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THE ANGLING REPORT
A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
DATELINE: CHILE
Trip-Planning File
New Luxury Mothership:
An On-Site Report
(Editor Note: Just about every major fly
fishing publication in the world is going to
be publishing on-site reports soon about
the spectacular new Nomads of the Seas
mothership operation in Chile. Here’s the
‘real skinny’ on that trip from Angling Report correspondent Hugh Gardner, who was
among the press dignitaries invited along
on a check-out trip in December.)
Ergas corporate group is said to be
one of the most powerful in Chile).
Ergas is also a pilot, adventurer and
fly fishing explorer, and he has
worked on his Nomads vision for
years. He’s spent untold millions
building a state-of-the-art “small
ship” with the world’s best safety,
communications and logistical capabilities. Atmosphere was just commis-
T
his past December I had the
rare and privileged opportunity to represent The Angling Report in Chile on an inaugural
media tour of Patagonia trout fishing
aboard the new custom-built luxury
cruiser Atmosphere, mothership of the
high-tech Nomads of the Seas operation featuring jetboating and helicoptering into inaccessible, un-fished
waters by day, while enjoying fivestar gourmet dining and cruising by
night. In a word, wow!
Nomads is the brainchild and pet
project of Andres Ergas, a 40-year-old
banker, hotelier and importer (the
sioned this fall after months of shakedown cruises exploring new territory
and conducting training exercises
with crew and guides.
Ergas is also something of a Chilean Jacque Cousteau, who has incorporated every imaginable ecofriendly feature into his operation and
reached out to the scientific commu-
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IN THIS ISSUE
Yucatan Peninsula
First-Hand Report On
Mexico’s Isla Holbox
PAGES 4 - 6
New Zealand
This Company Focuses
On Remote Fishing
PAGES 6 - 8
US West
A Follow-Up Report On
Fee-Based Itineraries
PAGES 8 - 10
Honduras
Getting A Handle On
Mango Creek Lodge
PAGES 10 - 11
Alaska
Update On Ugladux
In The Aleutians
PAGES 12 - 13
Subscriber-Written Reports
Panama, Chile, Louisiana,
Turks & Caicos, Mexico, Oregon
PAGES 13 -17
February 2007
Vol. 20, No. 2
nity to conduct scientific research at
the same time he is hosting international tourists aboard his vessel. He
was with us on board our four-day
cruise, along with a contingent of notable flyfishing experts (mostly writers and photographers) from the US,
France, England and Japan, including
celebrities like Mel Krieger and Dave
Whitlock. There were perhaps 22
guests, served by a crew of 32.
Also with us was a contingent of
cetacean experts who were there to
observe the 15 species of whales and
porpoises that are found in the
Patagonian Pacific. The Nomads operation, by the way, is expected to
have great appeal to bird watchers,
well-heeled trekkers and ecotourists
of just about every stripe. There are
well over 100 species of birds unique
to the area, incredible snow-capped
volcanoes and a vast wilderness of
virgin maritime forests and islands.
The scenery is simply stunning.
About the boat itself, it would be
impossible to say too much. It truly is
brand-new and state-of-the-art in every respect, a technical wonder to behold and experience. Crew and staff
are the very best. The cabins are
great, the Chilean wines outstanding
and the food service sets new standards for international fly fishing and
ecotourism travel. There are even saltwater whirlpools and a masseuse on
board. Talk about end-of-days - Nomads really does produce a kind of
heaven on water!
Perhaps the most remarkable thing
is how Nomads puts a fly fisher’s
most feverish winter daydreams together into one fantastic package. I
have heli-fished before, but never
from a floating launching pad able to
move 100 miles at night to an entirely new watershed for breakfast. I
have jet-boated up wild rivers before,
THE ANGLING REPORT
but never been dropped off and
picked up in minutes from a floating
five-star hotel. I’ve been on luxury
cruises before, but never with this degree of attention to fly-fishing and
never with better camaraderie. And
never before have I seen evening
slide shows set to music of group adventures that very day. Each guide is
equipped with a digital camera and
PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER
Honor Roll Subscribers
Don Causey
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February 2007
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THE ANGLING REPORT
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-2-
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ILLUSTRATIONS
Gordon Allen
CONTRIBUTORS
Jim Casada
Gary Kramer
William M. Cenis David Lambroughton
Jerry Gibbs
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John R. Higley
Ray Sasser
Tim Jones
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Mel Toponce
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Volume 20, Number 2
THE ANGLING REPORT
the best scenes are compiled during
dinner, a true innovation, and each
guest gets a CD of their experience.
