Fishing Reports
February 4 - February 11, 2012
Weather Conditions: Consistently warm and sunny throughout the week.
Air Temp: Averaged in the upper 70s
Water Temp: Upper 70s
Wind: Dominated from ENE
Tides: Falling tide throughout the day for most of the week, with a rising tide throughout the mornings by week’s end
Moon Phase: Full Moon on Tuesday, February 7
The warm and sunny weather that followed last week’s cold fronts had bonefish and permit chasing flies both on the flats and in some deeper pools. As surface waters warmed with the sun, large schools of fish were found along the outer eastside flats of the Atoll. Anglers fared well with old standbys Crazy Charlies, Gotchas, and Pops’ Bonefish Bitters.
This week, we hosted anglers of all skill levels, and all were successful in landing bonefish as well as various other species, including barracuda, snapper and jacks.
Bill “The Kingpin” S., Bob S., Lynn M., and John L., of California joined us for a full week. They mixed it up, fishing with guides Dubs and Michael and targeting various species. John, who had previously fished with us, targeted bonefish, but also enjoyed fishing deeper water for snapper and jacks.
Bob, an avid angler, ended the week with a bang by landing numerous bonefish. He also had numerous legitimate shots at permit in the lagoon, but unfortunately, could not get them to chase a fly. His wife, Lynn, had a great week bonefishing on the flats. With keen eyesight, natural talent, and assistance from Dubs, Lynn was targeting tailing bones like a pro by mid-week.
And then, of course, was Bill – also known as “The Kingpin.” At 81, Bill did not skip a beat when it came down to fishing. Using a 6-weight and fishing deeper water, Bill was successful in landing numerous bonefish, snapper, and a large barracuda.
Hailing from the “Land Down Under,” Mike M. joined us for a half-week. Mike landed many bonefish in his few days fishing and also had a couple of shots at a school of permit in the Central Lagoon.
As a matter of policy to ensure privacy, Turneffe Flats does not use last names of guests in our reports.___________________________________________________________
January 28 – February 4, 2012
Weather Conditions: Two cold fronts brought in some cloud cover and rain
Air Temp: Averaged in the mid-70s
Water Temp: Upper 70s
Wind: Winds from the N and E
Tides: We had a rising tide throughout the day in the beginning of the week, and a high falling tide in the morning by week’s end
Moon Phase: First Quarter Moon on Mon., Jan. 30
Despite less-than-ideal weather, all anglers landed bonefish throughout the week. We also had one permit caught in the beginning of the week.
Fishing was affected by the weather. Unfortunately, we had back-to-back cold fronts move through the area that pushed fish off the flats and into deeper water. It was very unusual and definitely not characteristic during this time of the year – or any time of year, for that matter.
By Saturday (2/4) the weather broke and we were graced with sunshine and the sight of many tailing bonefish in front of the lodge.
Canadian visitors Ivo M., Bryan R., and Bill F., fished with guides Daniel and Willie. An angler on a mission, Ivo, along with Daniel, concentrated on permit, and was successful in landing one early in the week. By week’s end, Ivo decided to take advantage of the variety of sport fish species found at Turneffe and caught a couple of barracuda on Fri. While Ivo and Daniel were chasing permit, Bryan and Bill headed to one of our many hard-bottom flats in search of bonefish. They were successful all week long in landing bonefish, even in less-than-ideal conditions. Both Bryan and Bill also had a few shots at permit.
Joining us from San Diego, Calif., were Brian E., Gerry D., and Kim E. The three anglers fished with guides Dubs and Dion. Each angler landed bonefish plus a few snapper and barracuda. These three gentlemen also had a couple of shots at permit.
We also had a handful of half-week anglers – Paul and Barbara B., and Jim D., fished with guide Capt. at various times in the week. All were quite new to saltwater fly-fishing, and each caught multiple bonefish and a few other species.
It was a small group of fun-loving and interesting guests that had us all feeling like a family by the end of the week.
As a matter of policy to ensure privacy, Turneffe Flats does not use last names of guests in our reports.___________________________________________________________
January 21 – January 28, 2012
Weather Conditions: Warm and Sunny!
Air Temp: Averaged around 80 degrees
Water Temp: Upper 70’s to low 80’s
Wind: Winds from the ESE prevailed
Tides: High tides in the morning for most of the week, with high tide between Noon and 1 pm by week’s end
Moon Phase: New Moon on Monday, January 23
Another week of warm and sunny weather provided good fishing throughout the week. Morning outings seemed to fare better than the afternoons because of the tides; however, bonefish and permit were caught throughout the tidal cycle. For bonefish, anglers had success with various small Bitters patterns, as well as Gotchas.
Ed B., a fishing guide out of Homosassa, Fla., had an incredible week of fishing with Guide Dion. Along with multiple bonefish, Ed successfully chased permit for most of his stay. The veteran fisherman has spent the past 20 years attempting to catch a permit, and this week, he managed to land 4! Primarily a conventional gear fisherman, Ed also landed one of his four permit on a fly rod – an accomplishment any angler should be proud of.
Longtime TF angler, Dirk R., and his girlfriend Ali F. fished with Guide Michael throughout the week. And although Ali had never picked up a fly rod before, she caught bonefish all week long while fishing off of the boat and wading the flats. Ali also enjoyed a few afternoon snorkels off of Michael’s skiff.
Jeff S. and Kathy O. of Madison, Wisc. enjoyed chasing bonefish and permit with Guides Daniel and Willie throughout the week. Each angler landed bonefish in the flats and had a few shots at permit. An expert trout fisherman, this was Jeff’s first saltwater experience, and we hope to see these two again in the future.
Paul H. and son-in-law Robert B. were our true Southern gentlemen of the week. They spent the week bonefishing successfully with Guide Pops.
Earl M. spent the week fishing for bonefish and permit with Guide Dubs. Earl had much success on the flats, where he landed many 5 lb. plus bonefish, including a 9 lb. bonefish.
Stable weather over the past couple of weeks had bonefish and permit feeding quite readily. We truly enjoyed the company of this group and hope to see everybody again in the future.
As a matter of policy to ensure privacy, Turneffe Flats does not use last names of guests in our reports.
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January 14 – January 21, 2012
Weather Conditions: Warm and Sunny!
Air Temp: Averaged around 79 degrees
Water Temp: Upper 70’s to low 80’s
Wind: Winds from the E prevailed
Tides: High Tide in the late afternoon for the beginning of the week and High Falling Tide throughout the morning by week’s end
Moon Phase: Last Quarter Moon on Monday, January 16
Warm, sunny weather and good tides provided great fishing throughout the week. Consistent temperatures and lack of precipitation had fish feeding readily on the flats and in the lagoon. Multiple Permit, numerous Bonefish, and even a Golden Bonefish were caught by anglers this week!
Rich P. and Dave “Whitey” E. joined us for the beginning of the week. Rich landed a Permit on a self-tied crab pattern with Guide Dion, and “Whitey” landed a Permit and a rare Golden Bonefish with Guide Pops.
Bill M. and Tom K. of Phoenix, AZ fished with Guide Michael for the week. Both anglers landed numerous Bonefish. They even boasted a 27-Bonefish day on Wednesday, including many double hook-ups!
Longtime TF anglers Doug C. and Bruce Han. chased Bonefish, Permit, and Snapper throughout the week with Guide Willie. On Friday, Bruce landed a permit in the Central Lagoon.
Bruce and Nancy Har. of Carlisle, PA fished with Guide Dubs. Each angler landed multiple Bonefish and Snapper and a few Jacks.
Good weather and ideal tides produced good fishing for all anglers. Both Permit and Bonefish were feeding aggressively all week long. It was great to see familiar faces, as well as some new guests, on the island!
As a matter of policy to ensure privacy, Turneffe Flats does not use last names of guests in our reports.
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January 7 – January 14, 2012
Weather Conditions: Throughout the week, warm and sunny weather prevailed
Air Temp: Averaged in the low 80’s
Water Temp: Upper 70’s to low 80’s
Wind: Winds from the E dominated
Tides: We experienced a rising tide throughout the morning and a falling tide from midday through the evening.
Moon Phase: Full Moon on Monday, January 9
This week was characterized by warm, sunny days with variable winds, which led to good bonefish and permit fishing.
We hosted a lively corporate group based out of Hailey, ID, who fished with Guides Dubs, Dion, Michael, Pops, Eddie, Capt., and Daniel. The fisherman had fun targeting bonefish and permit, with an occasional shot at a resident Turneffe tarpon. To mention a few names, Jack R. and Les H. were each able to capitalize on shots at permit while fishing with Capt. The go-to flies for Jack and Les were E.P.’s Descendant Crab in both green and tan.
We were also fortunate enough to help celebrate Wade U.’s 40th birthday. Wade had a great week of fishing with Michael and landed multiple bones, barracuda, and jacks.
Turneffe Flats would like to thank the guys from POWER Engineers, as well as Wade and his wife, Marlys, for their lively and enjoyable company throughout the week. We are thankful for being able to share some laughs and good times with everybody.
As a matter of policy to ensure privacy, Turneffe Flats does not use last names of guests in our reports.
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December 31, 2011 – January 7, 2012
Weather Conditions: Some rain in the beginning of the week, with sunshine from mid-week to week's end
Air Temp: Averaged in the mid- to upper-70’s
Water Temp: Upper 70’s to low 80’s
Wind: NNW in the beginning of the week, and mostly ENE by week’s end
Water Temp: Upper 70’s to low 80’s
Wind: NNW in the beginning of the week, and mostly ENE by week’s end
Tides: We experienced a rising tide through late afternoon in the beginning of the week and a falling tide throughout the day by week’s end.
Moon Phase: First Quarter Moon on New Year’s Day
Moon Phase: First Quarter Moon on New Year’s Day
As you may notice, there was no fishing report for last week (December 24 – 31). All guests were non-anglers who enjoyed snorkeling, diving, and bird watching around our beautiful atoll. We truly enjoyed their company for the holidays.
Half of our anglers this week were returned guests, and it was great to see everybody again.
Hal C., of Nova Scotia, Canada, has been fishing at Turneffe for many years, and it was nice to have him back on the island.
Charlie G. and Donna G., also returned guests, fished with Guide Michael. They each landed numerous bonefish, and Donna landed a beautiful 11 lbs. bonefish on a Size 6 Orange Crazy Charlie. Feel free to check out Donna’s fish on our website and Facebook page.
Newlywed Stirling T., of Kalispell, MT, joined us with his wife, Kirtlye, for half of the week. Stirling wasted no time while with us, as you could find him on the flat in front of his cabana before breakfast and after returning from his day with Guide Daniel. Stirling landed many bonefish, as well as jacks. We wish both Stirling and Kirtlye the best in their future.
Ken and Carter E., also joined us for a half-week andfished with Guide Dubs. Ken came with, what he referred to as, an “arsenal” of hand-tied flies. It must be nice to be retired, Ken! Both Ken and Carter landed multiple bonefish and jacks with these flies.
We would like to thank our returned guests, as well as our newcomers, for their presence this week. They really helped to ring in the New Year with a great time!
As a matter of policy to ensure privacy, Turneffe Flats does not use last names of guests in our reports.
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December 17 – December 24, 2011
Weather Conditions: We had nice weather throughout the week with warm, sunny days
Air Temp: Averaged around 80 degrees throughout the week
Water Temp: low 80’s
Wind: Mostly E or ENE and averaged around 10 mph
Tides: We experienced a rising tide through late afternoon in the beginning of the week and a falling tide throughout the day by week’s end.
Moon Phase: Last Quarter Moon and Saturday, December 17th, and New Moon on Saturday, December 24th
Moon Phase: Last Quarter Moon and Saturday, December 17th, and New Moon on Saturday, December 24th
Warm, sunny weather and the tidal cycle led to fairly good fishing. This week, we had a small, pleasant group of guests, and we really enjoyed their company.
Bruce S., an experienced saltwater fisherman from the New York-Metropolitan area landed his first bonefish on the fly with Guide Eddie. He continued to land bonefish later in the week with Guide Willie.
Dave and Judy O. joined us from Central Oregon. They also landed (and released) bonefish throughout the week with Guide Dubs.
This week, we hosted a small, family-oriented group. We would like to thank everybody for joining us, and hope they enjoyed their holidays.
As a matter of policy to ensure privacy, Turneffe Flats does not use last names of guests in our reports.
As a matter of policy to ensure privacy, Turneffe Flats does not use last names of guests in our reports.
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December 10 – December 17, 2011
Weather Conditions: Variable with periods of rain showers but good weather prevailed towards the end of the week.
Air Temp: Averaged in the upper-70s and reached a high of 82 degrees.
Water Temp: low 80’s
Wind: Mostly N or NE and averaging around 12 mph.
Tides: We experienced a rising tide throughout the mornings, with high tide in the late morning through early afternoon.
Moon Phase: Full Moon on Saturday, December 10th, and Last Quarter Moon and Saturday, December 17th
Moon Phase: Full Moon on Saturday, December 10th, and Last Quarter Moon and Saturday, December 17th
Cooler temperatures and variable rain showers kept fish a little skittish and demanded more technical angling; however, warm and sunny weather at week’s end led to easier fishing.
Our youngest angler this week, Jesse C., along with father Doug, landed lots of fish throughout the week. From sunrise to sunset, Jesse had a fish on, whether it was from the dock or from Guide Mike’s skiff. Jesse’s week stirred up good childhood angling memories for many of us.
Although not our youngest angler, John R., of Durango, CO, is an avid trout fisherman but was new to saltwater. John had a great week with Guide Daniel landing plenty of bonefish. Way to go, John!
This week, we also hosted Unk S., and very experienced saltwater fly-fisherman. His knowledge helped him to land bonefish, even when the fishing was challenging. Unk had a great day at the end of the week wading on the flats in front of his cabana.
Paul N., of Dayton, WA, landed bonefish throughout the week, including a couple of bigger fish towards the end of the week with Guide Pops. His laid-back and positive attitude, comedic one-liners, and infectious laughter kept everybody smiling, even when the weather was a bit inclement.
Anna B. and husband, George, fished with Guide Willie for the week. Anna, a lifelong spin-fisher, gave it her best with a fly rod and hooked a few bonefish as well as a permit with her spinning rod. A fishing guide in North Carolina and Costa Rica, George had a good week, landing multiple bonefish and his first permit on the fly! We very much look forward to working with George and Anna’s travel business, Down East Guide Service, in the future.
Gail and DeWayne A., of the Phoenix, AZ-area, managed to land multiple bonefish, barracudas, and jacks. With the help of Guide Dion, DeWayne also landed a near double-digit bonefish.
The week started out with some difficult fishing, but by week’s end, fishing was easier for everyone. All anglers landed fish, including a few milestone fish for some. This was a fantastic and lively group, and we want to thank everybody for joining us at Turneffe Flats.
As a matter of policy to ensure privacy, Turneffe Flats does not use last names of guests in our reports.
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December 3 – December 10, 2011
Weather Conditions: Variable but comfortable in the beginning of the week, turning to heavy rains and high winds with some sunshine by week’s end.
Air Temp: Averaged in the mid-70s, and never fell below 70 degrees
Water Temp: low 80’s
Wind: Mostly N or NW and averaging around 15 mph.
Air Temp: Averaged in the mid-70s, and never fell below 70 degrees
Water Temp: low 80’s
Wind: Mostly N or NW and averaging around 15 mph.
Tides: Early in the week, we experienced a rising tide around mid-day. Late in the week, we experienced rising tides in the early morning.
Moon Phase: First Quarter on Friday, December 2nd and Full Moon on Saturday, December 10th
Moon Phase: First Quarter on Friday, December 2nd and Full Moon on Saturday, December 10th
Tough weather led to fishing conditions that were less than ideal. Intermittent high winds were present throughout most of the week, and some rain fell from mid-week until week’s end. This resulted in fish being easily spooked; however, everybody managed to pick up a few fish.
Jeff G. and business associates Rick P., Danny W., and Tim M., made things interesting by involving themselves in a little friendly competition. Although we are not quite sure who truly won the competition, Rick, Danny, and Tim all managed to land their first fish ever on a fly rod thanks to Dubs and Dion!
