Ascension Bay, Mexico
Like many other saltwater destinations around the world, Ascension Bay is accredited with its own seasonality and the various changes that take place throughout any given year. Whether that involves the tell-tale changing weather of the seasons, migrations of fish, hurricanes, etc.
The beauty of the bay is that there is a time of year for everyone. No matter what you are looking for on a saltwater trip, pending targeted species of course, there is a time of year in Ascension Bay that will check most of the boxes on one's list. The ticket is just to hone down what aspects are most important for you and go for it!
Spring – March, April, and May. These are generally some of the busiest months of the year. It’s a time that has become quite popular for permit anglers. You tend to see more around, and the bigger pelagic permit seem to make more appearances around this time prior to the offshore spawn. Weather is generally considered to be the most favorable by anglers this time of year, but like anything, don’t write off the chance at a late cold front or some possible storms.
Summer – June, July, and August. Undoubtedly, the summer gets pretty hot in this part of the world. However, it often is a time where the wind is at its least. You can experience some gorgeous flat calm days around this time, but the occasional summer storm is always expected. The rain can dump fast and heavy, but it lasts for very short periods of time, and you’ll have your rain jacket off in no time. Sargassum seaweed tends to make an appearance around this timeframe, but it can offer some cool opportunities for fishing. If the sargassum isn’t extreme, you’ll sometimes see permit cruising the weed lines looking for crabs to eat and when it mats up along the mangroves or beach, resident tarpon will often find their way into it and eat baitfish, crabs, and shrimp that are in amongst it.
Fall – September, October, November. Lot’s of fish opportunities around this time period as things start to cool off a bit from the summer. You tend to see more barracuda and jacks show back up in the bay, with opportunities at all the grand slam species as well. Winds are still low from the summer transition, but the storms tend to linger more if they show up.
Winter – December, January, and February. These months can also be a great time to be down in the bay. When you are dealing with the doldrums of winter back home, there is plenty of sunshine to be down in the bay. It’s also a time of year that the area experiences cold fronts from the north. That being said, the north winds tend to create wind tides and push water out of the northern part of the bay. This in turn, is a great time of year for snook enthusiasts. Since these fish tend to find refuge in the mangroves, they are forced out onto the flats for a lack of water near the mangroves, so more opportunities to target these fish during this time of year.
*A note on the hurricane season for Ascension Bay. Hurricanes can start as early as June and have the potential to go through November. However, some anglers avoid it and don’t want to take the risk, but this time window can be a phenomenal time to spend down there. It’s always a smart idea to make sure that your trip is insured when traveling during those months.