But we’re here to talk fishing, so
how was it? As Dickens might put it,
it was both the best of times and the
worst of times, in terms of results, but
magnetic and electrifying every step
of the way.
After boarding at Puerto Montt, a
seaport serving The Lakes Region of
south-central Chile, we recovered
from our flights in dinner hospitality
and a soundless overnight sleep, waking up next morning near the mouth
of the Rio Tic Toc, perhaps the size of
the Snake River in Idaho. My group
went off at high speeds along the
coast, then up to its source lake, and
four major tributary rivers which flow
into it. Motorized dories had already
been choppered in, and each subgroup set off along the lakeshore, or
up one of its tributaries, high and
swollen but relatively clear. My own
boat caught a few rainbows of moderate size (anglers in both of the other
boats caught more and bigger fish),
and on the lake, one boat did especially well casting to the reeds near
shore. Over lunch, we rendezvoused
lakeside for a shore lunch built
around fresh-grilled meats. That
evening’s meals were terrific and the
fun uproarious, especially when the
day’s activities were fed back to us
with a professional-grade digital
slideshow carefully synched to heroic
U-2 music.
The next day found us 85 miles
south, near the estuary of the Rio
Yelcho. The main river was high and
muddy, again about the size of the
Snake or Missouri rivers. Our only realistic alternatives were hiking up
spring-creek tributaries for mostly
smallish browns and rainbows, including, I think, some slinky steelhead smolts. The setting could not
have been more magnificent, with an
enormous volcano and one of the
planet’s most astonishing landscapes
looming over us. Gentle rains on land
got fierce with winds on the open sea.
It was a tough jet-boat ride coming
February 2007
home in leaky waders, but worth every discomfort to experience one of
the most beautiful places on earth.
Our third day on the Atmosphere,
my fishing fortunes changed dramatically as two groups of us were flown
in (on separate flights) to an Andean
lake where dories had again been
brought in by helicopter in advance.
This lake has a name, but I’ll just call
it Lago Cielo (“Heavenly Lake”). The
formula was classic Chilean streamer
fishing with heavy fast-sink lines and
rubber-legged buggers or bunny-flies
on the tippet.
The famous names with us, including Krieger and girlfriend Rhea,
Whitlock and wife Emily, photographer Jeff Lipsky of Outside Magazine,
William Daniel of Britain’s Famous
Fishing, Julien Lajournade from Voy-
ages des Peches magazine in France,
Bill Higashi of Japan’s Fly Fisher
magazine, and several other stars - all
agreed that in terms of size and numbers, this was the best day of brown
trout fishing we had ever had. Emily
astonished the sinking-line men by
catching big browns on the surface
with Dave’s classic mouse pattern.
Rhea astonished everyone by landing
six freshwater clams, which closed on
her fly while dragging the bottom. It
was just a lucky accident, but I
landed the biggest brown on my
guide Ricardo’s rubber-legged pattern, about three kilos. Normally, an
angler tips his guide, but in this instance I got one of Ricardo’s handcarved wooden fly-boxes for “fish of
the trip” (these gorgeous boxes of rare
native hardwoods are available from
Nomads for $100).
-3-
The best time to come fishing in
Patagonia is not when I was there,
early summer in South America,
equivalent to spring runoff in the
Rockies or Pacific Northwest. The primary season is late summer through
early fall, just like the US in reverse
(February through April). Assuming
spring periods work the same there,
too, the late spring, pre-runoff period
there (September/October) should
also be good. I would like to fish
these great rivers again in prime time,
when they’re low enough to read.
But just like in Montana or Colorado, when the rivers are muddy,
quiet Chilean lakes are full of fish, if
you know what you’re doing. And
even if the Nomads folks were still in
exploring mode during my trip, they
knew what they were doing. I learned
a lot about catching lunkers on sinking lines while there. Who can criticize one of these great guides for not
lining up the boat too well on a wild
river for weak gringo casting when
they’ve never rowed it before?
It’s hard to describe the experience of flying over this untamed
“cold jungle” wilderness just feet off
the ground, but for me that was even
better than my trophy brown. There
are few wilderness areas in Alaska,
and none in the Lower 48, so impenetrable and trackless as this, and none
more beautiful.
