Category: Fishing Lodges

  • 14 Pound Bonefish on a #2 Simram at North Riding Point Club, Grand Bahama

    Huge Bonefish fooled by #2 Simram
    #2 Simram fools 14 pound Bonefish & What’s New at North Riding Point Club

    The bonefish in the photo above is a 14-pounder landed in February off the north shore of Grand Bahama. Carl Heilman, who landed this monster, also landed a tarpon (the group jumped 3 and landed 2). Chris Bamford landed the other tarpon, as well as the triggerfish, John Wilson jumped a tarpon and Scott Trerotola landed a 10 lb Mutton Snapper that was cruising behind a Ray. Each member of the group also landed several bonefish between 5 – 10 pounds.

    Bill & Liz Aldendifer also had a fantastic trip to Grand Bahama. Together, they landed several fish in 7 – 8 pound range, a couple 9 pounders, a 10 pounder, and a 12 pounder on Bill’s birthday. Bill came close to having a 14+ pounder in hand, but lost it at the boat when the guide grabbed the leader. Bill, a permit aficionado, said that the 14+ pound bonefish fought harder than any permit he’s hooked, even his 30 pounder in Ascension Bay.

    All of the above mentioned were Angler Adventures’ clients staying at North Riding Point ClubClick or Tap here to see Bill, Liz, Scott, and more photos of our clients with their fish on our Facebook page.

    Paul-Adams-NRPCPaul Adams Takes Reigns at North Riding Point Club

    Replacing Tim and Mercedes at North Riding Point Club (NRPC) is veteran lodge manager Paul Adams. Originally from Indiana, Paul was raised in the Bahamas, while his parents managed Deep Water Cay from 1976 – 1984. Paul attended school in McLeans Town, where he became friends with many of the famous Grand Bahama Guides, including NRPC head guide, Stanley Glinton, who taught Paul how to pole a skiff. Paul’s fly fishing instructor at an early age was none other than well known sportsman and author, AJ McClane. Paul and his wife Alison also managed Deep Water Cay for 8 years, from 1996 – 2004. Paul’s local knowledge, hands on management style and angling experience make him the perfect choice for this position.

    New Hells Bay Marquesa SkiffsNorth Riding Point Club's New Hells Bay Marquesa Skiff

    North Riding Point Club (NRPC) has acquired 5 new 17-foot Hells Bay Marquesa Skiffs with 90 HP Yamaha 4-stroke outboards and new trailers. NRPC has also upgraded their fleet of vehicles with a couple of newer Ford Explorer SUVs. The boats are equipped with padded seats, leaning bar and power poles. The Hells Bay skiffs have been in use since January 2013 and clients and guides alike are raving about the comfort and speed, especially when making the run to Sale Cay.

    For reservations, or more information, please call Angler Adventures at 800-628-1447 or 860-434-9624 or send us an email at info@angleradventures.com.

  • Seychelles Best Flats Fishing – Farquhar Atoll

    The Seychelles became a bucket list destination because it’s a beautiful, remote destination with fantastic wading for bonefish on hard sand & coral flats and a variety of other species both on and off the flats that added depth to the fishery.  Recently, a new fishing operation has opened on Farquhar Atoll, which has taken those credentials to the next level.  

    Beautiful and remote? Farquhar is called the “Jewel of the Seychelles” and considered to be the most beautiful island in the archipelago and also the southern most atoll (2 hour flight from Mahe).  The staff and guests are the only people on the atoll, living in the islands only accommodations.  Check.

    Fantastic Bonefishing? The fishing is 100% wading.  The average schooling bonefish is 4 – 6 pounds and there will be quite a few bonefish in the 6 – 8 pound range.  Most anglers end up leaving the schools to find fish in single and doubles for a bit more of a challenge.  Check.

    Variety of Species?  In addition to Bonefish, there are the normal fish you’d expect to see on a flat in the Seychelles: Shark, Barracuda, Snapper, Triggerfish, Trevally (including Giant Trevally), Milkfish, Napoleon Wrasse and Indo-Pacific Permit.  The guides on Farquhar have also figured out how to catch Humphead Parrotfish, which were previously though to be uncatchable on the fly and become experts at targeting GT’s (Giant Trevally).  You can also fish deeper water for Sailfish, several Grouper species, Yellowfin Tuna, Wahoo, Job fish, and more.  A client of our landed 18 different species on the fly…all with a floating line!    Check.

