Fishing in Mexico, Vacation Diary in Playa del Carmen, Wahooooo!
How about we start our fishing adventure in Mexico together with a cold beer? That's how I started it, sooner or later, the salt of the Caribbean sea demands its rights, and let's be honest, no memorable story has ever started with someone drinking a glass of water. Well, yes, we left for Christmas and New Year's Eve again in warmer countries, this time heading to the Gulf of Mexico, Playa del Carmen. If you don't have time to read and read the stories, I'll just give you the fishing game in the video below. For those with patience, as is required in fishing, we also have bonuses of tips & tricks and valuable information throughout the article.
As I promised you at the end Thailand holiday diary, today I'm going to tell you how I cut up the pig and set the Christmas table with 2/3 of a piece of wahoo, that's all the shark left, seasoned with amberjack and barracuda. Thus, I took the first steps without cholesterol in 2025, even if I also broke the restaurants in two for two weeks. Speaking of restaurants, at the end of the article I'll leave you more recommendations. And beers, of course. Have you opened a beer? Let the siesta, excuse me, fiesta begin!
Why fishing in Mexico, why on Christmas and New Year's Eve?
I have already mentioned these reasons in previous articles, I will not repeat them, I leave the links visible for those interested or for those who missed the fishing logs from Dominican Republic and Thailand. I just want to write, once again, that for me, all these exotic games are annexes or related to family vacations and are not entirely dedicated to fishing. So we don't play like professionals. Not yet. With small budgets and high hopes, on each vacation I allocate within the available time a day or two of boat fishing (with a guide) and as much shore fishing as the location allows, morning or evening, tide or reflux. With the correct information gathered in advance and on the spot, they give and we take, it is certain that I always get a few good drills. This time I fished again in the Caribbean Sea, Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
Information about fishing in Mexico
As I said above, fishing in Mexico was going to take place in Playa Del Carmen, so, as usual, I scoured the Internet, Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, Google, Fishing Booker in search of information about equipment, fishing shops, good times, fishing guides and shops, hot spots. Excursions, restaurants and other things to do on vacation were normally and logically taken care of by my wife, but you know that saying “Fishing connecting people”? After the saltwater fish I found some hidden gems from a tourist point of view, which I will leave you with as a bonus at the end. After a long period of investigations and discussions, I had a day reserved for fishing from a boat in the company of Jeremiah Luna from JLC Fishing and the landmarks of two fishing spots on the shore, found in YouTube videos, both places near the hotels where we were going to stay. I didn't have to add anything to the fishing equipment I already had, I was leaving Thailand to repeat fishing with metal casting jigs.
Once Upon a Time in Mexico
Our fishing team in Mexico was the same as in Thailand and the Dominican Republic, two adults, me and Tedy, two children, Andrei and Sergiu (Return of the four), crew for which Captain Jeremias made a special price of 500 dollars (full day) with equipment, food and soft drinks included. Jeremias is one of the most experienced fishing guides in the Playa Del Carmen area and a man you deserve to know personally in this life. First of all because he agreed to spend Christmas Day with us on the boat and then because he made our program according to our personality, equipment and desires (we wanted to fish as much jigging as possible with metal casting jigs, oscillate and cycads) and something fun for the kids. We didn't want trolling or big fish, we just wanted activity and fun on our own. No catch and release.
Bubbles, bubbles
The fishing day started with trolling (I'm not a fan, but a wahoo or a marlin could be caught according to Jeremias and he was on his way to the hot spots) without success. On the program made according to our childish taste and needs, Jeremias took us to shallow water, near the beaches, to better understand how to approach on the days we were going to fish from the shore. The good fishing spots were in the immediate vicinity of the shore where the fresh water from the cenote came out under the island into the sea through the sand, basically hunting with his eyes the places where the water was bubbling. Hot spots, full of fish. But they were not active, I had several trevally chases, I caught a catfish at a Live Target Flutter Shad (I'm still struggling to catch anything on them, they seem like phenomenal lures to me) and Andrei a white grunt on an oscillating Typhoon BertiHaving figured out the places with the babbling brooks, we adjusted our equipment, lures and set off.
