It truly was a week to remember at Casa Blanca Lodge. The general manager, fishing and fleet coordinator, as well as hotel operator, worked together to make my stay a memorable one. The staff at the lodge was able to create and maintain an operation with "Swiss watch" efficiency in the midst of a splendid Mayan wonderland. In a cascade of days that bought all kinds of weather — sunny, cloudy, windy and calm — the flats fishing remained steady.
Casa Blanca Lodge and its sister lodge, Playa Blanca, lie in the midst of the Sian Ka'an Biosphere — Mayan for Birthplace of the Sky — on the Quintana Roo coast of the Yucatan peninsula. Both of these magnificent destinations offer a cornucopia of life replete with palms, rocky beaches, sugar sand beaches, pelicans, dolphins, frigate birds, iguanas, caimans, and of course, the Big Three of flats fishing.
On one star-studded night off Casa's pier, I jumped a 40-pound tarpon on one cast and hooked and released a 10-pound permit on the next cast! One memorable afternoon, I caught and released two bonefish right in the midst of their bonefish skiffs which are moored against the beach. Experiences like this are quite unusual for Caribbean fishing destinations and make magical memories.
But the bulk of my fishing was from a 16-foot Dolphin Super Skiff under the able and firm guidance of guide Agustin. We spent three days exploring the southern reaches of Ascension Bay. Wherever we went, there was gamefish action. My personal results on the flats were the hunting, catching, and releasing of 14 bonefish to 4 pounds and four permit to 27 pounds. We also fished over blue holes and caught excellent numbers of mutton snapper and cero mackerel.
Getting there is simple. You can take any major airlines for a direct flight from a "hub" American city to Cancun, Mexico. From there, you meet your smiling transfer agent with the Casa Blanca sign and then board a smaller plane for the one hour flight south to the air strip just north of the lodge.
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