No Expectations!
New experiences are always welcome when it comes to fishing and exploring. Our last fishing adventure took us to a new place across the continent chasing new fish species. Our family decided to go into our vacation with “no expectations.” While some experiences were disappointing, we had to constantly remind ourselves that we needed to move forward.
This was the fourth time I have fished in another country, and it was the best experience I have had to date. The weather was cooperating, and the sun was not too hot. The fishing charter we hired was also aware that we had fished before and were willing to give us some freedom once we were set up on board.
Our trip started in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. We took a direct flight into Cancun, Mexico with WestJet. The staff on the plane was great. They kept us comfortable on our six-hour flight. Thankfully, we had a smooth flight in the jet stream on the way to Cancun. Meanwhile, the return trip to Vancouver had us shaking in our seats as we experienced turbulence like none before, thanks to the “cyclone bomb” that hit the pacific coast of Vancouver Island (close to a category 3 or 4 hurricane from what I understand). I was also fascinated to learn that our return trip took 46,000 pounds of fuel to get home.
I am on the fence as the how to describe our accommodations experience. While we stayed in one of the largest resort complexes, Barcelo, specifically the Barcelo Maya Palace, the experience from the premium level service was extremely disappointing. If there is a next time, I am thinking we might stay somewhere else, maybe closer to the marina. On a positive note, the resort we stayed at was an all-inclusive resort. It was relaxing to be able to walk to breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The food and restaurant staff were great. The walkway connecting all the resorts was also great, because we were able to go for a walk after dinner on a well-lit trail while listening to the ocean beside us.
Booking our fishing guide was an easy process and different than my initial plans. In the resort, our tour desk service representative booked us with what turned out to be the best fishing guide experience I have had in Mexico. We ended up at Maroma Beach and loved it there. I had originally wanted to show up at a marina early in the morning and find a fishing guide on my own for two reasons, instead of booking a guide through a resort. My first reason was to save some money as the mark up at a resort can sometimes be higher than I would want to pay for a fishing trip. My second reason for wanting to book at a marina was to meet the fishing guides and choose one that would match what I was looking for, because my last couple fishing trips were disappointing.
Before our trip started, I did a search on Google on the fish species that were available in November. Unfortunately, the large fish species that I wanted to try for (marlin, swordfish, tuna and mahi mahi) were not going to be in season. While there was a chance of connecting with one these larger fish species, I was not willing to troll around aimlessly only to catch one or two fish.
Upon our arrival at the marina, I was introduced to the captain after signing waiver forms for my family and myself (more on this later). We walked from the main entrance to a 42ft boat named the “Instigator” along the nicest beach I have seen in a while. Our excitement rose slightly as we walked along the dock to the boat. In the water we saw multiple fish species swimming around including needle fish. Our boat was tied to the dock in a way I have never seen before. It was facing the open ocean and tied at forty-five-degree angles from both sides of the bow to the dock. There was a great set of stairs down to the back of the boat which made boarding the boat easy with a helping hand from two amazing crew members who were waiting for us.
The Instigator was a well-kept boat, and the crew worked well together. Everyone had a job to do as we stayed out of the way in the comfort of the cabin. As we taxied out into the reef, the captain took us in a direction where the deckhands were able to prepare for trolling. We had booked a four-hour fishing trip due to time constraints and so I had arranged with the captain to split the trip into half trolling and half bottom fishing (I wanted a full four hours of bottom fishing, but the captain was hopeful of finding a larger fish species).
I was impressed to see how organized and efficient the deckhands were. They first put out some lines with small hoochies on them (very similar to what we use for Kokanee Fishing in British Columbia). These small hoochies ended up catching a couple small fish that we would later use for bait for the larger predatory fish. While trolling, Ethan caught a fish that I have not identified yet. Sarah and Marcus caught a couple of bonitos (small members of the tuna family). Each member of our family had a chance to reel in fish which was great, although Austin and I both lost fish before having a chance to see them at the boat. We even had a few larger fish bite chunks out of our bonitos that we were trolling.