Jeff was later joined in the week by his father Dallas G., son Jeffery G., and friend Buddy L. Despite the tough weather and finicky fish, each angler managed to pick up numerous bonefish and even had a few shots at some permit. It was great to see old friends on the island again!
Larry S. and son, Lucas traveled all the way from America’s heartland to spend the week at TF. Kansas natives, Larry and Lucas, along with the assistance of Daniel, not only landed a handful of bonefish, but Lucas managed to land his first-ever permit! The fish weighed in at 25 lbs. – not bad for a first permit. Lucas also managed to land the biggest bonefish of his life.
Matt H., and father Dan, spent the week chasing fish with Michael. Dan successfully landed his first bonefish, and also caught a nice jack on his way back to the island one evening. Matt, a fly-fisherman by trade, also had a pretty good week and landed numerous bonefish.
Bill M. and Marlene G., long-time TF guests, spent the week with their usual guide, Eddie. Bill will be the first person to admit that Marlene out-fished him, as she landed bones of 8 and 10 lbs.
We were also happy to welcome college professors Al Z. and Bob B. of Montana State University. Al landed his first-ever bonefish with Pops and Bob spent evenings chasing tailing bones outside of their cabana. We hope to see these two gentlemen more often on the island, as they may play an integral role in conservation efforts.
This week we were fortunate enough to see a lot of old friends and returned guests, as well as some new faces, on the island. We were delighted to have such a fun-loving, great group of people and hope to see them again in the future.
As a matter of policy to ensure privacy, Turneffe Flats does not use last names of guests in our reports.
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November 26 - December 3, 2011
Weather Conditions: Dominated by a lengthy cold front, however temperatures were comfortable with mostly blue skies.
Air Temp: Mostly in the low 80’s but as cool as 67 one night
Water Temp: low 80’s
Wind: Mostly N or NW at around 10 MPH with very high gusts one evening
Tides: We had a rising tide during the day all week with high tide at 11:18 AM on Sunday and progressed to 3:49 PM by weeks end. On the other hand, the cold front produced unusually low tides such that even the high tides were low
Moon Phase: First Quarter on Friday, December 2nd.
The past week was largely characterized by a cold front with cool, comfortable weather, some rain, very low tides, and skittish fish. We had a great group of anglers who made the best of some tough conditions.
Reeves C., from San Antonio, landing a 22 lb. permit with Dubs. Reeves boatmate, Chris A., from Boston, landed a nice snook on day one also had some challenging but productive bonefishing. Chris spent evening coming up with new fly creations – some of which worked well.
Wes H., from Dallas, started a day late due to “some passport issues”. In the end, he managed to catch some nice bonefish. His fishing buddy, Kyle C. from Fort Worth, had several good casts at permit and had a couple of fish turn on his fly. Unfortunately, none were landed. Wes further complicated his passport issues on Friday when he saw a permit tailing in front of his cabana and waded in for a cast forgetting that his passport and cell phone were in his pocket. We hope that he isn’t still stuck in Customs somewhere.
Ron D, from the Big Apple, had a good time fishing by himself with Dion and landed a couple of dozen bonefish on his first bonefishing trip.
Again, it was a tough fishing week with a cold front and very low tides but a great group of anglers made it productive.
As a matter of policy to ensure privacy, Turneffe Flats does not use last names of guests in our reports.
November 12 - 19, 2011
Weather Conditions: Favorable conditions with mostly blue skies and a little rain.
Air Temp: 85 - 91
Water Temp: 85
Wind: Out of the E at 5 - 10 mph
Tides: The week started with high tide at 11:12 AM and progressed to 4:44 PM by weeks end.
Moon Phase: The last quarter was on Friday 18, 2011.
We had a great group of anglers this week which was a mixture of new guests and repeat guests. Nice weather made it a very enjoyable week.
Bernie S. (Mr. B), who has fished with us for more than 20 years, joined us from IL. Mr. B a very experienced angler spent his week bonefishing with guide Michael. Over the years, Mr. B has landed several permits and focused primarily on bonefish, mostly trying to catch a golden bonefish. While stalking this rare and beautiful golden bonefish he caught numerous bones using a variety of flies.
Eric T. and Tammie H., from MT, spent his week fishing with guide Eddie. Tammie, a very vivid angler, also concentrated on bonefishing using a variety of flies - Chicken Poop, Crazy Charlie and
Bitters patterns. Tammie and Eric both caught several bonefish including 3 that were between 7 and 8 pounds. One morning, they went out early for tarpon and hooked one but didn’t land it. They also had good chances for permit but didn’t land one.
Bitters patterns. Tammie and Eric both caught several bonefish including 3 that were between 7 and 8 pounds. One morning, they went out early for tarpon and hooked one but didn’t land it. They also had good chances for permit but didn’t land one.
We also hosted a fun corporate group from MI this week who fished with Dubs, Dion, Pops, Capt. and Willie. The group included some experienced saltwater anglers and some that were experiencing flats fishing for the first time. The new anglers learned quickly and everyone landed bonefish including a couple over 8 pounds. Some anglers from the group choose to go looking for alternative species and caught several snappers and barracuda’s including one very big barracuda.
As a matter of policy to ensure privacy, Turneffe Flats does not use last names of guests in our reports.
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October 1-8, 2011
September 24-30, 2011
Yaehudi G. and Josh G. joined us from Calif. Father and son fished with veteran guide Pops. They had good success at their main species of the week, bonefish. One of the highlights was when they got onto a good size school of the Flats Ghosts with many larger than average. These anglers landed roughly two dozen bonefish. They saw a few rolling tarpon, but didn’t find one that would consider eating their flies.
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September 10-17, 2011
August 27 - September 3, 2011
August 20-27, 2011
Weather Conditions: Moderate to wet conditions early in the week followed by sunny days with blue skies.
Air Temp: 80-85
Water Temp: 82
Wind: Out of the E-SE with an average wind speed of 10-15 mph
Tides: The week started with high tide at 1: 12 PM and progressed to 7:55 Am by week’s end.
Moon Phase: The first quarter was on Monday 3.
Peter and Sara C. joined us from the UK and had a fun time stalking bonefish and permit on the beautiful flats. Permit remained just out of reach for them as the opportunities came and they hooked up, but could not manage to land any. They both were successful in landing roughly two dozen bonefish between them throughout the week.
Albert and Betty B. visited from Mass. Al fished alone early in the week with wife Betty joining in later to fish with veteran guide Pops. Al was dedicated to permit and spent a fair share of time casting to them, but couldn’t get one to eat. Fortunately, he had better luck with the bonefish. After Betty joined Al and Pops, they landed roughly five or six barracuda, a couple jacks and a couple of blue runners.
Wayne W. and Tony L. visited from Wisc. and Minn., to fish with guide Capt. It was a very intense week for these friends as they went out stalking permit every day. Finding permit was not a problem as these anglers saw them every day. They had excellent opportunities, but none was willing to take their fly. They did manage to make the most of the bonefishing and got better and better at hooking and landing the Ghosts of the Flats as the week passed.
Bob B. from Minn. fished with guide Dion. Together they spent most of their time hunting and stalking permit. Fortunately for Bob, he managed to hook and land one on his first day fishing. After landing his permit, Bob tried to achieve the Grand Slam and landed a bonefish but could not get a tarpon to eat his fly. All-in-all, Bob landed two permit, and quite a few bonefish.
Noah R. from Calif. fished with guide Dubs and had a good week. Noah invested most of his time hunting and staking bonefish on the flats. He enjoyed learning from Dubs and he got better and better at hunting, stalking and landing bonefish as the week went by. He managed to hook and land a couple very nice bones in the 4-5 pound range on the very first day. Noah spent some casts looking for tarpon in the mangrove channels, but could not manage to hook and land one.
Cole B. from Vt. spent most of his week in pursuit of bonefish and permit with guide Willie. Would you believe Cole hooked a permit on his first cast of his first day, but broke it off? On his second cast, he hooked another one, got a good hook-set and fought it for approximately 40 minutes before landing his first permit. Cole also landed several bonefish throughout the week.
______________________________________________________________________________________September 24-30, 2011
Weather Conditions:
Air Temp: 80 - 85
Water Temp: 82
Wind: 10-15 miles
Tides: The week started with high tide at 7:04 AM and progressed to 12:20 PM by week’s end.
Moon Phase: The New Moon was Tues., Sept. 27
Father Stuart F. and son Jared F. from NY, both spent the week trying to land a permit. For the first few days, Jared and Stuart had many oppertunities both with permit and casting to rolling tarpon, but no luck. Finally, the tables turned and Jared landed not one but two permit, a monster 120+ pound tarpon and the required bonefish for a Grand Slam. They had many other shots at permit and managed to land another one for the week. Between these two anglers they jumped three large migratory tarpon and brought one to the boat. Both Jared and Stuart enjoyed stalking bonefish up and down the flats of Turneffe Atoll with guide Dubs.
Old buddies Bill G. and Jim C. from Md. and Bennett M. from Calif. spent the week fishing with veteran guides Willie and Dion. Ben and Bill had a great week although the weather was challenging. Between these anglers, they spent time teaching Jim how to fly-fish as they switched fishing partners every day. On his first day, Jim quickly got into the rithym of casting, hooking and landing bonefish. These anglers fished school after school of bonefish and enjoyed every moment of it.
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September 10-17, 2011
Weather Conditions: Moderate to wet conditions during the first half of the week followed by nice sunny days with blue skies.
Air Temp: 80-87
Water Temp: 79
Wind: Out of the E with an average wind speed of 10-13 mph
Tides: The week started with high tide at 9:26 AM and progressed to 12:16 PM by week’s end.
Moon Phase: The Full Moon was on Tuesday, September 12.
Father and son Ed S. Jr. and Sr. from Calif., spent the week stalking bonefish with guide Daniel. Between these two anglers, they landed roughly two dozen bonefish, a couple snappers and barracuda. One of the highlights of the bonefish adventure for this father and son included both hooking and landing a couple of 6 pounders.They saw a few rolling tarpon, but didn’t find any that would consider eating their fly. Much of the week was a saltwater fly fishing learning experience from Dion as they saw, hooked and landed more fish as the days passed.
Scott D. from Texas fished with veteran guide Dion. First morning out fishing, Dion had Scott on a large school of permit and after many opportunities, Scott hooked and landed one. There were giant tarponrolling admidst the mangroves and on Scott’s second day, he hooked into a Silver King over 100 pounds. Even though he never actually got into water to hold his truly powerful fish, it was technically landed since Dion had touched the leader. The fight lasted for a little under two hours. With a permit on the first day and a tarpon on the second, Scott was a very pleased angler. His highlights were a permit, a tarpon, a 25-pound barracuda, several bonefishand assorted snapper.
________________________________________________________________________________________August 27 - September 3, 2011
Weather Conditions: Favorable weather with light winds and sunny skies made for some good fishing.
Air Temp: 85-91
Water Temp: 84
Wind: Out of the E at an average wind speed of 8-11 mph.
Tides: The week started with high tide at 8:18 a.m. and progressed to 2:19 p.m. by week’s end.
Moon Phase: New Moon on Sun., Aug. 28
Childhood friends Jeff I. and Seth N. from E. Falmouth, Mass. visited Turneffe for their first time in pursuit of all three major flats species. Both Jeff and Seth spent the week trying to land a migratory tarpon. Between these two anglers they jumped six and brought two to the boat. Even though they never actually got into the water to hold one of these amazing fish, they did have two landed with leader grabs. Permit seemed to remain just out of reach as the opportunities came, but the permit did not commit to the fly. The bonefish, as usual, were willing to please. Jeff and Seth fished with guide Daniel.
David V. from Mass. spent the week with veteran guide Dion. David began his flats fishing with the bonefish before moving to permit. It wasn’t long before Dion had David on the elusive critters and, as can happen, once he experienced permit fishing he caught the fever. The opportunities came quickly and frequently throughout the week with many refusals as well as quite a few permit eating his tan Ep Crab. David managed to get solid sets on a couple and highlighted his stay with two permit landed.
Good friends Charles M. and Robert M. joined us from Schulenburg, Tex., and Birmingham, Ala. respectively. Charels and Robert fished with Dubs. These two anglers had good success with their main target species, bonefish. One of the highlights was when they got onto a good-size school of bonefish with many larger-than-average. Charles hooked and landed a couple in the 4-5 pound range. Robert advanced his fly fishing skills throughout the week as well as hooking and landing numerous bonefish. They tried for tarpon on a couple of occasions, with Charles jumping one that almost landed in their skiff.
________________________________________________________________________________________August 20-27, 2011
Weather Conditions: Lights winds and sunny skies allowed for great visibility throughout the week with higher than normal temperatures.
Air Temp: 85-90
Water Temp: 84
Wind: Out of the E most of the week with an average wind speed of 5-8 mph.
Tides: The week started with high tide at 2:05 PM and progressed to 8:18 AM by week’s end.
Moon Phase: Last Quarter on the 21
Warick H. and his brother Tristam H. from Dubai and Kansas City, Kans. Respectively, as well as their families, joined us for a week of fishing, diving, and atoll adventuring. Warick was guided by Dubs; Tristam by Michael, with family members intermixed. The days were filled with bonefish, permit and tarpon mixed throughout. Highlight of the week came on the last day when Warick returned to the lodge at 12:30. Both he and Dubs were calm, cool, and collected as they walked up to the main lodge. Being the first angler in for the day, everyone figured they were back to get packed up and organized; boy was everyone wrong! Grand Slam was the quote of the day! Warick Slammed before noon and he and Dubs decided to call it a day so that the angler could enjoy the pool and relax for the afternoon. Congratulations to Warick on his third lifetime Grand Slam.
Ron G. and Joe I. from Colorado Springs, Colo. returned to again stalk bonefish, permit, and tarpon with Daniel as their guide. Both anglers were interested in bonefish, but had been dreaming about tarpon and permit; both anglers would have opportunities at both species. Ron landed a 130-150 pound tarpon as well a smaller 40-50 pounder. Joe’s highlight was landing a nice permit on an Olive Rag Head Crab.
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August 13-20, 2011
Weather Conditions: The week started with good fishing conditions, although by Thurs. evening we started to see the weather shift due to tropical storm Harvey.
Air Temp: 84-87
Water Temp: 84
Wind: The week started with winds out of the E at an average of 9 mph. Then, the winds dropped drastically at the building of Tropical Storm Harvey. During the middle of the week, we had an average wind speed of 5 mph. By the end of the week we saw the wind speeds pick back up to an average speed of 15 mph with some gusts into the low 20’s.
Tides: The week started with high tide at 9:35 AM and progressed to 2:05 PM by week’s end.
Moon Phase: Full Moon on Saturday August 13
We felt only a few of the effects from Tropical Storm Harvey. As noted, our winds increased and we had quite a bit of rainfall, but the actually storm made landfall south of Turneffe Atoll.
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Aug. 10-13, 2011
Weather Conditions: Near perfect weather
Wind: Out of the ESE at an average speed of 8 mph
Air Temp: 84 - 87
Water Temp: 84
Tides: The week started with high tide at 3:42 PM and progressed to 9:35 AM by week’s end.
Moon Phase: First Quarter on Saturday 6th and Full Moon on Saturday 13th
Kyle and Kurt K. from Louisville, Ky. joined us for a partial week of flats fishing. It is a little difficult to cram a week’s fishing into two days, but these two anglers made it happen. On the first day, Kyle and Kurt landed more than a baker’s dozen bonefish between them. Kyle also managed to land a 4 to 5 pounder while wading the flats with Kurt and guide Dion.
The first day did not end with bonefish; they returned to the lodge with permit tales. Kyle landed a permit nearly 35 pounds and Kurt landed two smaller ones. The average for the day on permit was 20 to 25 pounds as estimated by Dion. On the second day, both anglers were content with the previous day’s outing. It only got better.
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July 30-Aug. 6, 2011
Weather Conditions: The week started with less than ideal fishing conditions including higher than normal winds with cloud cover most mornings. By Tues. afternoon, the clouds cleared and winds dropped to average speeds.
