Never shipped it back per say, but we pack a cooler with us and hve the hotel deep freeze the fish. Insulate the cooler with newspaper, add a row of fish, more newspaper, more fish etc. It will stay frozen for two days or more like this. We then check the cooler on the plain with the luggage and bring it home. Never had any issues doing this and it works well.
Heck, we will be doing this again in a week as we are heading out to La Paz Mexico for week.

 

It is pretty easy to just bring it back on the plane with you in a large cooler...

I bought the large Igloo "Ice Cube" cooler which holds a good amount of fish and has wheels for transporting.

Freeze your fish before you leave.

Also freeze a bunch of large water bottles. When you are ready to leave, pack your fish in the cooler very tighly with the water bottles. Then fill the rest of the space in the cooler with any dirty laundry you have.

The reason you use the frozen water bottles is that they last longer than ice, and with the caps on they won't leave you with a bunch of melted water.

Continental will let you check in on the flight, no prob.

 

I've always heard to make sure to wait until the cooler has been inspected at the airport before you duct tape it up.

 

we just returned with a cooler full of yellowfin.we fished with the pisces fleet using their all-inclusive plan which includes vacuum packaging and freezing and storing until you pick it up to come home.we took along a tie strap that you can wrap around the cooler but they can open anytime they want.packed the cooler right before we left(no ice allowed)and got it home fine,just try to fill all the open space to get the air out of the cooler.

 

is it easier to buy the cooler down there or bring one with you??

 

if you don't mind dragging one along,do it.we got ours from the fish storage place,paid 30 for a 15-20$ cooler.also your airline may charge you for an extra bag on the way down 15-25$ we had enough luggage and we don't bring back marlin but were very happy to bring back yft.part of our group is still there and they've picked up a couple of 30lb mahi as well as yft.thurs 5 striped marlin up to 150lbs.

 

"is it easier to buy the cooler down there or bring one with you?? "

If you are 100% sure you can find a good cooler down there, then I guess you can buy it there. But you need a good cooler and you want one with wheels if possible so I'd rather buy it here.

But I used my "ice cube" cooler kind of as luggage. I brought a few items down there in the cooler, then stuffed some of my laundry in there on the way back. You could also pack everything in the cooler, and bring a soft foldable bag in the cooler for your return flight.

Also I am a One Pass elite member, so extra bags are free...if you're not, then you're going to pay at least $25 extra each way for the cooler and maybe more if it is oversized. Well worth it for a cooler full of yellowfin steaks, but still something to be aware of.

"I've always heard to make sure to wait until the cooler has been inspected at the airport before you duct tape it up. "

I know what you mean, but I actually duct taped it in advance, to discourage the Mexican ticket agents from messing with it. Security at Continental in Puerto Vallara is not all that tight. I brought extra duct tape in case they insisted on opening it. And they didn't open it, so no problema.

 

"is it easier to buy the cooler down there or bring one with you?? "

If you are 100% sure you can find a good cooler down there, then I guess you can buy it there. But you need a good cooler and you want one with wheels if possible so I'd rather buy it here.

Good Point! Wal-mart in PV was sold out of the rolling "cube" and any other 48qt cooler when we needed one. Spent a few bucks on taxis and about $55US for lightweight 48qt igloos on wheels at the local "HEB".

Our coolers were not duct taped ahead of time and they checked them over pretty good. Maybe if they had been taped up they would not have checked so well. I had nothing to hide, but a lot of cold air sure did escape.

 

make sure its under 50# or price goes up

 

The only thing I heard was that US Customs can ask for proof that you caught the fish legally in a foreign country, and that it ain't commercial. I usually just ask for a receipt if I charter a boat that has an address, something like that. In the Bahamas, same deal except boaters have to have a "cruiser" permit with a fishing endorsement. Stinking papers, sometimes good to have.

More marlin gets dragged back to San Diego and parts north than you can believe. Not a problem that I've ever heard. There are folks down yonder who specialize in the fillet-bag-freeze-pack for transport business but don't let 'em ship it themselves, which seems to be a money-making operation. They also like to push taxidermy on ya, too.
sam

 

We always pack a cooler on the way down with snacks and junkfood. Leave what you dont eat for the maids and pack fish back. Those igloos with wheels on one end make this easy.

 

Swells, I don't know if I am not understanding you correctly, but you can buy fish or meat (beef) in Mexico and bring it back. I buy all kinds of stuff in Nicaragua and bring it back and declare it with not problems, That is not an issue, but if what you are bringing back is for resale then you are supposed to make formal entry of the commercial goods, no matter what they are.

 

I dunno, but things have gotten pretty restrictive lately at the border. They're confiscating chorizo now!

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/clearing/agri_prod_inus.xml

Some fish has been seized at the border as well, so here's a good Baja fishing link:

http://www.bestbajafishing.com/regulations.html

But if you declare it, I agree that with personal consumption fish, you're cool.
sam

 

LOL, they have always confiscated chorizo if the inspector actually knew that it was made out of pork. Back in the day, most didn't really connect the dots and you could bring back some really good stuff.

There are so many inspectors now that who knows what all they know. So many of them are young and it is just not worth hassling with talking to them.

I haven't had any problems as of late coming through Houston customs, although every once in a while a customs dude there will get all pressured up about some kind of food, hence they call the agriculture people who are knowledgeable and Aggies and that goes well for me when they see the ring.

I bring back a lot of beef and lobster from Nicaragua, you can get a really good Tenderloin down here for between $5.00 and $7.00 a pound and I can usually get lobster for between $3.50 to $5.00 a pound and never had any problems with any of it.

 

Thanks for everyone's input. It turns out I did not need it anyway. Price tag = $560 USD Fish caught = 0. Do not recommend fishing in the Yucatan during the month of August. Hot as hell and not even a bite. Frustrating to say the least. If anyone cares to hear my whine about it pm me and I will spend some time explaining the trip, otherwise, that was 4 hours of my life not drinking beer that I will never get back. I should have had the tequila, at least it would have made the ride interesting.