I suppose the bottom-line question is: “Is the trip worth what it
costs?” That’s a pretty serious question when the weekly rates range from
about $10,000 double occupancy for
non-fishing guests to about $15K for
double-occupancy fishing. Single-occupancy fishing runs upwards of
$20K, even as high as $24K for a premium cabin. As far as I know, this is
the most expensive ticket in fly fishing today.
The answer to the above question
depends on one’s main interest, I
think, and on the time of year one
takes the trip. The river fishing that
was available on my abbreviated offseason trip was certainly not worth
$15 to 20K a week, though I must adVolume 20, Number 2
THE ANGLING REPORT
mit Lago Cielo was in a class by itself. I can catch fish like those I
caught on my trip a short drive from
my Colorado home, and similar big
boys in Montana or Oregon.
The fishing this operation will be
able to provide should be much more
spectacular in the coming months, of
course, as the rivers drop and clear.
The salmon and steelhead now swimming the South Pacific (thanks to
transplanting) also come up these rivers during the March-April period.
The value of the trip at that time will
certainly be greater than in December.
Focusing on the fishing alone, to
be sure, is not doing justice to the experience Andres Ergas has created.
The overall wilderness experience…
the luxury accommodations and
food… the splendid air and sea infrastructure… and the improbable juxtaposition of all those elements makes
this an unparalleled experience for
the well-heeled traveler who does not
get overly excited about a decimal
point or two in the price of his (or
her) pleasures.
I do have some quibbles about the
trip, to be sure, most of them in the
area of technical services to fly fishers. The Atmosphere could carry a
much better array of flyfishing equipment than it did in this instance, and
the boat’s “wet-room” for drying waders and boots needs some improvement. Maybe a tying table should be
added on the main deck. And, above
all, the boat should be set up to offer
fresh-ground Starbucks-style coffee
rather than the Nescafe-type instant
coffee that Argentina and Chile have
traditionally been cursed with, sometimes made with roasted soy beans,
for heaven’s sake!
All of that aside, what Andres
Ergas has created is far more than a
fishing experience; it’s more like a
dream come true in new realms of being, the trip of a lifetime for fostering
new dreams of tomorrow. The stars of
this trip were not so much the fishing
as the incredible landscape and the
extraordinary team of professionals
who pamper you at every turn. What
February 2007
is all that worth? Depending on your
point of view, this is possibly a priceless experience. – Hugh Gardner.
(Postscript: You can read much more
about the Nomads of the Sea operation and/or book a trip on the Atmosphere by going to the company’s
web site, www.NomadsoftheSeas.com.
Also, as we mentioned last month,
Dave Parker of Orvis Travel is booking this trip. You can reach Parker at:
800-547-4322.)
DATELINE: YUCATAN
First-Hand Report
The Real Skinny On
Mexico’s Isla Holbox
(Editor Note: We first told you about the
emerging tarpon fishery at Isla Holbox in
Mexico in November 2005 (see Article No.
1780). Well, here’s an update, thanks to
Managing Editor Barbara Crown, who visited and fished this area last month.)
I
sla Holbox (pronounced hôlbosh) lies off the coast of
Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula
about three hours north of Cancún. It
is a boomerang-shaped, 26-mile-long
sliver of sand and mangroves that is
becoming well known as a place to go
for tarpon and snook. I visited Isla
Holbox early last month to check out
the new Holbox Fly Fishing Lodge
that Frontiers International (Tel. 800245-1950. Web: www.frontierstravel.
com) is representing on an exclusive
basis and to gain a better overall understanding of this destination.
I’ll start by telling you about the
lodge, which is in its first year of operation. In fact, it was still undergo-
-4-
ing renovations when my husband
and I were there. The villa sits about
100 yards from the water’s edge on a
white sand beach. It’s a two-story
structure that originally featured two
bedrooms and a shared bath. When
work is complete next month, it will
have five bedrooms, each with its
own private bath, and will be fully air
conditioned.
The lodge will handle up to 10
guests at a time. It has a large porch
and terrace overlooking the beach,
providing the perfect place to sit with
a cold drink or nap in a hammock after a day’s fishing. Although the air
conditioning was not installed during
our stay, an ocean breeze kept us cool
at night, and the sound of the surf carried up from the beach like a lullaby.
