A word on Mexico

I used to go down to Mexico a bit. Really, I’d be there once or twice a year in Vallarta with the fam. I’m divorced from the Vallarta experience now, but I still have a soft spot for Mexico and think often about heading down to the Caribbean side of things to find some bonefish and tarpon to throw a fly at.

Some up here North of the Border have an impression that Mexico is dangerous. “The drug violence!” they cry.

Well, Mexico can be dangerous, if you are are running drugs along the border. Don’t run drugs along the border. In fact, just don’t run drugs.

You avoid running drugs and Mexico all of a sudden is a much, much safer place.

Check out the Yucatan there. There really have not been that many drug related deaths in all of Yucatan and I have a feeling fly fishing anglers are not a target of the drug cartels. The violence is not indiscriminate. In fact, it is very, very discriminate. Drug gangs vs. drug gangs, not drug gangs vs. bonefisherman.

In short… you can go to Mexico without being worried about drug violence. Don’t get overconfident though, you still shouldn’t drink the water.

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16 comments

  1. If a drug gangster knew how much a few fly rods, reels, and equipment was worth, a fly fisherman may just make it into their croshairs!

  2. So what you are saying is our (US) war on drugs is not working. Its making things worse. No…. well imagine that… an I thought the Government could solve all our problems? woops sorry sounds like I need to go fishing!!! Oh the Zen of fishing. UUUUUMMMMM

  3. Hmmm… wasn’t making any comment about the drug war, really… just about fishing, but yeah, go fishing. That’s a good prescription for everything.

  4. True dat.

  5. We use to have our own “Drug Cartels” in the Keys but they were usually pretty mellow guys. Most of them used their own products. A lot of them were/are good fly fishermen…

  6. I always get a kick out of people who say the won’t travel to Mexico because of the murder rates. Yet they’d go to Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Oakland… Oakland has surpassed their previous record and is up to 115 murders this year.

  7. St. Louis and Baltimore CRUSH Oakland for murder rate, sad to say. Oakland is actually a great city, but it is a city with two very different sets of experiences depending on your SEC.

  8. The Big Easy is the leader with a murder rate of 72.

  9. Hi Bjorn! We travel from Lapland to the Yucatan and it´s such a nice place. If you just use your head and use the tips from people around you, youre fine most of the times. Some pics here: http://www.fiskebild.se/gallery-2011-mexico

  10. My two cents worth. I have fished the Yucatan the last seven years and just spent a couple weeks between Tulum, the Bioshpere and Mahahual. I feel safe as long as I don’t get too far off the beaten track but I have become more cautious over the last few years.

  11. If you are looking to bonefish in Mexico, without worry about the violence, might I suggest our resort Costa de Cocos, on the far eastern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula. Take a look at the fishing page for photos of fish caught within the past 2 months, including a couple Grand Slams and a even an inshore Super Grand Slam.

  12. Any one seen GEOFISH

  13. from Cancun, its a (very safe) 6 hour drive to Xcalak where you can get decent accommodation, excellent food and experienced guides at reasonable rates. This is as far south as you can go without going into Belize. I was there in March – the fourth time in that area.

  14. “Any one seen GEOFISH”

    Blah haa haa, I saw that. Those guys are crazy. Although, when they got robbed they were parked in a WalMart parking lot.

  15. Wow!!! 14 replies (this makes 15) Bjorn, this has to be a near record. As someone who’s been to Mexico over 30 times in the past decade there are two ways for me to look at this situation. From a selfish point of view I’d tell everyone to stay away from Mexico. It’s malo…muy, muy malo.
    Now, if I owned a lodge or was trying to promote fishing travel there, I’d ask one simple question…”how many U.S. citizens have been killed in Mexico in the last several years?” In three trips to the Yucatan in the last year I’ve caught 150 +/- bonefish, 4 permit and several dozen tarpon ranging from 10 to 40 lbs. Doesn’t get any better than that. Except it does, the food is incredible & the people are even better.

  16. That is a lot of replies, which is always nice to see people engage. Thanks for the conversation, folks!

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