Jigging is the name of the game in Mexico
A reef fishing session followed where the children had fun with several exotic species caught on small pieces of fish, Tedy and I holding their line with metal casting jigs where two amberjacks and a barracuda past their prime were caught. An active fishing that doesn't let you breathe, with the equipment and lures in our hands, saltwater jigging is a style that has caught my attention a lot in recent years, a style that I have used successfully from the shore and am going to apply it to our fresher waters, for pike and trout. I also tried Jeremias' equipment, also for jigging, but in the hard category, with 200-300 gram pilkers, resulting in two unfinished attacks, two big fish (possibly a shark and a Grand Trevally according to Jeremias and the teeth on the lure). Hard with big fish, hard with such hard equipment, so I quickly returned to my game, more light. When no one bothered me anymore, I put a piece of fish from the children on the metal casting jig and what a surprise? I started catching those smaller fish too. Naturally, the light bulb went on and I was going to do this trick again in the future.
Do you want to go shark fishing?
When you're fishing in Mexico, you do what the Mexican says. Naturally, I wanted to go for the shark. In less than 15 minutes, I was already in the drill, shortly after Jeremias made a rig out of a 300-gram lead and a Mustad multi/0 hook into which he stuck and tied a scad as bait. After 10 minutes of drilling, the shark cut the fluorocarbon leader. No problem, we'll catch another one, Jeremias said, remade the rig and in 10 minutes I was back in the drill. That means knowing the sea like the back of your hand. How's the drill? Well, if hard jigging is demanding, with sharks it's multiplied by 10. We pulled all 5 of that shark, one at a time, for at least 10 minutes each until we proved it. And we proved it hard, we brought it to the surface three times, just as many times it decided to go a little deeper. Very cool as an experience, but exhausting as a physical effort and as a result, you can't hold it in your arms for a picture. Of course, we released it directly from the water, who wants a shark in the boat? And speaking of the shark spot, it was very close to the shore and the area where tourists, including us, were splashing around, so we decided that in the next few days we would take it easy with adventuring in the open sea, at the beach.
One table? For that little one?
We thank Jeremias for the shark experience and ask him to take us back to the amberjack spot at the end of the day, where we had already caught two and a barracuda, but since our group from Mexico was 9 people, we thought we were missing a few more fish to make a proper Christmas meal. That's it, we wave our hands in excitement, us adults don't care, the kids continue to have fun with reef fish caught in small pieces. Andrei, my son, is struggling, says he still wants to catch a big fish, that he always catches, takes my rod, casts, waits for the metal casting jig to reach the bottom, pumps it 10-15 times and hits the accelerator. A “car on car” fight begins with a modest rod weighing up to 50g, unprepared for such animals, with 0.24mm textile line and only 150 meters long properly wound on the drum of a size 3000 reel. After 10 minutes of threading and the rod on the verge of exploding, I try to adjust the drag of the reel and Andrei tells me that he is afraid of losing it, it is better for me to pull it out. The child in me could not wait for this, the man and the father told him in a calm, parental tone “We will pull it out, I promise!”
Wahooooooo!
And give it a fight. I was reeling in 10 meters of line, the fish was taking 20 and so on until I ran out of line and decided to hold on to the reel until the line or rod broke, I had no other solution. Jeremias suggested that we quickly tie the little line left on my reel to another reel and rod, but I thought we risked losing the fish during the maneuvers. I was risking too much and I had promised Andrei that I would get the fish out. And we stayed like that for a good while, just like in a drill with a big catfish that does whatever it wants stuck to the bottom of the water, but this time at 70-80 meters depth. When I felt that the fish was starting to get tired, I started forcing and pulling it again, it took line a few more times, and when I had about 70% of recovered line on the reel, after a last heart attack run, it didn't put up much resistance anymore. Shortly after, after many careful, calm, calm pumpings, a large white silhouette begins to be distinguished in the blue water, the fish comes to the surface, throws the water to great heights, Jeremias takes the blunder from Andrei's hand (the poor thing couldn't wait to make a kill), quickly hooks it and we all scream with joy. A beautiful Wahoo caught on a metal casting jig only a few centimeters with a size 2 anchor. Well, 2/3 of a wahoo, that's what the shark that had attacked it probably left us when we felt the fish's last escape.
