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5 Go-To Flies for Ascension Bay and The Palometa Club

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5 Go-To Flies for Ascension Bay//Tips

Go-To Flies for Ascension Bay

I don’t care where you fish or how many flies you have in your box, chances are your guide will take one look at your fly selection and ask if you brought more. So here’s a list of five must-have flies for your next visit to the Yucatan flats.

ascension bay flies

Rag Head Crab – Umpqua and Casa Blanca Rag Head Crab – Rainy’s

The Rag Head is hands down the most go-to crab fly for guides and avid anglers in Ascension Bay for chasing permit in all ranges of water depth. Tan and white are must haves in sizes 2, 4, and 6. More permit have been taking on the Rag Head in Ascension Bay than on any other fly in the world. You better have a few!

View Fly Pattern Here

Squimp – Umpqua

This is always a guide favorite when schools of small to medium permit are in the area. Fished in primarily a size 6 with quick strips both in the bay and oceanside.

View Fly Pattern Here

EP Micro Crab (Sand)

The majority of anglers chasing bonefish in Ascension Bay are advised to fish some sort of a Crazy Charlie or any smaller shrimp pattern. Although extremely effective in most scenarios, I’ve found fishing this micro crab beneficial for several reasons. First, the fly lands extremely soft and quiet in shallow water. Second, the profile is large enough to grab the fish’s attention from a distance so you don’t have to be spot on with presentation. Next, the larger bonefish seem to prefer the crab. Finally, fishing a crab to a bonefish the same way you would to a permit will train an angler to the subtleties and strategies of fishing a crab fly on an easier playing field. Once you’ve mastered the crab presentation to a few tailed up bonefish, it’s time to grab the Rag Head and start chasing palometa!

Tarpon SP Finger Mullet

When conditions pan out and your guide takes you oceanside, you don’t want to leave the dock without a large tarpon fly with a little weight to it. The finger mullet is a good fly, but what you’re looking for is a 4-6 inch fly with a little weight to it. The weight will help throw the larger fly into the wind and also to get the fly down to the fish in deeper water. Use short twitchy strips once the fly is front of the fish, and then use a long hard hookset with a few extra whacks to make sure you bury that hook!

Triple Threat Tarpon – Umpqua

This is a great backcountry tarpon fly for fishing mostly shallow water conditions. The color is perfect for clear water lagoons and edges of mixed water where bay resident tarpon like to hunt. Not too bright and not too natural — just right for the silver king.

View Fly Pattern Here

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UNCHARTED WATERS ON THE RIO MARIE

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Uncharted Waters on the Rio Marie//Travel

Virgin waters. Endless, pristine wilderness. Fish that have never seen a fly. Check that. Record-class fish that have never seen a fly. Gorgeous, aggressive, acrobatic, record-class fish that have never seen a fly. If you are a fly angler, I’d bet my favorite rod that you have dreamt of these things. But they don’t really exist, right? Or if they do, it would take a full-blown exploratory expedition to experience them — which means more time and money than any of us have to spare — right? A fishing lodge could never offer these things, because with guests coming every week, year after year, the same water gets fished over and over again, right? Right?!

If you’re nodding your head, then you’ve never heard of Untamed Angling’s operation on the Rio Marié. If not, you may want to sit down before reading on. 500 miles WNW of Manaus, Brazil, the Rio Marié is smack dab in the middle of the Amazon jungle — the most pristine part of the Amazon jungle. Peacock bass thrive there. BIG peacock bass. World-class peacock bass. The new fly caught world record peacock bass — 28.5 pounds — was caught there last year. More 20+ pound peacock bass are landed in a typical week on the Rio Marié than in whole seasons at most peacock bass operations. Local peoples have long referred to it as the “Rio de Gigantes” (River of Giants), but it was only recently “discovered” by the international angling community as the best peacock bass fishery on earth. And it’s not even close.

So here’s the story. The intrepid fishermen at Untamed Angling teamed up with the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources to study peacock bass in the Brazilian Amazon. On the Rio Marié, they found more and bigger peacock bass than any other river system they studied. Much bigger. But the river system lay in a vast territory controlled by indigenous peoples. What followed should be held up as a model of conservation and collaboration between groups whose interests don’t always line up. The Brazilian government designated an area of 5 million (!) acres as catch and release, fly fishing only — the largest fly fishing-only preserve on the planet. The area includes over 500 miles of fishable water, including the Rio Marié, three major tributaries, 180 known creeks, and 60 lakes. Anglers pay a user fee to the native associations, helping them to sustain their culture and improve quality of life, and the operation also creates a number of jobs for locals. Because it is catch and release, the endeavor is 100% sustainable with very little impact — and it helps prevent the area from falling victim to some other, darker fate, as we have seen so often around the world.

Endless, pristine wilderness . . . check. Gorgeous, aggressive, acrobatic, record-class fish . . . check. But with a fly fishing operation in place for several years, there’s no more virgin water or fish that have never seen a fly, right? Surely there is no way for a fishing lodge to cover so many miles of water — meaning that guests end up fishing the same beats within range of home base, right? Enter the Untamed Amazon mothership: a state-of-the-art yacht built in 2015 specifically for the Rio Marié operation. Three stories tall, 92 feet long, 26 feet wide, but drafting only four feet, this mobile base of operations flouts the limitations that normally apply to fishing such a vast, inhospitable wilderness.

The Untamed Amazon ventures into uncharted waters, both literally and figuratively. It sets new standards in ship design, luxury, and safety — especially in middle-of-nowhere jungle. Six guest suites (for a max of 12 anglers) have floor-to-ceiling views of the jungle outside, air conditioning, and private bathrooms. Technology includes 96 solar panels and three tons of solar batteries that provide all electricity for the vessel, water filtration and wastewater treatment systems, AIS transponder system, radar, sonar, GPS, and satellite phone. It even has wireless internet, and two Jacuzzis in the top floor open-air lounge. The list goes on, but from a fishing standpoint, the Untamed Amazon’s most important quality is its mobility.

The vessel’s twin propulsion engines and shallow draft enables it to access the entire Rio Marié system, and the floatplane charter from Manaus delivers anglers directly to the Untamed Amazon no matter where it is within the river system. This unheard-of mobility means several things. First, it will allow the operation to utilize the entire vast fishery (although it has only scratched the surface so far) instead of being confined to a relatively small area. Second, even though water levels can, and do, fluctuate on Amazonian rivers, the Untamed Amazon’s ability to move allows it to be at the right place at the right time under all but the most extreme river conditions. Last, but definitely not least, it means that fishing pressure is spread out over such a large area that it is virtually nil.

In fact, hundreds of miles of the river system have not been touched at all yet. Despite the supreme mobility of the Untamed Amazon, it’s a matter of “so much water, so little time” — the operation is only a few years old, the fishing season is three months per year, and the amount of water is almost unfathomable. Even in the areas that have been accessed so far, much water has only seen a skiff a handful of times and has not been truly fished. Fishing skiffs run past or skip over sections of river, they fish one bank but not the other, many of the giant peacocks may be back in the sticks or otherwise inaccessible when the few anglers pass by slinging flies, and so forth.

