Flying to Mazatlán with Fishing Tackle
If you’re headed to one of the great Mexican bass lakes like El Salto or Picachos, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll be flying through Mazatlán. There’s also a pretty good chance you’ll want to bring some of your own fishing tackle. Fortunately, if you’re headed to Anglers Inn, you don’t need to bring rods because they supply St. Croix Rods free of charge. However, some of you will still prefer your own, and in either case you’ll need to bring lures and terminal tackle.
Here’s the good news: The staff at Mazatlán’s General Rafael Buelna International Airport are used to dealing with fishing equipment. They see a fair amount of it in their day-to-day work, they know their airlines’ policies, and they know not to put big rod tubes on the conveyor belt.
Here’s the bad news: Mexico has become increasingly strict about fishing gear on planes. We used to bring our reels full of line on the plane ride home from Anglers Inn. Then they started forcing us to take the line off first. Lately, they’ve refused any reels at all in carry-on bags. On a trip a few years ago, they would not allow me to carry on a small tube with a multi-piece rod. You need to go in expecting that they’ll be strict and act accordingly.
As always, it pays to have your particular airline’s policy in hand. Below are links to the baggage policies of those carriers that currently have service (year-round or seasonal) into Mazatlán:
Within Mexico $ 75 USD
International $ 150 USD
Packing of sports equipment: In order to be accepted at the airport, sports equipment must be presented with appropriate packaging or adequately packed for their own safety during transportation.
Rates vary for the high season; for domestic flights, the cost is $83 USD, and for international flights, the cost is $165 USD.
*One piece of sports equipment can be exchanged for the checked bag included with your fare without being considered excess baggage as long as the maximum weight and length are not exceeded. This change does not apply to basic fare "Class V" or fares that do not include checked baggage, nor does it apply to the US and Canada.
Club Premier – Titanium passengers with an extra bag benefit are allowed to replace it with sports equipment* (Does not apply to Basic Fare “Class V”).
Your Titanium level enables you to interchange your check-in baggage for your sports gear free of charge
Prices for international routes are subject to taxes depending on the point of sale.
Maximum weight allowed per piece is 32 kg / 70 lb (on any aircraft or route).
Maximum allowed length per piece (maximum length including case) is 204 cm / 80 inches in narrow cabin and 294 cm / 115 inches in wide cabin.
Transportation of such items shall be accepted on any Aeromexico aircraft.
A charge shall be assessed per item on a one-way trip.
One piece of fishing equipment is defined as two rods, two reels, and one tackle box. Fishing equipment may exceed 62" (linear) but no more than 115" (linear), without incurring an oversize fee.
Allowance and requirements
1 rod case (containing up to 2 rods) and 1 equipment bag or tackle box will count as 1 checked item. You can travel with:
2 rods and 1 reel in a case
Fishing tackle
A landing net
Fishing boots
1 pair of waders (properly encased)
Cost
Standard checked bag fees of your destination apply up to 50 lbs / 23 kgs and standard overweight fee applies over 50 lbs / 23 kgs to 70 lbs / 32 kgs. Oversize fees do not apply.
If the combined weight of both items (rod case and equipment bag) exceeds 50 lbs / 23 kgs, they will be charged as two separate items. If the equipment bag alone exceeds 50 lbs / 23 kgs and 62 in / 158 cm, it will be charged as a separate checked bag and standard overweight and oversize fees will apply.
You can bring most sports equipment with you on your trip, though keep in mind that standard checked baggage fees apply based on cabin, travel region and total number of checked bags. Overweight baggage fees apply to bags that exceed 50 lbs and bags cannot exceed 115 linear in/292 cm (length + width + height). Items in excess of the baggage allowance will be subject to additional, overweight, and oversized baggage fees. Please refer to Calculate Baggage Estimate for additional details. All Sports Equipment must be packed in a durable protective container designed specifically for the equipment.
Items over 115 linear inches (292cm) and/or 100 lbs (45kg) will not be accepted
CAD amount will be charged exit Canada, and EUR amount will be charged exit Europe
Fishing poles up to 115 linear inches (length + width + height) (292 cm) are allowed as checked baggage as long as they are contained safely.
Fishing poles meeting the carry on standard (22in x 14in x 9in) are allowed as carry on baggage.
