Punta Allen Fishing Club

Punta Allen Fishing Club is the product of Mayan traditional and eco-friendly construction, purposeful elegance in design and décor, and management by folks passionate about fly fishing and hospitality. It is gated for privacy, located only a couple of blocks from the town’s iconic permit sculpture by Alberto Coppini (a prominent Italian artist and good friend of Tiziano) and less than a block from the beach, offering five clean and comfortable rooms with full, private baths, air-conditioning and a number of amenities just a few steps from every door. The ground floor, where the rooms are located, offers a shaded, outdoor hot tub, loungers, open-air seating under a small palapa and in the courtyard, as well as a fly-rod rack and washing station. Upstairs, guests will find the bar and adjacent dining area, hammocks for a nap in the shade before dinner, a fly-tying station, a rod rack to facilitate rigging, and various gathering spots with tables and generous seating for chatting or just hanging out while sampling some of the lodge’s terrific food and drink. Speaking of which, the bar is well stocked with spirits and mixers, local beers, and a decent selection of wines (Pascale is French and Tiziano Italian, and they know wine).

Punta Allen Fishing Club is strategically located in the tiny village of Punta Allen, on the north end of world-renown Ascension Bay, which combined with the nearby mangrove lagoons and inland river system, holds an astounding bounty of sought-after gamefish like permit, bonefish, snook, and tarpon, many of which are resident, small to medium juveniles, while larger, mature silver kings stage a seasonal migration through the area in late spring and early summer.   

Although the likely high number of shots at permit is the region’s strongest allure and the guides are used to making palometas (Spanish name for permit) the main target, visiting anglers may opt for chasing after another or various other species. In fact, Ascension Bay and its surrounding waters have yielded impressive numbers of flats slams over the years.

Punta Allen Fishing Club sends two guides on every boat. The more seasoned usually drives the panga and also handles the poling, the other one assists with fish-spotting and also helps anglers with their rigging needs and fly line management to maximize fishing time and increase chances of success. 

While you’re likely to do a great deal of the fishing from the forward casting deck of the panga as the guide propels it quietly with a push pole from an elevated platform at the stern, wading is not only a possibility, but actually encouraged in certain spots. It’s quite common, in fact, for the angler and a guide to temporarily ditch the boat together to approach a sighted permit on foot. For that reason, bringing flats-wading footwear is highly recommended to ensure good footing and protection against any sharp coral and rocks. 

Fishing Schedule

Each fishing day begins at 8:00 am, shortly after breakfast and a brief 2-minute walk with the guides to a protected mangrove cove where the pangas are kept. The boats return at about 4:00 pm, and there is always a cold beer or cocktail waiting for you at the lodge after your day out on the water.

Boats 

Punta Allen Fishing Club, like most fishing lodges in the Yucatan, employs 23-foot super pangas, an open-boat design common throughout coastal Mexico and Central America. Those pangas are spacious, seaworthy and fairly lightweight, so they also float pretty shallow and don’t require a large motor to carry the usual load of two anglers and two guides. Plus, they feature a roomy, raised casting deck up front, as well as rod racks on the gunwales and comfortable seats. 

Loaner Gear

The lodge tries to keep a couple of fly outfits to lend guests in the event their gear is misplaced or damaged during the trip, and usually has items like leaders and flies available for purchase. But given the remote location and the difficulty that represents for promptly restocking and repairing or replacing tackle, it’s best to bring you own gear and at least one spare rod and reel, as well as plenty of flies, leaders and other essentials, like a rain jacket, flats-wading footwear and polarized sunglasses.

The lodge has five, clean and comfortable rooms, all with two double beds, a full, private bath, ceiling fan and air conditioner to ensure a pleasant temperature level and a good night’s sleep. The bar, dining area and surrounding gathering spaces upstairs are welcoming, roomy and airy, boasting ample seating, hammocks, and elegant, coastal décor, all conducive to relaxation and sharing experiences with friends—old and new—over drinks and the yummy appetizers served every evening.

Cuisine

The folks at Punta Allen Fishing Club are proud of the quality and variety of food they serve. Breakfasts include fresh fruit and juices, eggs to order, bacon, pancakes, French toast, homemade bread, marmalade or jelly, Mexican honey, and coffee, tea or hot chocolate.