So, virgin waters and fish that have never seen a fly . . . check and check. That is, gorgeous, aggressive, acrobatic, record-class fish that have never seen a fly. The stuff dreams are made of, but a reality on the Rio Marié. Say a prayer to the fishing gods, a thanks to all those who made it possible, and then go see for yourself.

As a final note, waters like these are only protected if anglers go visit them. Fly fishing tourism — which is virtually all catch and release — offers local people a sustainable alternative to other livelihoods and practices that use up natural resources, such as commercial or subsistence fishing. Do your part for conservation by going fishing.

#flyfishingconservation

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Jungle Hosted Trips this Fall

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Jungle Hosted Hosted Trips This Fall//Travel

FLY FISH THE AMAZON THIS FALL ON A TAILWATERS HOSTED TRIP

If you have not seriously considered a trip to the Amazon, you’re missing some of the best fly fishing in the world. Tsimane and Rio Marié should be at the top of every serious fly fisherman’s bucket list. Our hosted trips are the best way to experience the wilds of Amazonia and its mind blowing fly fishing. Tailwaters Ambassador Patrick Duke heads to Bolivia to target golden dorado at Tsimane September 29 through October 8, 2017. Tailwaters Travel Specialist Schuyler Marshall is hosting a trip to Brazil’s Rio Marié in search of giant peacock bass October 4-12, 2017.

Sept. 29 – Oct. 8, 2017 – Tsimane (Bolivia) with Tailwaters Ambassador Patrick Duke | 3 SPOTS LEFT

The Tsimane program was created where the Andes mountains and its gin clear freestone rivers drop into the Amazon rainforest. Big golden dorado make an annual spawning migration to this remote, picturesque setting. Anglers spend most of their time wading and sight casting in clear, shallow water to these big, aggressive fish. Several other species such as yatorana and pacu also inhabit the area rivers and provide an additional challenge on the fly. The camps, guides, service, cuisine, and other amenities make an excursion deep into Amazonia a first class and hardship-free experience. Moderate physical fitness is required to wade and explore this jewel of a fishery.


CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TSIMANE PROGRAM

Oct. 4-12, 2017 – Rio Marié (Brazil) with Tailwaters Travel Specialist Schuyler Marshall | 5 SPOTS LEFT

Rio Marié is in the most remote part of the Amazon jungle, where the largest peacock bass in the world live. The world record peacock on a fly (28.5 lbs) was caught there last fall, and half of the anglers who visit Rio Marié land peacock bass over 20 lbs! It is an enormous fishery, but a state-of-the-art yacht makes it possible to access and fish the hundreds of miles of prime peacock bass habitat. This mobile approach keeps fishing pressure at a nonexistent level, and puts anglers at the right place at the right time regardless of river conditions. No other fishing operations have access to this incredible fishery. The yacht also provides a ridiculous level of luxury in such a hyper-remote jungle location.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE RIO MARIÉ PROGRAM

This year’s hosted trips are scheduled at the ideal time in the season for each of these respective fisheries. And not only can you expect incredible fishing, but a chance to experience the flora, fauna, indigenous way of life, and geography of one of the wildest and most unique places on earth.

Only a few spots remain open on each of these trips. CONTACT US NOW TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT OR TO LEARN MORE!

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Essential Gear for Peacock Bass on the Fly in the Amazon

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Essential Gear for Peacock Bass on the Fly in the Amazon//Travel

When you travel to one of the world’s most remote fishing locations in search of one of the world’s most powerful, aggressive, and infamous gamefish, the right equipment is critical. In fact, certain gear items can truly make or break your trip. Don’t even think of venturing to the Amazon for peacock bass without the following:

1) The Right Fly Lines

All fly lines for the jungle should be warm water lines. Fly lines designed for cold water become soft, limp, and gummy in hot weather, and simply will not work in the Amazon. Saltwater lines work well, as well as lines designed specifically for fishing the jungle. These lines are made to maintain some stiffness and remain slick in hot weather, so they won’t tangle as much, will form the loop and turn over better, and will shoot through the rod guides with less friction under the equatorial sun.

Equally important is to bring several different lines — floating, intermediate, and sink tip lines. In very low water conditions or when lots of fish are spawning, floating lines are often used. However, intermediate lines are the go-to lines under most conditions for big peacocks. That’s because under normal water levels, the hookup rate on floating lines drops dramatically. Higher water means more current. Therefore, the fly not only needs to get down deeper, but it needs to get deeper faster and in stronger current. Switching to an intermediate line gets the fly to the strike zone quicker and keeps it there longer. The same principles apply if the water rises more, and a full sink tip line might be required for deeper water and stronger current. Properly weighted lines can lead to many, many more eats and hookups by monster peacock bass.

The correct line taper is also very important. Flies for peacock bass are large, bulky, and wind-resistant. Ultra-aggressive weight-forward tapers help to turn over big flies much more easily. Leave your bonefish lines at home; they’re designed for delicate presentations with small flies. When you consider that you will be casting more or less all day long for a week straight, this factor is even more important. A line taper that does most of the work for you can save your arm tons of fatigue — and leave you enough strength to fight these brutes.

Finally, peacock bass are renowned for destroying lines by running straight into the middle of snags when hooked. By bringing several different lines for different scenarios, you will always have backup lines if needed. Consider bringing two intermediate lines, as they are used most often.

Examples of good line choices are the Scientific Anglers Mastery Titan Jungle Floating, Scientific Anglers Sonar Titan Jungle Clear Tip intermediate 30 foot clear tip, and a 24 to 30 foot 200 to 300 grain sink-tip fly line such as the Scientific Anglers Sonar Jungle Custom Tip.

Essential Gear for Peacock Bass

2) The Right Rods

More than perhaps any other species, you do not want to be under-gunned when targeting trophy peacock bass. Beefy, fast action rods are mandatory. Also don’t get cute by downsizing in line weight for “sport.” There are several reasons for bringing only stout rods to the Amazon.

You’ll be casting bulky flies with an aggressive weight forward taper line. These lines load fast action rods easily, whereas slower action rods may not hold up. It may sound counterintuitive, but using a beefier rod will actually save you energy. The rod will do more of the work for you. This becomes very important when making hundreds of casts per day with aggressive weight forward tapers and big flies. Rods that lack the necessary backbone not only tire your arm quicker, but they may not even be capable of delivering and turning over a big fly coupled with a super-weight forward line.

These fish are not only big and very powerful, but they live near heavy cover. Rods that can handle that combination can be the difference between heartache and the fish of a lifetime. While it may seem self-explanatory, it’s difficult to overestimate the initial power of big peacock bass. The first few seconds of the battle are critical as the fish makes the first powerful dive for cover. You need all the help you can get in stopping the fish before it gets there. Your reel often won’t help because the fish will reach cover before the line is on the reel, but a rod with lots of backbone can make the difference.

For trophy peacock bass (Cichla Temensis) that can reach 30 pounds, a stout 9wt or 10wt rod is the best bet. A backup rod is highly recommended for the same reasons that backup lines are essential. Trophy peacock bass have a tendency to destroy gear, and you don’t want to travel all the way to the middle of the Amazon only to break the only rod you brought with you. For the butterfly peacock bass found in large numbers from 2-8 pounds, a 7wt or 8wt will fit the bill nicely.