When the renovations are finished,
Isla Holbox Fly Fishing Lodge will
be a lovely, relaxing place to base a
fishing trip.
The lodge is owned by Laurence
John, who also owns and operates
Jungle Tarpon Lodge in Costa Rica
and Great Alaska Adventure Lodge
on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska. It is
managed by Luciano Govi, a transplanted Italian who has lived and
traveled all over the world. He is a
gracious and most accommodating
host, dedicated to making your stay
as comfortable and successful as possible. His very appearance, bare feet
and Bermuda shorts, sets the tone of
the place.
Laurence John picked Isla Holbox
to build a lodge after scouring the entire northern coast of the Yucatan
Peninsula looking for a destination
that would offer quality fishing in addition to a unique environment. Isla
Holbox is indeed a special place, and
it is not for everyone. To start with,
the place is completely un-commercialized. You won’t find any slick, sophisticated shops, restaurants or services. No fancy shopping or glitzy
nightlife. What you find is a laidback, casual and relaxed place where
time slows down and nobody cares
what business you’re in or if you
show up barefoot for dinner. The
Volume 20, Number 2
THE ANGLING REPORT
streets are packed sand, the locals
having rejected the government’s offer to pave the few roads in the tiny
town of Holbox. The mode of transportation is by golf cart, bicycle or
foot. A population of 1,500 means everyone knows everyone; and with
only 400 tourist beds on the island,
even at full capacity the place is uncrowded and calm.
In the evening, people gather in
the town square, where the tiny town
hall and police station are flanked by
“mini supers” (mini marts), several
restaurant bars and a couple of coffee
shops. There is an Internet café for
those who cannot completely break
away from work. If you listen closely,
you’ll hear numerous languages spoken by visitors from all over the
world. Some are expatriates like Govi
who settled on Isla Holbox to escape
the fast grind of life elsewhere. Although Isla Holbox is fairly new to
Americans, Europeans and well-to-do
Mexicans have been flocking here for
the last 10 years or so.
The ambience on Isla Holbox is a
bit like the ambience on Los Roques
but a bit lower-keyed. It’s important
to know all this because most fishing
packages on Isla Holbox are sold with
breakfast and lunch included, but not
dinner, which must be taken downtown. In that connection, there are a
number of restaurants on the island
serving mostly fresh seafood, basically whatever was caught that day. A
lobster dinner (two and half tails
grilled) will run about $20. Grilled
fish is as inexpensive as $6, and the
portions tend to be generous. Besides
fishing, the activities one can take
part in include swimming with whale
sharks, kite surfing, horseback riding,
birdwatching, snorkeling and diving.
The laid-back, beach-loving spouse
who doesn’t fish will do just fine on
Isla Holbox.
As for the fishing, the would-be
client needs to understand that all
guiding on Isla Holbox is provided
by one guiding operation called
Holbox Tarpon Club (www.holboxtar
ponclub.com). Operated by Alex
February 2007
Vega Cruz, Holbox Tarpon Club has
11 guides and uses 23-foot pangas
with new Yamaha outboards. The
company has been in business for 10
years and works with various hotels
and agents, including Isla Holbox Fly
Fishing Lodge, which is the only
lodging operation on the island that
caters strictly to anglers. The typical
fishing day begins at around 6 am
and concludes about 3 pm.
There are three main fishing areas
around Isla Holbox. There’s an area
near the western end of the island
about 30 minutes from the dock
called simply Holbox. Back the other
way, about an hour’s boat ride from
the dock, is a place called Mosquito
Point, where there’s a huge lagoon
with a myriad of backcountry creeks
and pools. And then there’s Cabo
Catoche still farther east, about 1½
hour’s ride from the dock depending
on conditions. Each area is a nursery
for baby tarpon and snook that are
present year round. There are also
three rock piles offshore in water running six to 20 feet deep where 60- to
200-pound tarpon come through during the migration period from April
through August.
Since I was there in January, we
were looking primarily for baby tarpon. I’d been told by Joe Codd at
Frontiers and by other anglers who
had fished there, that the baby tarpon
are everywhere and eager to strike at
just about anything you throw at
them. An angler could expect one
casting opportunity after another. Unfortunately, we had 20 mph winds on
both days we fished. To make things
worse, we were there on the full
-5-
moon, which caused lower tides than
usual. Wind meant we needed to focus on sheltered areas in the
backcountry. But the extra-low tides
meant we couldn’t get the boat to
most of those sheltered spots.
