YUCATAN PENINSULA

BACKCOUNTRY & FLATS ADVENTURE – 8 DAYS/5 FISHING

Join MOTIV FISHING on an incredible adventure into the remote bays and backcountry of Mexico to experience some of the greatest shallow water sight fishing in all of Latin America.  If you’re after a remote wilderness lagoon and flat fishing experience for permit, tarpon, bonefish, snook, cubara snapper, barracuda, and more… then it simply doesn’t get any better than this!

The combination of remoteness, lack of human population, and limited access is what makes this location so special and one the most pristine resources left in the region to target fish untouched by human influences.  That being said, if you’re after the traditional luxury fly fishing lodge experience, then you should stop reading further into this opportunity.  This trip is definitely not for everyone.  In order to be a candidate for this trip, you need to be physically and mentally prepared for the host of uncertainties that come with stepping into the unknown.    

Lodging

When you fish with MOTIV you won’t be staying in a 5-star resort, there’s plenty of those places outside of Cancun.  This operation is as remote as you can get on the Yucatan Peninsula-Literally!  Quality of fishing takes the front seat to luxury.  Our operation is rustic but it ain’t to shabby.  We have three cabanas, a glorious bar called the Black Pearl and a sand flat in front of us loaded with hundreds of hungry bonefish.  What else do you need?!  It’s possible to catch a bonefish within 2minutes of waking up.

Each one of the cabanas are powered off solar energy with lights and AC plugins for phone and small electronic charging.  Each cabana has its own bathroom with a gravity fed toilet and solar shower available.  There are two comfortable foam padded cots in each cabana surrounded by mosquito mesh.  Purified water is also available inside the cabanas.    

The Black Pearl

The coolest bar in Mexico that no one has ever heard of.  It’s definitely the most remote bar in Mexico. At the end of a hard days fishing the front porch of the Black Pearl Bar is the perfect spot to kick the legs up and sip on an icy pineapple jalapeno MexiJill Margarita.  Unfortunately, we can’t go into too much detail of what happens at The Black Pearl Bar unless you visit it.   But what we can say is that the bar tender is nice and can make it rain cold beer. (probably not the best thing to say when we are paying for beer??)

Cuisine

Food is a blend of traditional Mexican food, with a Mayan flair, taking advantage of fresh fish, lobster (in season) fresh produce and regional meat dishes. Dinners are simple and delicious, often fresh off the grill and accompanied by locally grown vegetables, salads and plenty of fresh fruit.  Chef Todoroo and Keel will make sure you don’t leave the table without a full belly.  Mornings usually consists of delicious breakfast tacos and burritos with juice and coffee. If you have any dietary concerns please let us know in advance so your needs can be accommodated.

  • Passport: Minimum 6 months validity with blank pages
  • Insurance: Anglers are responsible for their own travel insurance which is highly recommended.  For Medical and Evac we recommend Global Rescue www.globalrescue.com
  • Plane Tickets: We will be happy to give you tips on finding affordable air fares for Cancun. Feel free to reach us anytime.
  • Visa: Not required for US citizens. A tourist card will be issues upon arrival.
  • Vaccination : Be up to date on routine vaccinations

2020/2021 RATES

  • $4000 per person (shared room/boat/guide with another angler)
  • Total Occupancy: 6 anglers/per week
  • 7 nights / 5 days fishing packages run Sunday to Sunday
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    We have great incentives for fly shops and individuals interested bringing out a group of 6 anglers for one of our open weeks.   Please email info@motivfishing.com for more information. 

    Inclusions:  Your package includes round trip auto transfer from Cancun to our operation (Sundays only).   All accommodations including lodging, all meals, 5 days of fully guided fishing, beverages (soft drinks, juices, mixers and bottled water).  We will have a limited amount of alcohol on hand each week.  Guests will have an opportunity to pick up extra bottles of alcohol and beer during the auto transfer to our operation.      

    Non-Inclusions:  Not included in your package are personal tackle, international air charter, gratuities, alcoholic beverages other than what is outlined in the inclusions, items of personal nature and any lodging or meals not provided by MOTIV (Sunday arrival dinner in town and Saturday departure dinner in town are not included).  

