A little roosterfish from Punta Sayulita - Brian Paige photo

While Randall was busy catching giant tarpon in Florida (article to follow), I went down to the state of Nayarit on the west coast of Mexico. We spent some time fishing in Sayulita and catching roosterfish, jacks, dorado, and even a tripletail, but the real highlight was an exploratory mission into the mangroves in the northern part of the state.

Boatside Snook - Brian Paige photo

The locals told us we were there at the wrong time and wouldn't find any snook, but we were there anyway, so we had to give it a shot. The winning fly turned out to be a rattle-enhanced Sea Habit pattern. I hooked three snook and landed two; not bad for a first time exploration at the wrong time of year!

This fishery is definitely in need of further research. There were several rumors of snook in the twenty to thirty pound range. With the abundant mullet in the river system, I have no trouble believing that there are some big robalo swimming amongst the crocodiles that also make the rivers of Nayarit their home.

Snookered! - Brian Paige photo

First Pacific Snook - Brian Paige photo

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