Wind: The week began with average wind speeds of 14 mph and gusts to 20 mph. By early- to mid-week the winds softened with an average speed of 8 mph with light gusts up to 13 mph.
Air Temp: 84 - 87
Water Temp: 85
Tides: The week started with high tide at 9:20 AM and progressed to 3:42 PM by week’s end.
Moon Phase: New Moon on July 30, First Quarter on August 6.
Mike D. from Oxford, Mich. and Paul F. from Missoula, Mont. returned to Turneffe Flats to fish with guide and now friend Mike. This being their second visit, they wanted to target permit and tarpon while filling in with bonefish. Both Mike and Paul managed to jump tarpon, but neither managed to battle one to the boat. Mike was quoted with saying, “Hooking a tarpon is like hooking the side of a semi-truck moving at 60 mph, if it could only jump 5 feet out of the water.” Mike and Paul also had shots at permit. Mike was able to have two permit take his olive crab pattern; one broke off and the other spit the crab before Mike could get a solid set. There were plenty of bonefish around and both anglers caught them on their own hand-tied patterns. Paul hooked a large bonefish which guide Mike estimated to be 7 to 8 pounds, but lost it after having it wrap him around an exposed piece of coral.
Rick and Michelle D. from Oxford, Mich. spent the week with guide Dubs. This was Rick and Michelle’s third visit to Turneffe Flats. They chased and landing bonefish on the flats and Rick had a great opportunity at some cruising permit on the second day and made the most of it. He presented his EP Crab and made a solid hook-set into what he and Dubs knew was a big permit. They did not know how big until they got it to the boat. Dubs estimated the permit’s weight at 30+ pounds; without question it was a LARGE permit. Michelle had a couple shots at permit as well, although they did not cooperate and seemed disinterested in her offerings. One of Michelle’s highlights was spotting, stalking and landing a couple of bonefish on her own while wading the flats with Rick and Dubs. Rick landed his large permit early in the week and kept the big fish momentum moving by landing a 6 to 7 pound bonefish on the flats and following it up with another permit.
_______________________________________________________________________________________July 23-30, 2011
Weather Conditions: Less than ideal weather conditions with higher than average winds and rain put a damper on the beginning of the week.
Wind: Out of the ESE and E with ranging speeds from 15-23 mph
Air Temp: 80-84
Water Temp: 86
Tides: The week started with high tide at 3:38 PM and progressed to 9:20 AM by week’s end.
Moon Phase: New Moon on July 30
The week of the Silver King! Although, only one tarpon was landed, our anglers jumped 22.
Robert and Lewis C., Weldon, NC, joined us for their first flats fishing experience. This father and son team fished with veteran guide Willie. It was a week during which they battled multiple tarpon, but were unable to get any to the boat. Both anglers did, however, land numerous barracuda which provided fantastic action: good, strong runs and amazing aerial acrobatics. Their week included the diversity barracuda to bonefish and tarpon to snappers.
Chet and Stephen B. from Wilton, Conn. and Houston respectively, joined us for their annual brothers’ fly-fishing trip. They spent the week pursuing bonefish on the flats with guide Dubs. Both Chet and Stephen enjoyed the hunt and stalk involved with bonefishing. As the week progressed, the duo became more interested in the permit fishing. All it took was one hook-up with a permit and both anglers were captivated by the power and speed of the top flats species. Chet made a perfect presentation with an EP crab to convince the permit to take. Even though the fly came out and the fish ended up getting away before they got it to the boat, it was enough to give Chet and Stephen a case of permit fever.
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July 16-July 23, 2011
Weather Conditions: Partly cloudy to clear skies throughout the week. Higher than average winds at the beginning of the week subsiding and creating favorable fishing conditions by mid-week.
Wind: Out of the E with an average of 18 mph for the first couple of days of the week. The week finished with winds out of the E at an average wind speed of 12.5 mph.
Air Temp: 84 - 86
Water Temp: 87
Tides: The week started with high tide at 10:22 AM and progressed to 3:38 PM by week’s end.
Moon Phase: Last Quarter July 22
Carl A., from North Carolina, fly-fished with Dubs. The week started with a bang – on his second day, Carl landed a 30-pound permit, as well as hooking another and missing a couple other strikes. As the week progressed, he had a blast stalking and catching numerous bonefish.
Father and son Jan and Grzegorz L.,visited from Yawor, Poland. Using conventional tackle, they spent the week with our veteran guide Pops and caught multiple barracuda, bringing some back to the lodge for appetizers. They also caught some grouper and several bonefish.
Ron S. from New York City joined us for the first half of the week. Mixing conventional tackle and fly-fishing – whatever the situation required – he caught snapper, a barracuda, and jumped a tarpon. On the flyrod, Ron caught several bonefish and loved stalking the flats. As an added bonus on the first day, Ron had the pleasure of seeing both a manatee and a crocodile from his skiff.
______________________________________________________________________________________July 2-9, 2011
Wind: The week began with winds out of the ENE at an average speed of 8.5 mph. By mid-week, the wind shifted to ESE at an average of 7 mph.
Air Temp: 84
Water Temp: 81
Tides: The week started with high tide at 10:17 AM and progressed to 5:29 PM by week’s end.
Moon Phase: First Quarter July 8
Krzysztof K. and his son Tiger, from Poland, stayed with us for the first half of the week fishing with Michael. Using conventional tackle, Krzysztof landed a 100-pound tarpon his first day. The following days, Tiger and Krzysztof landed a tuna along with several barracuda. They finished off their stay catching a nice horse eye jack and a Spanish mackerel.
Mark R., from Anchorage, Alaska experienced a difficult week while focusing exclusively on tarpon and permit. Mark managed to get a couple shots at some permit, but was unable to chase down the rolling tarpon.
Matt M. and Brian L., from Milta and Norfolk, Mass., fished with Capt this week. Brian landed his first bonefish on the flats including a couple on the “home flat” right outside his room. Matt also landed a few bonefish throughout the week, but deteriorating weather conditions made for tough fishing the second half of the week.
Darin C. and his brother, Dino visited from Boston and Duxbury, Mass. Fishing with Dion, they started the week with a bang. Dino landed a permit his first day, and a couple bonefish during the week. Darin also landed several bonefish.
Enrico P. from Little Neck, NY and Roberto T. from Parma, Italy, fished with Dubs. Roberto had a few good shots at some permit. Although it was a difficult week of fishing, Enrico and Roberto enjoyed demonstrating their fly-tying expertise in the main lodge.
Elizabeth and her husband Adam M. joined us from Griffin, Ga. and fished with Pops. Each had a great week, landing quite a few bones in addition to hooking a tarpon their second day.
Steve C. and his son John visited from Griffin, Ga. They fished with Daniel using conventional tackle and had a very exciting week. They caught lots of bonefish, the largest 24-inches. The week’s highlight was battling a tarpon for just under 4 hours, breaking the rod and splicing the line onto another. They gave it their best effort, but the Silver King ended up breaking off.
Barry and Maria B. from Shavertown, Penn. fished with John. They caught many bonefish with only a few being shorter than 20-inches. Their week culminated with Barry catching a 23-incher on his birthday. They also caught a couple jacks and a barracuda.
____________________________________________________________________________________June 18 – 25, 2011
Weather Conditions: Sunny skies with lighter winds in the morning, but above average winds mid-day and into the afternoon made angling difficult.
Wind: Average wind speed 16 mph
Air Temp: 83 - 86
Water Temp: 80 - 81
Tides: The week started with high tide at 11:17 AM and progressed to 5:52 PM by week’s end.
Moon Phase: Last Quarter on June 23
Ryan W. from Greenwood Village hosted a large group of fellow Colorado anglers and divers, some taking advantage of our combo package. This allowed Ryan as well as Paul G. from Littleton, Mike S. from Golden, and Charlie S. from Henderson, to dive in the mornings and fish in the afternoons. They chased bonefish well as looked for permit and tarpon. All anglers caught their fare share of bonefish and most fell to the always productive Pop’s Bitters and Crazy Charlies. Although the permit remained out of reach for the members of this group, there were some shots early in the week. Ryan spent a good portion of a day fishing for tarpon and it paid off with guide Capt. when Ryan hooked three and landed two. One of the many highlights for this group was a day to remember bonefishing. Charlie, in one day, hooked close to 30 bonefish and landed 20 or more.
Peter G. from Salem, Ore. and longtime friend Bob H. from Bainbridge Island, Wash. visited for one of their first saltwater fly fishing experiences. They spent a large portion of their week chasing bonefish around Turneffe Atoll with guide Pops. Peter and Bob also chased one of the most underrated game species in saltwater fly fishing: the barracuda. In one day, these two anglers landed about 10 ’cuda and watched / screamed as the barracuda ran and jumped multiple times.
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June 11 – 18, 2011
Weather Conditions: Cloudy skies for the first portion of the week as well as above average wind made conditions tough. Although, as one angler stated, “You can’t predict or control the weather, but you can control your line in the water.”
Wind: Average wind speed 15 mph out of the E / ESE
Air Temp: 82 - 86
Water Temp: 80 - 81
Tides: The week started with high tide at 7:08 PM and progressed to 11:17 AM by week’s end.
Moon Phase: Full Moon on June 15
This week was a particularly exciting as Project Healing Waters veterans joined usfrom the States. Project Healing Waters is dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of military service personnel and veterans through fly fishing and fly tying education and outings. We were honored to be chosen as the location for one of Project Healing Waters outings. Bill P., Hailey, Ida.,led the group.
For George I., Ocala, Fla., it was his first fly-fishing outing, as well as his first saltwater experience. With George’s focus on the bones and learning to advance his fly-fishing skills, guide John put him right in the action with a good showing of bonefish. Hayward S., also from Hailey, took to bonefishing and did very well throughout the week. Mike C., Alexandria, La. and Mike O., Creswell, Ore., also took to the bones, each bringing several into the boat as the week progressed. Mike O.’s fiancé, Bree O., Creswell, spent most of her days with the Atoll Adventure program or poolside, Mike convinced Bree to do some fishing. That morning, her angling concerns only lasted two hours, after landing eight bonefish and a 4-foot barracuda. David B., Long Beach, NYand Eric N., Ketchum, Ida., also hit the flats, finding success with bonefish. Jake K., Oceanside, Calif., showed us that a jubilant personality and a concentration on what’s best in life can add a lot to your fishing game. Jake landed a tarpon and several bones.
The Project Healing Waters guests brought home enough barracuda for appetizers that the entire lodge enjoyed. Thank you all at Project Healing Waters for the memorable experience. It was our pleasure.
From Houston, Tex., John E. and Logan G. joined us for their second time, accompanied by John’s father, John E. Sr., and family friend Butch A. Throughout their week, the group shared friendly competition of chasing the Atoll’s sport fish. All of them had great success with the bonefish, coupled with shots at permit.
Joe & Michele D., Frisco, Tex., had an outstanding week. Michele took to saltwater fly-fishing well, landing her very first bonefish! Our guide Michael got them right where they wanted be, each catching several bonefish and Joe nailing two tarpon. In addition, they also had several shots at permit, but alas, the elusive permit could not be fooled into grabbing one of their crab patterns.
Trey I., Canadian, Tex., joined us for his second time. Staying a half-week didn’t stop Trey from some serious excitement. He jumped two tarpon and was able to land the big one. His 90-pounder was tops as the week’s biggest fish. Trey was also able to get a couple shots at permit; quite a lot of excitement for just three days of fishing.
Robert H. from Bourne, England, fished the flats for his first time and the flats provided. In-between landing bonefish, Rob jumped two tarpon and enjoyed the wild action of trolling across the coral heads. Annie joined Rob for a little bonefishing, but found her true calling in the Atoll Adventure ecology program.
________________________________________________________________________________________June 4 - 11, 2011
Weather Conditions: The week began with some rain in the mornings which cleared with sunny skies in the afternoons. By mid-week, days were warm with clear skies and plenty of sun.
Wind: 7 MPH Average throughout the week with gusts into the low teens during the first part of the week
Air Temp: 82 - 84
Water Temp: 81
Tides: The week started with high tide at 11:12 AM and progressed to 7:08 PM by week’s end.
Moon Phase: First Quarter on June 8
The Darrell, Scott, Darren, and Jacob L. Family of Owassa, Okla. came to Turneffe Flats on their first visit to Belize and fished with guides Daniel and Willie. Young Jacob was new to fly-fishing, but didn’t take too long for him to land a 100-pound tarpon. It was a 30-plus minute fight with dad Darren proudly watching. Darrell and Scott landed 7 bonefish, hooked 6 permit, 9 snapper and a couple barracuda. Darren landed his share of bonefish.
Bill and Cindi L. from Spicewood, Tex. fished with Dubs and stalked permit most days. Bill became so excited after landing a 20-plus pound permit he decided to dedicate all his time to the elusive critters. He succeeded and landed a couple more while Cindi stayed with bonefish under Dubs’ watchful eyes.
Fred B., Donald D., and Phil C. of San Rafael and Granite Bay, Calif. were first- visitors. They fished with guides Capt and Dion. These three had a good week with Phil landing a permit and hooking a couple of tarpon; Fred landing a permit over 20-pounds and a tarpon close to 100. Don also landed his permit to keep up with the rest of the group. They all landed bonefish, of course, along with the permit and tarpon.
The Jim, Ian and Emmet C. Family visited from Kingscourt, Ireland. All three fished with guide Eddie. After the couple days, Jim (the father) was having a hard time catching a fish and both his sons couldn’t seem to miss. Ian landed an 8-pound bonefish and hooked some smaller ones during the week. Emmet went fishing one day and landed a couple bonefish. Jim, who had not been fishing for almost 20 years, ended up landing seven nice bonefish on Friday after a week of “practice.”
Clifford R., Ryan J. and Bon R. from Charlotte, NC fished with guide John. Ryan had a very challenging half week, but learned a lot about saltwater fly-fishing; he quickly grasped what it feels like to hunt, stalk and hook bonefish and tarpon. Cliff and Bon landed several bonefish plus some alternative species including a 40-pound black grouper, jacks and barracuda.
Peter V. of London, UK and enjoyed the opportunity to fish with the legendary guide Winston “Pops” Cabral. Peter landed numerous bonefish, along with alternative species such as barracuda and snapper. Peter also made the most of his time in the new pool, returning to the lodge around 3:30 to relax and enjoy a cold Belikin. He had multiple opportunities at tarpon, permit, bonefish and barracuda.
Ron S. of Laguna Beach, Calif. fished with guide Michael. Ron managed numerous bonefish and had multiple opportunities at permit. He hooked one permit and had it on for a brief moment before it spit the fly.
_______________________________________________________________________________________May 21 - 28, 2011
Weather Conditions: Higher than average wind speeds with a slight haze made fishing a little difficult.
Wind: The week started with average wind speeds of 11 mph, the week ended with average wind speeds of 15 mph with higher gusts.
Air Temp: 83 - 86
Water Temp: 78 - 79
Tides: The week started with high tide at 12:19 PM and progressed to 6:30 AM by week’s end.
Moon Phase: Last Quarter on Tuesday May 24
Jim B. from Frisco, Colo. visited for a partial week before his season kicked off in Colorado at Cutthroat Angler’s. Jim fished with Dion targeting permit. Opportunities came often even though conditions were less than ideal. Jim didn’t get a permit to the boat, but he hooked five with three eating on the same day.
Richard R. visited from Avondale, Penn. to get away from the weather and get some good fishing in before the growing season back on the farm. Richard spent the week exchanging stories with guide Dubs. These two always had a story while recaping the events of the day. Richard pursued multiple species, going into the mangroves for a true, “you never know what you’re going to get experience.” On the first day, they went into one of the many creeks and had a “silver missile” fly out of the water to take the popper that Richard had been casting under the mangroves. The “silver missile” was a 35-40 pound tarpon. This resident tarpon gave Richard a great fight on his 9-weight and jumped 12 times before he could get it into the boat. Richard spent time pursuing permit throughout the week and had a couple shots, but didn’t convince any to eat what he had on the menu.