    This is truly one of the special fishing destinations in world, and the reservations book shows it – the first availability is for late-October 2013.  If you’re interested in fishing Farquhar, we suggest getting started now.  Like Farquhar, but more interested in Bonefishing?  Check out Farquhar’s sister operation St. Brandon’s Atoll, which has better bonefishing with less variety

    Farquhar Bonefish
    Bonefish!
  • St Brandon’s Atoll Bonefishing

    FlyCastaway has arrived in Connecticut and we’ve been enjoying spending some quality time with Gerhard and hearing him speak about the fishing programs.  You may not have heard, but St Brandon’s has been described as the finest bonefishing in the world.  We know it’s a tall order to fill, since there are excellent fisheries like North Riding Point, that produce quality numbers of double digit bonefish each year.  An excerpt from a FlyCastaway’s description of the May 11 – 20, 2012 trip to St. Brandon’s.  

    The week started off with an absolute bang, the neap tides meant we had ample time to fish some of our Bonefish hotspots and we literally climbed into the monsters St Brandon’s has become renowned for. Simply put, the fishing was off the charts! Each day at least one team would return home with an image of a weighed double digit Bonefish. For those not in the know, most dedicated saltwater anglers will go his entire lifetime without ever holding a 10lb fish….and we were doing it on a daily basis. By the end of the week we racked up no less than ten fish, which weighed over the 10lb mark, two of which were eleven pounds!

    The average size was equally impressive, and when guys started putting their noses up at eight pounders we had to give them a little pep talk. Something along the lines of “each fish is special” and “you don’t know when you’ll get this opportunity again”. Added to this we had some scary good sight fishing for these hogs as they tailed in water no deeper than our gravel guards …

    The “schooling” bonefish are in the 6 – 7 pound class, one or two 4-pound bonefish may be the smallest bonefish you’ll see, and there are bones there pushing 14-pounds.  Oh, the fishing is 100% wading and there are only 8 anglers fishing these flats every other week over two 3-month seasons each year. If you love bonefishing, this might just be having your cake and eating it too!

    Nice Bonefish from St. Brandon's Atoll

  • FlyCastaway visits Angler Adventures

    Gerhard Laubscher of FlyCastaway is visiting Angler Adventures in Connecticut next week and giving a couple of presentations about FlyCastaway’s cutting edge fishing operations on St. Brandon’s Atoll, Mauritius and Farquhar Atoll, Seychelles.  Both destinations offer spectacular fisheries that get almost no fishing pressure due to their remote locations and are priced like rare commodities, adding exclusivity to both destinations attributes (Farquhar prices at $7,500 US and St. Brandon’s prices at 6,500 Euro). 

    To get started, here’s the guides report from the April 4 – 11, 2012 week at Farquhar that included one of our clients, Steve Gross, who was looking to tally up as many species as possible.

    If you’d like to attend Gerhard’s presentations, click here.

    Farquhar Atoll: 4-11 April 2012

    Beautiful TrevallyLike a tide eager to begin its initial surge, our new group of guests arrived on the shores of Farquhar champing at the bit to explore the multitude of flats and species Farquhar has on offer. After our customary quick briefing and some hasty rigging of tackle, the group which consisted of 9 men and one hard core fisherwoman set out to get a brief taste of what was in store for the rest of the week. The weather was set to be stable …we were hoping for an absolute cracker!

    GT's are abundant on FarquharYves quickly enticed his first Trigger to eat the fly. Jeff joining the action as he got stuck into a Milky as they are still here and feeding hard! Clare quickly showed the boys she was here to do business by landing the first GT, sadly her Dad. Finally after countless attempts, Wayne O finally managed to land his Trigger, which has been eluding him for years. And it didn’t end there for Wayne as he recorded our first Farquhar Slam, that being GT, a Bone and a Trigger in one day. Now that’s some serious angling and bragging rights!

