Punta Allen, Mexico
The Super Grand Slam Capital
Oct - June
Punta Allen, Mexico
Is this experience right for me?
Fishing challenge
Physical effort
Non-angler friendly
Technique
Fly Fishing
Fish
Permit, Tarpon, Bonefish and Snook
Environment
Caribbean Flats
Fly Fishing in Ascension Bay
There is a place south of Tulum, forty minutes by boat, or three hours on one of the worst roads in the world, that many anglers consider the single best chance on earth to close a saltwater super grand slam: permit, tarpon, bonefish and snook, all hooked in the same day.
That place is Punta Allen.
A legendary name for a certain kind of fisherman. Its enormous flats run the full emotional range of the season: epic feeding windows, hours of silent stalking, and days that end in nothing at all. Ascension Bay does not hand anything over.
What makes the slam realistic here is the permit. Almost everywhere else in the Caribbean, permit is the fish that breaks the slam: refused, spooked, gone. On these flats permit are consistent enough that a well-fished day genuinely puts all four species in play. The tarpon are resident and juvenile, holding in the mangrove channels and back lagoons, which is precisely why they can be found on demand rather than waited for across a season.
Then there is May and June. For those two months the migratory tarpon move through, and the fish that shows up in front of you may well be over a hundred pounds. It is a different discipline entirely: heavier tackle, longer fights, a different kind of nerve. Come in spring and you are effectively booking two fisheries in one week.
The village itself is a hundred-odd houses at the end of a sand spit inside the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve. No resorts, no crowds, no phone signal worth the name. Dinner is whatever came off the boat that afternoon, eaten fifteen metres from the water.
For a non-fishing partner, Punta Allen is one of the last genuinely wild stretches of the Caribbean. Sian Ka'an is birds, mangrove channels, sea turtles in astonishing numbers, empty beach and a sky with nothing in it. What it is not is a resort: no spa, no wine list, no shopping. That trade is the whole point, and it makes for a week that is hard to forget.
Base Camp
Punta Allen
Punta Allen is the end of the road in every sense, a working fishing community that has stayed itself.
Base camp is the Punta Allen Fishing Club, a two-storey wooden lodge surrounded by green in the middle of the village. Boats leave from behind the lodge, minutes from breakfast.
Catches & Technique for the Flats of Ascension Bay
Permit is the reason to come and the reason to be humble. Sight-fished on hard sand and turtle grass flats, usually in singles or small groups, often tailing. Crab patterns, long leaders, and an accurate first cast, there is rarely a second.
Bonefish are abundant and, by Bahamian standards, forgiving. Schools on the inner flats, plus larger singles for anyone who wants to make it difficult on purpose. This is the fish that usually opens the slam early in the morning.
Tarpon here comes in two forms. Resident juveniles, typically 10 to 40 pounds, hold year-round in mangrove channels and lagoons: aggressive, available, and the most reliable third leg of a slam anywhere in the region. Then, in May and June, the migratory fish arrive: adults that regularly exceed a hundred pounds, fished in deeper water and along the channels. Landing one is a genuine event, and hooking one during a slam attempt usually means choosing between the fish and the slam.
Snook is the fish that turns a grand slam into a super grand slam, and the one that most often refuses. Tight casts into mangrove roots, structure fishing, short accurate presentations.
Rods and lines
Bonefish: 9 ft, 8-weight, floating tropical line
Permit: 9 ft, 9-weight, floating tropical line
Resident tarpon: 9 ft, 10-weight (an 11-weight if the fish are running large)
Migratory tarpon (May–June): 9 ft, 11- or 12-weight, floating and intermediate lines, 60–80 lb shock tippet
Snook: 9 ft, 9-weight, with a heavier shock tippet for structure
Bring at least two rods rigged and ready. On a slam day you will not have time to change lines.
Season
The flats fish from roughly March through July, and again in September and October. May and June are the peak: settled weather, permit on the flats, and the migratory tarpon passing through. Late summer and early autumn can be excellent but carry hurricane-season risk, and wind will decide more of your week than any fly in the box.
Includes
✅ Professional fly fishing guide and boat
✅ Accommodation
✅ All meals, including dinner
✅ Refreshments and snacks on the water
✅ Lunch & drinks
❌ Fishing equipment (rods, reels, lines, flies and leaders)
❌ Flights / travel to reach the meeting point
❌ Anything not explicitly mentioned
Minimum stay: 3 nights and 2 fishing days.
Transfers: boat transfer from Tulum and road transfer from Cancún airport are both available on request.
FAQ
Are fishing licences included in the price?
Yes. Fishing in Ascension Bay takes place inside the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, and all permits and park access fees are arranged for you before you arrive. There is nothing to sort out on the ground.
What is the minimum stay?
Three nights and two fishing days. Most guests stay four to six nights: the flats are large, conditions change daily, and a super grand slam is far more realistic across several days than in one.
Is this experience private or group-based?
Each boat carries one guide and two anglers.
Solo anglers can book a boat to themselves at a supplement.
How do I get to Punta Allen?
Fly into Cancún. From there it is a road transfer south, and the final stretch to the village is one of the roughest roads in Mexico. The faster and far more comfortable option is the boat transfer from Tulum, around forty minutes across the bay. Both can be arranged on request.
How skilled do I need to be?
This is not a beginner's destination, and we would rather say so. You should be able to cast sixty feet accurately, into wind, and deliver a fly in under three false casts. Bonefish are forgiving; permit and snook are not, and a bad first cast is usually the only cast you get. Anglers with freshwater experience but no saltwater background do well here, provided they practise the double haul before arriving.
Is fishing equipment included?
No. Saltwater fly fishing is personal and demanding on tackle, so anglers bring their own rods, reels, lines, flies and leaders. We send a detailed packing list once you book, covering rod weights for each species and the fly patterns worth having in the box.
What can a non-fishing partner do?
Punta Allen sits inside one of the largest protected areas in Mexico. Sian Ka'an means mangrove channels, over four hundred bird species, sea turtles, dolphins and long stretches of empty beach, and boat tours of the reserve are easy to arrange from the village. What it does not mean is a resort: no spa, no shopping, no nightlife. That trade is exactly the point.
Do guides and lodge staff speak English?
Yes. Your guide will speak English throughout the fishing day, and the lodge is run by a international team of fly fishermen. Spanish and Italian are also spoken. Nobody here needs you to translate anything to have a good week.
When is the best time to fish Punta Allen?
March through July, and again in September and October. May and June are the peak, with settled weather, permit on the flats and the migratory tarpon passing through. Late summer and early autumn fish well but carry hurricane-season risk.
If you still need support you can contact us anytime!
From $1750
Fly fish the flats of Ascension Bay from Punta Allen: permit, bonefish, snook and, in May and June, migratory tarpon over 100lb. The super grand slam. Period.
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