LOWEST Prices of the Year at North Riding Point Club
Some of the best fishing for big “trophy” bonefish is on the North Shore of Grand Bahama. North Riding Point Club is the only lodge fishing a vast and remote area of the North Shore. Launching at North Riding Point, they are the only boats fishing prime flats 10+ miles east & west, and extending north including the remote water around the Sale Cays, Strangers Cay, and Carter Cay. The fall and early winter are one of the most productive times to fish this area, especially for trophy, double-digit bones. We just received some awesome openings at North Riding Point Club, and with the lowest prices of the year, now is the time to make a reservation at North Riding Point Club.
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.
"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.
Dr. Ralph Cifaldi’s Gyno Crab – Tied by Doug Schlink
Mid-Morning Permit Snack
Hook: Daiichi X452 or similar in #2 or #4 Thread: Danvilles Flat Wax, Fl. Green Weight: Lead Eyes – sized to water depth and hook size Tail: Appx 2 – 2 ½ inches, Polar bear, dyed golden orange (Rit golden yellow dye does it) and barred with a dark brown (*) marking pen Body: 8 pieces of Tan Aunt Lydia’s Rug Yarn (Antron) figure-eighted in (Merkin fashion) on top of hook shank, and trimmed to appx dime shape. Legs: 2 (**) Amber/flecked black Sili-Legs, square knotted in (Merkin style), trimmed slightly long (about 1 inch) and set with Krazy Glue (***)
* I didn’t have a dark brown pen, just dark umber. The barring should be darker – more contrasting. ** While conventional wisdom would dictate 3 legs (per side), Ralph contends permit can’t count, so this is tied true to his original pattern (which worked, so apparently they can’t count). *** I didn’t have any Krazy Glue handy – just used some head cement. Ralph put drops of Krazy Glue on the legs near the edges of the yarn body (and worked into the yarn slightly) to keep these sticking out at the appropriate angles.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Belize is a great destination for anglers traveling during the summer months due to its neo to sub-tropical climate, whose daytime temperatures only vary between 10 – 15 degrees over the course of a year. This consistency makes the fishing in Belize fairly predictable, as well as productive, each month of the year. The following write up by Doug Schink (doug@angleradventues.com) on Tarpon Caye Lodge recently appeared in The Angling Report.
Tarpon Caye is a 10-acre private island situated 15 miles east of Placencia, Belize in the area referred to as “Permit Alley”. The Caye takes its name from its tarpon lagoon that reliably holds a resident population of mid size (30 – 60 lbs.) tarpon. There are also some fair to good bonefish flats in the area, but permit is the main attraction at Tarpon Caye. On the top half of the tide, permit predictably flood the dozens of flats found within a 5 – 20 minute run of the Caye. These are skinny, gin-clear ocean water flats and dorsal as well as caudal fins are frequently out of the water. While you can skiff fish, it’s often more productive to wade these firm, shallow flats. It’s not unusual to have 20 or more legitimate shots over a tide.
Love at First Sight
Tarpon Caye Lodge is owned by “Permit Guru”, Charlie Leslie who has spent over 35 years guiding permit anglers on these flats. What distinguishes the fishing program from more conventional “8 to 4” lodge programs is that they will fish the tides. ‘We do fishing here’, is Charlie’s motto, and he means it. If you are there over a full or new moon, your highest tides occur during the middle of the day and thus the best permit fishing will be during the midday hours. However if your stay coincides with a quarter moon when low tide typically occurs around midday, Charlie will schedule “split day” fishing. For example, during these tides, you might fish from first light until the permit leave the flats with the falling tide, say from 5:30 to 8:30 am. You’ll then return to the lodge for a breakfast/brunch, and a siesta. Around 2:00 pm, you’ll head back out to meet the permit returning to the flats on the incoming tide, and fish until dark.
Accommodations are in basic but comfortable double occupancy cabañas on stilts, each with full tiled bath with hot and cold water and generated electricity. The clubhouse features the bar and dining room where guests enjoy libations and excellent meals featuring the freshest local seafood.
Tarpon Caye Lodge is competitively priced and is currently offering a special for 7 nights/6-days fishing for $1,999 per person double occupancy.
Permit Alley is a challenging fishery to be sure, but if stalking tailing permit on foot on gin-clear flats appeals to you, you owe it to yourself to take the challenge!