Essential Gear for Peacock Bass

3) Protection for Your Fingers

When trying to entice peacock bass to eat, you will make lots of casts, with LOTS of aggressive strips. When the fish does eat, you will set the hook hard and attempt to stop the fish as soon as possible — often well before the line is on the reel where the drag can do the work. For both of these reasons, gloves or stripping guards are critical. They will save you the pain and annoyance of small slices, cuts, and burns on your fingers. In a remote, tropical environment, avoiding cuts that can become infected is all-important. And even if these small injuries do not pose a risk of serious injury, they can sideline you and ruin your trip. Gloves or finger guards not only protect from annoying injuries, but they can allow you to put that extra pound or two of pressure on the fish to keep it from reaching cover.

If you plan to use gloves with fingertips cut off, make sure they cover the parts of your fingers you use for stripping before taking your trip. Better yet, use stripping guards. It is a great product made for this purpose.

4) Protection from Sun and Heat

When heading to an equatorial location, you probably do not need to be told to protect yourself from the sun. However, there are a few tips that may not be obvious. For example, your sunscreen should not have any fruity or sweet scents, as it will attract bees and other insects. It also needs to be waterproof, at least 30 SPF, and applied to all exposed skin.

Wear lightweight socks. They are cooler than shoes, save your feet from the direct sun, and still allow you to feel your fly line on the deck. Line often catches on or under shoes when shooting line or when a fish runs. For that reason we often fish barefoot when on a boat, but the intense sun in the Amazon can fry bare feet. Socks are a life saver.

Similarly, hands tend to get some of the most direct sun while fly fishing — especially when you are casting and stripping all day long. Lightweight sun gloves not only protect your fingers from the sun but also from cuts and burns when stripping line and fighting fish.

A full brim, lightweight hat with a moisture wicking band, such as a good straw hat, is highly recommended. It not only protects face, ears, and neck from sun, but it can provide shade for the rest of your body when the sun is directly overhead and keep your whole body cooler. A ball cap does not.

Long sleeve shirts and long pants are also more effective than sunscreen (which wears off over time), and can also help keep annoying insects off your skin. Light colored clothing seems more effective for insects. And obviously the lightest weight, coolest clothing made will help to keep you cool. Patagonia and Simms make comfortable, super lightweight, and quick drying shirts and pants.

The face always seems to get the most exposure even when wearing a hat. Remember, sun reflection off the water is almost as intense as direct sun. And the skin on your nose, lips, and ears is more sensitive than on other exposed parts of your body. A Buff or bandana protects your face from sun both above and reflected from below. Buffs or bandanas can also be dunked in cold water to cool you off during the day.

Finally, super high quality polarized sunglasses, such as those by Costa Del Mar and Smith/Action Optics, are essential.

Essential Gear for Peacock Bass

5) Quality Camera

Keeping in mind that weight limits on small planes limit the amount of gear you can bring, try to include a high quality camera. You will be in an incredibly pristine environment full of exotic flora and fauna. The bird life alone can be worth the price of admission, with parrots, macaws, parakeets, toucans, cotingas, flickers, manakins, woodpeckers, and hummingbirds commonly seen. Similarly, the butterflies and flowers can be absolutely stunning. Plus, you stand a very good chance of catching record class peacock bass, which are one of the most photogenic fish on the planet. You will not regret taking lots of high quality photos in the Amazon!

This is not an exhaustive Amazon gear list, but the above items are essential when fly fishing for peacock bass — and many of them may not be obvious. Make sure you bring them along to be prepared and to fish as effectively as possible on what is sure to be an unforgettable trip.

The post Essential Gear for Peacock Bass on the Fly in the Amazon appeared first on Tailwaters Fly Fishing Co..

Rio Marie Trip Report with Schuyler Marshall

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Rio Marie with Schuyler Marshall//Travel

Having heard not only the legend of the “River of Giants” for several years, but also firsthand angling accounts, I thought I knew what to expect on my first trip to Rio Marie in October 2017. But even as a lifelong bass fisherman, there was no way to fully prepare for this awesome destination. To put it in context, each one of the seven fishermen on the trip caught the biggest bass of his life — and four of those anglers were veterans of Brazilian peacock bass fishing. And we did it on a week with high water . . . high enough to cause grumbling from those with experience in the Amazon. I can’t even imagine what it would be like with ideal water levels!

First, lets get the numbers out of the way. The seven of us landed five peacocks over 20 lbs, including two 24 pounders. We landed fourteen other peacocks from 15-20 lbs, and another dozen from 10-15 lbs. More than half of all the Temensis we landed were over ten pounds! The 350 butterfly peacocks in the 3 lb range were almost an afterthought, even though they eat so aggressively we often thought they were Temensis. Just incredible, mind-boggling numbers . . . but the Rio Marie produces on this level week in, week out.

Will Stephens and I met in the Miami airport to begin the trip. Five hours later we landed in Manaus and were transferred to our hotel. We spent the next day exploring Manaus, a city founded in the 1600’s that sits at the “meeting of the waters” where the clear, dark Rio Negro meets the muddy Solimoes River to form the Amazon. We visited the markets, which were eye-opening with over twenty varieties of bananas by the truckload, plus mountains of pineapple and all sorts of other exotic fruits. The fish and meat market was absolutely crazy, with stacks and stacks of all different species of fish and various meats, organs, and viscera all on display by vendors busy filleting for the local shoppers.

That night we ate dinner at Amazonico, a trendy restaurant on the same block as our hotel, the Caesar Business. I love trying new dishes, and on local recommendation ordered “fish ribs” . . . which are exactly what the name implies. They are cut from a fish called the Tambaqui, and look a lot like an order of beef ribs, but with thinner rib bones (and of course white flesh). They were superb. Incidentally, both the food and wine in Manaus were less than half the price you would pay in the U.S.

The next morning we boarded the float plane for the 3 ½ hour flight to the Untamed Amazon mothership. After we left Manaus, all we saw below was green jungle cut by watercourses for the entire flight until we landed on the Rio Marie and taxied to within a stone’s throw of the mothership. We spent the rest of the day moving downriver, organizing gear, getting to know the guides and staff, and eating delicious table fare (filet mignon the first night).

The operation has an all-star staff of guides. They are Argentine and Brazilian, but have experience guiding to the ends of the earth, including Tierra del Fuego, Iceland, Russia (both Kamchatka and the Kola Peninsula), Bolivia, Patagonia, and more. They are true fly fishing professionals and lots of fun to fish with. The native guides knew every inch of the river and haunts frequented by the big peacocks. Plus, the indigenous guides are very enthusiastic and love taking photos with giant peacocks — which they show their families and village at the end of the season to demonstrate that they did a good job!

The climate was really hard to believe. Even though the Rio Marie is right on the equator, we only broke a sweat a couple of times during the entire trip, during afternoon periods without clouds or wind. All other times (at night, with clouds or a breeze) the temperature was very comfortable. Actually, Will and I both got chilled one afternoon after driving through a shower on the way back to the mothership. That was basically the only rain we experienced all week, other than a few light showers at night. When it did get hot during some of the afternoons, a swim in the river was very refreshing. Believe it or not, the water is some of the purest natural water in the world. Clients drink bottled water, but the guides and crew actually drink the river water with minimal filtration — it is that clean and totally free of parasites and such.

