Fishing with Pedro!

[YankeesFan4Life]

Booked a private excursion with Fishing with Pedro for my family of 4.  We took a $10 cab ride to the marina, and Pedro was waiting there on his 20' Boston Whaler center console boat with a biminy top (thank goodness for that biminy, otherwise we'd be completely fried!)

We left the dock about 8:45ish, took a leisurely boat ride to the south of the island, along the cruise ships, and some amazing hotels and houses.  Pointed out some great sights, including the Dolphin Encounter and Chankanaab.  After about an hour, Pedro asked if I could drive the boat so he could get the baits ready.  I was in there like swimwear!  So after driving the boat for about an hour or so, we ended up coming to the bluest water, and then to a sand bar, about 2' deep, crystal clear like I'd never seen before!  He anchored and we left the boat, started swimming around.  Pedro came in the water, brought some bait with him and started feeding a 3-4' barracuda!  Then the Stingray's came!  We were swimming with between 2 to 4 stingrays between us, rubbing our legs and playing around in the water.  After about 30-40 minutes of having fun, we got back on the boat, and went out to sea about a 1/2 mile, and started trolling with 4-5 rods in the water, while heading back up towards the dock (still 2+ hours away).  Although we only caught one fish, it was a lot of fun and relaxing for our family.  With the one tuna (about 3-4lbs), Pedro made us Ceviche on the boat!  It was the most amazing, most fresh food I've ever eaten!  We made it back to the dock about 2pm, and Pedro even drove us back to the ship!!!  What a great day! Great all around!!  Thank you Pedro and Anet, you truly are great people!!

[crewsweeper]

And speaking of rays... while you were out cavorting,  our Yankees were stretching  their lead over the Rays.. Glad you had a great day with Pedro.

[ABQrobin]

Sounds like a perfect day!  And you got to see the "real" people of Cozumel - all very friendly, generous, and love their island.  Thanks for posting.

[Willowgen]

Sounds fabulous,  like something I'd like to do,  thanks for posting! How much was the trip? Thanks!

[nascarcruiser]

On 8/21/2019 at 4:16 PM, Willowgen said:

Sounds fabulous,  like something I'd like to do,  thanks for posting! How much was the trip? Thanks!

I'm interested in the cost as well

[TTEllis]

On 8/19/2019 at 2:41 PM, YankeesFan4Life said:

Booked a private excursion with Fishing with Pedro for my family of 4.  We took a $10 cab ride to the marina, and Pedro was waiting there on his 20' Boston Whaler center console boat with a biminy top (thank goodness for that biminy, otherwise we'd be completely fried!)

We left the dock about 8:45ish, took a leisurely boat ride to the south of the island, along the cruise ships, and some amazing hotels and houses.  Pointed out some great sights, including the Dolphin Encounter and Chankanaab.  After about an hour, Pedro asked if I could drive the boat so he could get the baits ready.  I was in there like swimwear!  So after driving the boat for about an hour or so, we ended up coming to the bluest water, and then to a sand bar, about 2' deep, crystal clear like I'd never seen before!  He anchored and we left the boat, started swimming around.  Pedro came in the water, brought some bait with him and started feeding a 3-4' barracuda!  Then the Stingray's came!  We were swimming with between 2 to 4 stingrays between us, rubbing our legs and playing around in the water.  After about 30-40 minutes of having fun, we got back on the boat, and went out to sea about a 1/2 mile, and started trolling with 4-5 rods in the water, while heading back up towards the dock (still 2+ hours away).  Although we only caught one fish, it was a lot of fun and relaxing for our family.  With the one tuna (about 3-4lbs), Pedro made us Ceviche on the boat!  It was the most amazing, most fresh food I've ever eaten!  We made it back to the dock about 2pm, and Pedro even drove us back to the ship!!!  What a great day! Great all around!!  Thank you Pedro and Anet, you truly are great people!!

SO AWESOME!!!

[Icon901]

Looking into this and I think we're going to book them in November. 

Looks like they have 3 boats: 
$375 20' Whaler Console w/ Bimini (no bathroom) - 1-4 People
$400 ??' Small Cuddy Cabin boat w/ small below deck area but no bathroom 1-4 People 

$$475 ??' Convertible Sport Fisher with bathroom (1-4 people) $575 for up to 6 people. 

Edited October 10, 2019 by Icon901

[Icon901]

Just booked the 36' Sportfisher for Nov 6th. Peak Wahoo Season! 

[TTEllis]

On 10/10/2019 at 3:43 PM, Icon901 said:

Just booked the 36' Sportfisher for Nov 6th. Peak Wahoo Season! 

Hey Einstein make sure we get a review when you get back. Your fishing trip sounds awesome!!

Thanks Todd

[Icon901]

1 hour ago, TTEllis said:

Hey Einstein make sure we get a review when you get back. Your fishing trip sounds awesome!!

Thanks Todd

 Thanks man! We're cautiously very optimistic at the price point. Hope the weather is solid.

Absolutely will take a ton of pics and post a thorough review when we return. Thus far they've been excellent at communicating. 

Edited October 30, 2019 by Icon901

[TTEllis]

14 minutes ago, Icon901 said:

 Thanks man! We're cautiously very optimistic at the price point. Hope the weather is solid.

Absolutely will take a ton of pics and post a thorough review when we return. Thus far they've been excellent at communicating. 