Saltwater flats fishing authority, Dick Brown, is releasing the second version of his Bonefish Fly Patterns book in June 2011. Both of Dick’s books are considered must reads for any angler interested in improving his skills and learing more about bonefishing. Sharing Dick’s passion for the sport, we’re excited to celebrate this all-new second edition by posting exclusive excerpts from Dick’s 2 books (Bonefish Fly Patterns and Fly Fishing for Bonefish) over next few months. Many of you may have fished with guides mentioned in the book like Meko or Bully, or in locations after which flies are named, such as Mores Island.
The following is from the preface to the second edition of Bonefish Fly Patterns by Dick Brown. There are some great bonefish flies included in this edition that we’ve been recommending to our clients, specifically the Simram and the Bully Special (by Bully Bevins of North Riding Point Club – one of our favorites). Check out the image of Trodella’s Ghost, it’s like a modernized version of our favorite skinny water bonefish fly – the Bunny Bone!
This revised edition of Bonefish Fly Patterns contains forty-seven new flies that were not in the original 1996 edition. Some are recent patterns created by new flats anglers with fresh, inquisitive eyes—like Victor Trodella’s killer Ghost tailing fly and Omeko Glinton’s Meko Special. Others like Eric Peterson’s Spawning Shrimp, Vic Gaspeny’s Threadhead, Rick Simonsen’s Simram, and Patrick Dorsy’s Kwan and Bone Slappa are creations of skilled flats veterans willing to pass along the exact recipes of go-to favorites they’ve relied on for winning tournaments. Still others are well-known classics that I simply could not get into the original book for one reason or another—like the Horror and the Mini-Puff, which have produced on flats around the world for decades. A few new creations, like the Toad and the Slinky Toad, were developed in response to the significant findings of recent bonefish feeding studies that have established the importance of newly discovered prey forms in the diet of Florida and Bahamian bonefish—especially the gulf toadfish. Four—the Bastard Crab, Big Ugly, Merkwan, and Bunny Crab—come from Bonefish & Tarpon Trust’s Aaron Adams, who is both a marine research scientist and an avid angler. Finally, several new entries, like the Skok/Boyle Reverend Laing fly, the Bevin’s Bully Special, and Trodella’s Ghost, were driven by new tying materials and new uses of existing materials, which have enabled tiers to find novel solutions to old bonefish challenges like flash intensity and splash impact.
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.”
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.
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.
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).
The following recap of Angler Adventures owner Chip Bates’ trip to Turneffe Flats Resort appeared as a newsletter in September 2010. Kevin 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.
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.
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.
Attention all bonefish anglers: We here at Angler Adventures are raffling off a free bonefishing trip for 2 anglers to one of the best destinations in the Bahamas, North Riding Point Club. This trip to Grand Bahama Island is valued at $6,600. The trip is for 4-nights/3-days of fishing for 2 people anytime North Riding Point Club has space available during the months of January, February, March, June, July, October and December 2011 or 2012.
It’s easy and free to enter – just email Evan@angleradventures.com for a chance to win this awesome bonefishing trip. Or, give us a call at 800-628-1447 (860-434-9624) and we’ll be happy to add you.
Plus, to sweeten the pot, we’ve added a bonus promotion for everyone who enters the raffle. Stay 5-nights/4-days for the price of 4-nights/3-days. In other words, you pay $2,640 per person (October to the end of February and July), a savings of $660 per person or pay $3,300 per person (March through June), a savings of $900 per person.
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.
Like 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!
Yves 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!
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.
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!
2 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.
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!
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.
Protect Your Feet with a good pair of wading shoes or boots designed for flats fishing, a few pairs of wet wading socks, and don’t forget to break in your shoes. Wading shoes and socks will help to keep sand out and reduce blister forming friction, as well as giving support for a day of wading. But, if the first time you put on your wading shoes in the Bahamas, it’ll be a long week. Break in your shoes by wearing them around the house for an hour or two a couple times per week. It’s much better than blisters or sore arches. Do Not wear last years sneakers with cotton socks or open sandals – your feet will thank you.
Find a Comfortable lumbar pack or chest/sling pack. Bigger is not always better. The pack should have the essentials (flies, leader and tippet material, nippers, hook file, pliers / hemostats, light rain jacket, camera, water bottle, and maybe your lunch / snack) but not packed full so it disturbs your casting.
Wading is Exercise and it can be a lot of work, especially at a destination like Grey’s Point Inn, South Caicos or the Seychelleswhere there are extensive flats and you might wade all day. Some flats are firm and easy to wade, while others can be slightly soft or have uneven bottoms, which make walking more difficult. To be sure you’re physically prepared for long wading sessions, schedule long walks or hikes months before your trip. It’s also a great way to find some more remote areas on your local waters, so don’t forget your rod and a box flies!