    Travel Insurance:  We recommend Global Rescue as a service with a desire to see your best interests protected.  It is impossible to know when an unfortunate situation (loss of luggage, fly rods, illness in the family, or an accident) may occur.  However, such things can and do happen, and this insurance can provide a means of recourse against non-refundable financial losses.  www.globalrescue.com

    Safety:  Safety is a critical element of our operation and something that we promote when we travel into the backcountry and remote locations. While we are selling an adventurous trip with some risks involved we will do everything in our control to make sure that the program goes smoothly and efficiently. Satellite phone, messenger, and First Aid kits will all be available on site for emergency purposes.

    Getting there:  Cancun is serviced daily by nearly every airline with multiple flights daily to and from the U.S.A. Major airlines to consider include United Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, Aero Mexico, Virgin America, and Alaska Airlines.

Documentation: Passport (with six months validity), plane tickets, copy of hotel reservation and/or itinerary, money for tips (see suggested amounts below) and personal purchases

Rods: Anglers should bring three rods: One 6-8-weight for smaller flies and windless days, one 9-weight for windy conditions and larger flies (perfect for permit), and one 10-weight for snook and tarpon. Extra rods are always a plus

*If you don’t currently own a fly rod, reel, or line system for the saltwater, or if you’d like to be outfitted with the ultimate set up, then contact us for an exclusive deal on Loop fly rods and reels for this trip

Reels: 2-3 large Arbor quality reels with a decent drag system and at least 100 yards of 30 pound fly line backing

Fly Lines: Floating tropical fly lines are all that are necessary.  We recommend bringing one floating line per reel and one spare

Leaders: A tapered leader of nine feet or longer is recommended. The simplest solution is to buy pre-tied bonefish, permit, snook and tarpon leaders and then use separate spools of 10-12lb (bonefish), 15-20lb (permit), 40-60lb (for snook and tarpon) fluorocarbon tippet

Wire: 15-40 lb. wire leader for barracuda and sharks. 7×7 strand knot-able wire or hard wire is good

Flies: See the trip PDF for recommended fly patterns for the area

Pliers: One good pair of long nose pliers

Clippers: One line clipper

Knife: One medium size knife

Water Bottle: Reusable stainless or nalgene

Sleeping Bag: Light weight 70 degree bag that packs small, light quilt, or sleeping bag liner

Pillow: Inflatable or compressable camp pillow

Boots/shoes/flip flops: One pair of travel shoes. One pair of flats wading boots with good support. One pair of flip flops or equivelent

Socks: Extra wading socks or neoprene socks

Shirts: Three to four long sleeve quick-dry shirts

Pants: Two – Three pairs of quick-dry pants

Shorts: Two pairs of quickdry shorts

Hats: Two hats

Rain Jacket: One lightweight rain jacket

Camp Shoes: One pair of lightweight shoes for walking around camp

Gloves: One pair UV protection fly-fishing gloves/stripping gloves

Sun mask: Two face sun/insect protectors

Sunglasses: Two pairs of polarized sunglasses. It is great to have a lens cleaner and a soft cleaning cloth as well. (lowlight and high sun lenses)

Sun Screen: One full bottle 50SPF + sun screen

Lip balm: Two tubes of SPF lip balm

Repellent: One or two bottles of bug repellent for mosquitos, no-seeums, sand flies

Duffle bag: One water resistant duffle bag to carry equipment

Backpack/Waist Pack: One waterproof backpack or hip pack

Tape (For Fly Fishing): One roll of athletic tape (Coban) -used for taping fingers. Alternative is stripping guards or gloves

Camera: Don’t forget extra batteries, chargers and waterproof case/bag, SD card(s)

Headlamp and Flashlight: One LED headlamp and flashlight with extra batteries

Baggies and/or Waterproof Bag: Six medium sized Ziploc baggies for storing phone, lighter, lens cloth, etc. and waterproof bag for camera, etc

Toiletries Kit: Toothpaste and toothbrush, deodorant, Advil, small first aid kit, gold bond powder, extra hand sanitizer, wet ones or personal wipes and any personal medications

Liquid Band-Aid: Paint on super glue for finger cuts

Miscellaneous: English-Spanish translator app on phone, credit cards, extra cash for tipping and personal expenses

GRATUITY for Guides and Community:
Recommended tip for a fishing guide is a minimum of $50.00-$100.00 per day / per boat.
Recommended tip for local community is: $20.00-$30.00 per night or $120.00-$200.00 per week per guest