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May 14-21, 2011
Weather Conditions: Higher than average wind speeds with a slight haze during the middle of the week made fishing conditions a little difficult.
Wind: The week started with average wind speeds of 10 mph, and ended with average wind speeds of 15 mph with some higher gusts.
Air Temp: 83-85
Water Temp: 78-79
Tides: The week started with high tide at 6:58 AM and progressed to 12:19 PM by week’s end.
Moon Phase: Full Moon on May 17
Scott and Tom P. joined us from Sammamish, Wash. for their first saltwater angling experience. This father and son team had an amazing week of fishing with guide John whom they dubbed the “Tarpon Whisperer.” The week began chasing bonefish on the flats; it was a great learning experience. After their fill of bonefish, they tried their hand at permit. It was another great learning experience with a couple of good shots, but no takers. On the third morning, Scott and Tom debated whether they should go out early and try for tarpon. Once the debate was over, they decided it was worth it and would make for a great memory. It was a good decision. They jumped two tarpon, one well over 100 pounds. The first tarpon they hooked headed North without stopping and ended up breaking the line. The second fish decided it was going to provide an aerial acrobatic performance. After the first morning, they targeted Silver Kings the rest of the week. They jumped an astounding eight tarpon and landed one in the 70 pound range.
Return guests Chris and Jennifer L. from Blacksburg, Va. made their annual trip to spend the week fishing with Dubs, who has become a close friend over the years. Permit, permit, permit, these two anglers have what we like to call permit fever. Although, they do fish for other species while at Turneffe, they come to target permit. There were plenty of good shots, but the permit fought the good fight and didn’t allow Chris or Jennifer to get any to hand. Chris had a great shot and take while fishing the flat right in front of the lodge. It was set up perfectly and Chris made his presentation which suited the permit. The fish was on and Chris was ready, getting the fish to the reel quickly and smoothly. Shortly after getting the fish on the reel it broke off, landing a permit while wading the flats is always a challenge.
John K. from San Jose, and friend Duke O. from Fremont, Calif., joined us to chasing all three major game species on Turneffe Atoll. The bonefish were willing to please as they most often are, but the other two species remained just out of reach. John and Duke spent some time looking and fishing for tarpon although they didn’t hook up throughout the week they had opportunities and saw rolling fish.
Karl K. visited from Pasadena, Tex. for his first saltwater fly fishing experience. Karl spent a partial week fishing with guide Daniel learning the ins and outs of fly fishing in saltwater. Karl really enjoyed wading the flats with Daniel and fishing for bonefish. Even though Karl did not land any bonefish on his first day he learned why he was breaking fish off and having fish follow and turn away or not take. By the end of Karl’s trip he had landed plenty of bonefish including one in the 5-6 pound range.
_______________________________________________________________________________________May 7-14, 2011
Weather Conditions: Good weather for most of the week with average winds through mid-week. The second half of the week saw some increased wind with lower light conditions in the early mornings.
Wind: The first half of the week wind speeds averaged 10 mph. The second half of the week wind speeds averaged 15 mph.
Air Temp: ESE
Water Temp: 79
Tides: The week started with high tide at 12:09 PM progressing to 6:58 PM by week’s end.
Moon Phase: First Quarter on May 10
It was a great week filled with plenty of fish, fish stories, and most of all, a lot of laughs. Guests were a large group of business executives for a week of relationship-building through fishing and enjoying the private Turneffe Atoll.
Group members included John R., Newcastle, Wash. Richard R., Albany, Ore., Brett W., and Craig M., Kirkland, Wash., Chip K., Seattle, Denny M., Alexandria, Va. Mike S., Mercer Island, Wash., Darren W. from Fircrest, Wash., Stuart M., Airdrie, AB. Patrick L., Redmond, Wash., Jacques L. and John G., Houston, Jim S., Snoqualmie, Wash., Craig M. from Cooper City, Fla., Chris S. and Troy B., Seattle.
Anglers switched from skiff to skiff so that they could have different fishing partners and guides each day. Each evening was filled with fish stories and the story of the one that got away. There were plenty of bonefish each day including many above average larger fish.
Permit were targeted almost daily by a good portion of the boats, but the permit seemed to want something other than what was on the menu. There were a couple of permit hooked as well as one beautiful specimen landed while an angler was wading the flats.
Tarpon were showing in good numbers and some group members wanted to try their luck battling the silver kings. One angler hooked a tarpon and fought it for 45 minutes before his rod exploded, leaving him just the first guide and his handle to fight the fish. It took another 5-10 minutes before they had their hands on the fish. It was a beautiful tarpon, weighing an estimated 80 pounds.
Barracuda were the hot fish of the week. This group loved the explosive takes and then the runs and jumps that ’cuda perform. There were about 20 barracuda landed each day with quite a few in the 48- to 60-inch range.
After a good day out on the water, anglers would make use of our new infinity swimming pool, enjoying a tropical beverage while swimming and talking through the day’s events.
_______________________________________________________________________________________April 30 - May 7, 2011
Weather Conditions: Favorable fishing conditions with sunny skies
Wind: E with an average wind speed of 11 mph
Air Temp: 83
Water Temp: 78-79
Tides: The week started with high tide at 8:00 AM and progressed to 12:09 PM
Moon Phase: New Moon on May 3
David K. from Richmond, Tex. fished with Rick W. of Woodbury, Minn. and had an intense first encounter with a permit. To keep the story short, David hooked and was fighting a large permit when suddenly his reel’s backing dug into itself. Without hesitation, guide Mike started the boat and began to follow the fish, allowing them to work on the reel. By the end of the battle, David had landed the permit, but it took one fly rod, two reels, three guys, a boat and motor running at 1/4 throttle. Rick landed a beautiful permit as well, bringing their boat tally two permit with multiple looks and a couple other eats. David and Rick also spent some time looking for tarpon. David jumped a number of them and landed one for a Grand Slam for the week.
Mike R. from Otsego spent the week fishing with friend and fellow Minnesotan Brad N. from Maple Grove and guide Dubs. They worked every minute of available light to pursue all the game species that Turneffe has to offer. Multiple mornings were spent sipping coffee on the pier before sun-up to go tarpon fishing at first light. When the first-light tarpon fishing was done, they’d return to the lodge for a hot breakfast and coffee refill then return and pursue permit and bonefish for the remainder of the day. Mike and Brad were on a permit mission. Guide Dubs and the permit did not disappoint giving both anglers multiple opportunities throughout each day. Mike and Brad both caught permit and had other takes throughout the week. Mike didn’t just catch one permit during the week, he nailed two of the elusive critters. What made it all the more special was he caught the permit on a fly that he designed and tied himself.
Brothers John and Steve D. from New Cumberland and Mechanicsburg, Penn. joined us for diverse flats fishing. The brothers wanted to experience as much as possible. Both battled it out with a tarpon during their stay, although Steve would be the only one to boat a Silver King. John’s tarpon jumped a couple of times and then immediately decided it wanted no part in this game. Within the blink of an eye (not enough time to pull anchor, start the engine, and get the boat pointed in the right direction) the tarpon had spooled John. The bonefish supplied these anglers with entertainment while taking a break from pursuing tarpon and permit. Steve hooked and landed a permit on an olive EP Crab that left both anglers in awe.
Peter G. from Meneba Heights, Minn. joined us with his wife Chris for a week of fishing and Atoll Adventuring. Peter spent most of the week fishing, but he did manage to pull himself away from the skiff and flats full of bonefish for one day to participate in AA program with Chris. Peter began with bonefish, intent on working up with permit and tarpon. After a day of bonefish, guide Willie decided that it was time to try their luck with permit. Peter had multiple looks and a couple of eats along with hooking two permit; but both broke off. On the last day, Peter and Willie went out before breakfast and searched for a willing Silver King. Even though they didn’t find any, Peter said, “It was a great way to spend the last morning . . . casting the heavy rod for a true giant.”
Return guest Cyril B. from Hamburg, NY fished with long time guide and friend Dion. Cyril and Dion focused on bonefish for most of the week. They did pursue permit throughout the week as well although they couldn’t convince any to eat. Cyril and Dion landed some nice bonefish throughout the week with a couple pushing the five pound mark.
Business Partners Brian K. and Bart M. joined us from Edina, MN. These two anglers spent their week fishing with guide Daniel pursuing all three of the major saltwater species here on Turneffe. Both Brian and Bart took the opportunity to maximize their time on the water and spent three morning casting for tarpon at sun up. They had multiple shots at both resident and migratory tarpon throughou the week although the tarpon seemed to be full and uninterested in the offerings. The bonefish provided entertainment for these anglers throughout the week with some larger than average size bonefish coming to hand. Brian landed his first ever permit while fishing with Bart and Daniel during the week. It is always special to share in someones first saltwater angling experience but sharing in someone's first permit is a special experience and a memory that will never be forgotten.
Business Partners Brian K. and Bart M. joined us from Edina, MN. These two anglers spent their week fishing with guide Daniel pursuing all three of the major saltwater species here on Turneffe. Both Brian and Bart took the opportunity to maximize their time on the water and spent three morning casting for tarpon at sun up. They had multiple shots at both resident and migratory tarpon throughou the week although the tarpon seemed to be full and uninterested in the offerings. The bonefish provided entertainment for these anglers throughout the week with some larger than average size bonefish coming to hand. Brian landed his first ever permit while fishing with Bart and Daniel during the week. It is always special to share in someones first saltwater angling experience but sharing in someone's first permit is a special experience and a memory that will never be forgotten.
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April 23-30, 2011
Weather Conditions: Generally beautiful days, but some higher than normal winds. Maybe the winds shook ’em up because there was some great permit fishing.
Wind: Average wind speed was 10 mph in the mornings; about 14 mph in the afternoons.
Air Temp: 85 - 88
Water Temp: 78
Tides: The week started with high tide at 1:32 PM and progressed to 8:00 AM by weeks end.
Moon Phase: Last Quarter on May 24.
They’re ba-a-a-ack! The migratory tarpon have returned to Turneffe with fish spotted, hooked and one brought to the boat.
Return guests Steve and Kathy E. from Santa Fe, NM visited for some diving and fishing through our combo package. Steve went back and forth between the dive boat and fishing skiff by having guide Pops pick him up mid-day from the dive boat and make the switch. Steve was interested in seeing if he and Pops could find some of the migratory tarpon. He did not know exactly what to expect, but when his fly came to an abrupt stop while stripping through one of the many creeks, he went toe-to-toe with a silver king . . . the first of the season.
The fish-dive combo allowed Steve to get in one or two dives in the morning and then have a full afternoon fishing the flats. Steve pursued bonefish with Pop’s Bitters, the fly that his guide helped create specifically for Turneffe, and the fly didn’t disappoint, keeping both Steve and Kathy into bonefish. The permit, however, remained elusive.
Tim Y. from Salem, Ore. experienced all that Turneffe Flats has to offer in the flats fishing department with his guide, Dion, although, the tarpon did not cooperate. Tim was not able to get any Silver King takers throughout the week. Tim did, however, land his first-ever permit on the fly, a beautifully specimen with a yellow belly that could only be described as the color of the sun. The fish was estimated to weigh 20 pounds. The fish went for Tim’s EP Crab
Toby S. joined us from Belgrade, Mont. to get a break from the weather in the Rockies as well as a break before his guiding season kicks off on the Madison. Toby spent the majority of his time chasing permit or “Pepe” as he called them. The opportunities came quickly and on some days often, Toby had multiple eats throughout the week. All in, he landed a gorgeous “Pepe,” busted off two others, and had a couple other eats. While searching for “Pepe,” Toby would cast for cruising bonefish although his guide Dubs would quickly get him refocused on the goal of finding “Pepe.”
Tom and Deb W. from Taos, NM, enjoyed the variety of fishing opportunities, as well as the relaxed schedule and ability to take in the experience at their own pace.
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April 16-23, 2011
Weather Conditions: The week started with nearly ideal conditions, however after a few days the winds picked up a little, but the sunny, clear skies remained.
Wind: Average of 8 mph for the first half of the week, and then average wind speeds of 13 mph.
Air Temp: 81-83
Water Temp: 78
Tides: The week started with high tide at 8:20 AM and progressed to 1:32 PM by week’s end.
Moon Phase: Full Moon on April 17
Canadian visitors Tim D. from Medicine Hat and Adam J. from Calgary, AB visited for their first saltwater experience. It was clear from the start that these two anglers were interested in pursuing the “top flats game species,” the permit. With guide Dubs, they spent their week chasing permit all over Turneffe Atoll. Adam was on the deck of the 16-foot Dolphin Super Skiff first and within a matter of minutes had his first permit eat. The first permit in Tim’s sights also ate; although, the fight would be short lived as it broke off within a matter of seconds. Tim re-rigged with a #2 Olive EP Crab. In no more than 5 minutes Tim had his next opportunity, and this time he made the most of it. With Adam and Dub’s help, they spotted another permit working across the flat. Dubs put Tim into position and Tim did the rest. When it was all said and done Tim hooked and landed a 25 pound tailing permit. Adam and Tim had plenty of other shots and managed to get a couple more eats from other permit, but they were unable to boat any other fish. On the last day, Adam had one of his best shots and he made good use it, although the permit ate, Adam was unable to battle it back to the boat and it broke off. Without question these two anglers caught permit fever.
Bill and Marshal H. visited from Bernardsville, NJ for a partial week of flats fishing. This father and son team caught bonefish and had a couple good shots at permit. Even though they were unable to get any to take, the excitement of casting to them on the flats was apparent in their smiles. Marshal spent one late evening casting for barracuda and jacks off the dock and managed to land a large horse eye jack. Marshal also had something bust his top water presentation with authority and then rip 150 yards of line off his reel before breaking the leader. This mystery fish will keep Bill and Marshal’s fishing conversations on the big one that got away for quite some time.
Greg and Megan B. from Austin, Tex. joined us for a half week of fishing followed by our Atoll Adventure program. While fishing with Pop’s, Greg and Megan presented a Pop’s Bitters in olive and amber to multiple schools of bonefish. With his custom fly rod in hand, Greg landed numerous bonefish including one 6 pounder. The two also had an amazing experience with a dolphin. While traveling through the central lagoon, Greg and Megan had a dolphin swim within 15 feet of the boat. It was an amazing to sight and experience for these two anglers and one that guide Pops described as, “Oh mon, it was beautiful. Every time I go out there is something different and new.”
Return guests Jeff M. from New York City and Ira I. from Brooklyn visited for another fishing experience. Jeff and Ira enjoyed fishing the flats in pursuit of bonefish and permit with guide Capt. One of the many highlights came when Jeff and Ira found a group of permit in the central lagoon 200 fish strong. The opportunities came quick and often, although they didn’t have any takers, there were a couple permit interested in their Olive EP Crab offering.
Howard G. from Scotch Plains, NJ and Peter R. from Tucson, Ariz. returned in hopes of getting Peter his first permit. Their first day was one for the record books. They wanted to get back in the swing of things of get ready for shots at permit so they went looking for bonefish. This was one of those days when looking turned into catching. They landed 18 bonefish and had quite a few others break off. The permit remained elusive for Peter this trip, but that didn’t stop these two from having a great week. Both anglers had opportunities at 5 pound-plus bonefish, while Howard landed one that was easily 5 and had shots at fish that would have tipped the scales north of 6 or 7 pounds.
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April 9 - 16, 2011
Weather Conditions: Sunny and clear all week.
Wind: Out of the East at 9 mph. Early parts of the week saw higher gusts; as the week went on the winds calmed
Air Temp: 88
Water Temp: 80
Tides: The week started with high tide at 1:15 PM and progressed to 8:20 AM by week’s end.
Moon Phase: First Quarter April 11
Greg B. and Sally R. of Alaska fished a half week with guide Capt., chasing bonefish on the flats. Greg and Sally concentrated on improving their skills and in three days made drastic improvement. At the end of their stay they were bringing bonefish to hand out on the flats. The week was a definite success.