Are you kidding me, that trip sounds incredible!! What a great way to spend your day in Cozumel. 

Yes it's pricey but it's no lose, don't worry about the weather you'll be fine. 

Communication with that type of $$$ is key.

Can't wait to see pic's you'all are going to have a BLAST.

Take care, have a safe trip and great cruise. 

[TTEllis]

On 10/10/2019 at 3:43 PM, Icon901 said:

Just booked the 36' Sportfisher for Nov 6th. Peak Wahoo Season! 

Btw on the average how many hours is that??

 

$600+tip, is what they wanted in Ft Lauderdale for most (not half but not full) day deep sea fishing at the marina on Seabreeze right behind the Courtyard Marriott where I stayed last Thanksgiving. I did the math and it just didn't add up for just me. 

 

Ended up at the Elbo Room and The Drunken Taco. Always winners.

 

Finally found a couple of outfitters(I use that term loosely😄) on St. Kitts but I haven't talked to any of them, I've seen pictures of some of the vessels so far other than 1, I haven't seen a boat sea worthy that I would fish on especially on the southeast side of the island which is open ocean and true deep water, and where I want to fish.

 

Cozumel nothing but open ocean and deep water hard telling what you'll catch. Could get scary fun!😃😉😎

[Icon901]

Short Version: Fishing with Pedro was a huge success. We booked the 36' Tres Hermanos for a full day (~6hrs). We were greeted at the dock at 7:30am promptly by the captain (not Pedro, for this day), and two mates. We boarded, and took off for deep water immediately.

 

We paid $475 +tip for the day and found it to be worth the money. Full disclosure, some charters at the pier claimed to be charging $350. Not sure they would have provided this experience. 

The vessel was in great shape and is a functional fishing ship. If you're looking for posh accomodations, this is not the charter for you. These guys have their eyes on the prize... catching fish. The vessel reflects that. The on board head is a nice plus, though using it in big seas can be entertaining 😉

We ran with 6 lines out (two outriggers, two downriggers) and trolled the deep waters between Cozumel and Playa del Carmen for a while. We got a couple hits but lost both unfortunately. After ~2 hours we headed toward shore and began working the shallower waters off Playa del Carmen. Immediately we began landing small/midsize fish one after another, Mostly Barracuda (~2-3ft) and Bonito. 

After an hour and change of landing fish after fish, the captain came down and cut up one of the Bonito to make a delicious sashimi dish using white onion, Jalepeno, and soy with some spices. VERY good. He's apparently a chef by night. 

After eating, we headed back out to deep waters to go after bigger fish. The captain spotted a school and began making passes back and forth when suddenly 3 reels began screaming. The mates (who worked their butts off, and were awesome guys) leapt to action...setting hooks and handing off poles.

 

My father was in the chair, my brother off to the right and I was to the left. The mahi mahi on my line leapt 3 times and managed to spit the hook. He was a beautiful specimen that the Mates estimated at 5+ feet. I hated losing him, but picked up the camera and got footage of Dad and my brother working their lines in. 

Dad's Bull was on board first, coming in around 4'. Sadly they didn't have a scale aboard. My brother landed his female a min or so later and she was over 3' as well. Since we were having to board the ship we gave the Bonito and Mahi to the crew as a bonus over the cash tip. 

I can't recommend Fishing with Pedro enough. Anet is excellent at communicating before the excursion. The captain did a great job of putting us on fish. The Mates were both extremely hard working, friendly, and were awesome about offering us beers, waters, etc as needed. 

I'll say I'm glad we booked the largest vessel. The deeper waters off Cozumel can be pretty rough, with 6-10' swells pitching even this good-sized heavy vessel pretty well at times. If you're sensitive to sea sickness I do suggest non-drowsy Dramamine on hand, at least... if not taken preemptively. My brother who lives in Florida and fishes a good bit got sick later in the day. 

Bottom Line: If in Cozumel or Playa del Carmen, I highly recommend hooking up with Fishing with Pedro. 

 

 

Edited November 11, 2019 by Icon901

[TTEllis]

That's SO AWESOME, you nailed it!! Thank you SO MUCH for sharing those awesome pictures. 

That sashimi dish looked wonderful. How nice is that. 

I know you paid some $$$ for it, how much is it worth to deep sea fish with your pop off Cozumel?! Doesn't get much better than that. Thanks for the AWESOME review what an incredible day on Cozumel. Great choice! Thanks again Todd

 

[diarm]

Thanks for sharing this info. Hubby & I are doing a 4-day cruise in about 10 days and he's not a beach person, so I was trying to figure out how to entertain him in Cozumel when I found this thread. We've booked a trip with Pedro and hubby is pretty excited about the fishing. I plan to just ride along and enjoy the sun and do some swimming. 

[brookeq]

We went fishing with Pedro in March.  It was an awesome time. Glad others are enjoying his excursions.   They are worth every penny.  

[cyntil8ing]

Adding my experience too. We went last week, December 26. We didn't have as much luck with our catch, but we did get one juvenile mahi-mahi and about a dozen bonita. My teenage kids, who didn't have high expectations for the day, had a blast. Their previous fishing experience has been only at ponds, so they were expecting to be bored. My daughter even brought a book, which never came out of her backpack. This was decidedly more exciting for them.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 2, 2020 by cyntil8ing