Speaking of bugs, the lack of problematic pests was another pleasant surprise. Honey bees, a few bumble bees, some gnats and other flies often buzzed around the boat, but they were rarely annoying. We did not see a single mosquito the entire trip, as they cannot breed in the “black” water of the Rio Negro system. The only bites I got were from flies similar to small horseflies, that bit my bare feet a few times. Certain other times enough bees or flies would buzz around our heads to make us stop fishing for a minute to shoo them away. But for the most part, we found ourselves not noticing the bees and flies, instead engrossed in the fishing.

After reading harrowing accounts of Amazon exploration like Theodore Roosevelt’s journey down the River of Doubt, its almost hard to believe that there’s really not much to worry about this deep in the jungle. But the Amazon is a huge place, and while there are some very scary and even hellish areas within it, there are also some very civilized areas and the Rio Marie happens to be one of those. The idyllic vibe was enhanced by countless yellow, orange, blue, and white butterflies, big flocks of macaws, toucans, a lot of other bird life, and river otters. The week before, one of the skiffs photographed a jaguar swimming across the river. At night, a lot of other unidentified critters announced their presence through their unfamiliar and often hypnotizing calls. There were also many species of trees in bloom, some covered in yellow, pink, red, orange, or white blossoms.

But back to the fishing. As a lifelong bass fisherman chasing peacocks for the first time, I was struck by the similarities to largemouth bass fishing. Much of the fish-holding structure is almost identical, such as flooded or fallen trees and other aquatic vegetation, ledges, points, coves, spawning areas on flats, and so on. The fishing methods are also very similar. A largemouth bass fisherman will be very much at home — albeit a larger-than-life version of home — on the Rio Marie.

Almost all of the fishing takes place in still water. Around most of the bends of the main river channel are oxbow lakes, lagoons, protected areas behind islands, or flats. There are also creek mouths that form coves off the main river channel. All of these areas are fished like you would bass fish back at home. They have the feel of small private lakes. Most of our time was spent using the trolling motor to cruise the shoreline of these stillwater areas casting to structure. The inside bends of the river also form large sand deposits that act like beaches, but with lots of cuts, bars, and ledges due to various currents. In the afternoons, a few big peacocks hunt in the shallows on each of these beach flats, leading to great sightcasting opportunities if you are there at the right time. Will was there at the right time on one afternoon, seeing and shortly thereafter connecting with an 18 lber from a beach. With lower water levels, there is also plenty of sightcasting to spawning fish on the flats in the lakes and lagoons.

Also similar to bass fishing back home, there are slow periods. We would go hours casting to perfect-looking water and structure without a bite. The fish — like all other fish species — have periods of inactivity. But when they wake up, game on! We had several periods where we caught butterfly peacocks every cast, landing fifteen or twenty in a row. The action on Temensis also came in bursts. Unlike butterfly peacocks, Temensis are more territorial and typically not found in big schools, so they are not caught by the dozen. You are fishing for a handful of Temensis per day. But many times we would catch these big boys in close succession. For example, Will lost a huge fish in a pile of logs, then landed an 18 lber and 15 lber all in less than an hour in the same small lake on our second day.

The differences from largemouth bass fishing (in addition to being surrounded by rainforest instead of southern hardwoods or pineywoods) is mainly the size of the fish, the flies, and the tackle. The fish are enormous and so are the flies. We used mostly gigantic baitfish imitations on 3/0 or 4/0 hooks. The weeks before we arrived, when the water was lower, huge poppers produced the biggest fish. I’m talking baitfish patterns and poppers at least twice as big as anything you would throw for largemouth. Light colored flies tend to work better than dark colors. Chartreuse was the best color for us. Streamers that had large rattles built in worked very well. Flies should also have large plastic eyes.

To cast these huge flies (as well as to handle the huge fish) we used 9 and 10 weights. Both of us brought 8 weights but put them back in the tube after day 1. An 8 simply isn’t enough to throw the flies. We used a 3 foot section of 50 lb test mono as leaders. The guides prefer 60 lb test, but we did not bring 60 with us. The only fish we lost on the 50 was Will’s big one that buried in a pile of sticks. We used mostly intermediate fly lines, and even though we had success, with our water levels we probably should have used full sink lines for many of the scenarios we encountered. All fly lines should be extreme weight forward tapers to turn over the giant flies.

I brought fast action rods but realized a few days into the trip that a medium action rod would be best — one with a sturdy butt and flexible tip. The reason is that fast action rods do not load well without much line out. Thus, fast action rods require extra false casts. Those extra false casts add up into the hundreds or thousands over the course of a day and become a big deal, especially with 9 or 10 weight rods and big flies. Bring advil, as this trip will put your casting elbow and shoulder to work!

One more note related to the number of casts and size of the fish: gloves or effective stripping guards are MANDATORY. If you make 600-700 casts per day, you probably strip 25,000 times or more per day. Plus you are hooking into some fish that will try to rip your fingers off. It is essential that you protect your stripping fingers. I used some cheap finger sleeves that did not stay in place very well, and burned through when a big fish made strong runs. I also tried athletic tape, but the stick’um on the tape quickly gummed up my fly line so I abandoned the tape.

My biggest piece of advice to anyone headed to Rio Marie is to test your essential pieces of gear. First, make sure your stripping guards stay in place, are comfortable, and durable. Second, try out your rod/fly line/fly setup — a combination you probably have never cast before (maybe its just me but I had rarely if ever tried to cast flies that big on a 9 wt). Make sure the fly line turns over huge flies. Make sure the rod loads quickly but is still beefy enough to carry and cast huge flies. Make sure you can easily pick up and make your cast with minimal false casts. Try different line and rod combinations. You do not want to get to the middle of the jungle with a weeks fishing and thousands of casts ahead of you, only to find that your setup does not work well.

Ok, back to the trip report. Other species we caught were several jacunda, another cichlid (peacock bass family) that is beautiful. Will caught a huge arowana, a species prized by many Amazonian anglers. We also caught dozens of dogfish, which is basically a 1-2 lb freshwater barracuda. The guides caught huge catfish on trotlines. All of those species added some nice variety to the fishing.

Another nice bonus to the trip is the shore lunch of grilled butterfly peacock that the native guides prepare one day during the trip. Upon stopping for lunch, the guide builds a grill entirely out of green wood, and builds a fire underneath — a process that only takes around 15 minutes. The guide fillets the fish and lays them over the grill, and serves them up with sides prepared ahead of time such as lime, rice, shredded cabbage and carrots. Delicious and unforgettable.

On the week, the Untamed Amazon moved over 150 river miles! On our arrival day, the mothership moved a long way downriver. Almost every day after that, we would leave in the skiffs to fish our way upriver, and the mothership followed us. That brings me to my overall thoughts on this fishery: so much prime water that is barely fished. We passed by so many lakes, creeks, lagoons, beaches, etc. that we did not even touch. Even on most of the lakes we fished, we only fished small sections of them. That is obviously what makes the fishing so consistent on the Rio Marie — spreading the fishing pressure so thin as to have no noticeable effect on the fishing, which is proven up by the catch records kept by the operation. There are as many fish caught, and as many big fish caught, today as when the operation opened. Such a rare and special operation in today’s world, where most wild creatures are under intense pressure from mankind.

