Lee Haskin
07-16-2007, 01:55 PM
The trip was a great success. The guys in our group were terrific, and a couple of the guys caught their first tarpon.
We tried for the bigger fish each of the 3 days at TCL, and only the last day was flat enough to really give us a shot.
Unfortunately, the fish were not around, and Pedro and Eliseo kept searching and found a number of small pods moving through, giving us good shots. Once again, casting played a huge roll in our success. I was fortunate to connect with a nice 40# fish, and since I was using a 12 wt. outfit, was considerably over gunned. Grin! The second fish was about 55#, provided more resistance to the big outfit, and gave us many high-flying jumps.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b382/LeeH/Bigtarpon55lbwebaaa.jpg
The inshore, baby tarpon scene was very sparse, for me. Virtually all the fish I encountered were back in the creeks. The fish seemed to be bunched up and a couple of our group connected with big numbers on 2 days.
The Neutralizer was extremely effective back in the creeks. Tan/chart., a new color, proved deadly.
Although the top water Slideball Sliders brought impressive strikes, many fish were missed or dropped.
In one creek, tangled with dead limbs and sticks, we found a concentration of snook, in addition to tarpon. I switched to a weedless Slideball Slider (yellow/white), and caught both snook and tarpon, and was able to really hit the cover without worries of hangups. I assumed the weedless hook would cause missed tarpon, but it didn't. Nice surprise. I plan to have a supply of weedless bugs for my next trip!
The 3 days at TCL were highlighted by one morning of calm conditions, enabling us to cruise the deeper, offshore area, for bigger tarpon.
I was able to catch a 40# and 55# tarpon, using the new 4" Big Mack (chart/white), and a larger baitfish pattern I call Cut Bait-5". I knew this pattern would be successful somewhere in the saltwater world, and was pleased to find that the tarpon ate it so readily. On both occassions there were 3 or 4 big tarpon chasing and striking the fly, before getting tight to a fish. The "hold method" kept the fly in the zone until the solid hook-up, and when the fish did finally grab, the fish were pinned in the corner of the mouth-perfect. I was 2 for 2 on the big fish using the "hold method"!!
Then off to Cancun/Isla Blanca.
Wednesday, I had a great day catching 2 small permit, a tarpon, and a huge 12# snook. I was a bonefish short of a Super Grand Slam!
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b382/LeeH/Permitsmallwebaaa.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b382/LeeH/SnookBig12lbwebaaa.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b382/LeeH/Tarponbabygrandslamwebaa.jpg
Enrique and I fished for over an hour, at the end of the day, looking for a bonefish, but it did not show. Unfortunately, there are fewer bonefish here than other areas of Mexico. Note: In the morning I did get a shot at a pod of bonefish and had them rush the fly, however, the hookup was a small jack that was cruising with the bones, that rushed forward to steal the fly. Grrrrrr! This happened to Jim Christianson too!
Here is a beautiful permit Jim caught early in the trip.
Jim is so modest, I knew he would not post his picture, so.....
Sorry Jim.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b382/LeeH/BigpermitJimwebaaa.jpg
I had the pleasure of fishing with Guy Deaner and we had a blast sneaking around the mangrooves, hunting baby tarpon. Here is a very nice "baby" that Guy caught.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b382/LeeH/TarponGuyDeanerweb.jpg
The last day, I fished with Edwin, one of the best guides I've ever fished with. We concentrated on bonefish and permit, and it didn't take long to find the bones. However, the hooked pulled out on the first screaming run. It was only a few minutes later that a big ray came by with 6 big permit (see pic) following close. The crab dropped to the side of the ray and 3 permit rushed out to grab it. That fish burned off about 125 yds. of backing, and I was impressed with the smooth operation of the newTargus/Gary Borger reel! The permit was about 8#.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b382/LeeH/Permitbigwebaa.jpg
Shortly after that a pod of about 10 bonefish came in on us and I had a small pink puff ready to go. After several good casts and rejections (very odd) the guide told me to change back to my crab pattern. Oddly enough the bones stayed around, feeding. Fortunately, I was able to tie on the crab, make the cast and hook up.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b382/LeeH/Bonefishwebaaa.jpg
Now that the permit and bonefish were "in the bag" we headed north for tarpon. It didn't take long before a tarpon was along side the boat, our Slam complete.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b382/LeeH/Tarponbabygrandslamwebaa.jpg
With about an hour left in the day, we rushed further north for a shot at snook and the Super Grand Slam. Very few fish were around, and they were very spooky. I only had one shot, and the big snook were indifferent. What an incredible day on the water!!
On my "day off", rather than lay around the pool and sip cocktails, I decided to wade-fish around the marina. There were plenty of shots at permit, and I ended up with 2, and some nice barracuda. It was awesome, and I had a blast. It is amazing how much wade fishing is available now, in Isla Blanca, post-hurricane.
