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Seasons
When is the best time to fish Paradise?
As the old saying goes: “Anytime you can.”
There are many reasons to choose
one time frame over another. Considerations include; vacation
schedules, winter relief from cold northern climes, business commitments,
best fishing times etc. No matter when you choose to go to Paradise
Lodge, the weather, more than any other factor will influence your
success in shallow water and flats fishing. Ideally, 90 –
100% of the fishing at Paradise is sight fishing. Weather or water
conditions may necessitate blind casting, especially in the lakes.
This method, while not necessarily the favorite, is very productive
in the lakes covering the waters at the edge of the mangroves. They
hide out back in the roots and a well placed fly could coax them
out of hiding at times. Clouds and rain, more than the wind, make
it near impossible to see fish on the flats. Guides have tremendous
eyesight and can see fish in seemingly impossible conditions. When
sight fishing is difficult, listen to your guide. You may not see
the fish but he is. Follow his directions for casting and retrieving
the fly.
Here is a season by season look at
the fishing at Paradise.
Winter (December, January and February)
This is the best time to “get
out of Dodge” looking for heat treatments of deep frozen
bones and joints. When the snow is piling up in front of the picture
window and you can’t even see the wood shed anymore, it is
time to look south. Wading across a flat warmed by 80 degree saltwater
is definitely therapeutic. Add some hungry bonefish and tarpon and
you have a winner.
The fishing can be very good
at this time at Paradise, but (there is always a “but”,
eh?) it is one of the trickiest times to plan a fishing trip there.
Again, the weather is the key due to the cold fronts that can start
in northern Canada, but end up in Central America. Most of the time
they don’t make it that far south, but occasionally they do
and can put the flats fishing off for a day or two. Rarely more
than that. Usually it just makes for difficult fishing with rain
and/or cloud cover. When this happens, the lakes can be fished with
full expectation of catching fish, blind casting around the edges
for tarpon and snook. This is one of great attributes of Paradise;
no matter what the weather (except in extreme, dangerous winds)
there is always somewhere to fish with confidence. Bonefish are
plentiful in the bays (Chetumal and Espiritu Santo) and along with
some permit, really good fishing can be found. Although not prime
time during the winter for tarpon and snook, they can be fished
in the bays and the in lakes with some success if water conditions
are decent. Really bad winter storms can put the color “off”
in the lakes for a shot time and unless it is really cloudy, this
is the time to be on the flats.
Spring (March, April and May)
This is one of safest and most
productive times at Paradise especially as it reaches towards
April and May. The cold fronts have all but disappeared and if they
do show up, they are short lived and may not affect the fishing
that much. The warm south-east trade winds are the norm with sunny,
clear-sky days. Perfect for sight fishing. All of the flats fishes
are fat and sassy by now. The lakes should be clear with excellent
fishing for snook and tarpon. There could even be some migratory
tarpon moving into the bays and along the Oceanside between the
shore and the reef. The permit are happy in the bays and are available
in schools, singles and doubles.
There will be windy days. In
fact, plan on all days being windy. If this is your first time to
the flats, you would be doing a great service to yourself to take
a casting lesion from an instructor who has saltwater experience.
The wind affects casting differently on the flats that in does while
fishing trout on a river. If you don’t know the double haul,
this would be a good excuse to learn it. You certainly don’t
have to know how to cast the length of a football field to catch
fish on the flats, but having some control over your cast when the
wind is blowing 20 – 30 mph or more will improve your hookup
rate.
Since spring is probably the
best all around time to visit Paradise, it is also the most
popular time at the lodge. So, early reservations are always wise
if this is the season you want to fish.
Summer (June, July and August)
This season probably offers the best fishing
of all year, but it is more difficult making the personal
argument to go to Mexico during the summertime. The bonefish and
permit are roaming the flats with far fewer anglers casting to them
so tend to be less spooky during this time. The lakes are clear
and the tarpon and snook are at their peak.
The trade winds are really settling down,
now and while still windy, it isn’t as volatile as
during the spring. There can be some summer storms with violent
winds, rain and clouds, but unless the storm has a name attached
to it (hurricane), it usually lasts only a short time; even just
a few hours. Remember- it is impossible to out guess the weather,
but history can tell us when the odds are with us. Hurricane season
begins June 1 and continues through November. The odds are that
anglers fishing from Paradise are NOT going to be threatened by
a hurricane, but it IS possible. You have to decide if this falls
within your comfort zone - being in hurricane country during the
season to enjoy some of the best fishing of the year.
July begins the discount period at Paradise
(see rates) and continues through
December 16, 2009. It is not lower priced because it is poor fishing,
but to entice anglers to discover some very good fishing. It can
be hot, but the lodge and rooms are fully air conditioned and there
is generally a breeze blowing out on the water to help keep you
cool.
Fall (September, October and November)
This can be the most pleasant time of the
year to fish. The weather is usually very comfortable, especially
in the first 6 to 8 weeks of this season. Some time in the later
part of it, mid to late October, the weather will start to change
and cool off some. The lakes and the bays are a joy to fish. There
have been relatively few anglers on the waters and the fish are
not feeling threatened. The weather is the real key to this season.
The fish are willing and if the weather is good, the fishing is
good. That’s the nuts and bolts of it. If you have the opportunity
to fish Paradise during this time, the price is right and the fish
are ready. |