Mexican Heat
By Tony Smith |
Sat, 25 Mar 2006
Thumb through an index of the world's greatest fishing spots - hell, even Mexico's well-known fishing meccas - and the name Huatulco doesn't exactly get the heart pumping and the mouth watering like country cousins Cabo San Lucas and Cozumel. In fact, for most of us it begets a much dryer response - something along the lines of "Where?"
But if you dust off the atlas and run your finger along Mexico's south coast, creeping closer toward Guatemala's hot sailfish action, you just might be able to make out the little horseshoe-shaped indentation known as Huatulco, lying about 15 miles east of a point named Puerto Angel. That is, assuming your map isn't more than 17 years old, since one of the best-kept big-game fishing secrets in the Pacific is a relatively new destination.
Created in 1983 by a Mexican government agency, FONATUR, Huatulco is actually a region that spans 20 miles of uninhabited white-sand coastline. The region pushes five miles inland past dramatic cliffs and flourishing jungle, forming a 100,000-acre natural paradise. Luxury resorts pop up from among the bush and along the beaches, beckoning turistas and honeymooners to come for sun and siestas. But it's the few miles just offshore that have proved to be a paradise for seekers of giant black marlin, sailfish, bull dolphin and yellowfin tuna.
Virgin Territory
"This spot has an absolutely amazing fishery, and it's virtually untouched," says David Garcia, owner/operator of Ventures Sportfishing Charters, one of only two charter boats licensed to ply Huatulco's waters. "I call it the Honeymoon Capital of the World ... if your idea of a perfect honeymoon is secluded beaches and a lot of really good fishing," he says.
And when he says good fishing, he's not trash talking. Huatulco should rank on the most jaded angler's "must fish" list. When I was there last November, I was two days late for a black marlin bite that saw three 500-pounders and a grander hooked (and subsequently lost by rookie anglers) from Garcia's 26-foot Striker. In fact, while my friend was hooked up with our 10th or 12th 20-pound yellowfin of the day, something huge came up, grabbed it like a Tootsie Roll and ran off a hundred yards or so into the deep. When he finally boated the fish, it was almost dead but not ripped to shreds from the telltale attack of a shark but rather just crushed and spit out below a suspiciously squiggly wire leader. "Things are so virgin here you never know what you'll get," Garcia says. "There haven't been any world records caught that I'm aware of, but that's probably because there's only been one other professional outfitter here before me, and that was only three years ago. I've seen some sailfish jumping that would probably come pretty close to getting in the books, and there's no telling what you could do if you were fishing for line-class records."
Huatulco's relative infancy is easy to explain; there wasn't anything in this spot until FONATUR started the ball rolling in the '80s. Serious anglers coming to Mexico would almost assuredly pass right by the south coast, heading full bore for Cabo or even stopping halfway to fish Acapulco and enjoy its more civilized shore life. Plus, the east coast had Cozumel's luxury and flat water to offer. So Huatulco went unnoticed like the shy sister of the most popular girl in school. But now she's started to blossom.
"We are in a constant learning process here," says Garcia. "Almost every time we go out we discover different underwater mounts and have to upgrade our GPS charts. It's almost hard to decide where you want to fish."
Indeed, during my trip we fished anywhere from within shouting distance of the folks at the local Club Med to about 12 miles offshore. The inside was covered in birds and bonito, and we raised a 55-pound dolphin and two 40-pounders almost as an afterthought.
Later we cruised out through unusually rough seas and saw 80-pound yellowfin shooting out of the water like mullet. We caught so many over-inflated footballs that our arms almost dropped off. Garcia fishes depths ranging from 800 feet to over 5,000 during the course of a half-day charter and says it's not uncommon to come back from a short day with a dozen sailfish (from 40 to close to 200 pounds) released or a half-dozen 100-plus-pound yellowfin landed.
Quality Game
So why is Huatulco seemingly overflowing with big fish? Good question. With Guatemala's well-known, well-worked sailfish haven just 150 or so miles away, you might figure to see exactly the same kind of action just up the street. But it's a somewhat different ballgame in the Golfo de Tehuantepec, just out Huatulco's main harbor in Santa Cruz.
"There's some evidence that bottom contour might have something to do with all the big fish, especially the marlin, but who's to say," says Garcia. "What I can tell you is that up here it's a quality game, not quantity. What we lack in predictability, we make up for in sheer size."
That irregularity is probably directly related to El Niqo and La Niqa, which Garcia says has affected the habits of many species of fish over the last few years. "It's made it pretty uncanny around here. The changing water temperatures have a huge impact on fish behavior, and we see stuff that we can't explain, like whales swimming with the boat when they should be up in Alaska or huge tuna in the middle of August."
"Normal" seasons around Huatulco see yellowfin (up to 250 pounds) and dorado (up to 70 pounds) from November until March, with a few wahoo moving in during the early spring. During the often-blazing Mexican summer the sails and black marlin move in, and fall gives way to a mixed bag of all the species, depending on the weather.
Basically, Huatulco is bustling year-round, and there's no commercial pressure within hundreds of miles. Garcia usually loads up the boat and heads either for the Copolita River delta or west of Puerto Angel and looks for birds or blue water, and catching something is pretty much a lock.
Mexican Shuffle
But while Huatulco's fishery is abundant, amenities for visiting boats can be scarce, and there's always a little Mexican twist to everything you do. Water and fuel can be had in Santa Cruz, although the fuel needs to be brought from town in containers. Similarly, harbor space in Santa Cruz is pretty booked up, but the gorgeous bay just outside the marina has plenty of anchorage. Just don't expect to get in and get out quickly.
A good rule of thumb in Huatulco is that if you think it'll take an hour, plan on three. Making due with what they've got is a way of life for the locals and becomes one for visitors. Of course, adapting to the leisurely pace and rustic charm of deep southern Mexico's secret spot is all part of the greater experience which has, so far, proved to be a grand one for hardcore anglers.