Big, small, baby eats
I don't know exactly how long the fight lasted, but it used up the last remaining time of that fishing trip in Mexico and the last bit of energy I had left. Game over, a great day for which I thank Jeremias once again. When we arrived tired but happy at the marina, Tedy still had the resources to clean and fillet the fish with which we were going to stuff a well-deserved Christmas meal. We had the pig. Well, 2/3 of it, he also ate the shark's mouth, which we should still thank, I don't know how we would have gotten it out of the water if it was whole. The wahoo and the barracuda cooked beautifully on the stove and the amberjack went the way of schnitzels (something of a dream) at a restaurant near the hotel where we were staying. In the mix of satisfaction, adrenaline, fatigue, hunger, beer and tequila, we forgot to take pictures of all the carefully arranged platters and plates in the spirit of a special, different Christmas.
Restaurant info in Mexico, Playa Del Carmen
If you've made it this far and I've woken up your inner fat, you're clearly waiting for the promised list of restaurants worth visiting if you end up in Mexico, in Playa del Carmen. Do you remember the saying from the beginning with "Fishing connecting people"? In my internet searches I came across a facebook group with expats in Playa del Carmen where I asked about fishing recommendations. He answered me with great detail Maren Linnerz, employee of the company Playacht who collaborates with Fishrivieramaya.com, that she helps me with everything I need. Unfortunately, during the period I chose, the boat I was looking for was not available for the 4 of us, she had also given me a special price for both the fishing boat and a yacht trip, which unfortunately we did not have time to do. Anyway, even if I did not manage to benefit from their services (impeccable in terms of communication), the interaction with Maren was so warm and friendly that I allowed myself to ask her what restaurants she recommends in Playa del Carmen. I reproduce here her message with links for orientation, with the locations where I have been and which I appreciated superlatively. As for Maren, we thank her, once again, for her tips and friendship.
“Hi, if you are looking for local experiences, you should move away from 5th Avenue. On 10th, 15th… to 30th streets you will also find a lot of places to eat. Near your hotel I can only recommend SOFIA HOUSE. A beautiful and delicious Italian restaurant, with still normal prices (not overly expensive like the restaurants on 5th Avenue). On Constituyentes Street you will find THE FOGON, the most popular Taco joint. For fresh seafood, try HE THE PIRATE, also very local, large portions at a good price. Visit GOURMET PARK, for a food truck experience and definitely for street food, you must go to 38th Street at night! The most beautiful street in Playa del Carmen. There you will also find LOVED 38 & AT THE PIXCAN PEARL, two beautiful traditional Mexican restaurants next to each other with local (Mayan) food. Both also good options for breakfast. LA PERLA has traditional dancing and music entertainment at night. For breakfast, lunch or dinner, beach experience, my favorite place is LIDO BEACH CLUB"...Beautiful ambiance and delicious food of super quality, and not expensive."
So, how's beach fishing in Mexico?
Being mostly away on excursions (I'll leave them to you in Extra Info) we didn't have much time for fishing, because, well, vacation, family, friends. Just like in Punta Cana, the flow dictated the rules of the game, the fish were active only in the evening when they came out of the reef towards the shores, tips received from the fishing shop, from a few locals I've talked to over time and from Jeremias. All in all, we only caught two evenings of fishing and one of prospecting. During the verification, on the places discovered on Youtube, we met a very sociable Canadian (from Ontario) who came to the beach every evening with surf fishing equipment and fished with shrimp. We saw that he had some activity, while we were talking, and he also told us that every day the locals come and fish in this area with lures. Point blank, point blank, the next day, an hour before sunset, together with Tedy, we went threshing with metal casting jigs on the beach in front of the hotel. Despite our expectations, without results, we only had a few pursuits of zargani (large) and trevally (small). The fish didn't really feel like playing on the lures, which was also confirmed by two locals with whom we fished side by side and who only had one fish in the bucket. Naturally, we headed towards the territory of our future Canadian friend.
Aren't you serving some shrimp too?