    There are Milkies too!But back to the rest of the week, the Milkies were still hanging around and after and epic battle, Alex landed his first Milky, awesome fish Alex! His action didn’t stop there either, he also managed to land a GT and a Bone in the same day, quite an achievement. Good fishing was being experienced by all, although we did have a fair number of large GTs lost due to hooks pulling and lines breaking. Clare however had the pink touch (literally), and landed another good GT. Things were heating up and the pressure was on to get the desired species.

    A small GT is still a Giant Trevally!!!Ian subsequently also made his way in to the record book by landing all three of the species and Yves just failing to qualify by losing his GT. Wayne, Dean and Jeff had one truly memorable day whereby they landed 5 GTs, although Wayne did get smoked by a Yellowfin Tuna which tore off 300m of backing in less than 20 seconds late in afternoon!

    Triggerfish offer a flats fishing challange on Farquhar2 Slams in two days. Let’s make it 4 in three days. Dean and Jeff decided they also wanted a taste of that action and had no trouble landing a Trigger, a Bone and a GT. Piece of cake, all in a day’s work at the office….these were the comments around the dining room table each evening. Steve continued his species count and landed a truly impressive Napoleon.

    Don't under estimate these Sharks.  They're fast, powerful, and fun on a fly, especially on a skinney flat.Last day out on the flats and Ian once again showed his metal landing a 98cm GT which was the largest of the week. Jeff and Wayne muscled in some Bumphead Parrotfish, whilst Steve braved “THE WALK” and reaped the rewards, landing Bones, Bluefin and two Blackfin Sharks. It was really good to have Steve out fishing with us after months of preparations and planning!

    An amazing week of fishing with 4 Farquhar Slams, 15 GTs, 6 Triggers, 2 Napoleons, some Bumpheads, a Milkfish and countless Bluefin, Grouper and Snapper. That is what Farquhar is all about!

  • Andros South Reduces Their Rates

    Long time favorite bonefishing lodge, Andros South, has just added another incentive to take a bonefishing trip this fall.  For October, November and December, Andros South reduced their 7-night/6-day fishing package rate from $3,950 per person to $3,250 per person, a savings of $700 per person.

    The $3,250 rate includes 7 nights having your own room, 6 days fishing south Andros Island with 2 anglers guide, all meals and drinks (including beer, wine, and liquor), round-trip transportation to Andros South from the South Andros airport, loaner fishing equipment (if needed), Global Rescue enrollment, and Bahamian room tax.

    Tailing Bones and Image Courtasy of Andros South
    And you get your own room!

    There is currently space in the following weeks (please call or email to confirm that space is still available).

    October 22 – 29, 2011

    November 5 – 12 & 19 – 16, 2011

    December 3 – 10 & 10 – 17, 2011

     Not what you’re looking for?  Check out our other bonefishing lodges in the Bahamas.

  • Lunch with Eve Reilly of Poronui Lodge in New Zealand

    We have seats left at our luncheon at Serafina’s Restaurant in New York City on Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 12:30 PM. If you’re in the NY area on Tuesday, please join Eve Reilly, manager at Poronui Luxury Sporting Lodge in New Zealand and Judy Hall, travel manager at Angler Adventures. For friends of Poronui and Angler Adventures, this is a great opportunity to catch up, talk fishing, and maybe win a raffle prize (several bottles of New Zealand wine will be raffled off).

    Anyone attending the luncheon and books a minimum 4-night/3-day fishing package in package November 1st – December 15th, 2011 at Poronui will get a FREE helicopter fly out during their stay!

    Angler Adventures and Poronui Lodge are picking up the tab – Lunch is on us! Seating is limited and on a first come, first served basis. Please contact Judy Hall at 800-628-1447; 860-434-9624; judy@angleradventures.com to confirm your participation.

    Serafina Fabulous Grill
    29 East 61st Street
    btw Madison & Park
    New York, NY 10222
    212-702-9898

  • Trout Fishing New Zealand

    The Compleat Angler and Angler Adventures present “An Evening with Eve Reilly”.  Eve has been the manager of the legendary Poronui Ranch for 18 years.  Poronui, remotely located in the central part of the North Island of New Zealand, was recently voted by Forbes Magazine as one of the top 10 fly fishing destinations in the world, with a team of professional guides and convenient access to many of New Zealand’s best quality fishing waters.

