Exotic angling holiday required!

[Seymour]

Hi all

I've got to take about ten days holiday before the end of April, and want to do a guided trip to a warm location. I've a fair bit of experience having fished for anything from tigerfish to tarpon on my previous travels. Location wise I'd like Africa, Central America or the Caribbean, fish-wise anything sporting is good - I'm no fly-fisher though.

Has anyone got any suggestions, or particular recommendations? Alternatively any companies that come highly recommended that could put a good package together with excellent guides? Budget is fairly generous - I know i'm a jammy blighter!

Thanks

Jez

[martinw]

http://www.steppingstonesbelize.com/
Chris and Sue Harris used to own Harris Angling when it was a brilliant
on line lure fishing shop. if they run their fishing lodge as well as their original business you will have a great time!

[TomBettle]

Martin...
I heard it was still a little disorganised. Mind you, that was a year ago now so maybe it's got better.

[steve pitts]

Hi Jez

I stayed/fished at Sue and Chris's resort Steppingstones, Monkey River, Belize around 3 years ago, just when they were getting started.
It was a great trip to a really unspoilt part of the world.
My wife and daughter enjoyed it there too.

Sue and Chris were great company and their head Guide, Ian Cuevas, was brilliant. They have some good contacts with the local guides and fishing community.

They now also have a couple of kayaks and access to a nearby lagoon with tarpon and snook for DIYers in addition to the guided trips to the reefs, flats and open ocean for bones, permit, jacks, tuna, grouper, wahoo, spanish macks and cuda.

Plenty of opportunity for lure and bait - fly not obligatory

Don't expect the Ritz, but you'll get a real adventure in a beautiful country with the all home comforts of a very unique lodge.

Allowing a couple of days to get there and back, that would give you the best part of a week's fishing.

I've promised myself we'll go back one day

For a report of that leg of our trip to Belize and a few pictures, see the archive of Mike Ladle's website

http://www.mikeladle.com/archive/catch116.html

http://www.mikeladle.com/archive/catch117.html

http://www.mikeladle.com/archive/catch118.html


Cheers
Steve

[PanamaJack]

Hi all

I've got to take about ten days holiday before the end of April, and want to do a guided trip to a warm location. I've a fair bit of experience having fished for anything from tigerfish to tarpon on my previous travels. Location wise I'd like Africa, Central America or the Caribbean, fish-wise anything sporting is good - I'm no fly-fisher though.

Has anyone got any suggestions, or particular recommendations? Alternatively any companies that come highly recommended that could put a good package together with excellent guides? Budget is fairly generous - I know i'm a jammy blighter!

Thanks

Jez

Jez
Um ... as a starting point any thoughts on what species you'd specifically like to target? Most are going to be sporting. And fresh or saltwater, or a mixture?

Certainly in Panama and Costa Rica you'd be able to combine Peacock Bass with, Pacific-side, Sails, Roosterfish and Snapper for example. And Tarpon, although not necessarily common, are now present Pacific side as well as on the Caribbean coast. (A Panamanian guide I've fished with has had them to nearly 270lbs.)

Mexico's also relatively cheap which should enable you to venture offshore if you wanted from super-pangas or smaller cruisers. There should still be some Striped Marlin around. And, although not specifically defined, if you wanted a shot at Marlin I'd suggest Sao Vicente (Cape Verde) with one of the 'local' boats. There you'd be targeting Blue Marlin.

As to Africa have a look through some of the earlier posts. There are lodges in Senegal, Gabon and Guinea Bissau in West Africa that might appeal. As to Kenya April's going to be very much 'low' season.

In terms of the Caribbean, as previously mentioned, there're no issues with targeting the Flats species on spin gear. The buzz of sight casting is still there. And you'll find it considerably easier getting a Permit on a live Crab as opposed to a fly! As well, given the impact of the Credit Crunch, there're lots of deals around at the moment.

[Seymour]

Thanks for the heads-up Steve and Martin, looks good - I've sent Sue an email to get some more info, may well be the option I'm after. Enjoyed those reports btw.

Cheers for your post PJ, I was thinking mostly saltwater but wouldn't discount freshwater, those peacock bass look something else! I'll probably leave the Marlin this trip as my last one was to Cabo for stripers, though the inshore panga fishing was superb fun also.

On a few of my trips I've tried to organise the fishing/guides whislt i was there, which can be a big headache, in fact Namibia through mola mola was one the best trips because it was superbly oraganised.

I guess i was asking if people had a trip or destination where the fishing's great, in a nice location where the hosts and guides are warm and reliable. I'm pretty happy catching any of the recognised gamefish, but want a lovely place to do it, that's easyish to get to and well organised. From what I've heard Costa Rica fits a lot of that criteria...