I could go on and on about how plush the accommodations were on the Untamed Amazon, the wonderful cuisine, and the rest of the experience, but I’ve gone on long enough! Please contact me with any other questions about any aspect of this remarkable fishery and operation.

The post Rio Marie Trip Report with Schuyler Marshall appeared first on Tailwaters Fly Fishing Co..

Blue Horizon Trip Report with Schuyler Marshall

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Blue Horizon Trip Report with Schuyler Marshall//Travel

Blue Horizon is a fly fishing operation near Placencia, Belize, in an area known as “Permit Alley.” Decades ago, legendary permit guide Lincoln Westby (now 76 years young) developed the Blue Horizon fishing lodge on a deserted caye in the middle of this gorgeous fishery. Since founding the operation, Westby has been continually grooming a stellar team of guides that put anglers on permit, tarpon, and bonefish, while at the same time treating the flats with utmost care. Blue Horizon enjoyed considerable success for years, until the elements eventually took their toll on the lodge and it became unsuitable for guests. After several years of under-utilization, Westby has teamed up with a company that plans to rebuild the Blue Horizon lodge, and in the meantime offers several other lodging options in the area.

Tailwaters Travel knows Belizean fly fishing intimately, from Ambergris Caye in the north, offshore to Turneffe Atoll, all the way south to Punta Gorda. The operations in those locations offer not only excellent fishing but also great accommodations, easy travel, and dialed-in programs in general. So we were curious — and a little skeptical — as to whether the current iteration of Blue Horizon could match those other destinations. On a week-long R&D trip in August 2017, we were delighted to find Blue Horizon equal to those destinations in most important respects, while offering its own unique qualities that no other fisheries possess.

In terms of overall quality of permit fishing, other destinations such as Ascension Bay and Punta Gorda are on par with Blue Horizon. However, no other permit fishery can boast flats as beautiful as Blue Horizon, or as many tailing permit. The fishery is enormous — over 40 miles north to south — and is dotted with cayes, pancake flats, and reef-style flats over its entire length. The water is crystal clear and almost every flat is surrounded by a stunning and multi-colored variety of coral. Beyond the coral are seemingly sheer walls that drop into unknown depths right off the edge of the flats. The tops of the flats are mostly sand with some turtle grass, and on the correct tidal periods, almost every flat is adorned with schools of tailing permit.

While permit fishing is the main event, there is very reliable bonefish and seasonal tarpon fishing as well. The bonefish are larger than the typical Belizean bonefish — upwards of 10 lbs for anglers lucky enough to make a run offshore to Glover’s Reef in calm conditions. We also encountered both large schools of tarpon in 30 feet of water (that readily ate the fly) and several single tarpon cruising the skinny water flats.

We were blessed to fish two days with Lincoln Westby, who may know more about permit fishing than any guide alive today, and is also a wonderful human being. His ethic towards the flats environment and fish truly sets him apart. For example, he avoids wading to preserve the sensitive coral, turtle grass, and permit food such as immature sea urchins. As soon as permit become jittery he backs off to find other fish. He meticulously rotates flats in order to keep pressure to a minimum. And he has instilled these values in all of the Blue Horizon guides, ensuring healthy flats and happy permit for many years to come. It would truly be worth a trip to Blue Horizon just to fish with Westby.

Another highlight of the trip was watching the newest member of the Tailwaters team, Will Graham, at work capturing imagery. Will has been a professional photographer for years, and is now expanding his expertise into the fly fishing arena. His technical skill and eye for photos really is incredible, as shown by the shots of our trip here and on our Blue Horizon webpage. To top it all off, Will captured some AMAZING drone footage that may be used in a film about Lincoln Westby on next year’s Fly Fishing Film Tour! Even if you do not catch the film, we plan to share the footage in some shorter clips about Blue Horizon on social media and the website. Stay tuned for much more of Will’s work in the coming years. Follow him on Instagram @willgrahamphoto.

Beyond the phenomenal fishing and incredible beauty, Blue Horizon also offers anglers many more lodging options than any other fishing operation we know of. Anglers with families, or those that prefer to stay in town with more nightlife, can stay in one of several attractive resorts in Placencia or Hopkins with swimming pools and a ton of non-angling activities. Those that prefer to be closer to the fish have at least four cayes to choose from where they can find permit tailing right in front of their bungalow. For now, anglers may share these cayes with honeymooners and families on vacation, but the Blue Horizon lodge will represent a dedicated fishing lodge when it is rebuilt in the next couple of years. The cuisine at each of the resorts is delicious, featuring mostly fresh seafood. Perhaps the best part about these lodging options is that it allows anglers on any budget to chase permit on these stunning flats. From an ultra exclusive private island with every conceivable amenity and five star meals, to a caye with basic open-air huts and family style dining, anglers can choose their level of comfort along with the corresponding cost of the trip.

It is also really easy to reach Blue Horizon. Belize City is less than a three hour flight from DFW, Houston, and Atlanta. After landing in Belize City, anglers take a 15 minute flight to Dangriga or a 30 minute flight to Placencia, where they are picked up and transferred to their chosen lodging. The transfer is a few minutes by vehicle if staying on the mainland, and a 30-45 minute boat ride if staying on a caye.

We simply cannot say enough good things about Blue Horizon, and there are so many reasons to visit. It is accessible to anglers on almost any budget — an absolute gift to the angling community considering the beauty of the flats, incredible number of tailing permit, and chance to “fly fish with the Permit Master” Lincoln Westby. We are very excited to add the Blue Horizon properties to the catalog at Tailwaters Travel, and encourage you to check out our webpage along with all the beautiful imagery shot by Will Graham.

Blue Horizon Webpage: CLICK HERE

For more information or to visit with us about booking a trip to Blue Horizon Lodge, please contact Schuyler Marshall:

schuyler@tailwatersflyfishing.com
(512) 680-8003

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New Permit Destinations at Tailwaters – Honduras

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New Permit Destinations at Tailwaters – Honduras//Travel

TAILWATERS TRAVEL ADDS SEVERAL NEW PERMIT DESTINATIONS TO CATALOGUE – PART 1 HONDURAS

Permit are widely considered the most difficult and most rewarding species to land on the fly. Until recent years, they were thought to be a once-in-a-lifetime fish. While techniques and fly patterns to target these fish have improved, permit are still the holy grail of the fly fishing world. That mystique is based in part on the fact that permit are notoriously selective. However, another big reason is that regular encounters with these fish are rare at all but a handful of fisheries.

Permit are found at many destinations in the Caribbean, Central America, the Bahamas, and even the Indian Ocean. However, at the vast majority of these fisheries, the numbers of permit are such that it is not possible to target permit all day, every day. Typically, anglers focus on another species such as bonefish and hope for a shot or two at permit per day, if not per week.

Fisheries such as Ascension Bay, where most anglers focus almost exclusively on permit, are rare and special. That is why we are so excited to announce the addition of several true permit destinations to our catalogue. This post covers two fisheries in Honduras — Guanaja and the Faraway Cayes. Part 2 will highlight two fisheries in southern Belize.