I was impressed at how organized the crew was in getting all the six rods they had set up and trolling at different depths, setbacks, and distances away from the boat. We had multiple rods set up on the surface and it was impressive to watch several large fish jumping at the baits behind the boat. The two downriggers on board looked like easy-to-use downriggers and had what looked like ten-pound downrigger balls on the ends of them. It was impressive to see the huge blowback on the downriggers. We hooked a few fish off the downriggers which made the effort worthwhile. I was also interested to see the speed changes the captain made. Our speed was quicker for the larger predatory fish. After trolling at higher speeds with no success, we slowed down with the same presentations we had on the end of our lines. We also made large sweeping turns and also made a figure eight pattern after missing a large bite. The tactics used to entice a bite seemed very similar to fishing for kokanee salmon.
While trolling slowly, we hooked into a large barracuda. The fight seemed average on the large rods and reels that we were using. Before we knew it, the fish was gaffed and inside the boat. Then, the barracuda somehow got off the gaff and was jumping around. We yelled at Val to get her feet up to avoid getting bit by the sharp teeth of the fish. It was an interesting experience to say the least and everyone stayed clear of the barracuda until it was safely out of the way in the ice box.
The last two hours of the fishing trip proved to be the most exciting. The moment I had been waiting for went quicker than I had hoped, but was also a moment in time that created a memory that I will never forget. As the trolling equipment was put away, the crew prepared frozen bait that had been thawing in a five-gallon bucket since the beginning of our trip. I watched curiously as they filleted what looked like foot long needle fish. I thought we would be using them whole, but one fillet was plenty as they were baited onto a string of hooks in line with a thick chunk of rebar that was used as a weight.
I felt fortunate to be the first up on the rod and it was a great experience to be handed the rod to hold as we fished over 300ft down. The ocean was calm enough where the captain was able to hold us in position well enough to jig. We drifted slightly at one point, so I let out some line and that is when “the one that got away” took the bait, hook line and sinker. It was a moment in time that I will never forget. Feeling the strength of the fish on the end of the line over 300ft down on thick monofilament line was impressive. I had a difficult time holding the fish and had to sit down in the landing chair and prepare to bring up what I had hoped was a goliath grouper. As I pulled back with all my might, the fish was peeling line off the reel. I felt my muscles weakening the same way a sturgeon on the Fraser River can make them feel. Then, as quickly as the fish was at the end of my line, it had somehow got off. I had my chance of a lifetime (I will try again one day) and I sadly reeled up from the depths to check my hooks. After reeling most of the way, I forgot to move the line on the reel back and forth. I made a rookie mistake, and the line was all on one side of the reel making it hard to reel in. For those who have not used a deep-sea fishing reel before, there is no worm gear or pal on these reels due to the size of the fish they can handle. A worm gear would simply break on the first fish. We tried to fix my rookie mistake by letting line out, but unfortunately the line bird’s nested and we had to put the rod aside so we could get fishing again. Thankfully, the boat we were on was well stocked with spared rods.
Our second drop into the depths was successful. Ethan and Austin were up next. We dropped two rods down to the depths and Ethan’s rod was hit the moment it got down to the bottom. Fish on! Then, all of a sudden, we had a double header on. Austin’s fish seemed smaller than Ethan’s fish, so Ethan jumped in the landing chair and prepared for battle. I grabbed a waist harness for Austin and put it on him. I could not believe we had a double header on. Unfortunately, Austin’s fish got off before he had a chance to get a good feel of the size of it.
Ethan was able to experience the hardest pulling fish he has experienced to date. There was a part of me wondering if he would need help (people helping reel in the fish), but over the next couple of minutes he would prove that he was able to accomplish something amazing. The landing chair helped. There was a spot for the butt section of the rod which helped leverage the fish from the sea. There was also some excitement as the butt section of the rod came out of the holder a couple of times and made it difficult to hold in place. I cannot thank the crew of the Instigator enough. One guy was helping hold the rod for Ethan and the other crew member was making sure the line went back and forth on the spool which helped Ethan focus on pulling up, then reeling down to gain line on the fish. After what seemed like an endless battle, Ethan was able to bring a huge amberjack boatside. The fish was gaffed, brought into the boat and then then a smile that I will never forget came to life as Ethan looked down at his prized catch. We took photos and a few days later Ethan’s sore biceps, triceps and back started to feel normal again.