    Join Eve Reilly and Judy Hall for presentation and hear Eve’s masterful stories of the wily brown and rainbow trout fishing in the North Island (the ones that got away and the ones that didn’t).  Judy and Eve are both keen fly fishers and outdoor enthusiasts.   Please join us Monday, June 27th, 2011 at the Compleat Angler’s new location, 537 Post Road, Darien, CT, 7:00 PM

    We will have some nice raffle prizes, as well as offering anyone at the presentation who books a minimum 4-night/3-day fishing package November 1st – December 15th, 2011 at Poronui will get a FREE helicopter fly out during their stay! 

    For friends of Poronui and Angler Adventures, this is a great opportunity to catch up, talk fishing, and maybe win a raffle prize.  Call or email The Compleat Angler or Angler Adventures to reserve a spot, seating is limited.

    Angler Adventures: 800-628-1447; 860-434-9624; Judy@angleradventures.com      

    The Compleat Angler: 203-655-9400; compleatangler@optonline.net

    Typical Trout Fishing at Poronui Ranch
    Beautiful Water
  • Why Bonefish in the Bahamas?

    A great example comes from a group of ours that just got back from Grey’s Point Bonefish Inn, Acklins Island, Bahamas.  There is something special about Bahamas bonefishing that isn’t found wading a flat or casting to tailing fish.  The charm and arms wide open welcome of the Bahamas is even more apparent in the outer islands, like Acklins.  Group member Alec Kempe was describing a photograph taken after dinner on their last night said, “Shirley gave a speech in which she quoted Shakespeare from Romeo & Juliet “Parting is such sweet sorrow”; Peter baked us a wonderful cake & as a finale, Peter, Lavanda (wonderful singing voice) & Shirley sung to us. What a great show of appreciation & warmth – really a nice family!”

    That being said, the other reason to bonefish in the Bahamas is, well, BONEFISH!!!  Here’s a nice “10-pounder” landed by Pierce Walmsely.  Alec Kempe prefaced the image of Pierce’s bonefishng with “Lemon sharks & ‘cudas were all over us that day.  Gator kept Lemons from eating this particular fish with some great pole-on-the-sharks-head work.”

    Pierce Walmsely's Acklins bonefish.
    The colors are another reason – photo credit Alec Kempe

    Grey’s Point Bonefish Inn is one of the unique destinations where almost 100% of the fishing is done wading, unless you choose to fish from the skiff.  Want more information on Grey’s Point or fishing the out islands of the Bahamas – call Angler Adventures at 800-628-1447 (860-434-9624) or drop us an email at info@angleradventures.com.

  • Belize Special Rates

    We’ve put up a couple of report type posts on the fishing around Turneffe Atoll this week.  Since Belize is a great summer fishing destination and there are some great special fishing rates at 5 of the best fishing operations in Belize, we thought we’d get those special rates all posted in one place. Click on the links below to visit each destinations web page or call (800-628-1447) / email (info@angleradventures.com) for more information or to confirm your reservation.

    Permit Belize Style - Photo Credit: Turneffe Flats
    You can do this and get a discount!
     Turneffe Flats Resort – June 25 – December 24, 2011
     
    The cost for 7-nights/6-days fishing is $2,859.72 per person based on double occupancy accommodations and a shared boat / guide.  The regular rate is $3,384 per person.

    Turneffe Island Resort – May 28 – December 16, 2011

    The cost for 7-nights/6-days fishing is $2,587.50 per person based on double occupancy accommodations and a shared boat / guide.  The regular rate is $2,868.75 per person.

    Belize River Lodge – July 24 – December 18, 2011 (limited space available)

    The cost for 7-nights/6-days fishing is $2,412 per person based on double occupancy accommodations and a shared boat / guide.  The regular rate is $3,668 per person.

    El Pescador – June 1 – December 15, 2011

    The cost for 7-nights/6-days fishing is $2,595 per person based on double occupancy accommodations and a shared boat / guide.  The regular rate is $3,474 per person.