The group of Jeff A., Brad B., Rafael S. and Brad T. spent time catching up and doing some fishing with guides Michael and Dion. Jeff T. and Brad B. had permit on their minds and spent time hunting for permit. A few permit took a look at their flies, but didn't eat. All three guys landed bonefish through the week. After Brad was fishing for bonefish a barracuda came around to check things out. Brad decided to give the ’cuda a shot and it did not disappoint. He and Dion were able to land a 20-plus pounder. It was the highlight of the week for Brad. For Rafael, it was his first saltwater fly fishing trip and he successfully worked the flats for bonefish.
Charlie H. came for another week at Turneffe Flats and after a year break between trips, he was excited to get back and with Pops. Charlie fished the flats hard during the week and he had great success. In comparison with other years, he saw and was able to land larger bonefish than previously, including his biggest fish to date at Turneffe. Charlie even had a shot at a permit while out on the flats, but it was another cast and scoot.
Tony F. and Gerry M. returned from California to fish with Willie. Eager to go after permit, Willie took them to some of his favorite spots where they indeed found some singles and small groups of good-size permit. They had wonderful chances each day and tried hard to make it happen. While the permit proved to be moody and didn't want to eat their flies, they did find some willing bonefish between excursions to the permit grounds
Coming to Turneffe Flats on a mission to hunt permit were Bob W. and Bruce M. who teamed up with their usual guide, Dubs. Bob and Bruce were on point as Dubs put them on permit after permit. When they saw permit, Dubs was able to get them in great casting positioning. Bruce did hook one permit that took him deep into his backing before breaking him off as he scrambled to deeper water. During the week, multiple permit came as close as they can come to taking the fly without actually eating.
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April 2-9, 2011
Weather Conditions: Skies were clear which gave our anglers great light to spot fish.
Wind: Out of the East at 8 mph.
Air Temp: 88
Water Temp: 80
Tides: The week started with high tide at 9:15 AM and progressed to 1:15 PM by week’s end.
Moon Phase: New Moon April 3
Back for another stay at Turneffe Flats was Bernie S. of Chicago. After a week of fishing with Dubs, Bernie spent his second week guided by Michael. Bernie focused his time on bonefish and was able to find plenty of fish. Between stories, Bernie caught bonefish and had a great time chasing them down on the flats.
Father Bill M. of Far Hills, NJ and son Burke M. of Denver came looking for permit. Bill caught one previously and was eager for another. Bill and Burke spent the week with guide Willie. Each day they were out they had shots at permit; there were several times when they put great casts on the permit but the fish didn’t play. One afternoon, Burke took some time to fish bonefish on the flats and did land a few fish. Then it was back to polling the flats looking for the permit. While they did get more shots at permit, they were not able to land any.
William K. of Pacific Palisades, Calif.returned to spend a week with Dubs. They worked the flats for bonefish and had success as they landed several. After a few days of chasing bonefish on the flats, William was ready to go after permit. Dubs found some and William had great opportunities. William and Dubs then returned to the flats where they were able to land more bonefish. William was recharged by the bonefish and went after permit again. After chasing permit they again returned to the flats where they found more bonefish and on and on it went . . . permit, no; bonefish, yes.
It had been about 50 years since John S. of Randolph, Vt. had been to Belize. He was eager to get back, this time with his wife Marsha S., son John S., and Emily G. They spent the week with guide John. Majority of the week was spent on the flats working schools of bonefish. While some had more experience than others (Emily had never fished before); everyone was able to catch a bonefish. John put the family in different areas that gave them a variety of angling experiences.
Tim D. from Denver fished a week with Dion. Early in the week Tim wanted to fish for bonefish and Dion took him to a few flats that had plenty them. Tim was able to land several and had consistent success during the week. After landing bonefish, Tim wanted a permit. Dion found a group of permit and Tim had great shots at them. While he didn't land one, he was eager to try again the next day. Again, Dion found permit, and the next thing you knew Tim was hooked up. It was a long battle, but Tim came out on top as he landed a 20-pounder. Later, Tim got back on the flats and chased down a few more bonefish.
First time guest was Mark B. of San Anselmo, Calif. Mark wanted to chase bonefish, so he and his guide Pops worked the extensive flats. Every day they got into schools of bonefish and Mark landed a few each day. He also spent some time chasing barracuda and was able to hook up with a few good size ’cuda on the flats.
Craig S. of Larkspur, Calif. came with tarpon on his mind. He spent the week with guide Daniel fishing the creeks. He did have some action when a 60-pound tarpon took his fly and went airborne with a big jump out of the water. While casting for tarpon, a few opportunistic barracuda jumped on his fly, they gave him strong runs and acrobatics as they skied out of the water. To take a break from tarpon fishing, Craig worked the flats where he was able to land a few bonefish.
Another return guest was Rick M. of Northridge, Calif. Rick spent his time fishing with Capt and was on the hunt for a variety of fish. The two of them spent time fishing permit, bonefish, tarpon, as well as a few of the alternative species. Each day, they were able to find a variety of fish and the success that comes with them. Rick and Capt worked hard on the flats to bring fish to hand.
Craig W. of Setauket, Long Island, NY fished for a few days with guide Eddie. Craig was new to bonefishing and after getting into rhythm with his casting he was able to fine tune his technique and land bonefish. As each day went on, Craig was able to improve his fishing skills an become a better angler. He used what he had learned to catch fish and get the experience he wanted with bonefish on the end of his line.
_______________________________________________________________________________________March 26-April 2
Weather Conditions: Mostly sunny skies and pleasant temperatures. The wind was calm and our anglers had great conditions.
Wind: For most of the week we saw winds from the ENE at 7-9 mph.
Air Temp: 87
Water Temp: 80
Tides: The week started with high tide at 2:59 PM and progressed to 9:15 AM by week’s end.
Moon Phase: Last Quarter on March 26
Bernard R. and Bernard R. Jr. of Alpine, NJ came for another week with guide Michael. For most of the week, they were on the hunt for permit and Michael was able to find them singles, doubles, as well as schools. Some of the fish they saw were well over the 20-pound mark. The guys did take a break from stalking permit and went after bonefish on the flats. After landing several, it was back on the hunt for permit. They worked very hard for permit and had a great time doing it.
Visiting for the first time were Hilton B. and Jan B. of Tiverton, RI. They spent the week fishing with Dion. Early in the week they chased bonefish on the flats and were able to bring fish to hand. After landing bonefish, Hilton wanted to go find permit. Dion found some and they had multiple shots. Following the first permit encounter, Hilton and Jan got another opportunity and Hilton made the most of it. He put his crab right where it needed to be and he was able to get the permit to eat. He landed a beauty and was ready to try for a Grand Slam. Dion got him on bonefish and he landed one; then all that was left was the tarpon. In the late afternoon they went looking for ’poon, but looking was as close as they got.
For Sandy H. of Clarksburg and Keith M. of Dickerson, Md. It was their first saltwater fishing trip. Both have done extensive fly-fishing and were ready to give saltwater a try. They paired up with Willie for the week. Early, they spent time working the flats chasing bonefish. They worked hard to get the techniques of the salt, and were able to hook and land bonefish. After hearing in the evenings stories of chasing permit, Sandy and Keith were ready to try their hand at it. Willie was able to track down permit and Keith and Sandy got some shots at them . . . then back to the flats for bonefish.
Another first timer at Turneffe Flats was Dan C. of Tuscan who was eager to learn from our guides. He spent the week with Pops who had plenty of knowledge to pass along. After the first two days, Dan was talking about his improvements in casting and understanding of bonefish. Dan was able to land bonefish with Pops. Dan also caught the “permit fever” that was around the lodge and wanted to get out test his luck on them. Pops soon had Dan making casts to a school of permit. While Dan did not hook any, he enjoyed seeing the elusive fish and just being on the casting deck with permit in the vicinity.
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March 19-26, 2011
Weather Conditions: On Sun., there were a few clouds and isolated showers. By Mon. the clouds cleared and the sun came out giving anglers great conditions for spotting fish.
Wind: E at 8-9 mph for most of the week. At times there was a slight shift as it came from the ESE at 11 mph.
Air Temp: 85
Water Temp: 80
Tides: The week started with high tide at 9:37 AM and progressed to 2:59 PM by week’s end.
Moon Phase: Last Quarter on March 26
Michael G. of Brooklyn spent the week fishing with guide Capt. chasing bonefish while wading the flats. Just as on previous trips, Capt. found plenty of bonefish for Michael throughout the week. Additionally, Michael had one quick shot at a permit while fishing for bonefish when Capt. spotted the permit feeding within casting range. Great spot and great cast, but the fish ignored it.
Michael R. of Libby, Mont. spent the week fishing with his guide Michael. From the very start, Michael and Michael hit it off like two old friends. Each day the Mike and Mike show went out to give chase to bonefish. They found lots of fish and each day were able to land many. For Michael and Michael, it seemed like every flat they went to was holding bonefish. Between laughs and bonefish, Michael was able get in a few shots at permit. Most of the permit they saw were up on the flats and feeding. Michael got some great shots at the fish, but the permit were obstreperous and didn't budge.
Richard B. of Spotsylvania, Va. and Gerry B. of Eagle, Ida. fished with Pops. Throughout the week they worked the flats in search of bonefish. As the days went on, both Richard and Gerry got into their rhythm and were able to find success on the flats. Richard and Pops found a feeding school and it only took one cast as Richard put it in the correct spot and a bonefish took after just a few strips. Gerry and Richard fished hard throughout the week and had many opportunities at schools.
Other return guests were Brian F. of Seattle and David P. of Anacortes, Wash. They went with Daniel and hunted bonefish on the flats. Both anglers hooked quite a few fish and land a handful. While wading, Brian saw a trigger fish and put his fly next to it. The trigger’s tail tipped up and the fish ate the fly. They later took a break from bonefish and went after barracuda. In a short time they had landed a few ’cuda and got some great runs from the toothy critters. Brian had a shot at a permit one afternoon as they ate lunch in their skiff. The permit was right off the bow of the boat and Brian had one shot. But, alas . . .
Back again to fish with Dion was Bill F. and Carol F. of Anacortes. It was quite a reunion as these two met up with Dion on the first morning and set out to chase bonefish on the flats. Bill and Carol had a week full of fish after fish. Dion found them fish that were eating and Bill and Carol took care of the rest. Each day the report for the day from Bill and Carol was the same: bonefish and lots of them
Visiting Turneffe for the first time was Chris M. of Pennington, NJ. He teamed up with Willie for the week. It was not long before Willie had Chris on a school of permit. Chris had great shots at the permit and put great casts on them, but the permit were tight-lipped as they sometimes are so Chris and Willie turned their attention to the flats and bonefish. He had a great time figuring out the strategy to go after the bones, however, after his early encounter with permit he was eager to get another chance. And he did. Chris had great shots at them, but the permit were being permit and did not eat his crab pattern.
Tim L. and Joanne L. came to enjoy fishing and warm weather just as their home in Troy, Mont. started to thaw from a long winter. They fished with their usual guide, Dubs. They found bonefish on the flats and were able to land several throughout the week. This trip for Tim and Joanne was highlighted by a multiple permit day. Tim landed two permit while Joanne was able to landed one. Dubs found the hungry permit and they did the rest. Tim and Joanne put their crabs in the right spot and the permit responded. It was one of those magical days for the three of them that we all hope to have out on the flats.
Coming to us from Rocklin, Calif. were Frank W. and Connie W., back to Turneffe Flats to fish with their guide, Eddie. Frank and Connie spent most of the week chasing bonefish on the flats. They worked hard and were well rewarded. Eddie put them on plenty of fish and fun was had by all as they worked school after school of bonefish. Eddie helped Frank and Connie fight fish and was there to run after fish and clear the line as it got caught around mangroves and other obstructions
Fishing along with scuba diving were D'Arcy C. and David C. of Toronto, Ontario. They split time between sports to see the whole Turneffe Atoll from different perspectives. They had good fishing with their guide John and went for a variety of fish during the week. When it was all said and done they had caught bonefish, snapper, barracuda, and a few jacks. David landed several bonefish that were in the 7-8 pound range; and the barracuda they landed were good size as well.
________________________________________________________________________________________March 12-19, 2011
Weather Conditions: Sunny skies and warm weather turning to midweek showers. By the end of the week the clouds cleared and it was back to clear skies.
Wind: The wind started from the ESE and E at 8 mph early in the week and shifted to ENE at 7 mph during the second half of the week.
Air Temp: 84
Water Temp: 79
Tides: The week started with high tide at 2:37 PM and progressed to 9:37 AM by week’s end.
Moon Phase: Full Moon on March 19
Paul B. and Griffin B. of Port Lavaca, Tex. visited for the first time to fish the large flats they had heard about. Griffin spent the week fishing with guide Eddie while Paul took advantage of our fishing/diving package and spent half the week fishing and the other half diving. Both Griffin and Paul were able to hook and land bonefish throughout the week including what Griffin said was the best bonefish he has ever caught after fishing other areas around the globe. Both had shots at permit throughout the week, but no luck.
After 15 years away, Doug C. of Alamosa, Colo. returned to Turneffe Flats to chase the fish he fondly remembered. He fished with Pops, the elder statesman of guides. Doug had a new reel for this trip and after the first day he said it was more than broken in after a few bonefish put him well into his backing. They spotted and cast to numerous permit, but there were no takers despite multiple shots.
John C. and Teresa C. came from Helena, Mont. to get a break from winter and a fly rod back in hand. They spent the week fishing with guide Michael. Bonefish was the name of the game for John and Teresa early in the week as they found large schools working the flats. Both of them were able to land fish while wading. As they worked the flat, Michael and Teresa found permit working and switched over to a crab pattern; Teresa had numerous good shots as the permit moved across the flat, but the fish ignored her offerings. John found permit working the flat immediately in front of their cabana early one morning and gave it some great pre-breakfast shots, but no takers.
It had been a few years since his last trip to Turneffe, but Chris H. of Bozeman was ready to chase permit with guide Dubs. Each day saw shot after shot at permit. The only time they took a break was when the sky was overcast and they spent an afternoon hooking bonefish. After the brief bonefish break, Dubs and Chris hunted down more permit. They did get shots at two very large fish. According to Dubs, one was around 35- and the other about 40-pounds. Chris did get great shots at permit and had a few move to his fly, but they couldn’t get one to eat.
Dan L. and Darcy L. of Bozeman spent the week chasing bonefish with guide Dion. Dan and Darcy were able to find plenty of fish on the large eastern flats of Turneffe. While Dion worked with Darcy, Dan saw a permit cruise by. After working a school of bonefish, Dan went looking for the permit and found it in the same area. He tied a crab to his tippet and made a cast that the permit could not refuse. The permit grabbed the artificial crab and Dan landed it after a memorable fight. Darcy found success on her own as well when she found a school of bonefish working and landed two.
It was a father and son trip for Allen A. of Mercer Island, Wash. and Neal A. of Austin, Tex. Allen has been to Turneffe years ago; it was the first trip for Neal. The guys spent the week fishing with guide Capt. Bonefish were the primary target, although they did have their permit shots. Toward the end of the week, Capt took Allen and Neal to an area with barracuda and within an hour they hooked numerous fish and landed a few. It was one of the high points for Neal's week as he told a few stories at the bar about his battle with the atoll’s ’cuda.
After a few days of scuba diving, Fred Y. of Denver was ready to get out on the flats with guide Daniel to chase bonefish. Daniel got Fred right onto schools of the ghosts almost immediately and he landed many including one that was around 6-pounds. All-in-all a productive split week of diving and fishing.
______________________________________________________________________________________March 5-12, 2011
Weather Conditions: Sunny skies, great weather and favorable tides.
Wind: Most of the week SE trade winds at 9 mph. On Friday, there was a quick shift to the north at 7 mph.
Air Temp: 86
Water Temp: 80
Tides: The week started with high tide at 10:22 a.m. and progressed to 2:37 p.m. by week’s end.
Moon Phase: First Quarter March 12
Earnest D. and Beth W. made the short trip from Punta Gorda, Fla. on a mission to catch bonefish. Earnest had heard about hunting them, but had never experienced it. It didn't take long on their first day for Pops to get them both on bonefish. Then it was time for permit and again Pops found fish. Earnest carefully made a cast to a school and one of the permit ate. He landed his first-ever permit the day after landing his first-ever bonefish. While on the flats, Beth was able to land a box fish as well.
