Spring Break in Playa Las Tortugas
Our family visited Playa Las Tortugas for an 8-day spring break trip. It was a lovely trip, and we were surprised at how quickly the kids clicked back into the wild Mexico vacation mode of exploring and playing. For us, it took a couple of days to unwind, but we certainly got there!
Highlights were:
Reconnecting with Mario (our caretaker at La Villa Reyes) and Maria (our chef, housekeeper, and masseuse);
Seeing a few lingering whales breaching offshore;
Finally figuring out how to catch a bunch of fish in the estuary using a fly rod;
The weather was just like Hawaii but without the wind, rain, and crowds;
My wife and mother-in-law both got massages from Maria and instantly became the happiest people at Playa Las Tortuga;
Maria’s cooking!
Visiting Playa Las Tortugas in the spring- you just can’t beat the weather and lack of crowds. Sun every day and in the 80s but the air is dry and the evenings cool enough for excellent sleeping.
We didn’t surf on this trip because I have a back issue. The surf was about as big as I’ve seen it in Playa Las Tortugas. There was a large south swell coming in with overhead sets out at Punta Custodio. There were some smaller days with 3-4 foot surf that would have been good for us.
The fishing was a lot of fun. Ladyfish were caught most frequently. They are great fighters and jumpers, even if they aren’t good at eating. Also brought in some mutton snapper and crevalle jack, which are also strong fighters and good eating, though I released them. All the fish were fairly small in the 6-12 inch range. Here’s a summary of what I learned:
Get a bunch of small minnow and shrimp fly patterns;
Use a 5-weight rod (we also used a 7 which was fine but 5 is more exciting);
Get a weight forward saltwater line;
Head to the part of the estuary that’s close to where it meets the ocean - there’s a big rock directly across - just fish up and down that 200-foot strip of sand;
I like to wade in 5-6 feet to about thigh high to ensure I can cast across to (almost) the other side;
Fish in the evening or morning when the tide is rising;
Strip your line quickly (i.e., ocean fish are fast and expect their prey to be too);
You can vary your strip with pauses or by letting the fly sink for 3-7 seconds - it all seemed to work and I didn’t really see a definite pattern for what was most effective;
We look forward to our next trip!