A Little Practice Casting can make the difference between getting your fly to that 9-pound bonefish, or watching it leave a rooster tail as it runs for deeper water. The majority of shots at bonefish while wading happen between 40’ – 60’, so accuracy and versatility are more important than speed and distance (but the later can also be helpful). The best practice casting is to targets in that 40’ – 60’ range, from different angles (click here to see a diagram of the casting clock). Be sure that you’re not just casting with the wind at your back – knowing how to handle wind blowing in your face or from your right / left will make getting your fly in the right place much easier. Don’t forget to practice your casting while wearing your pack!
You can encounter tailing fish on any fertile bottom, but weedy bottoms hold the most prey, therefore the most fish. Big fish seem more comfortable feeding in the shallows over a dark bottom. Click here for tips on Shallow Water, Tailing Fish.
The end of the outgoing and beginning of the incoming brings the skinniest water that’s when you’ll find fish tailing over the weeds. To catch them, you’ll need a fly that doesn’t “plop” when it hits the water: go small.
A tailing fish is focused on a small area. Frequently he’ll create a cloud of sand or mud where he’s feeding. You must put the fly in the area where’s he’s rooting, a matter of inches from his nose. You must throw a fly that doesn’t spook him when it lands: go light.
Once the fly lands in front of the fish, let it sink, then give it the tiniest of strips: go weedless.
There are loads of excellent flies for bonefishing in skinny water, but our number one fly is the Bunny Bone when we need to go small, light or weedless. Having a variety of Bunny Bones in your fly box is a necessity, especially when wading for bonefish. Tan or brown (tied with tan or pink thread) rabbit fur tail with a little gold Mylar and mono eyes are top producing colors. It’s also a great fly in slightly deeper water with small or medium bead chain eyes, instead of mono. Try adding crazy legs and don’t forget the weed guard! Click here for more information on tying bonefish flies, including the Bunny Bone.
We haven’t stopped talking about Bob Cosgriff’s HUGE PERMIT since he sent us the first photo February 25, 2015 on his way home from the Bahamas. You can read Bob’s write up and see a photo below. More photos from Bob’s trip can be found on our Facebook Page.
Photo Credit to Capt. Barry Kanavy
“PERMIT – IT’S HUGE!”
by Bob Cosgriff
These are the words we all long to hear. But let’s start at the beginning.
After several months of miserable winter weather my friend Capt. Barry Kanavy and I were looking forward to six days of fishing on Acklins Island at Grey’s Point Bonefishing Lodge. Acklins is known for its bonefishing so we loaded up on equipment for the grey ghost. Evan Peterson at Angler Adventures had suggested we hook up with the head guide at Greys, Garon Williamson to show us around.
My motto is be ready for “anything”. So that means 5 rods: Three eight weights for Bones, a nine weight for Permit and a ten weight for Barracuda . Every thing was packed, lines cleaned, leaders checked and five boxes of flies; just the basics!
The week started with three days of fly tying as a cold front shut everything down. On day four & five the clouds parted and we got to experience what Grey’s Point is noted for, stalking bones on expansive wading flats. On our last day, I made a casual comment to Garon that we’d like fish from the boat and try our luck with the Cudas we had seen prowling the deeper flats. That request would change our fishing lives forever.
Photo Credit: Barry Kanavy
Two hours later Barry and I surveyed our frayed leaders, mangled wire, shredded Barracuda flies and some great photos to remember our time stalking these torpedoes. Garon mentioned he had one more place to show us for barracuda and the occasional permit.
We motored over on the ocean side and cruised around for five minutes when I heard Garon call from the back of the boat “PERMIT – IT’S HUGE” …tailing behind a ray.
I jumped off the poling platform where I had been sitting and walked forward as Barry pulled out my permit rig of choice: Helios2 9wt, Nautilus NV reel , Rio 9 weight permit line connected to a Rio 20lb leader, ending with a tan Kung fu crab size 4. I was ready. I was confident. After all I had recently tamed some bad ass cudas! I stripped out my line, saw the ray, and on my third attempt cast 65 feet landing the leader 2 feet over the ray. I let the fly sink in the 5 foot water and then felt a small tug. I set the hook and the permit was on. Things stayed pretty calm, the line cleared the deck and everything was under control. I had caught small permit before, so how bad could this be? I would soon find out.
