Deep Sea Fishing At Ports Of Call..

[nickle831]

Dh was thinking of going on a deep sea fishing excursion at Cozumel. Are they able to bring the fish caught on board to be cooked or is this not a feesable excursion for him?

[zydecocruiser]

Not allowed, but then neither are blue jeans on formal night (but sometimes ;).) I wouldn't plan on it, but maybe ask to your waitor the first night? A bribe might also work.

 

If you look at some of the Carnival excursions for various ports:

 

a)

Note: Under no circumstances will you be allowed to bring your catch on board the cruise ship. Please bring sunglasses & sunscreen.

 

b)

Due to United States Agriculture restrictions, fish cannot be brought back on board.

 

c)

The minimum age required for participation is 8 years. Please be advised that your catch cannot be brought back on board the ship.

 

Some say nothing, one says catch and releas - all are inconsistent. This leads me to think, it depends. YMMV.

 

If you can't bring back onboard, the company may be able to freeze or otherwise process and ship to your home ?? Not sure I would plan on eating onboard...

[zydecocruiser]

Another option is - if you are in Coz long enough, to have a local restaurant cook/serve you the fish before you get back on the ship.

[capt chaos]

if the ship is not registed in the u.s. and is out of u.s. waters i wouldn't think the u.s. agriculture rules apply jmo

[derf5585]

Fishing off of the balcony would really be Deep Sea Fishing

[firstcruiserDB]

My Dh and I were on a deep sea fishing Carnival excursion last summer in Playa Del Carmen. It was an awesome experience! Quite expensive and very "authentic", but we had so much fun! We caught quite a few B-I-G fish. Lunch and beverages were included....they cooked the very fish we had just caught. It was fabulous.:D

[nickle831]

My Dh and I were on a deep sea fishing Carnival excursion last summer in Playa Del Carmen. It was an awesome experience! Quite expensive and very "authentic", but we had so much fun! We caught quite a few B-I-G fish. Lunch and beverages were included....they cooked the very fish we had just caught. It was fabulous.:D

 

HMM I didn't think of that. Do you remember the name of the company you used? Thanks!

[smitch57]

I'll be going to Acapulco, Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa, and Manzanillo in late October. Anyone out there have any suggestions/comments on any of these three ports for sportfishing? Any information on which port is best, fishing companies for me to book with, or any other comments are appreciated.

I went last year and fished in Matzalan with no luck. Hoping things will be different for me this year.

Thanks in advance.

[PTPD2312]

As those previous posters already stated, you won't be able to bring your catch back on board the ship. I've gone fishing before and had the hotel I stayed at (C.P.) prepare the fish for $3.50/plate. I never booked a fishing tour through a cruise ship because I heard they "pack 'em in the boat like sardines" and that isn't my style. I like 1-2 other guests on a boat. What time of year are you going? I've gone in December and haven't had much luck, better luck in April-September. Check out the fishing calenders for Mexico by doing a yahoo search.

 

Now comes a question I have if you don't mind. Has anyone fished in the port of Costa Maya? My cruise ship stops there and I am looking for any information possible. Thanks!

 

Andrew

[cozgal]

Many of the restaurants in Cozumel will cook your caught fish for a reasonable price. Just have it filleted at the Marina at the end of your excursion. Have brought Wahoo and MahiMahi into Tony Rome's and they did a great job. We had a great fish dinner with soup and sides for under $10 each.

from this...

To This....

[IslandJim]

That's the thing for our cruisers to do with their fish. Take the amount you can eat to a good local restaurant; I see Tony Rome's Embassy has been mentioned and its great. The ships are set up for mass feedings and the menus are all set long before you sail from you home port. Letting a hundred guys out of several thousand guest supply their own fish and the system breaks down.

 

If you have a particularly successful day, letting the crew keep much of the fish you cannot eat is a good added tip. They can sell or eat it.

[gottago2mexico]

Partly correct information - partly not. Here's the whole lowdown:

 

The USDA does not regulate import of seafood, the FDA does. FDA has told me directly that seafood intended for personal use can be imported without restriction, provided that it is well frozen, does not appear on the Import Alerts List and will not be distributed for any commercial purpose. If you have any questions about this policy, you can call the FDA at 301-436-1576.

 

US Customs and Border Security says fish for personal use is admissable and subject to only Airline or Cruise Ship regulations. I received this information directly but this information is also found on their website at:

 

http://help.customs.gov/cgi-bin/customs.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=294

 

and

 

http://help.customs.gov/cgi-bin/customs.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=82

 

None of this makes a difference, however, if the cruise ship says no. If they don't want it, you don't get to take it. You should check with your cruise ship to make sure what their policy is.

[IslandJim]

Johann, this is worth talking to a local ice house about to see if they might have the capabilities to freeze fish. Cozumel is the World's bussiest cruise port of call now and that means millions of visitors from which no small amount go deep sea fishing, you well know.

 

I would like to see our guest have more options for their catch also and taking some of it home is just another reason to go fishing when they are here to begin with.

[shernor]

We went salmon fishing on a shore excusion in Alaska and they served our catch as an appetizer to our group that night. Of course it was in the U.S. and that may make a difference, and it was a small fish compared to what I hope to catch in Cozumel next week!

[Heatherkaa]

We were in Cozumel 4/2 and deep sea fished in Costa Maya 4/4...it was terrible. A $563 boat ride, not a single fish, not a single bite. And they said it's been that way for weeks. Um...couldn't they have cancelled our trip or done something else with us? I'll never fork out that kind of money again for deep sea fishing in another country! My kids were crushed. We took them fishing off the Galveston pier when our ship returned home and for less than $50, caught tons of fish including 1 tiger shark and 5 bonnet head sharks!

[cozgal]

Sorry you and your family were so disappointed...we've all had the same experience....out one day and not a bite, out the next and can't clear your lines fast enough... :rolleyes: someone should speak to those fish!

A bad day fishing is still better than a good day doing most anything else.

[IslandJim]

I'll never fork out that kind of money again for deep sea fishing in another country!

 

I got a chuckle out of that. You suppose those fish know you are a foreigner? LOL

 

You are almost guaranteed to NEVER catch a sailfish or marlin in Galveston, Texas. The fish cannot see in those waters. LOL

 

I have fished Galveston party boats. You have to ride about two hours to get to offshore rigs to fish for red snapper. It is very productive generally and lots of fun. Then there is the two hour ride back to port, that is less fun.

 

I have also fished in Galveston on days when you would have to pay a diver to put fish on your line... fish simply don't bite some days. Strange as it may seem, nearly none are particular about the nationality of the fisherman and most fish probably don't even know if they are American or Mexican themselves.