Is it Safe to Fish in Mexico During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Despite what some people claimed would happen, COVID-19 did not abate after election day. In fact, as Hanna and I prepared to leave for Anglers Inn Lake El Salto on the ominous date of Friday the 13th (of November), numbers were surging throughout the United States. Friends and family members expressed concern over our decision to persevere with our planned vacation, and truth be told we were a bit worried ourselves. We’ve been fortunate to maintain our health since the pandemic reared its ugly head here in March and it seemed slightly foolish to take a risk in a foreign country where we’d have even less control over our safety.

We’ve already covered the issue of whether it’s safe to travel to Sinaloa in normal times – clearly we’ve concluded that it is (as judging by nearly 20 trips over the past decade), but we recognize that it’s a deeply personal choice. Your addiction to fishing and tacos, as well as your risk tolerance, may vary. That same fact holds true in COVID times. There are not necessarily any right or wrong answers. You can be careful and contract the disease; you can be careless and come home scot-free.

We’re not here to preach what you should do. Rather, the purpose of this column is to explain our experiences and let you digest what they mean for you.

Extending the Trip

First, because we were headed out of the country, we jointly decided with family members that it would not be wise to enter their houses shortly after our return to celebrate Thanksgiving together. With that as a backdrop, we extended our trip by five days, through the holiday. That necessitated a flight change, and in order to get the dates we wanted we had to fly out of one airport (DCA) and into another (IAD). Accordingly, we couldn’t drive to the airport and leave our car there. Instead, we had to take an Uber to and from. In both cases, the Uber driver was on time and wearing a mask, and we acted similarly.

Washington D.C.

Upon arrival at the airport in DC, check-in was seamless and quick, as the airport was relatively empty. I was actually chastised by the desk agent from American Airlines for pulling down my mask when trying to converse with her through the glass shield – rather than being offended, I appreciated her vigilance. We used our CLEAR membership to get through security even more quickly that the lightly-populated Precheck line and the CLEAR staff gifted each of us with a bottle of hand sanitizer.

American Airlines took safety and sanitary conditions very seriously. You would not be allowed on the flight without a mask, and each passenger was given a small sealed snack pack in lieu of drink service. The bag included an antiseptic wipe to clean off your tray and seatbelt. Even the in-flight magazine was protected.

The flight was about half-full. Hanna and I had a row to ourselves.

Dallas, Texas

We elected to overnight at the Grand Hyatt inside the Dallas airport (to save the stress of an Uber or shuttle ride), where we met up with our friend Paul Pagnato (arriving from SC) for a touchless check-in and then a quick dinner. Everything was spotless.

The next morning we took the elevator downstairs and rechecked our bags, went through security and met up with the other 6 members of our group for lunch. While I expected Texas to be more lax on mask-wearing than DC, I was pleased to see that everyone was taking things seriously across the board. Our flight to Mazatlan was delayed by about an hour, but no one crowded the desk or the doorway in anticipation. People were calm and collected.

Mazatlan

After the late take-off, our flight to Mazatlan was once again uneventful. We were given another snack pack and wipe. Some of our group was in First Class, others of us were in coach – I’d say the plane (with two seats on one side and one on the other in coach) was a little more than half-full. Hanna and I had an exit row.

Upon arrival at the Mazatlan airport, customs was smooth. Most of us had filled out our customs declaration forms and medical forms in advance so there were no delays. We were met by our masked friend Mario Salas and our luggage was whisked away to waiting vans. Once inside the vans the drivers were of course wearing masks and we were encouraged to do the same except when enjoying a cold drink.

Anglers Inn

After about an hour and 45 minutes (shortened from 2 hours due to a relatively new route bypassing the city), we drove through the gates at Anglers Inn. Yes, we were greeted by masked staffers bearing the usual tray of margaritas, but before grabbing a drink we were sprayed with a disinfectant and had our temperatures taken.

Then we were required to step into a tray of disinfectant and subsequently dry off our feet.

Every Anglers Inn staffer wore a mask at all times.

Our rooms were cleaned and disinfected beyond the usual exemplary standards and of course laundry was done every day. There were small bottles of hand sanitizer in our rooms,

There were larger dispensers sprinkled throughout the lodge.

We could never truly forget that COVID existed, but Anglers Inn did a great job of blending “normal” with a precautionary approach. The lodge was not full, by design, to allow for spacing at mealtimes. Because the water is still high at this time of year, it was easy to walk down to the boats, although there were trailered bleachers available at all times to ride in. Either way, we weren’t confined to an airtight vehicle with others.

Returning Home Through Mazatlan

Because of our extended stay (Hanna and I were the only two gringos left in camp on Turkey Day), we were the only passengers in the van to the airport. As we drove past small towns, we could see that everyone is taking the pandemic seriously.

Upon arrival at the airport, the good people of Mazatlan seemed to take more precautions than their American counterparts. To start, we had our temperature taken before we could enter the airport.

The American Airlines counter had a Plexiglas shield.

Before ascending from the first level up to the waiting area, we had to present a uniformed agent with our medical forms and attestations. Not only was everyone wearing a mask, but there were signs indicating that it was required.

There were also hand sanitizer dispensers and signs describing the cleaning processes everywhere.

Our flight to Dallas was less than half full so I moved to the exit row in front of our assigned seats. I had the exit row to myself, and Hanna had our original row to herself. We arrived early and Dallas customs was much quicker than ever before – we have Global Entry, but even for those without it the lines were short — one benefit of decreased international travel. We had a quick pre-packaged meal at Maggiano’s, then went to our gate. Once again, our plane was about half-full, and we had a row to ourselves for the flight, which arrived home about a half hour early.

Conclusion

As I stated in the introduction, there are no certainties ever, and especially not now. On top of that, what seems reasonable to me might be unreasonable for you, and vice versa. With that established, I’d get back on a plane to Anglers Inn immediately if my other obligations would allow it. Any questions I may have had were answered with flying colors. I felt no more at risk that I’d feel in my hometown, and in many cases I felt like the people of Mexico were taking the virus more seriously than the average American. Feel free to email us with any questions.