Kevin G. of Algonquin, Mich. returned to Turneffe Flats with his daughter Megan G. for another week of fishing with guide Michael. Megan landed two permit the first day; while dad Kevin hooked one as well, but it spit the fly. Kevin kept working on landing permit and succeeded towards the end of the week. Kevin and Megan did take a few breaks from permit to fish bonefish as well as a few alternative species. Megan took the big fish of the week honors, landing a great barracuda. They put some more time on fishing the top water and hooked two Cubera snapper. On the flats, Michael had Kevin and Megan on plenty of bonefish; a handful was landed and Kevin had one at 9-pounds.
It was a week of hunting bonefish for Dean B. of Seattle with guide Capt. They did a mix of boat fishing and wading the flats. They found bonefish in larger schools as well as a few singles and doubles. Dean got his casts where they needed to be and was able to land quite a few bonefish. After focusing on bonefish, Dean wanted to give permit a shot, but was unable to get one to eat. On his last day, Dean wanted to fish for barracuda because he had never caught one on his fly rod. By mid-morning Dean and Capt indeed landed a toothy ’cuda, then switched back to permit, hooked and landed one, capping a multi-species week.
Guide Sean D. of Silverton, came down with fellow guide Mitch M. of Keystone, Colo. to pick up fly rods after a long winter back home. Sean stepped off 48-foot transfer boat and spotted some bonefish working the flat right in front of the lodge. Without hesitation, he grabbed his rod and started fishing, landing a 5-pound bonefish within minutes of arriving, probably a Turneffe Flats record. Early in the week they caught a handful of bonefish and then focused on permit. The highlight was Sean hooking one for a brief moment before it came unbuttoned. Mitch was able to get some shots in at permit as well, but 0 hooked.
Jim B. and Dee B. of Frisco, Colo. spent a week fishing with Dubs. From the start, Dubs had Jim and Dee on permit. Each day as they come into the dock they would describe their shots. It seemed as though Dubs had them on permit most of the day. They finally took a break from permit to go after the bonefish. It was a good decision, as they hooked and landed bonefish off the flats. Jim even got a box fish he saw while bonefishing. .
Rounding out the group of Colorado anglers were Bill P. of Parker and Scott D. of Dillon. They fished with guide Dion. They worked the flats with success and landed bonefish after bonefish. Scott had an extremely rare experience when he hooked a rare golden bonefish. Dion and Scott got the bonefish close to their feet, but when they reached for the line the fish swam free. Most days for Bill and Scott were spent permit fishing in the morning and bonefishing in the afternoon. With Dion, they had multiple shots at permit, but the fish proved why they are so elusive and difficult. After lunch, the guys would head to the flats where they found success catching bonefish after bonefish. Scott was able to hook a barracuda when he spotted it lurking around while he was looking for bonefish.
First time visitor Tom C. of Belgrade, Mont. had caught permit elsewhere previously, but wanted “just one more.” He had a few great opportunities and was able to get great shots, but the permit were being permit and wouldn’t eat his fly. Regardless, it was all smiles at the end of each day for Tom and it was clear that while he didn't hook a permit he has a great appreciation for the fish. He did take a break for a short time from permit fishing and was able to land bonefish on the flats.
_______________________________________________________________________________________February 26 - March 5, 2011
Weather Conditions: Very consistent sun and warm temperatures.
Wind: ESE/E at 8-10 mph early in the week; much calmer days with winds from E /SE at 5 mph the second half.
Air Temp: 84
Water Temp: 80
Tides: The week started with high tide at 4:46 p.m. progressing to 10:22 a.m. by week’s end.
Moon Phase: New Moon March 4
Brian K. and Debra K. escaped a cold week in Manhattan, Mont. for fishing and warm weather. They spent the time fishing with Dion and tried their luck at bonefish from the start. Both Brian and Debra were able to land them the first day and saw fish in large numbers, landing bonefish every day. While on the flats, Brian found permit working and had a shot at them, hooking and playing one until it broke off; and then getting one to eat and landing it after a long fight.
Brad A. and Frank S. of Clinton, Ontario were ready to fish hard for the week. With guide Capt, Frank and Brad chased a variety of fish: bones, various snapper, jacks, mackerel, and barracuda. Each day was an adventure to see what fish they would find. After a few attempts to catch permit on other trips, Brad and Frank were more than ready to get opportunities this time. Capt found permit for Frank and Brad on a few occasions; and while they didn’t land a permit they hooked and broke off a few and had multiple other opportunities. These caught numerous bonefish over 5-pounds and a few that came close to double digits.
Back again for another week at Turneffe Flats were Bill M. and Marlene G. of North Lakeport, Mich. They teamed up with their usual guide, Eddie. Neither Bill nor Marlene missed a beat and from the start were back to stalking bonefish. They went to some of their favorite spots on the flats and worked the bonefish with success. Even after fishing Turneffe a handful of times, Eddie showed them new flats that they had never fished. They found success each day and Marlene had an especially great time her final day, catching bonefish after bonefish.
Rob S. of Vancouver, Wash. and Alan K. of Oxnard, Calif. spent the week with guide Dubs. Both Rob and Alan were new to saltwater fishing. Alan had set a few angling goals for this year and one was to catch a bonefish. He reached this goal on the first day. Dubs put Rob and Alan on flats that offered them great bonefishing. Both guys worked on their casting, while Dubs taught them the behaviour of the fish. It all resulted in multiple bonefish every day.
Kent H. and Laura H., Dallas, honed their skills while landing fish. Kent had fished saltwater before, but it was Laura’s first experience. They fished with Michael and he was able to get them both onto fish, for Laura her first-ever bonefish. Kent landed bonefish throughout the short time they had at Turneffe Flats.
Father and son Roy M. and Rex M. of Ridgefield, Conn., spent a few days fishing with Pops. They chased bonefish each day with great results. The guys had fished saltwater before, but nothing like the extensive flats on the Atoll. Both were very excited about catching bonefish after bonefish and learning more about the fish from Pops. They even had a few opportunities at permit while working bonefish on the flats. After each day of fishing, they would sneak out for awhile themselves just in front of the lodge chasing bonefish and barracuda.
Bill A. of Aberdeen, SD fished with guide Willie. Bill got a variety of fish and on the first day landed four types of snapper, barracuda, and a handful of jacks. After getting his fill of the alternative species, Bill put his time in on the flats. He worked hard with his guide to improve his casting and it was worth his effort, landing a handful of bonefish off the flats before looking for permit. Indeed, Willie found the permit and they got a few shots, but the elusive fish did not take the fly.
Go to www.tflats.com for flats fishing, diving and Atoll Adventure opportunities.
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February 19 - 26, 2011
Weather Conditions: It was a very consistent week of sun and warm temperatures.
Wind: E-ESE @ 10 mph
Air Temp: 84
Water Temp: 80
Tides: The week started with high tide at 10:50 p.m. and progressed to 4:46 p.m. by week’s end. Moon Phase: Last Quarter February 24
Kevin H. of Mission, Tex., teamed up with guide Dubs and – Hi Ho, Hi Ho – they went to work on the flats. Early in the week they tried their luck chasing bonefish and their efforts were rewarded. Dubs found plenty of them for Kevin to fish throughout the week. After landing bonefish, Kevin and Dubs looked for permit and Kevin had great shots at the elusive critters. Kevin put in a great effort on them and even though he did not land any, he had a great time chasing them.
John E. and Francis E. of Anchorage, Alaska took a break from the cold temperatures to spend the week fishing with guide Pops. From the start, Pops put both guests on fish. They had fished bonefish in other locations, but had never seen them in such numbers as they did at Turneffe. Pleased with how much wading was available, they combed the flats and covered lots of ground. As the week went on, they got into the rhythm and both were able to land bonefish. As luck would have it, John found himself with an opportunity to cast to permit when he found three of them working across the flat he was wading. Francis mixed things up when she saw a boxfish on the flats. She put her crab right where it needed to be, hooked and landed it.
Al S. and Marty S. came down to Turneffe Flats from Easton, Md. With Michael as their guide, Al and Marty set out to find bonefish. It did not take long and they landed them right from the start. Al wanted to fish permit and Michael put him in a great position to take shots at a school. His casts were excellent, but the finicky fish proved to be very picky and would not eat his fly. Ah, as if it were only as easy as it seems in those Saturday morning TV fishing shows. But Al and Marty would come in from each day with stories of chasing fish and which fly was the hot one for the week.
Steve F. and Audry F. from Brinklow, Md. came to Belize to spend the week fishing with Dion. It’s been a long winter and the couple was anxious to get to fishing out on the flats. Dion sensed their need to hear the noise a rapidly turning fly reel makes and put them on bonefish almost immediately. Steve said at the end of the second day he was casting the best he ever had. The light conditions made for great spotting of permit and Steve and Dion found them. Steve had multiple shots at them over the next few days. While Steve didn’t get any permit to the boat, he didn’t let that bother him. Each afternoon at the dock, Steve told us about the experience he had with permit. It remains, however, an unrequited love.
Winter is like one of those batteries that keeps going and going while tropical Belize remains balmy and fishy. When you phone toll-free 888 512 8812, you’ll be speaking directly to the island (not some reservations agent) for up-to-date weather and fishing conditions.
High school and college graduation season, to say nothing of weddings, is rapidly approaching. For reservations and gift opportunities, to receive a free 30-minute Turneffe Flats DVD or answers to any fishing questions including moons and tides, phone toll-free 888 512 8812.
Go to www.tflats.com for flats fishing, diving and Atoll Adventure opportunities.
TIDES
March
26 - 5: 4:46 P.M. progressing to 10:22 A.M.
5 - 12: 10:22 A.M. progressing to 2:37 P.M.
12 - 19: 2:37 P.M. progressing to 9:37 A.M.
19 - 26: 9:37 A.M. progressing to 2:59 P.M.
26 - 2: 2:59 P.M. progressing to 9:15 A.M.
April
2 - 9: 9:15 A.M. progressing to 1:15 P.M.
9 - 16: 1:15 P.M. progressing to 8:20 A.M.
16 - 23: 8:20 A.M. progressing to 1:32 P.M.
23 - 30: 1:32 P.M. progressing to 8:00 A.M.
May
30 - 7: 8:00 A.M. progressing to 12:09 P.M.
7 - 14: 12:09 P.M. progressing to 6:58 A.M.
14 - 21: 6:58 A.M. progressing to 12:19 P.M.
21 - 28: 12:19 P.M. progressing to 6:30 A.M.
MOON PHASES
March:
New Moon - 4
First Quarter - 12
Full Moon - 19
Last Quarter - 26
April:
New Moon - 3
First Quarter - 11
Full Moon - 17
Last Quarter - 24
May:
New Moon - 3
First Quarter - 10
Full Moon - 17
Last Quarter - 24
June:
New Moon - 1
First Quarter - 8
Full Moon - 15
Last Quarter - 23
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February 12 – 19, 2011
Weather Conditions: A cold front moved in early in the week that brought with it less than ideal conditions. Throughout the week we had partially cloudy days with the later portion of week seeing plenty of sun.
Wind: NNW @ 8 MPH
Air Temp: 81
Water Temp: 78
Tides: The week started with high tide at 4:20 PM and progressed to 10:50 AM by week’s end.
Moon Phase: Full Moon February 11
Scott B. and Sunny B. of Bronx, NY came to Turneffe Flats for a week with guide Dubs. It had been 30 years since their last trip and they were eager to get back to fishing the flats. Scott and Sunny have fished all over the world and when they got out on the flats the first day Sunny said, It is surprising to see how many fish are on the flats here." They spent the week looking for bonefish, had many opportunities on the flats and were able to entice a few fish to take their fly. At the mid-week point, Scott was happy to find his rhythm use his skills he remembered from years ago to spot the singles and doubles.
Everette T. and Caroline T. of Doaktown, New Brunswick came to Turneffe to escape the cold and get in a week of fishing and,perhaps more important, warm weather. They teamed up with Michael to work the flats and hunt down fish. They started working the flats and were able to find bonefish feeding. Both Everette and Caroline were able to bring bonefish to hand. It was all smiles from Everette, Caroline, and Michael when they would return to the dock from each day of fishing. After the first morning’s fishing orientation, Caroline had her sights set on catching a barracuda. It did not take long for it to happen until Michael found a hungry ’cuda for Caroline. She landed a dandy that was about 3-feet long. Both anglers focused on permit one day and were able to find a group within the lagoon. They had great shots at the group of permit putting casts where they needed to be, however the permit seemed disinterested in their offerings and continued on their way.
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February 5-12, 2011
Weather Conditions: This week we had good weather at Turneffe with a few scattered clouds.
Wind: NNE @ 7 mph
Air Temp: 82
Water Temp: 79
Tides: The week started with high tide at 11:28 AM and progressed to 4:20 PM by week’s end.
Moon Phase: First Quarter February 11
Ken S. of Bozeman, Mont. and Mike M. of Boulder, Colo. joined us for a week of fishing with veteran guide Dion. The first day of fishing allowed both anglers to knock off the rust and get back in the rhythm of hunting bonefish. The second day started out with Mike hooking and landing his first permit on his second cast of the day. Ken found a passion for the flats and chasing bonefish in skinny water. Both Ken and Mike caught good size bonefish, around 8-pounders. Ken spent his evenings fishing the flats immediately in front of the lodge and was rewarded when he caught a few healthy bonefish. He also experienced casting to tailing permit on the flats when he came across a pod of four while wading. He had a few shots on the group, but could not get any to take his fly. Even though he did not hook up, Ken found out why anglers go to such great lengths to pursue them. Ken said until that experience he “did not understand permit fever and how anglers can spend such time and have such commitment when pursuing permit on the flats. I now understand ‘permit fever’ and why anglers get addicted to flats fishing for permit." Later in the week, the duo focused on working singles and double to challenge their casting. The week was a nice change for Mike and Ken as they took in some warm weather and got away from the snow.
________________________________________________________________________________________January 29 - February 5, 2011
Weather Conditions: Lots of sunshine and mild winds.
Wind: ESE @ 6 MPH
Air Temp: 83
Water Temp: 80
Tides: The week started with high tide at 8:13 AM and progressed to 11:28 AM by week’s end.
Moon Phase: New Moon February 2
John W. from Lakin, Kans. spent the week fishing with Dubs. John took the first day to get back into the rhythm by catching bonefish including a couple of dandies. He was definitely interested in permit, so Dubs poled him into likely areas. John had his shots and worked hard to get them to eat, hooking one before it made a strong run and broke him off. After a day with many chances, but no fish, they cast off the next morning with a mission to land one. About mid-day, they found a permit that cooperated; John put a cast where it needed to be and hooked up. After about 40 minutes, the fish came to hand. John and Dubs then went on the flats for bonefish and capped a great day by landing a handful. John continued looking for permit; and while they spotted many and hooked a few, they didn’t land another.
Otto S. and Chantale C. of Markham, Ontario fished a week with guide Daniel. They got off to a great start landing bonefish as well as barracuda on the first day. Otto was eager to try for a permit since he had never caught one. The couple spent a day working for permit and they did get shots. Otto soon hooked one and was able to fight it to the boat. After catching his first, Otto was set on getting another. They went back to where they had seen the fish and happened onto one of those mornings where everything went right. Once they found the fish, they were willing to eat and both Otto and Chantale landed two permit each. To follow up their four permit day, the Canadians looked for permit again and landed two more. Otto and Chantale both were able to improve their casting and become better anglers, as the permit will attest.
After a previous trip fell through due to weather, Ray R. and Leslie R. of Glen Rock, NJ came to Turneffe Flats, a destination they wanted to fish for years . . . and a good excuse to get away from the Jersey chill. They teamed up with guide Michael for the week and chased a variety of fish. Both Ray and Leslie were able to land bonefish throughout the week. Ray and Leslie took their shots at permit and had opportunities on fish, but were not able to convince them to eat. They did get plenty of bonefish when Michael put them on very large schools on the flats. Ray and Leslie took a short break from fishing and took an afternoon to explore with our Atoll Adventure guide Abel. Seeing all the life underwater gave them a great appreciation for the fishing and everything that goes on under the water.