    Tarpon Caye Lodge – March 1 – July 31, 2011

    The cost for 7-nights/6-days fishing is $1,999 per person based on double occupancy accommodations and a shared boat / guide.  The regular rate is $2,890 per person.

  • Turneffe Flats Resort – A Tarpon Story

    The following recap of Angler Adventures owner Chip Bates’ trip to Turneffe Flats Resort appeared as a newsletter in September 2010Kevin Sheehan’s recent report got us excited about the summer tarpon fishing on Turneffe Atoll as the numbers of large, migratory tarpon rapidly increase over the next few months.  Enjoy!

     My son Tyler wanted to catch a big Tarpon on a fly and I wanted to wade flats for Bonefish and Permit in case the Tarpon weren’t “on”. We had a week in August between Tyler’s summer job and school.

    The Turneffe Islands have a migratory population of big Tarpon that usually arrive in May and remain through most of October. Bonefish and Permit are year round. On paper, it appeared that that Turneffe Flats Resort had what we were looking for. In reality, it was better than expected.

    First, it’s great bonding to travel with your son. Because of his work and college schedule, we hadn’t done this since high school. Secondly, Tyler and I love the fishing lodge schedule: up early, eat, fish, eat, and to bed early. Well, that’s where we differ…at least I was in bed early.

    We were assigned Dubs as our guide. Dubs is an upbeat, happy guy who takes his fishing seriously. The only disappointment of the trip was that neither of us landed a Permit. Not for lack of trying. We had multiple, if not dozens, of shots daily. We’ll save the Permit for another trip.

    Nice Bonefish from Turneffe Flats Lodge
    Chip's 8 lb Belize Bonefish

    We warmed up on Bonefish and caught plenty. Turneffe Flats has some of the best wading anywhere, but we also poled some deeper flats for larger fish and caught bones up to 8 lbs. To me this was a delightful way to fill in the gaps between Tarpon and Permit.

    One afternoon about 3:00 PM, Dubs suggested the tide was good for Tarpon. We motored back to a large creek, adjacent to the lodge, that connects the ocean to the lagoon. This creek is too deep to pole, but it’s crystal clear. As we approached the creek, Tyler spotted something break the surface at a distance.

    We stopped and looked but could confirm nothing. We continued towards Dubs’ favorite Tarpon spot. Dubs dropped anchor and asked Tyler to cast his intermediate line perpendicular to the current, let the fly sink, then swing in the current on the retrieve. While Tyler was straightening his line, Dubs saw activity in the area we’d just come from. Next we saw two 100 lb Tarpon come completely airborne like dolphins at Sea World. Holy #$*@!, we all said in unison. Up came the anchor and we got our butts to that spot in a hurry. For the next 45 minutes it was mayhem. Big Tarpon everywhere around the boat, under the boat, airborne on both sides of the boat, all chasing big needlefish and ballyhoo. It was one of the most incredible sights I’ve seen in lifelong fishing career. 

    Bottom line: Tyler jumped 4 tarpon from 80 – 120 lbs. Every fish eventually threw the fly. The frenzy petered out just before dark. Time for dinner. Dubs said the tide would be good again in the morning. He wanted to be on water before sunrise.

    Gorgeous 80 lb Turneffe Atoll Tarpon
    Tyler, Dubs and a nice Tarpon

    We got to Dubs’ favorite spot in the pre-dawn light. It was beautifully quiet and calm, except for the tide. Tyler straightened his line, ready to cast the black and purple Puglisi Tarpon Streamer tied on a circle hook, the same fly the 4 tarpon ate the day before. It wasn’t long before we saw Tarpon roll in the current left of the boat. One cast and Tyler was dancing with a tail walking Tarpon that again spit the fly.

    Not being a fan of circle hooks, I suggested to Dubs that we change the fly. We selected the exact same pattern tied on an Owner Aki traditional bend hook. Tarpon remained active around the boat and it wasn’t long before Ty connected again. This time the fly held through the first jump, the second and third jumps. 30 minutes later we landed this gorgeous fish, estimated at 80 lbs.

    The Tarpon had stopped rolling. We were back in time for breakfast, ready to sight fish for bones and permit the rest of the day.

