Experience the Best Tarpon Angling in the Yucatan Peninsula at Tarpon Cay Lodge Rio Lagartos
Welcome to Tarpon Cay Lodge! This amazing destination is located in a very remote region of northern Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. The fishery in this region offers incredible opportunities for fly fishing for tarpon at Rio Lagartos. Tarpon Cay Lodge is located at Rio Lagartos between Parque Natural San Felipe and Parque Natural Rio Lagartos.
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Nice juvenile tarpon at Tarpon Cay Lodge
Rio Lagartos is a small port town located on the northern Yucatan’s mangrove coast facing the Gulf of Mexico. Rio Lagartos is straddled by two of the most beautiful Biosphere Reserves in the world. Parque Natural San Felipe extends more than 20 miles to the west and Rio Lagartos extends more than 30 miles to the east.
There is enormous diversity in this environment. The Rio Lagartos reserve has two eco-regions; clear turtle grass flats transitioning to mangrove lined lagoons, and dry forests. All protect nearly 150,000 acres of upland forest, beaches, dunes and coastal wetlands. The Parque Natural San Felipe (San Felipe Park) is very similar to the ecosystem of the Rio Lagartos reserve.
Edward Johnston with a nice juvenile tarpon at Tarpon Cay Lodge
About Tarpon Cay Lodge Yucatan
The mangrove estuaries are loaded with baby and juvenile tarpon. This area is also home to the largest nesting ground of pink flamingos in the Yucatan, ospreys, frigate birds, great blue herons, white and brown pelicans, fish eagles, herons and egrets of species, ibis, and hundreds of other bird species and a small population of crocodiles.
The fishing program for Tarpon Cay Lodge Yucatan centers on the Yuum Ha Boutique Hotel, which is situated on the ocean’s edge of Rio Lagartos. The hotel is clean, comfortable and well appointed. The hotel features a sprawling lounge complete with dining areas, indoor and outdoor seating to relax and even a private pool. The air-conditioned rooms are more than adequate for two guests with two double beds, and private bath with shower. Linens and towels are replaced daily by hotel staff. Additionally, you’ll find a full bar in the hotel to unwind after a day of fishing.
Sometime we keep one to dine on. This snapper was delicious !
Dining
Yuum Ha Boutique Hotel dining room is located at the waters edge. The cooking is a mixture of Spanish, Yucatan and Mayan dishes and as expected, there will be an abundance of seafood as well as local grown chicken and beef. The staff will go out of their way to make sure that all your needs are taken care of. Breakfast is served promptly each morning to get your day started on your fishing adventure on-time. Fresh seafood and traditional Mexican sides are served up for lunch. If you have any dietary restrictions, be sure to contact the lodge ahead of time so that they can accommodate you.
The hotel’s seawall and boardwalk are at the water’s edge and your fishing skiff is moored right there. Anglers can literally step right into their skiff after breakfast or lunch, should you prefer to return to the lodge for a mid-day siesta.
Fishing
The grass flats and mangrove estuaries near Rio Lagartos are loaded with baby and juvenile tarpon! The section of the Yucatan is an absolute tarpon nursery and the numbers of baby and junior tarpon are remarkable. At times, it is not unusual to see a single school of tarpon containing hundreds of fish.
Like most other tarpon destinations, Tarpon Cay Lodge’s peak season is May through August. The weather is calm and the tarpon are usually plentiful. These fish are largely undisturbed and will respond to most well-presented flies. There are other fish available here including jacks, snappers, barracudas, spotted sea trout and snook. However, consider those as a bonus species.
Tarpon Cay Lodge Yucatan, like its sister lodge, Isla del Sabalo, is a fly fishing lodge developed for one purpose. That purpose is fishing for tarpon and offers some of the best tarpon angling available today.
There are countless little tarpon like this in the low areas surrounding San Felipe. Friends gather these little guys up during the dry season and place them safely in the mangroves.
Generally, you will turn out of bed before sunrise. Hot coffee and a Mexican breakfast will be waiting for you in the dining room. After breakfast, you will load your fishing gear into a spacious panga skiff and make the run to the prime fishing zone.
The fishing operation uses spacious panga’s which are more than ample for two anglers and a guide. You can stay out for the day or return to the hotel for lunch and go back out later in the afternoon. However, it is your choice and is something to discussed with the manager based upon the tides.
The fertile waters of Mexico’s northern Yucatan Peninsula represent one of the most productive juvenile tarpon fisheries in the world. Tarpon Cay Lodge Yucatan is relatively inexpensive, easy to get to, and very compatible to light tackle and fly fishing.
Packages
Tarpon Cay Lodge all inclusive packages include all transfers in a new air-conditioned Ford Super Van (seats eight including a bilingual host and driver), lodge accommodations, meals and guided fishing. Not included, is airfare to Cancun, alcoholic beverages, and tips for the guide and staff.
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Three Panga skiffs at your disposal at Tarpon Cay Lodge
For a remote destination experience offering a pure unspoiled tarpon fishery, look no further than Tarpon Cay Lodge Yucatan. The clear grass flats and back country lagoons provide extraordinary fishing opportunities.
For a report on Tarpon Cay Lodge click here.
If you have been there then you know already, if you haven’t been, then go now! Just remember, Edward Johnston told you so……….Book now for the rest of this year and/or reserve your spot in 2022. Please feel free to call us with any questions you may have. Call us now at 800-771-2202 or 352-795-3474.
Leisure Time Travel: Your best and most knowledgeable choice for fishing the Caribbean.
Leisure Time Travel Inc.
531 N. Citrus Ave.
Crystal River, Florida 34428
352-795-FISH (3474)
1-800-771-2202
Juvenile tarpon at Tarpon Cay Lodge