Monday, August 30, 2021

Isla del Sabalo-2021

Isla del Sabalo is truly one of the last places where an angler can find great inshore, and offshore fishing for mid-sized (20# - 30#) tarpon!

Located on the west side of the Yucatan, the tiny fishing village, Isla Arena, a small lodge, hosting only 6 anglers, enjoy over 30 miles of remote coastline, home to great numbers of tarpon!

Comfortable bungalows, equipped with AC, and a spacious dinning palapa, provide all that is necessary for a great trip.  Even in a place so remote, the food was fantastic, and plentiful!

Each day before dawn, we were awakened to a great breakfast, fueling our day, as our guides prepared the specially designed pangas for our run to the fishing grounds.




Sometimes within minutes of the lodge, we were in the midst of rolling, and happy tarpon!

Sometimes we found fish out on the shallow, offshore flats...

...Other times, we found them feeding in the huge rivers....






Typical IDS Tarpon!

As my guide pushed deep into the jungle, I couldn't imagine how we would cast, let alone catch, a big tarpon in this tangle of mangroves.  In most places, like this, you couldn't even lift your rod to cast!
Sometimes it is "better to be lucky than good!"

This tarpon, taken in tight quarters, was certainly the most memorable of the trip!

My guide, Rodrigo, was even more thrilled than I!!

As the sun set on our last day, I was already making plans to host another trip to Isla del Sabalo, in 2022!

Many thanks to our guides, Rodrigo, Sam and Juan,
and especially to Marco Ruz, our host.

***