  • April 10th Week at Turneffe Island Resort – Client Report

    Kevin Sheehan and his fiancée, Brenna Wiberg recently returned from a fabulous trip to Turneffe Island Resort the week of April 9 – 16, 2011.  Kevin fished with veteran Turneffe guide Clinton Wade (a.k.a. KP), and landed 4 out of 6 permit hooked, including the beautiful 30 pounder pictured here! 

    Turneffe Island Resort - 30lb Permit
    Nice fish Kevin

    Despite it still being early for tarpon on the Turneffe Atoll, KP managed to get Kevin into about a half dozen tarpon up to 80 pounds (he landed 3 including one to fill out a Grand Slam!). 

    Kevin spent some time chasing the bones, landing a bunch up to around 7 pounds, and devoted time to coaching Brenna (previously a non-fisherperson) into her first bonefish!  (She fishes now!).  AND, Kevin was perhaps most excited about seeing and hooking, not 1, not 2, but 3 of the extremely rare Turneffe Golden Bones (more on these guys in a future post).  Only a handful of these are landed every year, and Kevin has vowed to get one on his next trip (which they’ve already booked – their honeymoon in 2012!).

    Turneffe Island Resort is located on the remote Cay Bokel on the southern end of the Turneffe Atoll, which is a 2-hour boat ride from the Belize mainland.  Click here for more information on Turneffe Island Resort. 

  • Patagonia Backroads – Catch Magazine

    As we mentioned in our last post, friend / photographer / fly tackle sales rep Jon Covich took a trip to Arroyo Claro Lodge in Argentina in January.  However, Jon wasn’t there solely for the great fishing on the Chubut, Carrilefu, and Rivadavia Rivers.  He was also in Patagonia to take photos – and boy did he capture some exceptional images while staying at Arroyo Claro.  Jon’s photo’s were so good that he was invited to do a photo essay on his trip in Catch Magazine, an online magazine focused on showing the beauty of fly fishing through the finest in fly fishing photography and cinematography.  Catch is a truly unique online publication and we love it here at Angler Adventures.  Click here to access Catch Magazine’s 17th issue, click on contents (lower left) and then ‘Photo Essay – Patagonia Backroads’ under the ‘Unique Essays’ heading to experience the entire essay.  Until then, here’s a small sample:

    Fly Fishing the Chubut River, Argentina
    The Chubut River

    “…Rio Chubut, our longest float trip, will be our first excursion and it will take four days to cover sixty miles.  The river holds the strongest rainbow trout in the country and we catch them all on dries.  The summer weather is very dry, the high desert kind, and at times with a wind that sweeps the barren hills and is, thankfully, partially blocked by the willows that border the river…”

  • Fly Fishing in Chile – Big Flies and Big Browns

    Fly Fishing in Chile is known for big brown trout taking big surface flies.  This is especially true in the Coyhaique area of Southern Patagonia.  Typically anglers thinking about Chile imagine the splashy rises of trout taking 2” – 3” imitations of Cantaria Beetle, the largest beetle in Chile.  This season offers something new, potentially a once in a lifetime opportunity.  The Quila Bamboo in the Paloma River Valley is seeding – an event that happens about every 15 years (estimated to take 60 years for the bloom to return to the same area).  This “bloom” creates an explosion in the mouse population due to the abundance of food (Quila Seeds).  This acute rise in rodent populations is a well-known phenomenon in South America, which has been scientifically documented since 1552. 

    Nice Brown from Cinco Rios Chile

    Cinco Rios Chile is already exploiting the situation and catching large browns on mouse imitations, however owner Sebastian Galilea expects the fishing to peak in late February / early March when the rodent population is at its peak and the supply of Quila seeds has declined.  Anyone who has fished the Arolik for Rainbows or Labrador for Brookies can testify to the voracious strikes on mice when skated over fish from an opposing bank or overhanging branch.  The Paloma River, the Magote, the Rio Simpson, the Boca de Leon, and the Elizadle all have visible increases in the rodent populations and are proving productive when fished with a mouse imitation.