Fly Fish Guanaja

Guanaja is an island located offshore of Honduras, just east of the island of Roatan. It is completely encircled by gorgeous flats and small cayes that provide an ideal environment for permit and other flats species.

Several years ago Steve Brown (“Brownie”), a guide from the U.S., founded Fly Fish Guanaja (and just recently opened a sister operation at the Faraway Cayes — but more on that below). Brownie is an awesome human being and truly knows how to put together a first-class fishing operation. He is also very active in programs to protect and improve the special habitat of Guanaja, while at the same time improving the lives and giving opportunity to the local people.

The Fly Fish Guanaja lodge used to be an upscale vacation home, and sits on a private cay overlooking some of the best flats on the island. Guanaja is a legit permit fishery, with good sized average fish and some very large ones over 30 lbs. On many days they tail right in front of the lodge.

One thing that sets Guanaja apart is that it also boasts lots of BIG bonefish. Not every angler wants to dedicate an entire trip to a fish that probably will not eat (permit). But at almost every other true permit fishery, there are lots of little bonefish but rarely any over five pounds. Little schoolie bonefish normally do not interest permit fishermen, so it is permit or bust. Not so at Guanaja. The big bonefish of Guanaja provide an awesome alternative to provide a tug if the permit are not cooperating. If you want a great opportunity for permit with a stellar backup plan — lots of bonefish over five lbs and some that reach double digits — Guanaja is for you.

Faraway Cayes

We are more excited about the Faraway Cayes than any other destination on our radar. It is an uninhabited cluster of cayes and flats 160 miles east of Guanaja — in other words, in the middle of nowhere.  Brownie/Fly Fish Guanaja has just put together an exclusive program to allow a few lucky anglers to experience what are perhaps the last untouched flats in the Caribbean.

The first season at Faraway Cayes was 2017, and while the reports are almost too good to be true, they are what you would expect for a totally virgin flats fishery in its location. Loads of uneducated permit that actually eat, including some huge permit. Countless bonefish, with many reaching double digits. In other words, the very scenario saltwater fly fishermen dream about.

To reach the Faraway Cayes, anglers fly by helicopter from Guanaja. The program only allows four anglers per week, every other week, four months of the year. Less than fifty fly fishermen have ever set foot on the flats there, and with the limited program that has been implemented and lack of any sort of human development or activity for hundreds of miles in any direction, the fishing should remain out-of-this-world for the foreseeable future.

The word is still not completely out on this destination, but one of the headlining films at the 2018 Fly Fishing Film Tour tells the story of the Faraway Cayes. Therefore, we expect demand for this unbelievable fishery to be sky-high going forward. After its gangbuster first season and with less than 40 spots available each year, 2018 sold out quickly (even though most anglers still have not heard of it). However, due to a late cancellation, Schuyler Marshall is hosting a trip there March 17-24, 2018. We still have a couple of open spots but expect them to book quickly. If you stay awake at night dreaming about what flats fishing was like before Lefty Kreh was born, call us asap.

Schuyler Marshall
schuyler@tailwatersflyfishing.com

The post New Permit Destinations at Tailwaters – Honduras appeared first on Tailwaters Fly Fishing Co..

New Permit Destinations at Tailwaters – Belize

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New Permit Destinations at Tailwaters – Belize//Travel

TAILWATERS TRAVEL ADDS SEVERAL NEW PERMIT DESTINATIONS TO CATALOGUE – PART 2 SOUTHERN BELIZE

As we discussed in Part 1 , only a handful of dedicated permit fisheries exist, so we are thrilled to add several of them to our catalogue. Part 1 covered Guanaja and the newly opened Faraway Cayes of Honduras, where Schuyler Marshall is hosting a trip March 17-24, 2018.

Today we highlight two fisheries in southern Belize. While these are new to the Tailwaters Travel catalogue, they are tried and true permit destinations that have been producing consistently for decades.

Blue Horizon

 

Two things set the fishing apart at Blue Horizon: the staggering numbers of tailing permit, and the incredible beauty of the flats. Almost all of the fishing takes place on countless cayes, pancake flats, and reef-style flats offshore of Placencia, Belize near the barrier reef. The area has become known as “Permit Alley.” The water is crystal clear and the flats are ringed with outrageous coral. It is like fishing in a tropical aquarium and worth the trip just to see this awesome environment.

The permit here are relatively easy to locate as they tend to feed on the skinniest part of each flat. Because they frequent such shallow water, they are typically tailing. For this reason, Blue Horizon has a reputation as the permit fishing equivalent of dry fly fishing. Here, you don’t just permit fish — you do it in ultra shallow, gorgeous water.

Another bonus to Blue Horizon is that anglers have the choice of accommodations on several different cayes or on mainland Belize, along with a myriad of non-angling activities. These options mean lodging that suits anglers on any budget as well as couples and families.

Our report from our recent trip to Blue Horizon can be found here:

https://tailwatersflyfishing.com/blog/blue-horizon-trip-report-schuyler-marshall/

Check out more information about Blue Horizon here:

https://tailwatersflyfishing.com/travel/saltwater-destinations/belize/blue-horizon/

Copal Tree Lodge

Copal Tree Lodge (formerly known as Belcampo) is located near Punta Gorda, the southernmost town in Belize near the border with Guatemala. The area has a well deserved reputation as a permit fishing mecca. Although new to the Tailwaters Travel catalogue, we have been fishing there for more than a decade and it is one of our favorite permit destinations.

Diversity is the key to this fishery. There are hundreds of cayes and pancake flats that attract a ton of fish, and also a huge lagoon system that the permit love. These two very different types of water not only provide a nice variety from an aesthetic standpoint, but make the fishing more consistent and reliable than perhaps any other permit destination. If the fish are scarce on the outside flats for some reason, they are usually found in the lagoon, and vice versa. Plus, the fish in the lagoon wake and push water as they search for food, which allows anglers to remain “in the game” even if cloudy weather would otherwise make it difficult to spot fish. In other words, in conditions that would turn the fish off or make them next to impossible to find in most destinations, the fishing remains good at Copal Tree Lodge. The fish here are also larger on average than at other Belizean permit fisheries.

Copal Tree Lodge is also one of the finest fishing lodges anywhere. It is located on a 12,000 acre organic farm and nature preserve that produces most of the ingredients used in its award winning restaurant. The guest suites are nestled in the rainforest on a high hill looking out to the ocean, are constructed and furnished by local artisans, and are the pinnacle of luxury, privacy, and relaxation. It offers full spa service, swimming pool, dozens of non-angling activities, and outstanding cuisine.

Check out more information about Copal Tree Lodge here:

https://tailwatersflyfishing.com/travel/saltwater-destinations/belize/copal-tree-lodge/

Schuyler Marshall
schuyler@tailwatersflyfishing.com

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FARAWAY CAYES TRIP REPORT

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Faraway Cayes Trip Report – March 2018//Travel

FARAWAY CAYES, HONDURAS | MARCH 17-24, 2018 | TRIP REPORT

For about the tenth day in a row, I woke in deep darkness and checked the time: 4:30 a.m. Like the mornings leading up to this, my mind quickly engaged trying to separate reality from dream and dream from fantasy about the Faraway Cayes of Honduras. Everything I had heard about the Faraway Cayes perfectly described my wildest imagination — virgin flats full of permit and bonefish in the middle of the Caribbean, barely explored by fly anglers. The week before, four anglers landed eight permit and lost several more. Double digit sized bones. The unbelievable reports had been keeping me awake at night, but the skyrocketing expectations laced my excitement with unease.

