fish. We now know more about their behavior and habits than ever
before, and every day there are more guides who have dedicated their lives to stalking and learning about permit. Specialized equipment and flies have been designed with the sole purpose of maximizing permit fishing odds. Our promise at Mayazul is to bring all these years of development into your hands and at your disposal when you arrive at the lodge.
Species
Ascension Bay has one of the largest permit populations in the entire world, with a great diversity of situations that will undoubtedly fit your tastes and abilities. If it is your first time permit fishing, you need to have some fly casting skills, the ability to listen to your guide, and especially, the luck to find the ‘right’ fish. In permit fishing, you can do everything perfectly, but whether the fish eats your fly or not might simply depend on its attitude. Those of us who have been doing it for years always say “If you know what to do and you have the ability to do it, everything else depends on the fish.”
Snook are the ultimate ambush predator on the flats, typically holding up tight on the coastline under branches or mangroves waiting for unsuspecting prey to swim past. The population is protected and features some of the most significant specimens you’ll encounter any wherein the world.
Ascension Bay has the largest bonefish population per square water acre than anywhere else in the world. Unlike some other species in the bay, bonefish will readily eat a well-presented fly, making 20 – 30 fish days a regular occurrence.
They are the most honest species on the flats, and if you do your part, they will usually do theirs.
Thanks to the protection of the Sian Ka’an Biosphere, Ascension Bay has a huge nursery of juvenile tarpon. These fish are often called “Baby Tarpon”, but they still average between 10 and 30 pounds, with fish over 50 pounds coming to hand each year. To make it even more interesting, migratory tarpon show up during the summer months, with sizes that average 70 pounds but they can reach 130 pounds or more. These fish are found on the sandy coastal flats and also inside the Bay.
While the big four flats species are often at the top of saltwater fly fisherman’s list, Ascension Bay is home to many other species of sport fish such as triggerfish, jack crevalle, and barracuda, as well as many types of snappers and groupers. If anglers come with an open mind, they are sure to catch many species on the fly at Mayazul.