    Cinco Rios$3,675 US per person based on double occupancy & two anglers per guide

    January 1 – 15 – 4 anglers

    January 15 – 22 – 2 anglers

    January 22 – 29 – 6 anglers

    January 29 – February 19 – 2 anglers

    February 26 – March 5 – 6 anglers

    Paloma River Lodge – $3,250.00 US per person based on double occupancy & two anglers per guide

    January 1 – February 12 – 8 anglers

    February 12 – March 12 – 4 anglers

    The Largest of Chile's 7 beetle species
    Cantaria Beetle of Southern Chile

      Estancia del Zorro – $3,675 US per person based on double occupancy & two anglers per guide

    While Cinco Rios’ sister lodge may not get to experience the boom in mice, the estancia is home to the famously productive Zorro spring creek.  These are the last spots available for the 2010 – 2011 season:

    February 19 – 26, 2011 – 2 rods

    February 26 – March 5, 2011 – 6 rods

    March 5 – 12, 2011 – 2 rods
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     Angler Adventures 800-628-1447 – 860-434-9624
    Fax 860-434-8605
    E-Mail:Info@angleradventures.com
    PO Box 872, Old Lyme, CT 06371
    web site: www.www.angleradventures.com
  • Remembering The Gyno Crab

    

    NOV 6 – 13, 2004, I was one of a party of 8 very talented flyfishers and great guys who descended on Casa Blanca on Mexico’s Ascension Bay

    in quest of permit. The first day out, just a couple were taken, one by first time permit fisher Dr. Ralph Cifaldi. Ralph was using a crab pattern of his own concoction; a variation on the Dorsey Kwan, distinguished by a long tail of amber dyed polar bear barred with a brown marking pen.
      
    Taken with a Gyno Crab
    "Tara" with a nice Ascension Bay Permit

    The second day, there was better success in the group, with Ralph coming in as top rod with a “hat trick” – 3 more permit on this just his second day chasing permit! This piqued our interest a bit more in Ralphy’s unorthodox pattern.

     

    The third day, more permit were released by the group, but again the top rod was Doc Ralph, with another hat trick! 3 days into the trip and Ralphy had 7 permit under his belt. The excitement over Ralphy’s fly grew, and being the generous soul that he is, he stayed up late cranking out more of his crab patterns so as to present each one of us with one at breakfast.
     
    There was no doubt in my mind what fly to tie on that morning! We ran back into the bay, inside of the tip of Vigia Grande. The wind had slightly clouded the water along the south side of the bay, and my superb guide Manuel (Tarantula) worked the edge between the cloudy and the clear water. Suddenly I spotted a huge permit working up tide toward us. I called to Manuel and he kicked the boat right, and with a couple of strong pushes on the pole put me in position to intercept the fish. I launched Ralph’s fly, it landed perfectly, I made a one-foot long strip and the big fish quivered, lunged forward and ate it. It immediately took off on a searing and what I expected to be a “reel-emptying” run. But about 70 yards out, it just stopped, and slowly pulled. I looked at the bottom and it was moving. Yes, now he was just leisurely towing the boat across the bay! This went on for 42 minutes until finally we got the fish close enough to tail it. But Manuel couldn’t get it over the gunnel! Finally, he went over the side in chest deep water to “wrassle” the beast into submission. We didn’t have a boga grip, but Manuel said his largest “bogaed” fish was 38 pounds, and allowed as how this guy was just about as big! We settled on 35 as an estimate.
      

    By the end of the week, our party of 8 had tallied an amazing 35 permit on fly, and quite a few over 20 pounds. And Ralph’s pattern accounted for 17 of these, and the fly didn’t even a name. The last evening, our group sat around the palapa having beers and trying to come up with an appropriate name for Dr. Ralph’s (a gynecologist by the way) remarkable fly. Finally John Canavari burst out, “I’ve got it! The Gyno Crab”. And the name stuck. Google it!
    I can’t swear there’s something special about the pattern – maybe it was just a case of a lot of happy permit eating well. But if any fly catches any permit, I want to have it in my arsenal! Hope this works as well for you.

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     Angler Adventures

    800-628-1447 – 860-434-9624
    Fax 860-434-8605
    E-Mail:Info@angleradventures.com
    PO Box 872, Old Lyme, CT 06371
    web site: www.www.angleradventures.com