The fish then began a slow turn on my right side. Not a full run but a slow drive by so he could give me a once over. It was then that I realized Garon had been trying to keep me calm when he said, “huge Permit”. It wasn’t huge, it was a monster! I felt my confidence drain as if I’d sprung a leak. I clicked down the drag three times . . . I was going to need all of it. I looked at the nine weight in my hands and realized that I had brought a knife to a gun fight. Seconds later my reel started to scream and I said goodbye to my fly line for the next 35 minutes as the permit began his run to open water and large swells. Barry grabbed the back of my belt to stabilize me in the rolling water and to relay commands to Garon. Twice the fish surged out to deeper water and I was still hanging on. Then I looked down at my reel to see the backing getting very thin. I estimated I had 50 feet left and yelled to Barry and Garon to fire up the engine and we slowly regained some backing only to have the fish take off again. We kept this game up for 20 minutes until he made a run to some rocks on a point. Now I had my moment of truth. I had to stop him from reaching the rocks, even if I broke him off. I swung the rod to the left, put as much pressure as I could and hoped he would turn before the rod exploded. Ten feet from the rocks the fish turned and for the first time in the battle I felt I really had a chance to land this beast.
Slowly I gained backing and started to control his head. Finally I saw my fly line coming back through the guides. 35 minutes had gone by and my arms and legs were on fire. Slowly he came to the boat moving back and forth using his body as a brake against me. He was three feet off the bow when I had a new panic attack that I had lost my leverage and the big fish was taking advantage of that. Finally he came around the side, Garon touched the leader and grabbed the tail like his life depended on it.
Barry and I waited for Garon to stand up with our trophy, but nothing happened. Then we heard him yell that the fish was too heavy. Barry grabbed Garon’s belt and back pack and pulled our guide back into the boat – holding the biggest permit we had ever seen. The fish sat on the floor – We were stunned! No one did anything or spoke for 15 seconds, we just looked at a truly colossal permit. We regained our composure and with both Garon and I holding the fish Barry took some quick pictures.
Photo Credit: Capt. Barry Kanavy
Now our efforts reversed as we scrambled to get the fish back into the water to live another day. He was tired but slowly he got stronger and Garon let go of the tail as he headed off to deeper water.
How big was the permit? We estimated sixty pounds. Other veteran guides, after seeing the pictures say, 60-70 pounds – others less. Is it a record? We will leave that to others to decide. We quickly measured the length against the rod – 45 inches! The girth not measured but look at the photos – you guess.
All we know is that on February 24, 2015 something special took place out there. Garon summed it up best when he said “We will fish the rest of our lives and never catch a fish like that again”. Barry and I quietly nodded our heads as we slowly motored back to the lodge. We were done for the day.
Ultimately, it wasn’t about breaking or claiming records. The best part was watching the fish swim away.
2015 will be remembered in Angling history as the year it became legal for US Citizens, in possession of a “people to people” travel letter from the non-profit fisheries research and conservation organization Bonefish Tarpon Trust (BTT), to sport fish in Cuba.
2015 is also the year travel restrictions were lifted, making it legal for US airlines to fly to Cuba, US travel agents to book travelers to Cuba and US insurance companies to offer travel insurance to US Citizens traveling to Cuba.
Angler Adventures has been assisting a limited number of US anglers traveling legally to Cuba for several years. But, the easing of restrictions in general and the travel license from BTT in particular, opens the door for any US angler wanting to fish Cuba.
What hasn’t changed (and will take years to catch up) is the tourist infrastructure within Cuba and the transportation network to Cuba. Traveling to Cuba is still complex. We recommend using a knowledgeable, qualified travel agent, whether it’s your first trip or your twelfth.
In addition to having a staff of fishing experts, Angler Adventures is a full service travel agency, licensed to sell travel insurance. Angler Adventures can assist you in selecting a fishing location in Cuba, prepare you for what to fish for and what to bring, assist you in obtaining the travel letter from the BTT, assist with your Cuban Visa, create the most efficient travel itinerary for you and your group and offer you the protection of travel insurance for trip cancellation, trip interruption, emergency medical evacuation, and more.
Call us today at 1-800-628-1447. There is so much more we’d like to share with you about this fascinating country and phenomenal saltwater fishery.
Want to know more about traveling to Cuba and its amazing Fisheries: Click or Tap below.
Cuba: Now Available – Bonefish, Permit, Tarpon, Snook & More