Henry W. of Burlington, Ontario spent a week filming for his television show, “Fishing the Flats.” He teamed up with Pops and was able to get some great days of fishing. The first day, they went for bonefish and landed plenty including some bruisers in the 8-pound range. After the bonefish, it was on to permit for day two. Once Pops found them, Henry made the casts he needed. It was a day to remember when Henry and Pops were able to land two of the elusive critters. As the week went on, Henry wanted to chase some alternative species and was able to hook and land two trigger fish on the back reef flats. Henry took a day to fish around the reef of Turneffe and landed a handful of barracuda as well as some snapper. There were a few large grouper that took, but they used their strength and broke him off. Henry capped the week by landing a nice trigger fish that put up a great fight.
_______________________________________________________________________________________January 22-29, 2011
Weather Conditions: Nice weather early with a cold front moving in during the later part of the week.
Wind: Calm early in the week; however, as the front moved in the wind shifted to NE at around 7 mph
Air Temp: 81
Water Temp: 79
Tides: The week started with high tide at 12:03 PM and progressed to 8:13 AM by week’s end.
Moon Phase: Last quarter January 26
This week at Turneffe Flats we had a few anglers who were able to get out and take advantage of the fishing conditions early in the week. Guide Dion was able to move his anglers into Permit Country and get plenty of shots. Two were hooked and played for about five minutes before they both were able to toss the hook and scoot. A handful of others took the fly and were on for a split second before spitting the fly. Aside from the permit, bonefish were caught during the week on the large eastern flats. As always, our anglers had plenty of options throughout the week from wading the flats, poling the flats, casting into the channels and cuts for alternate species, and fishing tight into the mangroves.
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January 15-22, 2011
Weather Conditions: Plenty of sunshine and clear days gave our anglers great conditions for fishing this week.
Wind: Calm winds throughout the week with a breeze from the ENE early in the week that shifted to ESE at 4 mph
Air Temp: 83
Water Temp: 79
Tides: The week started with high tide at 7:10 a.m. and progressed to 12:03 p.m. by week’s end. Moon Phase: Full Moon Jan. 19
It was another week of fishing at for Larry M. from St. Louis who brought Keith M. of Lenexa, Kan. Larry and Keith fished with guide Dubs. Keith caught his first ever bonefish within hours of putting his first cast in the water. Larry got back into the routine and landed bonefish very quickly. Both guys were able to find permit and took shots at them. They focused on working the flats and were able to bring bonefish to hand throughout the week.
David V. of Denver and Jack Z. from Colorado Springs, Colo. came to fish Turneffe Flats with Dion. These guys enjoyed chasing bonefish and looking for permit. They were able to get into large schools of bonefish as well as singles and doubles. Jack put a great effort into improving his casting and worked with Dion on his skills, as the week went on, his casting improved each day. Dion was able to get David a shot at a permit while they poled along one of the east side flats. The payoff for David was casting to permit and getting it to eat. He hooked, fought and landed a permit on a crab pattern after putting a great cast in the right spot.
Lee D. and Nancy D. of Rigby, Idaho fished with Pops. Lee and Nancy were both excited to get out on the flats and chase both bonefish and permit. On the first day, both Lee and Nancy landed their first bonefish, the first of many as Pops worked with them and taught them about fishing the flats. Lee got great shots at the permit, but was not able to get the first few to eat. Lee and Pops stuck with permit hunting and Lee eventually got a permit to eat and had a hookup. The fish gave him a few good runs before coming unbuttoned. Nancy worked on her casting as Pops put her on numerous bonefish. At the end of the week, Lee and Nancy spoke frequently about the trip for next year and look forward to getting back to Turneffe Flats.
Timothy K. and Barbara K. from Avon, Colo. fished with guide Michael. Thanks to Michael, the couple was able to land bonefish early in week along Turneffe’s extensive flats. Tim got a great shot at a group of permit as well as on a large single that was feeding on the flats. Tim put great casts on the permit; but, as always, the permit were being permit. Tim and Michael were not to be denied and worked the flats finding single permit and getting shots at them. It all came together for Tim when Michael poled him into position and the elusive critter was willing to take the fly. It was a great fish landed by Tim after a long hard fight. It was a spawning shrimp that Tim put in the right spot and got the take.
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January 8-15, 2011
Weather Conditions: Warm temperatures and low winds started the week off for our anglers. By the end, a cold front moved in and brought cooler temperatures.
Wind: Through most of the week winds came from E to SE and by week’s end they had shifted to the N/NW. The average wind for the week was 8 mph.
Air Temp: Average of 80
Water Temp: 79
Tides: The week started with high tide at 1:10 PM and progressed to 7:20 AM by week’s end.
Moon Phase: First Quarter Wednesday January 12
John H. and Kari H. from Palmer, Alaska fished with Pops. While John had fished at Turneffe Flats before, he was excited about the opportunity to fish with the legendary Winston “Pops” Cabral. John and Kari chased bonefish and made the most of their time early in the week landing bonefish. John was able to get more opportunities to fish permit after his first trip. John said for him it was all about the adrenalin rush of fishing permit. He was able to get his fix when Pops put him onto some permit. Although the permit did not take John's fly, he enjoyed the opportunities he had. John and Keri took a break from bonefish and permit and were able to land a box fish; while Kari also got a barracuda. It was about a 100-degree difference from the cold temperatures of Alaska for them.
Rich T. of Lexington, Ky. visited after fishing other areas in Belize. He wanted to experience the remote fishing Turneffe has to offer. Rich teamed up with guide Dubs and stalked the flats looking for permit. On the first day, Rich had shots and convinced a few to take his fly. After a day where he didn't land any permit, Rich kept working hard with Dubs to get one. He was amazed at how many chances he had to cast to permit in both schools as well singles and doubles. Each day brought chances and a few hookups were had. During the course of stalking permit, Rich and Dubs came across an African pompano. The pompano turned on the fly, but did not take it. Rich went back to the permit fishing and was rewarded for his efforts when he was able to land a beautiful permit on the flats. Everyone was more than excited for Rich as he came to the dock with the news of a landed permit. Dubs and Rich also spent some time fishing to bonefish and Rich was able to land a handful in the 5-6 pound range. Rich also went after some alternative species and landed snook, mutton snapper, and a resident tarpon. In comparison with the other fisheries Turneffe offered Rich more shots at more fish than he could have ever imagined.
Tom H. and Nancy H., also from Palmer, visited for the first time. They spent the week fishing with guide Capt. These two anglers honed in their skills and caught bonefish throughout the week. Tom worked with his guide and was able to improve his casting skills as well as increase his knowledge about saltwater fishing. It was a learning experience for these two and they had a wonderful time fishing as well as learning. Landing bonefish was a great experience for them. Most of their time was spent chasing bonefish, however, they did take a break and enjoyed some scuba diving around the reef and the famous Blue Hole.
Rick B., Thomas B., and David F. came to us from Hope, Mass. All three fished with guides Michael and Dion. After fishing saltwater in other regions of the world, Rick said he saw more bonefish on his first day than he had seen on other week-long trips. All three guys went after bonefish and had a great time hunting down school after school. There were many opportunities for the anglers throughout the week. Rick and Michael spent time looking for permit and were able to find a school. The excitement from Rick was evident when he saw the classic scythe tails and the flashes of permit feeding. After trying a crab, Michael switched Rick to a spawning shrimp and was able to get a strike. At dinner, David got wind of Rick's permit adventure and gave it a shot the next day. He too was able to find permit and get great shots. All three enjoyed the time they spend with Michael and Dion. By the end of the week, they all had become just like old fishing buddies. By week’s end, these guys were talking about the numbers of fish they saw and how they could not wait to get back to have another go at them.
________________________________________________________________________________________January 1 - 8, 2011
Weather Conditions: Warm temperatures returned and conditions were favorable.
Wind: The winds this week were out of the NE at 2-3 mph. Most of the days had a light easterly breeze.
Air Temp: Average of 80 with our mid-day temps reaching the lower 80s.
Water Temp: 80
Tides: The week started with high tide at 9:03 AM and progressed to 12:37 AM by week’s end.
Moon Phase: New Moon January 4
Charles G. and Donna G. from Laurel, Md. returned for another visit. They spent another week of fishing with guide Michael. Each day they cast to schools of bonefish and brought many to hand. They took advantage of the great weather and went after permit. Michael was able to get both Charles and Donna onto permit that were feeding. Charles had two hookups and Donna had one. While they didn’t land a permit, they had great opportunities and enjoyed chasing them.
Trey I., David I., and Ann I. from Canadia, Tex. joined us for a week. After fishing Turneffe Flats years ago, David was eager to get himself and his family back. As the week got started, Ann wasted no time – on her first day with Dion she landed bonefish after bonefish, more than the rest of the family. David and Trey fished with Pops and they were able to find great fishing for bones. As the weather shaped up for a beautiful week, the group moved their focus to permit. David was able to land a beauty on the second day of his trip. That same day, Trey had great shots at permit as well. The next day was followed by another permit landed for David and a permit for Trey. Pops estimated the permit to weigh between 25-30 pounds. Ann got her chances and put some great casts right where she needed to be. She was able to get a few permit to take her fly, but, as luck would have it, each permit was able to throw the hook. After a few days of chasing permit Trey was ready for a change of pace and went after the barracuda. He had outstanding fishing and in one afternoon landed 6 large ’cuda. David and Ann continued the search for permit and got into bonefish as they poled the flats.
Leah I. and Paul B. from Bozeman, Mont. came down to get a break from the winter weather. It was Paul’s first saltwater fishing trip and he was excited from the start. On the first morning of the first day, both Leah and Paul had bonefish in hand. With plenty of sunshine and Dubs as their guide, it was an easy decision to go after permit and it paid off. Paul landed his first permit on a tan Turneffe Crab. Leah got in on the permit action and had a permit take her fly, but it came unbuttoned quickly after she set the hook. Both Paul and Leah had additional shots at permit and had additional eats from permit, but they once again proved why they are so hard to bring to hand. Paul wanted to give barracuda fishing a try and was able to land a few fish. Paul and Leah caught plenty of bonefish throughout the week.
Paul F. of Portland, Ore. and Kelly O. of Alberta, Canada came down for another trip to Turneffe Flats. They spent the week hunting permit and had opportunities with guide Willie. Kelly had shots at a school of permit and fished to them for over an hour. Willie worked hard to find permit on the flats for Paul and Kelly. They did get a few bonefish landed as they were working the flats for permit. While the shots they had at permit did not provide any fish to hand, it was clear that both had appreciation for permit fishing that made the week well worth the effort. They enjoyed days of talking with Willie about permit habits and tendencies that Willie has learned after decades of guiding at Turneffe.
Steve M. of Sevierville, Tenn. fished with longtime friend Capt. for the week. Steve wanted to land a parrot fish and on the first day hooked one, but the fish was able to break free. Steve then tried his luck at some trigger fish on the reef, even when a school of bonefish came by as well as a few barracuda, Steve kept working at the trigger fish. While he did not get one, his patience was rewarded the following day when he landed a permit. It took quite a few casts and a few different crab patterns, but when they tried the third crab it did the trick. Another permit to hand for Capt and Steve. Steve also took advantage of some alternative species when he went after barracuda and landed it on the flats. .
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December 22 - 29, 2010
Weather Conditions: Colder temperatures from a passing front gave our anglers a challenge. The weather did make a change after a few days and gave these guys great opportunities.
Wind: Average of 5 mph out of the N and NW for most days, with a slight change to the SW later in the week.
Air Temp: Average of 79 with our mid-day temps reaching the lower 80s
Water Temp: 78
Tides: The week started with high tide at 11:20 AM and progressed to 8:14 AM by week’s end.
Moon Phase: Last Quarter December 27
It was a fishing Christmas for father Clint I. and his two sons Tanner I. and Brock I. from Gruver, Tex. After fishing other areas in Belize, these guys were interested in the extensive flats Turneffe has to offer. They paired up with guides Dubs and Willie; both guides had them on bonefish throughout the week. According to Clint, within the first day they had seen more fish on the flats than they had seen in previous trips. All three were able to land nice bonefish throughout the week. Tanner, Clint and Dubs went in search of permit and were able to get good shots. They found schools as well as a few large singles. While the permit did not take any flies, the anglers were still able to have a great time chasing tails and putting casts on the elusive fish. Brock and Clint took an afternoon to chase barracuda and found a large ’cuda that demolished the fly. The fish made a powerful run and surprised Brock with its strength. After each day of fishing, the bantering would begin on the dock and continue through the evening. Willie and Dubs worked hard to get the guys on fish which would give them bragging rights for the day.
John T. and Christina R. from Rochester, NY made their dream trip a reality and came to Turneffe Flats. They teamed up with Pops and on the first day found out it was worth the wait. John landed his first-ever bonefish on a #8 Amber Pops Bitter. Not to be outdone, Chris landed a 6-pounder on day one. John and Chris had a wonderful time getting to know Pops and picking his brain about how the fish behave and why. With over 26 years experience on the flats, Pops was able to help them become better anglers each day. Most of the days were spent chasing bonefish and it paid off. John and Chris landed bonefish and had a lot of fun doing it. Chris even landed a box fish, which was one of her favorites. During the week, John focused on improving his casting and with Pops’ help was able to make great improvement on his double hauling. John was also fortunate enough to spend his birthday fishing the flats with Chris and his new friend Pops. In the later part of the week, Chris decided to try her luck at a barracuda they had seen while wading the flats. They hooked the ’cuda and when they got it in, Chris could not believe the size of the fish and how beautiful it was. By the end of the week, these two were fishing like they had been fishing the flats for years.
Mike E. from Austin, Tex. and Kelly N. from Chicago mixed some fishing in with their week of Atoll Adventuring. They went with guide Willie for a day they would not soon forget. For both of them, it was their first saltwater fishing experience. They both were able to find bonefish and bring fish to hand. Mike had a chance at permit and quickly became afflicted with permit fever; they kept an eye out for them for the rest of the week. After a day of fishing, it became clear they will be back again to focus on a full week.
Making another trip to Turneffe Flats were Jim A. and Mary S. from Bozeman, Mont., who chased bonefish and permit. During the week they were able to land bonefish on the flats just north of the lodge. Both Mary and Jim saw permit during the week and took shots at the schools. As they worked from spot to spot, they did some trolling for the alternative species that Turneffe has to offer.
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December 4 - 11, 2010
Weather Conditions: Colder than normal temperatures put this week’s anglers to the test.
Wind: Average of 10 mph out of the NNW, some higher gusts in the afternoon
Air Temp: Average of 79 with our mid-day temps reaching the lower 80s
Water Temp: 78
Tides: The week started with high tide at 9:49 a.m. and progressed to 1:58 p.m. by week’s end.
Moon Phase: New Moon December 5
Moon Phase: New Moon December 5
John B., from Elk Grove, near Sacramento, Calif., joined us for his first big saltwater trip. John and his guide Dion did not waste any time finding large schools of bonefish on the flats. Before the first day was over, John landed two large bonefish, a 7- and a 9-pounder. After a few days of great bone fishing, John was stricken with permit fever and went on the hunt. The two were able to find permit in the form of singles and groups. While seeing permit and not convincing them to devour their fly would have frustrated some, it only fueled John more as he and Dion were the first to leave the dock in the mornings in a futile search. Although John did not land a permit, he kept at it and on the way back to Belize City talked about going after permit on his next trip with Dion.
Paul F. and Michael D. from Missoula, Mont. and Oxford, Mich., respectively, enjoyed fishing with veteran guide Michael. These two longtime friends enjoyed the variety available at Turneffe Flats as well as catching up and filling the day with laughter and stories. Michael was able to get them on countless bonefish throughout the week; and on multiple occasions Michael was running back and forth to release fish. The only interruption in the bone fishing for these two was shots at permit. Paul had some great chances and summed it up best when he said, “You do not choose a permit to catch, the permit chooses you.”