As the boat drifted closer to shore during the battle with the amberjack, we ended up in 150ft feet of water over the reef. The crew changed our jigging technique, and I was excited to try something new. We were now drifting slowly enough so the captain came down and started helping get some lines out. The technique we used is something I will need to try on the lakes in my area when lake trout fishing deeper depths with light tackle (if permitted). The crew took of the rebar weights, and we used the downriggers to drop to depth. Then once on the bottom we popped the clip and let the bait drift in the current. While this method was not as productive, we ended up hooking into a nice barracuda this way that Sarah graciously let Austin reel in.
After only an hour and a half of jigging the bottom, we had hooked into four fish and landed two of them. I preferred fishing in deeper water but understood that it was harder for the crew to keep us in position. We had half an hour left and had to decide if we wanted to keep fishing or bring the fish we caught in to be cooked for us. After talking, we decided to cut the fishing trip short and radio the base station to let them know we were bringing fish in to be cooked.
The captain idled the boat up to a slow, rolling troll as the crew started putting all the gear away. As we taxied to the marina, the crew started filleting the fish we caught and asked what sections of the fish we would like to try. The local birds came in for a meal from the trimmings of the fish we were filleting. It was yet another great experience watching the frigatebirds soaring above the boat and diving in quickly to eat. The timing was perfect. When we arrived at the dock, there was a crew waiting on the dock to help tie up the boat and help us disembark. We took a family picture, and the crew was happy to be a part of it. Another memory was made that I will not forget.
Our fish was quickly brought to the chef, and they worked hard to prepare the fish for us to take home. The resort was closing soon, and we were not able to sit and eat our catch because everyone had to leave by 17:00. A helpful staff member made sure we were updated on the status of our food. He brought it out to us so that we would catch our ride back to the resort. It was interesting to see that the fish was wrapped in two pizza boxes and then wrapped in plastic wrap to help prevent it from leaking.
Surprisingly, the fish stayed hot all the way to our resort. When we got out of the taxi, one of the boxes had become soggy and was starting to leak through the plastic wrap. First, it leaked all down my wrist and forearm. Then, a warm sticky glob of goo fell onto my left foot and seeped into my sandal straps and under my foot. The next few minutes was spent hold the soggy pizza box out from my body and walking quickly as I balanced the dripping box to our room.
When we arrived at our room, we opened the pizza boxes of fish outside on our deck and were surprised that the kitchen staff had added soft taco shells to our order so that we could enjoy fish tacos. Everyone was hungry, excited, and ready to dive in. For some reason, I started thinking that I have never heard of anyone eating barracuda and I decided to Google it (maybe a bad idea). What I discovered had me nervous about eating the fish. I looked up and everyone was eating all the fish. They were happy and excited. How was I going to break the news to them?
What is ciguatera? Quoted directly from the Government of Canada website, “Ciguatera is a food-borne illness caused by eating reef fish contaminated with a toxin called “ciguatoxin”. Ciguatoxin is tasteless and odourless. Fish contaminated with ciguatoxin cannot be identified by appearance. Ciguatoxin is not destroyed by cooking, smoking, freezing, canning, salting or drying.”
After telling everyone about what I had discovered and wishing I had done my research ahead of time, panic set in and we were left questioning what had just happened. We did not want to get sick in Mexico and were concerned about the possible symptoms and issues this toxin can cause. The waiver we signed at the marina should have been a red flag to research what we were signing. My only disappointment with the fishing adventure we booked is that no one at the marina warned us of the potential risks of eating barracuda and amberjack from the Caribbean waters of Mexico. While more Google searches showed that there is more concern when eating larger predatory reef fish in the summer months, we were still uneasy about what had just happened. Next time, I will research fish species more or better yet maybe I will stick to eating fish from my home waters instead and stick to catch and release while on vacation or donating the fish to the boat for their families to eat. We spent the next 24 hours waiting for someone to get sick. Thankfully, no one showed signs of ciguatera poisoning, and we were slowly able to enjoy our vacation again.
Minus our experience worrying about ciguatera poisoning, this was the best fishing trip I have been on to date. The experience of bottom fishing in an ocean away from home was exactly what I was looking for. I enjoyed learning about the gear used in this fishery. I loved learning about the methods that worked. The sheer size of the fish we were hooking on the bottom was impressive. Thankfully, the captain was willing to let us try our luck at bottom fishing, and I am grateful to have been able to fish with a hardworking, fun and knowledgeable crew. If you find yourself in the area, I highly recommend booking a fishing trip on the Instigator. When you are there, say hello for us and good luck fishing!