Here are some notes on the trip:
I was glad I included my 12 wt. outfit for TCL. Better to be "over-gunned" than undergunned. Some guys had 9 wt. outfits as their "big setup" and that was way too light for the off shore fish. A 10 wt. would be a minimum, as long as the reel was a high quality, large capacity reel.
At IB, I think a 9 wt. is perfect for permit (usually in windy conditions), and an 8 wt., or 9 wt., is probably fine for the baby tarpon.
After comparing the Quickshooter with the Ultra 4, I think the Ultra 4 is still the very best line for the Yucatan.
I like the 50 lb. pre-straightened mono bite for the baby tarpon and snook, and 80# bite for the offshore tarpon.
Once again, the twisted leaders were steller, without one failure. I recently discovered that Berkeley Big Game mono is best to make twisted leaders. This mono can be hand-straightened, which is very helpful in making the twisted leaders!
Most people do not take or use "pull ropes" for tightening their leaders/flies, and this resulted in some breakoffs. This should be emphasized and some training given on their use.
Also, I used a John Quigley, 7' furled leader (traditional thread-type) for my permit/bonefish setup. I simply looped a 3 foot section of 10# or 12# leader, to the fly. This furled leader turned over much better than a typical bonefish leader, and I noticed that some people used leaders much too long (me, initially! Grin! :oops: )and had a difficult time turning over the fly, for permit and bonefish. As long as the leader rolled out/turned over properly, 10' was enough. Sloppy leaders were a problem for the weak casters, spooking fish, or not being able to control the fly. I was very impressed with the extra control I had with the furled leader, and I intend to use them exclusively for permit and bones.
Once again, Keith Kaneko, at Angling On The Fly, did a great job preparing us for the trip, and Marco and his staff did everything they could to make our trip a success! Being able to stay at a nice hotel, just 15 minutes away from the marina, is a big improvement from years past. We were certainly pampered at Blue Bay.
Many thanks to my fishing partners, Jim and Guy, for a wonderful trip. :wink:
The others in our group were great companions as well, and I hope to fish with them again, someday: Cheers to Dave, George, and Chat.
Also, on this trip, I had a chance to really fish the new Targus/Gary Borger, rods and reels. They are awesome, and performed perfectly. If you get a chance to try them, I'm sure you will be impressed. :shock:
Sometime soon, I will post pictures of the new flies used on this trip.
Cheers,
Lee Haskin
We tried for the bigger fish each of the 3 days at TCL, and only the last day was flat enough to really give us a shot.
Unfortunately, the fish were not around, and Pedro and Eliseo kept searching and found a number of small pods moving through, giving us good shots. Once again, casting played a huge roll in our success. I was fortunate to connect with a nice 40# fish, and since I was using a 12 wt. outfit, was considerably over gunned. Grin! The second fish was about 55#, provided more resistance to the big outfit, and gave us many high-flying jumps.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b382/LeeH/Bigtarpon55lbwebaaa.jpg
The inshore, baby tarpon scene was very sparse, for me. Virtually all the fish I encountered were back in the creeks. The fish seemed to be bunched up and a couple of our group connected with big numbers on 2 days.
The Neutralizer was extremely effective back in the creeks. Tan/chart., a new color, proved deadly.
Although the top water Slideball Sliders brought impressive strikes, many fish were missed or dropped.
In one creek, tangled with dead limbs and sticks, we found a concentration of snook, in addition to tarpon. I switched to a weedless Slideball Slider (yellow/white), and caught both snook and tarpon, and was able to really hit the cover without worries of hangups. I assumed the weedless hook would cause missed tarpon, but it didn't. Nice surprise. I plan to have a supply of weedless bugs for my next trip!
The 3 days at TCL were highlighted by one morning of calm conditions, enabling us to cruise the deeper, offshore area, for bigger tarpon.
I was able to catch a 40# and 55# tarpon, using the new 4" Big Mack (chart/white), and a larger baitfish pattern I call Cut Bait-5". I knew this pattern would be successful somewhere in the saltwater world, and was pleased to find that the tarpon ate it so readily. On both occassions there were 3 or 4 big tarpon chasing and striking the fly, before getting tight to a fish. The "hold method" kept the fly in the zone until the solid hook-up, and when the fish did finally grab, the fish were pinned in the corner of the mouth-perfect. I was 2 for 2 on the big fish using the "hold method"!!
Then off to Cancun/Isla Blanca.
Wednesday, I had a great day catching 2 small permit, a tarpon, and a huge 12# snook. I was a bonefish short of a Super Grand Slam!