The mastermind of the Faraway Cayes program is Steve Brown, a guide from Colorado who founded the lodge/operation Fly Fish Guanaja on Jones Caye. An avid fisherman of course, Steve is also an active conservationist. He founded the youth work program Fish for Change, which takes kids from the U.S. to destinations like Guanaja to fish and do environmental work. Not to preach, but programs like Fish for Change are our future and do not happen without men of benevolence and action like Steve.

After running Fly Fish Guanaja for a number of years, Steve began hearing reports about the “Cayes to the East” that were filled with fish. So he figured out the most practicable way to get there (by helicopter), and all the other logistics that running an operation out in the middle of nowhere entails. And then he limited the program to a handful of very lucky anglers per year. Conservation in action.

Various permutations of these thoughts and visions of big, uneducated fish cycled through my head in the pre-dawn blackness. Instead of the silence of my own bedroom, the difference this morning was the persistent trade wind on Guanaja ruffling the palm fronds and yurt flaps. With the trip here, my mind began to quiet as anticipation gave way to the experience. My thoughts settled on rigging and organizing fishing gear. Finally.

Travel the day before was fairly painless. Rob, Dave, Brad, Will and I met at DFW and boarded a three hour flight direct to Roatan, where we met Kerry. The immigrations line in Roatan seemed long and slow by today’s standards, but would have been a miracle not too long ago in Central America. After clearing customs, Oliver (our handler) gathered us and our luggage. We barely had time to order a drink at the airport bar when we were headed to the helicopter: Bell 407GX, the same machine used to film the show Survivor in Cayos Cochinos, complete with Survivor logo.

Twenty minutes later the heli touched down on Jones Caye. Then cocktails and conch fritters, tailing bonefish and triggerfish in front of the lodge, catching up with friends and making new ones, lobster and wine, and a late night rigging session over more cocktails — which is the best kind of rigging session. Its hard to beat the vibe at Jones Caye.

Daylight set things in motion with coffee, breakfast, gathering gear, and jumping aboard a panga. Within minutes wading our first flat we had shots at several tailing permit, a school of big bones, and a couple of triggerfish. The triggers were the most interested, repeatedly chasing and eating the fly, but after a big initial run the fish would turn facing back towards us, and the hook kept pulling. Several more bonefish finished out day one on Guanaja. Everyone had multiple encounters with permit, and Rob caught one that was following a shark around the flat.

Guanaja seemed full of fish, but after barely getting our feet wet the first day it was time to cull gear and re-pack for the next leg of the expedition. The heli showed up right after breakfast the next morning and we were airborne again. Peak anticipation made the 1.5 hour flight seem longer, but then reef and dry sand appeared out of the blue.

The Faraway Cayes camp is used for lobstering during other seasons, and the hundreds of lobster traps provide makeshift building blocks for the kitchen and foundations for the surprisingly cozy yurts. Not that we paid much attention when we got there, since we were focused on rigging and getting on the water.

The tide was falling by the time we were out fishing, and it was slow the first afternoon. But that changed in a big way with the incoming tide the next morning, with tailing permit everywhere on knee-deep turtle grass flats.

The Faraway Cayes are part of a massive reef system that runs for hundreds of miles offshore of Honduras (and eventually Nicaragua). The outer side of the reef is solid coral dropping into deep blue. It is cut through with channels, and by larger gaps of deeper water separating sections of reef. The coral has also risen to meet the surface in select spots, forming cayes, sandbars, turtle grass flats, and other shallow terrain on the back side of the reef.

The enormous scale and sprawl of the reef makes the shallow water seem isolated by the space in between. These are not the endless flats of the Bahamas or Florida Keys. But vast flats can seem frustratingly empty after hours of searching for fish. Smaller flats make it easier to locate the fish, at least at the Faraway Cayes. The shallow turtle grass is full of permit, bonefish, and triggerfish. We saw permit of all sizes — the sign of a healthy fishery — tailing in skinny water, cruising the flats, hanging just off the flats, poking around the coral, cruising with rays.

We witnessed several unique permit behaviors. For instance, on the falling tide we looked for “fish on rays.” Hearing the guides talk about it, I assumed that they meant fish following stingrays, which permit do at other locations. But here, we were looking for eagle rays. At first I was confused when the guides called for a cast to an eagle ray, because there were clearly no permit following or riding on top of the ray. But upon a properly placed fly on the ray’s nose, permit would suddenly appear chasing the fly. They were tucked right up to the rays’ bellies and invisible until they emerged from underneath. A bit of a mystery, since eagle rays do not stir up food on the bottom, but presumably the permit were using rays as shade/camouflage to sneak up on prey. Not only a wild, unique phenomenon, but the fish with rays tend to eat aggressively and accounted for several of our permit.

I also had an unforgettable encounter with permit doing their best trout imitation. I was on a small patch of turtle grass that had an almost imperceptible current flowing from the reef over the top of the flat. On the backside was a small shelf where the water dropped from knee to waist deep. After seeing a fish in the area, I eased over to locate it and noticed one, then two, then three, and ultimately six nice permit sitting with their noses on the shelf facing into the current, motionless. I don’t know whether they were waiting for food to come to them, or waiting for the tide to rise before prowling the flat, but it was a sight I’ll never forget.

The answer to the question of whether permit are dumber in a virgin flats environment: NO. If you think about it, wild animals in any pristine environment are more attuned to anything new or out of place. Fish in established destinations are accustomed to outboard motors, a bump on the boat, the sound of a push pole or wading boots crunching the flats. But fish that are not used to human presence notice such things right away. Plus, permit are permit. They are smart, selective, and tough to catch anywhere they exist — hence the mystique surrounding this amazing fish.

But while Faraway Cayes can’t deliver dumb fish, it does deliver plenty of opportunity. Each angler in our group had dozens of daily encounters with tailing permit on the incoming tide, while wading in knee-deep water. The falling tide brought many more shots at fish under rays. Our group landed four permit and failed to convert a number of other eats. Rob was the team MVP with the most permit landed. We were also not taking it too seriously, with several afternoon naps and the more experienced permit anglers giving away some of their shots. That kind of mindset on a permit mission is a testament to a great group of guys and a fun, relaxing trip.

Almost every shallow area also held big schools of bonefish. While we did not focus on bones, we still had sessions of one-after-another medium sized bonefish. Trophy bones are there, but proved harder to land in the coral-filled environment. If the permit fishing had not been so good, this would have been a ridiculous bonefish report!

The fishing for triggers was a huge bonus, especially since it was not promoted or even talked about. The triggers at both Guanaja and Faraway Cayes are plentiful, big, and they will eat flies. Their teeth and hard mouths make landing them a different story, but that did not take away from the fun. Big fish that tail on the flats and get to your backing in seconds — thats what we’re looking for, right?

