Bill Mayti, good friend and fishing partner, suggested that we take a break from January抯 cold and go bonefishing in sunny Mexico. We stayed on a barrier island about ninety miles south of Cancun in the Sian Ka抋n (Mayan for 搘here the sky is born? Biosphere Reserve. The park was alive with tropical wildlife, including monkeys, toucans, flamingos, crocodiles and ocelots. Better yet, the shallow lagoons were heavily populated with bonefish, tarpon, permit, snook and a host of other warm saltwater fish.
The flight to Cancun, Mexico was the easy part, which took a little over two hours. The next two hours, we traveled by car past the fabulous Caribbean Sea beach resorts of Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum. When we left Tulum, the pavement ended and what had been a six lane highway quickly became a sandy rut-filled trail that led to a boat landing. There we boarded a panga, a twenty- three foot narrow flat bottom boat, powered by a fifty-horse power engine. Forty-five minutes later, we arrived at the Pesca Maya Fishing Lodge (pescamaya.com).
Bill Matyi with a Pesca Maya bonefish taken on a fly.
Ascension Bay's flats encompass hundreds of square miles, which makes it one of the most likely places to encounter all three 揼rand slam?species ?bonefish, tarpon and permit. In fact, there are so many bonefish roaming the flats, that they are the 揼o-to?fish when others aren抰 hitting. That抯 exactly what happened to us on our first day. The morning began with multiple hook-ups and hundreds of bonefish sightings. After lunch, Bill waded toward a pair of tailing permit, estimated to be between ten or fifteen pounds. After several presentations with a crab pattern fly, the disinterested duo slid off the flat. Later that afternoon, we made several presentations to juvenile tarpon in a brackish lagoon. Happily, the day ended when Bill hooked a thirty-pounder, which threw his tarpon fly after four breathtaking, head shaking leaps.
Day-two found us in a mangrove bay surrounded by bonefish. But, as is generally the case when they抮e tailing, the water is shallower than the draft of the boat, and the bottom was too soft for wading. We had to make difficult long casts. The biggest fish, about seven pounds, ignored our 揼ot-cha?flies, even after changing colors and sizes several times. Over the next hour, a few swam within range. We enjoyed playing and boating several in the three to four pound range.
One might wonder why anglers travel such distances to catch a fish that averages less than five pounds and is not even edible. Some say it抯 the ultimate game fish because of its leeriness and the patience required to tempt one into biting. If that抯 not enough, when they hit, the fight is mind-blowing! A seven pounder can tear a hundred yards of line off a reel in a matter of seconds. First timers are dumbfounded when they see the line zipping through the water at twenty plus miles per hour, Think about it. A largemouth bass can swim in short spurts up to twelve mph. A bonefish can outrun any fish on the flats, including the speedy barracuda.
One doesn抰 have to go to Mexico to catch bonefish. In Florida, they can be caught from Biscayne Bay south to Key West and the Marquesas Keys. They also live in the waters of the Bahamas, Bermuda, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the British West Indies.
Panga - a popular boat design used to fish in tropical waters.
Capt. Gus Gustafson of Lake Norman Ventures, Inc. is an Outdoor Columnist and a full time Professional Fishing Guide on Lake Norman, NC. Visit his website, www.fishingwithgus.com or call 704-617-6812. For additional information, e-mail
[email protected].