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b382/LeeH/Permitsmallwebaaa.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b382/LeeH/SnookBig12lbwebaaa.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b382/LeeH/Tarponbabygrandslamwebaa.jpg
Enrique and I fished for over an hour, at the end of the day, looking for a bonefish, but it did not show. Unfortunately, there are fewer bonefish here than other areas of Mexico. Note: In the morning I did get a shot at a pod of bonefish and had them rush the fly, however, the hookup was a small jack that was cruising with the bones, that rushed forward to steal the fly. Grrrrrr! This happened to Jim Christianson too!
Here is a beautiful permit Jim caught early in the trip.
Jim is so modest, I knew he would not post his picture, so.....
Sorry Jim.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b382/LeeH/BigpermitJimwebaaa.jpg
I had the pleasure of fishing with Guy Deaner and we had a blast sneaking around the mangrooves, hunting baby tarpon. Here is a very nice "baby" that Guy caught.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b382/LeeH/TarponGuyDeanerweb.jpg
The last day, I fished with Edwin, one of the best guides I've ever fished with. We concentrated on bonefish and permit, and it didn't take long to find the bones. However, the hooked pulled out on the first screaming run. It was only a few minutes later that a big ray came by with 6 big permit (see pic) following close. The crab dropped to the side of the ray and 3 permit rushed out to grab it. That fish burned off about 125 yds. of backing, and I was impressed with the smooth operation of the newTargus/Gary Borger reel! The permit was about 8#.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b382/LeeH/Permitbigwebaa.jpg
Shortly after that a pod of about 10 bonefish came in on us and I had a small pink puff ready to go. After several good casts and rejections (very odd) the guide told me to change back to my crab pattern. Oddly enough the bones stayed around, feeding. Fortunately, I was able to tie on the crab, make the cast and hook up.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b382/LeeH/Bonefishwebaaa.jpg
Now that the permit and bonefish were "in the bag" we headed north for tarpon. It didn't take long before a tarpon was along side the boat, our Slam complete.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b382/LeeH/Tarponbabygrandslamwebaa.jpg
With about an hour left in the day, we rushed further north for a shot at snook and the Super Grand Slam. Very few fish were around, and they were very spooky. I only had one shot, and the big snook were indifferent. What an incredible day on the water!!
On my "day off", rather than lay around the pool and sip cocktails, I decided to wade-fish around the marina. There were plenty of shots at permit, and I ended up with 2, and some nice barracuda. It was awesome, and I had a blast. It is amazing how much wade fishing is available now, in Isla Blanca, post-hurricane.
Here are some notes on the trip:
I was glad I included my 12 wt. outfit for TCL. Better to be "over-gunned" than undergunned. Some guys had 9 wt. outfits as their "big setup" and that was way too light for the off shore fish. A 10 wt. would be a minimum, as long as the reel was a high quality, large capacity reel.
At IB, I think a 9 wt. is perfect for permit (usually in windy conditions), and an 8 wt., or 9 wt., is probably fine for the baby tarpon.
After comparing the Quickshooter with the Ultra 4, I think the Ultra 4 is still the very best line for the Yucatan.
I like the 50 lb. pre-straightened mono bite for the baby tarpon and snook, and 80# bite for the offshore tarpon.
Once again, the twisted leaders were steller, without one failure. I recently discovered that Berkeley Big Game mono is best to make twisted leaders. This mono can be hand-straightened, which is very helpful in making the twisted leaders!
Most people do not take or use "pull ropes" for tightening their leaders/flies, and this resulted in some breakoffs. This should be emphasized and some training given on their use.
Also, I used a John Quigley, 7' furled leader (traditional thread-type) for my permit/bonefish setup. I simply looped a 3 foot section of 10# or 12# leader, to the fly. This furled leader turned over much better than a typical bonefish leader, and I noticed that some people used leaders much too long (me, initially! Grin! :oops: )and had a difficult time turning over the fly, for permit and bonefish. As long as the leader rolled out/turned over properly, 10' was enough. Sloppy leaders were a problem for the weak casters, spooking fish, or not being able to control the fly. I was very impressed with the extra control I had with the furled leader, and I intend to use them exclusively for permit and bones.
Once again, Keith Kaneko, at Angling On The Fly, did a great job preparing us for the trip, and Marco and his staff did everything they could to make our trip a success! Being able to stay at a nice hotel, just 15 minutes away from the marina, is a big improvement from years past. We were certainly pampered at Blue Bay.
Many thanks to my fishing partners, Jim and Guy, for a wonderful trip. :wink:
The others in our group were great companions as well, and I hope to fish with them again, someday: Cheers to Dave, George, and Chat.
Also, on this trip, I had a chance to really fish the new Targus/Gary Borger, rods and reels. They are awesome, and performed perfectly. If you get a chance to try them, I'm sure you will be impressed. :shock:
Sometime soon, I will post pictures of the new flies used on this trip.
Cheers,
Lee Haskin