Schools of tarpon reportedly hang at certain places around the reefs at Faraway Cayes, but we did not look for them. Some lucky angler is going to discover a tarpon bonanza. Giant barracuda abound at both Guanaja and Faraway Cayes but we did not mess with them either.

The guides were awesome, both to hang with around camp and fish with. They all speak good English, in addition to Spanish and Honduran Creole. (While Spanish is the official language, apparently in the Bay Islands of Honduras speaking English is a sort of status symbol.) At Faraway Cayes, there are two guides per boat, which optimizes wade fishing as each angler is paired with a guide. The guides not only know the water and fly fishing, but have that passion, enthusiasm, and good humor that separates good from great guides. Several in our group thought they were the best fly fishing guides they had ever fished with.

The operation at Faraway Cayes employs a snapper fishing captain and boat, who is a family member of one of the guides. The snapper boat serves to store and transport supplies like drink ice. It also ferries anglers, guides, and pangas to the “Further Away Cayes” making the crossing to more distant flats comfortable.

The snapper boat also serves more subtle functions. It is part of a small, informal fleet of fishermen who are all buddies and are basically the only other human beings out there. The support boat and its access to this floating network means security and nearby aid despite the remoteness. Add the two Honduran Navy servicemen stationed at camp, plus the heli parked 30 minutes away, and safety never crossed our minds.

The commercial fishing boats also supplied fresh table fare. Each day we would radio a nearby boat for the catch of the day, and we ended up feasting on cobia, wahoo, tuna, and other fruits de mer. Breakfasts included eggs several ways, bacon, beans, fry jacks, fresh fruit, and more. Our bellies were very happy.

Just to complete the picture, the other aspects of the trip also went way beyond expectations. The beds were comfortable, with nice pillows and linens, and when combined with waves lapping just feet away, we slept better than at home. The rooms at Jones and yurts at Faraway have bedside tables with lamps, ceiling fans, and drinking water. The internet service on Jones Caye was the best I have experienced at a fishing lodge, ample for Facetime with my wife and daughter. Jones Caye has nice private bathrooms, while the full bathroom/shower at the Faraway Cayes camp is shared and a bit more rustic. But it was perfectly adequate and far more than we expected on a tiny piece of sand in the middle of the ocean. Free daily laundry service at both Jones Caye and Faraway Cayes made it a breeze to look sharp while packing light.

Jackie the one-eyed rooster made sure we knew when to wake up. He also kept the hens bred — several times per day, just to make sure.

Will Graham (@willgrahamphoto) made his second trip with Tailwaters. As you can see, he is a maestro behind the lense. His imagery always blows me away. He is also one of best dudes I can think of to have along on a fishing trip.

All in all it was an adventure that seemed almost unreal. Transportation by helicopter added to the sensation of passing through a portal to another dimension. On the heli flight home over endless blue, with the sun’s rays streaming through clouds floating to all horizons, we actually commented that it felt like a fairytale. A rough-around-the-edges fairytale full of fish.

Perhaps the best part of all, every angler will have the same unadulterated experience due to the exclusive program being run by Steve Brown and Fly Fish Guanaja. The flats of Faraway Cayes will get fished less than forty days this entire year. And next year, and the year after. That level of dedication to caring for a fishery — rather than the bottom line — is extremely rare and special. But the corollary to such limited traffic is not many available spots, and the anglers each season will have first dibs on next year. Every one of our group loved the trip and plans to return; two are headed back next season.

Final thoughts: dedicated permit fishermen should make this trip, without passing GO or collecting $200. While the permit may not be easier to catch, they are there in numbers. There is plenty of opportunity. Plus, it is worth it just to witness such unique permit behavior in an environment completely different than any other fishery. With some permit experience under your belt, and having visited other fish and fisheries, you will appreciate the Faraway Cayes that much more.

And as a reminder, do your part for conservation by visiting fisheries like this one. Catch and release fly fishing operations are the front line “boots on the ground” ensuring the protection of the fish and environment they inhabit. These programs are only made possible by the support of anglers going fishing. #flyfishingconservation

Our webpage for Faraway Cayes is HERE

Schuyler Marshall

Tailwaters Travel
512-680-8003
888-824-5420
schuyler@tailwatersflyfishing.com

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Fly Fishing Bass School – July 14-15

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Bass School//Education

Tailwaters Bass Fly Fishing School  
July 14-15, 2018
Tres Gallos Ranch
Terrell, Texas

Want to learn to fly fish?

Our bass fishing school is an awesome way to learn the basics of fly fishing, some particulars about fly fishing for bass, and actually catch some fish at the same time.  Fly fishing isn’t just for trout in the mountains. North Texas has abundant bass fishing opportunities and one of the most often asked questions we receive is “how can I fish locally?” Tailwaters has listened and we’ve teamed up with a private ranch near Dallas to offer you the only overnight Bass Fly Fishing School in North Texas!

Our school is led by expert instructors who have spent years teaching people how to cast and fish. We’ll get you dialed in on the equipment, the casting, and the way to catch bass on the fly.

School topics include:

  • Equipment
  • Effective flies for bass
  • Casting
  • Knots
  • Hooking, landing, and releasing bass

The school takes places on a gorgeous 800 acre ranch just 45 minutes from Dallas. The ranch features stocked lakes designed for fly fishing. We’ll have access to several lodging options and a party barn that lets you kick back and relax in between sessions.

All the equipment, meals, and instructors will be provided. If you would like to bring your own gear, please do so! We will host a Happy Hour prior to the school so you can buy your own equipment with the help of our instructors and shop staff.

Want to join us? Sign up here!

Agenda

Thursday Night Happy Hour

Before you leave for the school, stop by Tailwaters to stock up on any supplies you may need and enjoy a cold one on us! Your instructors will be available to answer any questions and outfit you with a new rod and reel or anything else you may need.

Saturday, July 14th

2:00 – The ranch gates will open and students can begin arriving.

3:00 – Students will need to be checked in by 3 PM. We will give a brief orientation of the ranch and go over what to expect.

3:30 – We will have a brief classroom session detailing how to fly fish for bass. We will discuss tips, techniques, hook sets, landing and releasing.

4:30 – Students will move to the lake for a Casting Session #1. We will work on casting for both accuracy and distance. The group will be split into beginner and advanced so students can receive the best instruction possible.

5:30 – Clean up and Happy Hour at the Party Barn

6:00 – BBQ Dinner

7:00 – On the water demo of casting and fishing techniques for bass followed by fishing on the lake. Students are welcome to fish as long as they like and enjoy the evening bite!

The Party Barn will be open and cold drinks will be available for a post fishing social hour!

Sunday, July 15th

7:00 –  Coffee and Breakfast will be available in the Party Barn. Rods will be available for students to fish on their own prior to breakfast.

8:00 – Classroom session detailing equipments, knots, and flies for bass.

9:00 – Casting Session #2 – Special Situations. Casting from a boat, casting around docks, casting for river bass, etc.

10:00 –  Fishing

12:00 –  Lunch and round table Q&A.

After lunch – FISHING!  Students may stay and fish as late as they wish. The instructors will be available until 5 pm. At 5 PM we will need to close the ranch to students.

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