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.