Standard baggage allowance and fees based on cabin and travel region apply
Fishing equipment weighing over 50 lbs. will be charged the applicable excess weight fee
If the outside linear dimensions (length + width + height) exceed 115 linear inches (292 cm), the item will not be accepted
Items in excess of baggage allowance will be subject to additional or overweight baggage fees
One item of fishing equipment consists of: two rods up to six feet in length, two reels, one landing net, one pair of fishing boots (properly encased), and one fishing tackle box.
Please note: A fishing tube will be accepted as an overhead bag under the same guidelines as all other overhead items, which means the tube must fit within current overhead size restrictions and may not exceed any of the following dimensions: 24” long x 16” wide x 11” tall or 114 cm (56cm x 35cm x 23cm). Therefore, travelers may want to pack their fishing pole in a checked bag (fees apply) or make alternate shipping arrangements.
TAR Aerolineas (Does NOT include fishing equipment among “Allowed Sports Baggage for Transportation”)
At TAR Airlines, the transportation of sports luggage is permitted as one of the complementary pieces of carry-on luggage, as long as they comply with the weight and dimensions specifications of a checked baggage (158 linear cm and 25 kg).
Sports luggage can also be checked-in as an extra piece in addition to the free carry-on allowed with the corresponding charge of a 2nd piece, being subject to the available space that exists in the cargo compartment for that flight.
TO KEEP IN MIND
Sports luggage will be subject to overweight and oversize fees.
TAR Aerolineas is not responsible for damage to sports equipment during the flight or during its handling if this one is not properly packed in resistant containers.
Packaging of checked-in sporting goods is the responsibility of the customer.
Luggage will not be accepted if it exceeds 200 cm or 45 kg.
You can bring fishing equipment as a checked bag if it's packed securely. Standard bag fees and overweight charges apply.
Dimensions allowed are:
115 total inches (length + width + height) if you’re flying on United
80 total inches (length + width + height) if you’re flying on United Express
Musical instruments and sports equipment. According to the shape, size, and weight, they may travel as a carry-on or as checked baggage, in hard cases that do not weigh more than 71 lbs (32 kg) and measure more than 126 linear inches (319 cm in perimeter).
Volaris (Does NOT include fishing among “Most common Sports Equipment”)
If you plan to travel with sports equipment, you can add the service after you make your reservation, with an additional charge, either in My Trips, through our Call Center or at the airport. We recommend you do so before the date of your flight to save more.
What is the weight and size allowance?
Your sports equipment must weigh a maximum of 55 lb.
The sum of its width, length, and height must not exceed 98 in.
If your equipment exceeds the permitted weight or dimensions, extra fees will apply.
No sports equipment will be accepted if it measures more than 110 total in total or weighs more than 99 lb.
WestJet (Does NOT include fishing equipment among specifically-identified “Sporting Equipment”)
Because suitcases aren't the only things you may want to pack, it's best to be aware that sporting equipment will count as a piece of checked baggage. Below you'll find what you need to know about bringing everything from surfboards to ski boots to soccer balls.
Sporting equipment overview
Sporting equipment is subject to all applicable baggage fees. Fees are combinable where applicable - if an item is overweight, oversized and a second item, all three fees apply. A handling fee of $50 CAD will be charged on firearms and select sporting equipment.
WestJet accepts sporting equipment that meets the packing requirements, and weight and size restrictions for travel on domestic, international and chartered flights.
With the exception of vaulting poles, the maximum length accepted is 3 m (118 in.) for any sports item.
Travelling with one of our airline partners? Be sure to familiarize yourself with the fees for your journey by visiting our airline partners page. Fees are collected on a one-way basis by the airline operating the first flight for each direction of your journey.
NOTES
While the airlines’ representatives in Mexico may understand their policies well, if you are flying from a location that doesn’t deal in much fishing traffic you may still struggle to explain them to the reps at the other end.
Remember to check who will be operating your actual flight. For example, you might book a flight on Aeromexico that is actually operated by Delta, and if the policies or people differ so too could their interpretations of the rules.
We have on occasion experienced seasonal embargoes (particularly on American) where the rules on “oversized” luggage changed for the worse.
Some airlines have different, more restrictive rules for differently-sized planes.