Has anybody got any contacts or angling travel companies that they can recommend?

Cheers guys

[PanamaJack]

I guess i was asking if people had a trip or destination where the fishing's great, in a nice location where the hosts and guides are warm and reliable. I'm pretty happy catching any of the recognised gamefish, but want a lovely place to do it, that's easyish to get to and well organised. From what I've heard Costa Rica fits a lot of that criteria...

Has anybody got any contacts or angling travel companies that they can recommend?


Hi Jez
Here're just a small selection to look at.

The first two are travel companies based or with an office in the UK - http://www.frontierstravel.com/ and http://www.castawayflyfishing.net/. Booking through them will give you a reasonable degree of security. Back to the point about fly fishing. Whilst both of their sites will major on that aspect of our sport you'll find on 'skinny water' spin gear can be just as effective and just as much fun.

Then just as an example a single lodge in Costa Rica on the Pacific side - www.crocodilebay.com - in terms of Panama, although more expensive - www.tropicstar.com - really does take some beating for sheer variety of species and overall ambience. In addition, and although it doesn't necessarily fit in with the parameters you defined, a 'larger than life' character - Tony Herden - I could thoroughly recommend. He bases himself in Panama City but is more than happy to trailer one of his smaller boats around, and tailor-make a trip to suit your interests. It's Tony I've fished with for Peacock Bass in Lake Gatun (surrounding the Panama Canal) and down in Darrien province for the Tarpon and Snook. Any rate this is his web site - www.panamafishingandcatching.com. It's well worth viewing if nothing else to see just what's possible.

Finally getting to the Caribbean or Central America. Um ... most routing is likely to be via the 'States. And earlier this year they introduced their on line Visa Waiver scheme together with 'full' finger-printing. The process can be very tedious - and it also applies to passengers just transiting the 'States - and certainly one of our members wives got 'hauled out' of the queue for further checking. It resulted in them missing their connecting flight. There was a funny side to it though, also in the 'small room' was an air line pilot and a nun! So that particular chap who fishes Costa Rica every six weeks or so has now switched to flying Iberia via Madrid.

[Seymour]

Thanks again Dave, this info is just what I was after, will defo have a good look at these options as soon as i can, and will let you know what i settle on. Once i catch of a few of those skinny water fish on spinning gear may well attempt the fly gear this time.

Transit in the states...a nightmare even if you make the plane your luggage is a different matter. We had big problems with our flight to Cabo, the dash from the security queue to the departure lounge was reminiscent of a "bull run", and my friend didn't get his luggage for 3 days, at least we evaded the "small room" experience though....

[PanamaJack]

Jez
Andros, particularly it's West side, is renowned for BIG Bonefish, plus there's a whole host of other species to target on the Flats or reef. On the first occasion I fished there I got to fish with a very amiable and knowledgeable independent guide (through the Andros Island Bonefish Club) - Charlie Neymour, Big Charlie. Charlie I noticed is still guiding and has now constructed his own lodge. (Based on numbers of clients he’d contract in other independent guides.) You might want to consider his operation - http://www.bigcharlieandros.net/index.html - particularly if sight fishing appeals.

You can either fly direct to Grand Bahama or connect via Miami using a service like American Eagle. It’s then just a 10 minute hop to Andros.

[Seymour]

Thanks again Dave. Just thought i'd let you know i opted for a week of spin/fly fishing out of Pesca Maya lodge in Ascension Bay Mexico, followed by some deepwater angling out of Puerto Aventuras. Booked through Castawayflyfishing. Leave next Tuesday - cant wait!

[Seymour]

Just a quick update for anyone that's interested. Fishing went well, catching about 60 bonefish on the fly in 9 days. Saw a number of permit but they proved very difficult, I'll have to leave them for another time. Marlin fishing got blown off, and at times the flyfishing was hard due to wind. The Pesca Maya lodge and operation was fantastic, everybody was so well looked after by some lovely people - and Ascension Bay was beautiful - the flats at the south part of it were breathtaking. And all 3 hours form Cancun.....give it a go.....

[PanamaJack]

Just a quick update for anyone that's interested. Fishing went well, catching about 60 bonefish on the fly in 9 days. Saw a number of permit but they proved very difficult, I'll have to leave them for another time. Marlin fishing got blown off, and at times the flyfishing was hard due to wind. The Pesca Maya lodge and operation was fantastic, everybody was so well looked after by some lovely people - and Ascension Bay was beautiful - the flats at the south part of it were breathtaking. And all 3 hours form Cancun.....give it a go.....

Well done! Glad you had an enjoyable trip.

Um ... attempting to catch Permit on a fly have to be one of the most frustrating forms of angling.