Multiple trip return guests Don and Kimberlie H. requested their favorite guide, Dubs. This was the couple’s sixth visit to Turneffe Flats; and even though the weather was not what they have come to expect, the trip was another success. They did not have to go far from the lodge to find bonefish eager to eat their fly. Don worked hard on his casting and was focused on fishing to single bonefish cruising the flats. By the reports on the dock, Don’s casting was more than adequate. Kimberlie was able to land several bonefish and hooked up with some large fish, in fact large fish seemed to become a trend for Kimberlie. Through the week, Dubs was able to get Kimberlie and Don into bonefish as well as a group of permit.
Rick and Michelle D. enjoyed our Combo Package. It allowed them to both dive and fish throughout the week. Most mornings would start with diving and then move to an afternoon of fishing when their guide Willie would pick them up from the dive boat. Willie and Michelle were able to team up and Michelle landed her first bonefish early in the week. Willie was able to find permit as well as bonefish to keep Rick and Michelle busy each afternoon.
Brothers Christopher and Scott T. from Warrenville and Aiken, SC fished with Pops. Christmas came early as this week’s trip was a present from their parents. Although these two anglers did not have much experience when it came to saltwater fly fishing, they were unfazed by the challenges. Pops got them on the large back reef flats and they took full advantage landing bonefish and figuring out quickly why Pops came so highly recommended by their father. During the week, the guys honed in their skills and by the end of the week felt right at home on the flats. The opportunity of permit on the flats was enough to get the brothers’ blood pumping. After talking to the guys, we are hoping to see which picture they use for their Christmas card.
Longtime friends and fishing partners Bruce M. and Randall S. from New Canaan, Conn. visited for the first time. They have spent time fishing and exploring Belize for the last 10 years, enjoying all that it has to offer, but always wanting to find a more remote destination. They found what they were looking for at Turneffe Flats. Right from the word go, these two guys knew they wanted to focus on some of the alternative species Turneffe has to offer. They set out with guide Capt on a mission to fish the mangroves hard. Upon returning to the dock the first day, they landed seven different species, including a few Cubera snappers.
______________________________________________________________________________________November 20 - 27, 2010
Weather Conditions: Favorable conditions allowed for great fishing opportunities.
Wind: Out of the ENE as well as the E at an average speed of 8 mph with some higher gusts in the afternoon of 12.5 mph
Air Temp: 81
Water Temp: 80
Tides: The week started with high tide at 9:33 a.m. progressing to 2:38 p.m. by week’s end.
Moon Phase: Full Moon 11/21
Paul and Nick S. joined us from Granbury and North Richland Hills, Texas, respectively for their first saltwater flats experience. They spent three days chasing permit, barracuda and jacks, as well as the always-present bonefish. Guide Michael kept these two first-time anglers moving from one spot to another in search of bonefish and anything else they could find that was willing to eat. They spent time searching for permit as well; although they found a large group (100 +/- fish) they couldn’t convince any to grab. Barracuda also supplied a couple of great of stories and battles. Paul and Nick learned what quite a few anglers do when visiting Turneffe – barracuda are one of the most underrated game species in saltwater flats fishing.
Dorian and Joanne S. visited from London for Dorian’s first saltwater fly-fishing trip and Joanne’s first fly-fishing trip of any kind. Their first two days out were ones for the record books. Their first day, Joanne landed three bonefish and Dorian was able to get multiple bonefish as well. The second day gave Dorian an opportunity that gets every saltwater angler excited: tailing permit. While it was only his second day fly-fishing saltwater, and guide Dion was still trying to figure out the skill level of these two anglers, the opportunity could not have been any better. Dorian made a couple of presentations and all of the sudden the permit grabbed. It was a moment that makes very saltwater angler’s dream come true, a permit on-the-fly-day. Joanne and Dorian continued their week in great fashion landing bonefish and having a couple more opportunities at permit throughout the week. The couple from the U.K. spent the last night at the lodge talking about when they can schedule their next visit.
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November 13 - 20, 2010
Weather Conditions: Ideal fishing conditions most of the week; however, a cold front moved in on Thursday afternoon bringing with it some much-needed rain and cooler air temperatures.
Wind: Out of the ESE for most of the week at an average of 7 mph, Thursday brought a shift of direction with winds coming out of the ENE at an average of 10 mph
Air Temp: 80
Water Temp: 79
Tides: The week started with high tide at 10:32 a.m. and progressed to 3:48 p.m. by week’s end.
Moon Phase: First Quarter on 11/13
If the word “permit” stirs your soul, this was the week in which dreams turned to reality.
Brothers Max and Paul C. from Union Mills, NC joined us, and it turned out to be a week filled with laughter, storytelling, and catching. The siblings had the permit and bonefish touch. On their first day, they landed over 20 bonefish both while wading our flats and fishing from the front of Pops’ skiff. After day one, Max and Paul decided to try for a permit and Pops heard the message loud and clear putting them on a school within the first hour. Paul was first and it was not long after he stepped up that he hooked and landed his permit.
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November 6 - 13, 2010
Weather Conditions: Less than ideal with changing winds and cloud cover, light conditions remained tough throughout the week with low light most mornings and afternoons.
Wind: Out of the ENE and NNW at an average speed of 9 mph with higher gusts throughout each day.
Air Temp: 79
Water Temp: 79
Tides: The week started with high tide at 10:32 AM and progressed to 3:48 PM by week’s end
Moon Phase: First Quarter on 11/13
Return guest John P. from Williamsburg, Mass. shared a boat this week with first-time guest Joe B. from Ketchum, Ida. These two anglers enjoyed fly-fishing while their wives spent their week participating in our Atoll Adventure package with guide Abel. John and Joe chased bonefish and permit throughout the week and had success with the bonefish, but could not get a permit to commit to their presentation. These two anglers and their guide Michael had an interesting day during the week when the conditions allowed for them to go and fish outside of the reef. While out there, they caught tuna, Spanish mackerel, and a huge barracuda. Joe hooked and landed a 49-inch barracuda that put up a fight to remember. It is always fun to see the friendships that are built through fly-fishing; these two anglers were like old friends by the end of their trip.
Dave B. joined us from Plymouth, Minn. with longtime friend John L. of Albuquerque. These two anglers chased bonefish and permit while fishing with guide Dion. Dave spent a good portion of time hunting the always exciting permit. Even though he didn’t land one, he had a couple of great opportunities, but they were not willing to cooperate. Dave did have an encounter with a large barracuda although it was ended by what we euphemistically call tackle failure. John enjoyed casting for bonefish and spending time in the boat with his longtime friend and their guide, Dion.
David and Charles B., a father son team from Houston, enjoyed their week with Dubs. Although the week started out a little slowly with the conditions being more difficult than usual. by mid-week they hit their stride. One of the many highlights came when they landed over 30 bonefish in one day and had a large barracuda to the boat as well. These two anglers kept their amazing day quiet while exiting the dock and heading back to their rooms to clean up and enjoy replaying the events with a beverage, but their smiles told the story of how great that day was.
Darby B. from Albuquerque and Thomas VH from Austin joined us to celebrate their 60th birthdays. These two anglers had the “trip of a lifetime” as they stated the last night while laughing about the enjoyment of the week. It was seven days filled by chasing bonefish and hunting permit although the bonefish were willing to please, while the permit seemed to remain just out of reach for most of the trip. There was a day to remember for these two anglers. While fishing for permit in the central lagoon, their guide Pops put them on a huge school. Even though they looked like happy campers, Thomas and Darby could not convince them to consume their fly or selection of flies. These two anglers enjoyed laughing and sharing time with Pops whose general outlook on life and fishing kept them entertained and on large schools of fish all week.
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Oct. 30 – Nov. 6, 2010
Weather Conditions: The week started out with relatively clear skies, average temperatures, and a consistent breeze. By mid-week, we had a cold front move in bringing with overcast skies for part of the day, cooler temperatures, and higher than average winds.
Wind: Out of the ENE for the start of the week at an average of 7 mph, for the latter half of the week we saw winds out of the NNW at an average of 11 mph.
Air Temp: 80-84 for the first half of the week, 74-79 for the second half of the week
Water Temp: 80
Tides: The week started with high tide at 4:14 p.m. progressing to 10:32 a.m. by week’s end.
Moon Phase: New Moon on Friday 11/5
Craig and Wade F. a father and son team from Wise River, Mont., joined us for a week of fly-fishing as well as much needed time away from work. Both Craig and Wade are expert freshwater fly anglers and had fly-fished the salt before. On the first day, these two hooked and lost quite a few while trying to break the habit of “trout-setting” on bonefish. Once they got into the rhythm and started to strip-set, they immediately began landed some bonefish. On the first day while wading the flats, Wade had a great shot at a permit and with his casting ability he was able to present the fly exactly where he wanted it. Without hesitation, the permit saw the fly and picked it up. Wade set on the fish, but the fight was short as the permit broke off soon after the hook up. Both Craig and Wade were interested in finding some tarpon around Turneffe and they didn’t have to look very hard. The first creek they entered had multiple resident tarpon. Craig hooked a 30-40 pounder, but was busted off within the first 10 seconds or so. There was another take by a tarpon, but it was right at the boat when Craig was pulling the fly out of the water to recast. Wade spent a couple of nights after dinner casting from our pier to the jacks that were busting the surface. He landed a couple and lost one that was well into double digits.
Lonnie A. and Shellie B. joined us this week from Ashton and Chester, Idaho, respectively. These two ladies fished with guide Dion and chased loads of bonefish as well as trying to find any willing permit. The trip was filled with laughter and good times while in the skiff with Dion, while wading the flats, and while enjoying dinners with other guests. The fishing was good, too. Lonnie hooked and landed a beautiful permit that left her smiling from ear to ear for the rest of the week. Shellie would try her luck with the permit as well, but it seemed the weather had put them off the bite a little and they remained elusive.
Allison and Monte R. from Bellville, Tex. visited for a half week of fly-fishing with veteran guide Pops. This was Allison’s first saltwater fly fishing trip; but we think she’ll be back. Both Monte and Allison enjoyed their fill of bonefish. As Pops often does, he had them on schools almost all day every day. Monte wanted to find a tarpon, so Pops took them out for pre-breakfast trips in search of Silver Kings. They found a couple rolling in one of the larger channels in the central lagoon, but could not convince them to eat. While the tarpon were tight-lipped, there was a permit that thought Monte’s fly looked really tasty. Monte had wanted to spend some time hunting for permit, and the search paid off. Monte hooked and landed a permit while Allison and Pops enjoyed the show. Although Allison did not have an opportunity at a permit she did spot, cast, hook and land a fair share of bonefish while enjoying her first saltwater fly fishing trip.
Robert and Michael K. from San Francisco enjoyed the week fly-fishing and quality father-and-son time together. Robert and Michael have traveled to many different fly-fishing destinations; this was Michael’s first trip to Turneffe Flats and his father’s second. They enjoyed chasing bonefish around the northern flats and trying their hand at permit. The bonefish as well as a couple of alternative species provided plenty of entertainment throughout the day. Michael hooked and landed a barracuda that measured about 3-1/2 feet long. The highlight came when in one day both Michael and Robert landed bonefish over five pounds with one close to six.
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October 23 - 30, 2010
We had an interesting week, to say the least! With Hurricane Richard heading straight for us, we decided it was in our guests’ best interest to cancel the week and reschedule everyone. Richard came into contact with Turneffe Atoll on Sunday (10/24) around 2:00 p.m. We had sustained winds of around 50 mph with peaks of 100 mph. The rain started around mid-day on Sunday and continued through the night until Monday morning. We had eight inches of rain within those hours. Considering we took close to a direct hit from a Category One hurricane it did not cause much damage.
There was minimal damage to a couple of staff buildings; we lost a couple of big trees, gained some beach with the tidal surge and one of our palapas needed a face lift. Other than that, there were a lot of conch shells, coconuts, palm fronds, and turtle grass to clean up.
We have successfully cleaned and repaired everything and are back to business as usual. The fish seem to be back in business as well, with permit and bonefish into their routine. The flat in front of the main lodge had cleaned by Wednesday morning and by Thursday afternoon we saw three permit moving across and feeding aggressively. The bonefish seemed to be a little more comfortable feeding and getting back to their routine; we saw multiple schools moving across the flat on Tuesday around mid-day.
We bid Hurricane Richard a not-so-fond farewell with appreciation to all past guests and friends for their kind messages of encouragement; and thanks that there were no injuries to staff or guests and that property loss was minimal.
All of this made it impossible to report on the week of October 16-23, so here’s an abbreviated version:
Matt H. and Jordan R. from Olympic Valley and Winters, Calif. respectively visited in search of variety, but ended up targeting permit almost exclusively. Their guide Michael put them on permit everyday with some days offering multiple opportunities. The permit seemed to be more nervous than usual while on the flats, never really settling down and allowing for that perfect cast and presentation. Jordan and Matt started their days out fishing the flat out front of the cabanas before breakfast each morning; on some mornings they found one or two permit and on others they found six or eight working across the flat. The week was filled with opportunities for permit, but with permit fishing sometimes the stars just don’t align and allow for that magical take. Both Matt and Jordan did catch their fare share of bonefish as well as a couple of nice barracuda.
JR S., Brent S., Dane W., and Bryan N. visited from Houston for a half week. With an easy two hour flight, these anglers were able to visit for a partial week and make it home by Saturday afternoon. JR and Bryan spent a good portion of their time chasing permit with guide Dubs. The opportunities came, but much like our other anglers, it seemed as though it was not meant to be. Dane and Brent caught plenty of bonefish. In a matter of two days they racked up a count of almost 30. Dane and Brent chose to get a unique view of the bonefish that most anglers never get to see. They snorkeled in areas and actually swam with schools of bonefish. Judging by their stories at the bar about snorkeling, it is something they would recommend to other anglers interested in getting a different perspective.
_____________________________________________________________________________________October 9 - 16, 2010
Weather Conditions: Weather kept anglers on their toes this week with overcast skies in the morning and clear, sunny skies in the afternoon. The mornings tended to look a little concerning with low light until around 9:30 or 10:00 a.m. and then the clouds burned off and let the sun come out.
Wind: Coming out of the NNW at an average speed of 8.5 mph
Air Temp: 83 - 87
Water Temp: 82
Tides: The week started with high tide at 11:21 a.m. and progressed to 6:51 p.m. by week’s end.
Moon Phase: First Quarter on October 14
Leo H. and Fred G. from Alta, Wyo. spent their week with Pops chasing bonefish until Fred became afflicted with the permit bug. Both anglers enjoyed catching their fill of bonefish while poling and wading the back reef flats, it was not until day three that Fred was bitten by permit fever. Leo, being an experienced saltwater angler and a four time return guest to Turneffe Flats, realized what was happening to Fred and was himself interested in targeting permit for the rest of the week. Permit have an interesting way of capturing some anglers; it becomes an addiction with no form of rehab and none wanted. Even though these two anglers did not get a permit to hand, they had multiple opportunities throughout the week.
Steve M. and Bob D. visited from Sevierville, Tenn. to fish with Capt. Their week was spent enjoying Turneffe Flats and the variety of fish that we can offer due to our location. Both Steve and Bob are experienced saltwater anglers and Steve is a multiple-time return guest. One of Steve’s goals for this trip was to hook and land a trigger fish, which was in fact accomplished. All of the traditional game species were targeted as well, but the trigger fish was one of the highlights in the week for these two anglers.
Mike J. from Alamo, Calif., and his brother Bob J. from Ashland, Ore. joined us for their first visit. Mike, an experienced saltwater angler, and his brother Bob, a first-timer, enjoyed spending the week together sharing their passion of fly-fishing. It is always great to see first time saltwater anglers such as Bob because you can watch their skill level and confidence grow with each day along with success rate. Mike started the week off without missing a beat and Bob was right behind enjoying learning the nuances and finding success with each day. With Dion as their guide, these two anglers targeted bonefish, permit, and some alternative species as well. The bonefish were willing to please and satisfy these two anglers, although these two brothers also received a dose of the permit fever as well. Opportunities at permit allowed for some exciting times in the skiff even though they did not convince any to eat, they had more than a couple follows with a few really close inspections.
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