“Bite? Bite?” I approached him, even though I had pulled ahead out of the corner of my eye and seen that he was catching. “Sure, I caught about 8 pieces, what did you do?” he says. I pursed my lips, declared defeat, replying “You still have shrimp, still have shrimp?” The positive answer and invitation I was waiting for was not long in coming, “Yes, still have shrimp, but also a piece of fish, don’t you want one too, I have enough bait for everyone and I’m leaving tomorrow anyway, it’s my last day here”. In the second I rigged the metal casting jig with a piece of fish on the anchor (like in the episode on the boat) and the hook with half a shrimp. Instant effect after the first cast, the fish (jack crevalle and palometa) started pulling one after the other, but I was missing them. I call Tedy and we quickly improvise a rig from a fishing line with an anchor, attached to the clip that held the line. It caught, we had fun for an hour, then we left so that our family wouldn't find us missing in the night. Oh, of course we left with the bag of frozen shrimp, our Canadian donated them to us, he was going home, we still had one evening to spend.
Workshop section, small secret tool
The next day, on the beach, under the shade of palm trees, over a drink, we had time to rethink the fishing rig. Basically, we made a paternoster with a metal casting jig as a lead, and we detached the top hook and tied it with a 35-40cm (0.50mm) jig to the top end of the 60cm, 0.80mm line (also made of fluorocarbon). Razor rig, we invented a kind of 2 in 1, on the jig a hook with shrimp or fish meat, and below the metal casting jig with anchor, as a lead, for those who might want metal lures in evolution. We waited patiently for the evening to come, it took us to the hot spot, we waited for the flood of tourists to come out of the water (not all of them) and we had another round of fun. The improvised rig opened up new fronts for us for the future. However, meat is meat. I wasn't too generous with the photos or the filming, because it was evening and yes, too little brain left functional and that one was totally dedicated to fishing. That was about it. I also dropped a bigger trevally on the bank, that's it. I had already caught the monster, and basically it's no big deal. Otherwise, the secret is to be a little angry, not too much, so to speak, they let it go.
Extra Info with and without fishing in Mexico
Hotels: Cancún (Adhara Express Hotel), Playa del Carmen (Melissa's House and Tequila River) – we liked everything, such as location, prices, budget, cleanliness, services, staff, etc.
Restaurants & Food Porn: In addition to those recommended by Maren in Playa del Carmen, there are more to add: Sirloin Don if you are a beef fan. In Cancun we ate very well locally at a small family restaurant Picana & Grill and in Palapas Park, a very attractive place with shops, street food and restaurants, all traditional.
Internet: Airalo – I had signal everywhere, a service I use through Esim wherever I travel.
Excursions, how we did them: Isla Mujeres with the catamaran, Chichen Itza + Hubiku Cenote + Valladolid, Tulum + guinea pig + Mayan Cenotes, Cozumel, Xcaret. Otherwise, I walked 20,000 steps daily in Cancun and Playa del Carmen. And on the beaches. I booked all the accommodations and excursions from Romania, at prices similar to those found there on the spot. Except for transfers, it was cheaper (and safer) with local taxi services.
walkcountries with yachts: Maren Linnerz – Playacht (+52 1 984 180 6995)
Fishing from a boat in Playa Del Carmen: Jeremiah Luna - JLC Fishing (+52 1 984 114 3676)
Fishing shop in Playa del Carmen: where I got some more metal winning Mustad jigs and information about fishing – Fishing Arts (+52 1 984 133 6354)
Fishing equipment: Rods Asava Travel and alms from Cox, Boss at TMF and ocean fish, reels Daiwa Ballistic and an old generation Daiwa Caldia, multifilament thread Daiwa J-Braid X8 Multicolor 0.24mm, strings and fluorocarbon Savage Gear and the piece de resistance, metal casting jigs Mustad Aji Mezashi Jig Casting which are certainly equipped with anchors Mustard Jaw Lok, at least that's what came out of the fight with Wahoo and the result of 1-0. Sorry, 2/3 to 0.
And to close as we began, let's not forget...
Good beer: VICTORIA, Model and of course CORONA (it tastes different in Mexico).
In fact, everything tastes different in Mexico.
