Fly Fishing Xcalak, Mexico: The Ultimate Guide (2026)
Xcalak sits at the southern tip of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, squeezed between Chetumal Bay and the Caribbean. Hours from Cancun, at the end of a long road through jungle and coast, it’s one of the few hidden gems left. About forty boats fish the entire area. Compare that to Ascension Bay or Punta Allen and […]
When to Fly Fish Xcalak
Planning your first trip to the small fishing village of Xcalak and wondering when to book? Short answer: Chetumal Bay fishes year-round. Permit, bonefish, and tarpon show up in every season. But after spending most of the year on these waters, we’ve learned timing still matters for saltwater fly fishing – whether you’re chasing schools […]
How to Catch Permit on the Flats: 5 Expert Tips from Xcalak Guides
Permit are called “the fish of a thousand casts” because they’ve earned it. Spooky enough to vanish if you sneeze in the boat. Selective enough to refuse a fly that looks perfect to you and eat a beat-up pattern ten casts later. Smart enough to remember the flies that fooled them last season. Even when […]
Xcalak Fly Fishing Packing List: Gear, Flies & Essentials
You’re on the flats working shot after shot. You’ve already had two amazing days when a reel seizes mid-cast. That’s when it hits you: the last tackle shop you saw on your way to Xcalak was four and a half hours north in Cancun. When gear fails mid-week, you’re fishing with whatever you packed – […]
From Shipyard to Sanctuary: A Short History of Xcalak (Costa Maya, Mexico)
Tucked into the far southern tip of Quintana Roo, Xcalak sits where mangrove lagoons meet the Mesoamerican Reef. The sea has always shaped life here—first as a maritime highway, later as a fishing lifeline, and today as the foundation for conservation and low-impact tourism. Before the lighthouse: the Maritime Maya Long before a village called […]
Saltwater Fly Fishing in Xcalak, Mexico at The Xflats
Do you want to wake up with a new sunrise, go out to the dock, and enjoy saltwater fly fishing in the world-renowned flats of Chetumal Bay in Mexico? Nestled north of the beautiful rustic fishing village of Xcalak, XFlats offers saltwater fly fishing along the last genuinely unspoiled area of coastline in the world. […]
Jesse’s (Probably Wrong) Opinion – December 2021 Edition
Hello to my fellow tortured permit anglers. This updated blog to our site will updated by me each quarter with a new edition. This information is based on what I personally, and my guides are observing on our permit flats here in Xcalak. Be forewarned, do not take this info to the bank. If there […]
Jesse’s (Probably Wrong) Opinion – December 2021 Edition
Hello to my fellow tortured permit anglers. This updated blog to our site will updated by me each quarter with a new edition. This information is based on what I personally, and my guides are observing on our permit flats here in Xcalak. Be forewarned, do not take this info to the bank. If there […]