As daylight began to creep its way across the Mexican coastline, I glanced out the window to get a look at the weather. At first I noticed a clear, cloudless sky and thought to myself that it was shaping up to be a nice day. Then, I caught a palm tree out of the corner of my eye that caused a bit of trepidation. The tree, bowed over from the fierce winds honking out of the west, resembled a pompom as its fronds nearly scraped the sand. Fortunately for us, the reef line just off El Cid Marina Resort in Puerto Morelos provides quick and easy access to sailfish and white marlin. We could dart out for a few hours of trolling and work our way back in if the seas got too rough.
I met the dockmaster, Mario Anzoategui, for breakfast, and within minutes he assuaged my fears of battling rough seas all day. "Today, we'll start fishing less than a mile from the resort," he said. "The reef breaks right in front of the hotel, and we don't need to go far to fish the edge where we find the sailfish."
We made our way over to the marina, adjacent to the hotel, and boarded Pescadora II, a 28-foot Bertram. Anzoategui pulled the boat out of the slip, and the mates began lowering the outriggers and readying the skirted ballyhoo rigs as we rounded the docks. We were ready to troll before we even got to the breakwater. Anzoategui hardly put the boat up on plane, and in just five minutes, our lines were in 125 feet of water along the edge of the reef.
Just after 10 a.m., the right rigger crashed down and the Penn 30's clicker squealed as a sailfish took off for the horizon. I hopped down from the bridge and grabbed the rod, pushing the drag up to strike and began fighting the 50-pounder. The two mates were so excited when they saw the fish that I thought they might jump in after it, but they went for the leader instead and we scored a clean release. Since we were fishing in early February, the crew didn't expect to see any billfish, but they certainly welcomed the visitor.
You can find sailfish in Puerto Morelos most of the year, but the best times run from March through June. The white marlin begin showing up in May and last through July. For a mixed bag of species, summer marks the best time to fish here. The seas remain much calmer with no winter cold fronts, and you can score dorado, white marlin, sailfish and possibly a blue marlin during a day trip.
"The first time I fished here, I went out with my family, just to look around," says Anzoategui, who is originally from Mazatlan on the Pacific Coast. "My daughter caught a white marlin and we also caught some very nice dorado. Just right here, right off the marina. We were back in two hours."
Marina El Cid offers five charter boats to 35 feet. Most of their clientele comes from the hotel, and many guests favor half-day charters. However, the growing marina is attracting more private boats from the states as well as Mexico. The marina also hosts the popular Cancún Billfish Classic each April, exposing the fishery to a wider audience.
Unlike the fishing grounds targeted by the crews out of Isla Mujeres and Cancún during the winter months, the bite in Puerto Morelos is best in late spring and summer. Arrowsmith Bank, about 20 miles north-northeast of Puerto Morelos, makes another great location to look for billfish, especially blue marlin. The waters rise dramatically around Arrowsmith, and the bank is usually covered with small tunas - prime food for blue marlin.
With so much potential and the nicest marina facilities in the area, Marina El Cid will only get more popular. To all the crews that make the 300-mile journey from Florida to Cancún every winter, I highly recommend scheduling a few days in El Cid, especially in late spring, before heading back. And, bring the kids; the resort is a virtual playground for children, and the staff goes out of its way to make sure the little ones stay busy.
Getting There
Located about 15 minutes south of the Cancún International Airport by car, Puerto Morelos stands out as a laid-back fishing village with oceanfront ceviche restaurants and open-air markets lining the streets. Most visitors come to Puerto Morelos to escape the crowds of Cancún and get more in touch with the saltwater world just off the beach.
The coral reef off Puerto Morelos is part of the much larger Mesoamerican Reef, which stretches some 450 miles from the Yucatán Peninsula to the Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras. In 1998, the Mexican government declared the reef in Puerto Morelos a national park, protecting the fragile ecosystem and outlawing personal watercraft and other motorized water sports such as waterskiing. The reef, with its 500 species of fish, has become a huge draw for snorkeling and scuba enthusiasts, as well as fishermen.
Less than a mile south of town sits Hotel Marina El Cid. The 342-room resort, with its low-rise buildings and classic architecture, expertly combines the aura of old-world Mexico with elegant living. The silky, white-sand beach in front of the resort lies within an easy swim of amazing snorkeling, and the activities desk can plan a host of day trips such as sailing, golfing, fishing, diving or kayaking. Or, if you'd rather, chill by the 22,000-square-foot pool all day. You can also take a day trip to view the Mayan ruins in the area such as Tulum and Chichen-Itza. The list of things to do is a long and varied one.
Guests at El Cid can choose from three on-site restaurants and several bars. Just a short walk from the hotel sits the 120-slip, full-service marina. Thanks to a multimillion-dollar renovation, the marina now represents the largest modern marina in all of Riviera Maya. The concrete bulkheads and long breakwater provide a safe harborage for vessels up to 120 feet. The marina provides fuel, pump-out and electricity, and all marina guests are welcome to use the resort's many amenities. With so much to offer, the marina makes a great stopping-off point for transient boats.
To get to El Cid, fly into Cancún. Give the resort your itinerary and it will schedule a van to pick you up. For more information on the resort, visit www.elcid.com and click on "Riviera Maya," or call 866-823-0099. To contact the marina directly, call 011-52-998-871-0184.
