Storms Brewing:

So far, we’ve been blessed with a fair amount of sunny days which is what saltwater anglers pray for.  However, news reached us that storm fronts were heading our way bringing with them annoying cloud and heavy downpours.  Yet, even during this nasty weather our guides put us on fish.  Admittedly, sometimes this involved waiting in ambush at the many channels and gullies which fish used as highways to move from lagoon to lagoon or flat to flat.  And whilst blind casting might not be considered your typical flats fishing it turns up a variety of species including; bonefish, tarpon, ladyfish, cuda, snappers and members of the jack family.

 

 

 

 

~Rain loaded clouds like this made spotting on the flats almost impossible~

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adding to his tally of bonefish, snook and tarpon, Chris Hartley nailed this fine jack from shoal that passed through a narrow channel on a day of sunshine and showers

Predators still active:

~Mexican guide Alex displays a fine snook which snaffled my size 2 cockroach fly~

 

A persistent northerly might have seen fewer than normal bonefish wandering onto sandy flats, but one plus side is that predatory fish have been hunting on most days when low tides prevented them from hiding under mangrove roots.  With few places to shelter both snook and tarpon took to the flats in search of small fish, crabs and even shrimps.  Good news then for our party who have taken their fair share of fish.

 

A bite tippet of some 50lb is needed when chasing snook or tarpon as their hard, abrasive mouths can easily fray monofilament (left).

 

 

~Glyn Henry with his first tarpon taken from a small lagoon and although not a giant by tarpon standards, damn good fun on an 8-weight outfit~

Good luck follows bad:

An afternoon playing hide and seek with the ever elusive permit, Jonathan Tomlinson and I reached an all time low.  First up, two positive follows from sizable fish saw them snub my crab pattern by turning away at the last moment.  Three uneventful hours passed before we eventually dropped on a shoal of more active permit.  Jonathan stepped up and promptly hooked one of the better fish which seconds later came unstuck.  Inspecting the fly (right) pretty much speaks for itself… With poor light stopping play, he was on the hunt the following morning and first chuck latched into this magnificent specimen below (estimate 35lb).  Some three hours later the guide eventually tailed this dustbin lid, which gives you some idea of their sheer power and tenacity!

…35lb of pure muscle and power…

Snook season:

~Sneaking through the mangroves looking for a nest of snook~

 

Although a north wind cools Ascension Bay, it certainly gets predatory fish in a feeding mood. Last year Steve Pengelly and I had a stint chasing snook which pretty much ended in disaster for the pair of us.  Still hurting over the loss of what would have been Steve’s first snook and my specimen that threw the hook, we decided to team up for another assault on this shy yet handsome creature.  An ambush predator snook rarely move far from cover so we headed close to the shore to hunt out any quiet corner or likely bolt hole.  I was first to score using a red and white tarpon bunny and then Steve broke his duck by landing this fine fish below.  Better still, more followed as three other snook were boated in this memorable session.

“The cat that got the cream”, Steve P displays his first ever snook.

 

 

~The dark lateral line is a signature of snook which helps flats guides distinguish them from other species where murky water exists~

The hunt is on…

~Lining up a shot to make the first cast count is always worth the effort~

 

Our first day might have been breezy, but blue skies greeted us. Perfect conditions then for spotting bonefish which brings with it a degree of pressure. We decided on walking sandy flats were shoals of bonefish picked their way upwind towards us. Better still, seeing them at distance gave us ample time to adjust our position for the perfect shot…no excuses then!  Thankfully things went according to plan, making it a perfect start to our Mexican adventure. 

…Tentative moments as the first fish comes to hand…

 

 

 

 

 

 

~safely landed and about to be turned loose this silver ghost certainly got the monkey of my back~

Immigration Woes:

Arriving in Mexico it seemed everyman and his dog had the same idea of escaping the horrible British weather.  Cues backed up as jets whizzed into Cancun airport.  Sadly, we got snarled up in it all, which took an age to get our passports stamped!  The following morning however, any stress melted away as we tucked into a proper Mexican breakfast before the trails and tribulations of tackling up.  

 

 

 

 

 

~Fresh fruit and squeezed pineapple juice followed by eggs then toast drizzled with Yucatan of honey set us for the day ahead~

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the group preparing for battle decided the pool table made a good camp

Here, cuda cuda cuda…

Word has reached my ears that the predatory fish in Ascension Bay are currently going bananas.  This of course includes those menacing barracuda that for me come top the list.  Not only do these strike with the speed of a Ninja they’re initial runs are blistering when backing disappears from your reel at an alarming rate.  Sadly, their razor sharp teeth often shred flies beyond recognition, so I’m having a final stocking up session before jumping on the train south.  Fingers crossed they’ll appreciate my efforts (above) hot off the press this morning.  Paul~

Mexican Migration…

With winter tightening her icy grip, it’s time to follow those swifts and swallows by migrating south…! Later this week we’re jetting off to Mexico for our annual saltwater bash.  As the years have passed my equipment for such expeditions seems to have grown considerably.  Simply throwing this lot (right) into a duffle bag isn’t an option anymore.  Instead, packing has become a military operation and once it’s sorted there’ll be no stopping me…roll on the weekend…

A quick fling before the freeze:

Apparently, a cold snap is imminent and worried that fly hatches will dry up as a result, I sneaked onto the Eden for a quick fling.  Already a brisk northerly made it’s presence felt, cold enough to form a dewdrop on my snout!  Fewer flies cared to hatch too when admittedly there was a fair bit of scratching around at first.  Yet, shortly after 2pm a sparse flurry of Blue-wings braved the chill.  Thankfully, grayling were onto to them like a shot, giving me a good hour or so of rising fish.

 

 

 

~Another grayling succumbs to a sider, this time though it’s a Black Magic fished as a sweeper on the top dropper that did the trick~

Leaf it out…

At this time of year tumbling leaves might well deposit all manner of goodies (terrestrials) on the surface for watchful grayling, but they’re a proper pain in the backside when you’re trundling a team of three spiders through a pool. It seems every other cast you’re snagging the damn things which have an uncanny habit of drawing your line tight like a taking fish.  Even so, all the cursing is worthwhile as every so often you tighten into something that pulls back.  You could be more sensible like my mate Richard who favoured a single dry fly to fish, which makes dealing with leaf matter that much easier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

~Richard Tong finds a quiet corner that’s pretty much devoid of leaf litter~

 

 

 

 

 

 

…Thankfully some of the leaves we encountered had a habit of pulling back…