Boat lunches are generous and vary daily, incorporating pasta, sandwiches, chips, vegetables, fruit, biscuits and homemade cakes. A daily happy hour of sorts takes place at the lodge, starting at around 5:00 pm, when anglers are back from fishing. They feature complimentary beer and cocktails like margaritas and piña coladas, as well as tasty appetizers like chips and guacamole, quesadillas, nachos, empanadas and more. For dinner, guests are treated to two courses, usually Mexican and Caribbean specialties delightfully prepared, often with a French or Italian flair. Fresh fish like snapper and grouper and seafood like shrimp and lobster (during open season) are mainstays on the menu, which often includes paella, steaks, pastas, and regional favorites like chicken with mole, chiles rellenos and fajitas. The desserts that follow are also superb. They tend to be season-inspired and homemade concoctions, such as Pascale’s famous mango cake and her equally delicious crêpes suzette. Of course, Punta Allen Fishing Club will happily meet most dietary restrictions and requests, just be sure to express your needs to the lodge at least two weeks before arrival. 

Connectivity

While cell service from some U.S. providers may work in Cancun, Playa del Carmen and even Tulum, you should expect it to become spotty at best once you enter the Sian Ka’an Biosphere, the expansive tropical forest and marine reserve within which the village of Punta Allen is located. However, the lodge offers complimentary Wi-Fi so guests can stay connected.

While Punta Allen Fishing Club is primarily a fishing lodge, Pascale and Tiziano’s vast experience and their many contacts in the travel and tourism industry enable them to accommodate guests looking for non-angling activities. With a few days’ notice, they can usually arrange guided tours of the Sian Ka’an Biosphere, a wondrous tropical forest and marine reserve boasting hundreds of species of fauna and flora, snorkeling excursions, day trips to Tulum and more.

Anglers heading to Punta Allen Fishing Club ought to book flights to Cancun International Airport (CUN); several airlines offer direct flights from major U.S. cities. Once you have collected your luggage and cleared Mexican immigration and customs, you should head to the airport’s lobby and reception area. That’s where you’ll be met by a representative of Punta Allen Fishing Club and escorted to the air-conditioned van or minibus (depending on the size of the group) that will drive you to the lodge. To warrant a timely and relaxed transfer back to Cancun airport for your return home, please book a flight departing after 2:00 pm. 

No visas or inoculation are required for U.S. citizens to enter Mexico, but they must have a valid passport that will not expire within six (6) months of the trip dates, has at least two blank pages remaining, and is not torn or damaged in any way. All minors (under 18 years of age) traveling to Mexico accompanied by only one parent or legal guardian must have a notarized letter from the other parent granting permission to travel. Single parents need a notarized divorce decree or death certificate of the spouse. Unaccompanied minors require a notarized letter of consent signed by both parents. 

Midcurrent’s services are completely free, so you never pay more than if you booked directly with the lodge or outfitter. All rates are per person and listed in U.S. dollars.

2023 Rates

Double Occupancy (shared room and boat)
7 Nights / 6 Days Fishing $3,890 per person
6 Nights / 5 Days Fishing $3,350 per person
5 Nights / 4 Days Fishing $2,800 per person
4 Nights / 3 Days Fishing $2,250 per person
3 Nights / 2 Days Fishing $1,690 per person

Single Occupancy (single room and single angler per boat)
7 Nights / 6 Fishing Days $5,600 per person
6 Nights / 5 Fishing Days $4,800 per person
5 Nights / 4 Fishing Days $4,100 per person
4 Nights / 3 Fishing Days $3,400 per person
3 Nights / 2 Fishing Days $2,750 per person

Included:

• Airport transfers 
• The number of nights lodging specified in the package 
• Daily guided fishing
• Breakfasts and dinners at the lodge and boat lunches
• Complimentary evening cocktail, beer and appetizers
• Complimentary Wi-Fi
• Complimentary laundry service
• Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve entry fees
• All applicable Mexican VAT and hotel taxes
• Fishing License 

Not Included:

• Airfare to Cancun, Mexico 
• Hotel in Cancun (if necessary)
• Gratuities for fishing guides and lodge staff
• Alcoholic beverages 
• Fishing tackle and flies
• Additional tours and non-angling activities

Bookings are confirmed with a 50 percent deposit, made no later than seven days after booking a trip. Balance must be received no later than 90 days prior to the first day of the trip. Notification of cancellation must be received 90 days prior to the first day of the trip in order to receive partial or full credit for an alternate date. All payments are final and nonrefundable, with the exception of a medical or family emergency, deemed reasonable at Midcurrent’s discretion.

Booking a trip or making a deposit represents that the client accepts all terms and conditions. Midcurrent’s terms are in addition to any terms and conditions of each individual lodge that Midcurrent represents. Please read those terms carefully—lodge terms, which may differ from Midcurrent’s terms, supersede any agreements between Midcurrent and a client.