I recall the first time I attempted it on Turneffe Atoll in Belize. Cast a fly at a pair of 15 pounders that were cruising towards us but the guide was convinced it was too far away and wanted me to re-cast. (My theory - read too many books on techniques - was not to spook them, to leave it there motionless until they got closer and 'tweak' it.)

Any rate stripped in line and the pair (competition?) came racing after it. All I could do was to roll cast and drop to the deck but their eyesight is incredible and they spooked!

Since then though it's been DOWNHILL ever since! Frustratingly they'll 'wolf' down crabs cast at them on spin gear.

Keep trying though a fly caught Flats Permit - along with a fly caught Blue Marlin - are my ultimate challenges.

BTW were any of the Bones of any size?

[Seymour]

Hi Dave

Thanks!

Pesca Maya would be a good place to try for permit if you were determined to get one on the fly. On a good day you might be able to get about 8 shots at different fish, on another day you may not see one of course haha. They can run pretty big there, one of the guys landed one of between 25 and 30lbs, then had another 12 pounder half an hour later. In all there must have been around 10 Permit landed by lodge anglers in the ten days i was there. I had a number of shots but as it was my first time flycasting it would have been very cheeky to have caught one. Just to see them grubbing away at the side of the bank dorsal and tail out of the water was a sight in itself. It was also windy for half the days i fished - and i could have done with a ten weight outfit, but that's enough of the excuses. Even a professional trout guide from up in Utah could not catch one - he had 22 years of experience in guiding! Incidentally he said that the Pesca Maya lodge was a hell of a well run operation.

My biggest bone was about 5lbs, which is a decent fish for there - only once or twice did i see bigger fish. I think the record for that area is about 8 or 9 pounds. But there are really good numbers of fish and miles of flats to fish, if it's not windy and you can get to the flats in the south they dont see much pressure. A few of the American anglers there are previous visitors and testified to the quality of the fishing even though the fish dont run anywhere near as big as say the Bahamas or Keys so they said.

I wont be returning next year though - many of the canadian and english anglers recommended Cuba - get there before it opens up to Americans they said. Good advice i'd say!!

[Ravelling Tangler]

Saw a number of permit but they proved very difficult

Ah ! flats fishing summed up in one short clause.

I've only ever had one take a crab (cast behind it, 40 yards after it had passed the skiff; it turned round and "wolfed" it immediately) - never a fly

[PanamaJack]

A few of the American anglers there are previous visitors and testified to the quality of the fishing even though the fish dont run anywhere near as big as say the Bahamas or Keys so they said.

I wont be returning next year though - many of the canadian and english anglers recommended Cuba - get there before it opens up to Americans they said. Good advice i'd say!!

I'd certainly concur with those 'Stateside anglers.

The attraction with Ascension Bay apart from the surrounding is the unpressured nature of the fishing with the real opportunity to target all of the major Flats species in a single day with Grand Slams a real possibility. And even 'Supers' if you can find the Snook in the mangroves. A shame that they seem to dismiss Barracuda - they're superb challenges on the 'long rod'.

As to the Middle Keys, especially around Islamorada, the Bones are of very high average weights and 15 and 16 pounders are a real possibility. But are they pressurised! I recall John Goddard who, at one stage, became very addicted to the area describing casting a fly on a very long leader onto a flooding flat before he'd even seem a Bone. One appeared, moving up onto the flat, he tweaked the fly and ... it immediately spooked. They are difficult fish!

Many parts of the Bahamas are unpressurised and I guess I've seen more 'doubles' and huge 'doubles' on Andros than anywhere. (You'll perhaps hear people describing the unstoppable second runs of some of the monsters found on the 'West side'. Fish that they estimate at 20lbs plus.) And many of the flats are wadeable. But it tends to be Bones with only very occasional, other than in very specific locations, Permit and Tarpon.

As to Cuba. Um ... a lot of Americans DO fish there already. They travel via the Bahamas or Canada. And the 'friendly' Immigration officials will put entry stamps on separate pieces of card rather than on one of the passport pages. (Some Americans legitimately fish offshore tournaments there but there very limited in what they're allowed to buy - just essentials like fuel - nothing that's seen as supporting the regime.)

The fishing? There really are some excellent lodges, unpressured waters and some good quality fish. Certainly well worth a try.

[Ravelling Tangler]

I more or less gave up flats fishing for bones about 35 years ago.
I couldn't take the pressure.

It wasn't (just) that I was not a good enough angler, it was the oft -repeated scene where you see them coming, cast well ahead of them, crouch down, try to control the shaking . . .
they are getting closer . . .
. . .and closer . .
one of the ones at the front has seen your fly/bait . . (tremble, tremble) . .

and then a bleedin' sparrow flies over them and the entire school heads for the horizon ! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh !

This was where they weren't tackle-shy at all (you could probably have used a 100lb tippet if you wanted)