Top Five Shore Fishing Spots in Cancun or How I Lost My Weekends

Canuck knows how to fish n chill
photo courtesy the FABULOUS Marhu

My kid is obsessed. Deeply, passionately obsessed about fishing. He doesn't watch TV, he doesn't care for video games, he only wants to FISH and watch anything on Youtube about fishing, fishing gear, knots, boats, lures, techniques, the ones that got away and the ones that put up a good fight.

I won't complain, there are worse things that a kid could do! We talk a lot about "responsible fishing", how to return the fish as quickly as possible to the sea with as little distress as possible (we are pure catch and release), keeping the beach clear of old hooks, lines and nets, showing respect for the animals and their environment. He is gentle and kind and truthfully, I've seen him give the fish a kiss before releasing it back to the ocean (gross but true!)

Finding a good place to fish without a boat in Cancun has been a harder task than I anticipated. The gorgeous beaches are lovely, but not home to many fish. The lagoon is great, but many areas are protected and fishing is prohibited (we found out the hard way after being kicked out by a security guard from the Malecon).

We have found some favourite places now that we return to again and again, for the quality of the fishing, the distance from home, the food and the availability of a comfortable place for mom to chill out while the master works. I'm thrilled to join him fishing, but I'm ready for a snack and a bevvie after an hour while he can go all day long. Here is my list of our favourite places to shore fish in Cancun:

Max and barracuda at Marina Chac Chi 

1. Marina Chac Chi aka Coco's Grill - Located in the hotel zone of Cancun, this restaurant/marina has a nice dock with lots of fisherman on hand to give Max encouragement and pointers. I enjoy the food and the service, though we have had some days where the mean men come and tell him he cannot fish. No rhyme or reason, some days he's welcomed by all the captains, sharing their bait with him, other days the power hungry security guy just needs to flex his muscle.

Under the Calinda bridge, beware of pirates 

2. Puente Calinda - Probably the most well-known bridge in Cancun, the river Calinda is a main route for boats and water craft to pass from the lagoon to the sea. We're never alone under the bridge, there are always people fishing, though we haven't had as much luck there as some. It's a shady spot with lots of action, always great people watching.

Little barracuda, happy kid at Puerto Cancun 

3. Puerto Cancun - This area has seen massive growth of condos (UGH), but past the big buildings there is still a stretch of undeveloped waterfront land sitting between a lagoon and the sea. We have had some fabulous days of fishing here, I am the Snapper Queen of Puerto Cancun, line in, fish out in two shakes. Max caught a pretty darned big barracuda there one day, he counts it as a highlight of his fishing career thus far.

The kid can cast, hanging out at Las Jaibas restaurant

4 Las Jaibas Restaurant - Located just past Puerto Juarez near the El Meco archaeological site, this restaurant is one of our favourite fishing holes. It's a gorgeous spot, the staff are amazing with Max as he fishes and the food is great. Totally tranquil place, some of our most relaxing fishing days have been at Las Jaibas, catching lots of barracuda, snapper and needle fish while the pelicans soar above us.

Our new fave spot, Rio Nizuc in the hotel zone of Cancun

5. Rio Nizuc - We have just discovered this gem and it's gone to the top of our list. A rustic restaurant (no electricity kind of rustic) hidden in the hotel zone between the Nizuc Resort and the Wet n Wild water park. There is an abundance of fish just waiting to jump on your line, mostly small snappers and barracuda, in just an hour of fishing we pulled in 30 fish between us!  The silence and the tikinxic fish make it ideal for mom on a Sunday of rest.

Perfect day for snapper at Rio Nizuc

Soooo, that is how I lost my weekends. All fishing, all the time, hanging out with my main man Max. Sometimes I long for the lazy days of chilling out at a beach club with a cocktail but really, the fishing adventures with my kiddo simply can't be beat. Hearing "MOM MOM COME QUICK" are the sweetest words now, he's got something big on the line and can't wait to show me. He has massively matured with this hobby, learning patience, problem solving, responsibility, independepence and a sense of his place on the planet and how he can care for it. Heck, his passion for fishing even got him his first job, he was the fishing coach at his summer camp with Guardavidas Cancun! Not bad for ten years old!

Until I win the lottery and can buy a boat, we'll enjoy these spots and seek out new ones every weekend. Have you got a secret fishing spot we should know about?