In the northern reaches of Mexico’s Yucatan lies the sportfishing Mecca of Sian Ka’an. Here, guides are born into their craft and become pillars of their community–and they certainly know how to fish.

…Sian Ka’an (Mayan for where the sky is born) houses an array of endangered species including the spider monkey, jaguar, tapir, manatee, and puma. It contains over 1,100 plants, 225 different trees, 300 species of butterfly and 340 species of birds including egrets, herons, cormorants, storks, toucans and parrots. An expansive reef hugs this fertile reserve and provides ample habitat for many species of small fish and crustaceans, the kind that attract bigger fish. And those are the ones that attracted me..

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above The flats go on forever and the party never ends – on the way out in the salt at Playa Blanca Lodge.

Photo: Tosh Brown