Our guide, Darwin Vega Cruz,
(Alex Vega Cruz’s brother) worked
hard to find fish for us, but the first
day was a bust. We saw one small
snook that followed my fly but did
not take. The second day, we gained
an hour on the tide and were able to
get into a few sheltered creeks and
pools. After poling about for a while
and blind casting under a partly
clouded sky, we finally saw a pod of
tarpon breaking the surface. We
chased them for over an hour, occasionally losing them when clouds
made it hard to see in the water. We
got a few boils and some follows, but
no hook-ups.
When those tarpon disappeared,
we moved to another area, way back
in the mangroves where we found
numbers of baby snook from three to
five pounds. Again, we chased them
around for over an hour, playing
peek-a-boo with the cloud cover.
Cruz called it quits just in time for us
to putt-putt across a huge grass flat
back to deeper water before the tide
stranded us. Where we were fishing,
the bottom was soft enough to suck a
wading angler down to his neck, so
getting out of the boat to do any wading was not an option.
The fishing around Isla Holbox itself is in open areas for the most part
where the wind would not allow us to
find fish much less cast to them. A
longer boat ride could have put us in
Cabo Catoche, which is on the
Yucatan mainland. The water there is
reportedly gin-clear and the baby tarpon everywhere. But four to six-foot
swells in the open water made getting
there impossible without getting
pounded for more than an hour.
In spite of the difficult conditions,
we found Cruz’s boat-handling skills
superb. He gave us as smooth a ride as
possible. It was also obvious that he
knew the waters intimately, knowing
Volume 20, Number 2
THE ANGLING REPORT
exactly when to slow down due to a
rocky bottom and when and how far
the tide would go out in each area. He
was also quite knowledgeable about
fly fishing and the quarry we were after. He checked all our leaders and
told us which flies would work best
where we were and when we should
change them. We brought a selection
of flies in mostly No. 2/0 and 3/0, including Cockroaches, Black Deaths,
Lefty’s Deceivers and others we ordered through Frontiers’ tackle partner, 7 Days Outdoors (Tel. 800-4701232. Web: www.7daysoutdoors
.com).
So, would I return to Isla Holbox?
Yes, definitely. I knew we were taking
a chance going there during the winter when wind could be a problem,
and it was. But it’s easy to see the potential of the area. The optimal fishing time here is from April to September, with fishing for the big tarpon
best from May through August. November through March can be windy,
but the baby tarpon are there.
A seven-night/six-day package
through Frontiers runs $2,495 per person based on double occupancy and a
shared boat and guide. Single occupancy is $3,995. A five-day/fournight package is $1,795. That includes accommodations, pick up and
return to Cancun, boat transfers from
the mainland to Isla Holbox, open
bar, breakfast, lunch and guided fishing. Dinners are on your own in town.
Govi made excellent recommendations to us, and all the restaurants are
a mere five-minute walk from the
lodge. – Barbara V. Crown.
(Postscript: I would be remiss if I did
not tell you that other agents book
trips to Isla Holbox, lodging their clients in various hotels and utilizing
the guide service provided by Holbox
Tarpon Club. Both Yellow Dog
Flyfishing Adventures (406-5858667) and Angling Destinations (307672-6894) can arrange hotel accommodations and fishing on the island.
The Hotel Faro Viejo (www.faroviejo
holbox.com), which is located on the
beach, also offers fishing packages.)
February 2007
DATELINE: NEW ZEALAND
FREE Fishing Report
This Company Focuses
On Remote Fishing
(Editor Note: We recently sent Online Extra
subscriber Frank Perkins on a FREE fishing trip to New Zealand’s Canterbury Region to fish remote high country rivers. All
he had to do in return was file this detailed
report on the fishing and services provided
by his host, Backcountry New Zealand. See
box on page 7 for more information on our
FREE Fishing Program.)
I
have fished New Zealand several times with various lodges,
so I was looking forward to a
different kind of experience when the
Angling Report selected me for a
FREE Fishing Trip with Backcountry
New Zealand (E-mail: mail@back
country.co.nz. Web: www.backcoun
try.co.nz). This company is an outdoor adventure outfitter specializing
in fly fishing, hunting and corporate
incentive travel. Nigel Birt is the
head guide, and he and Liam Taylor
manage the operation. The company
is based in Methven, a small town
roughly an hour’s drive from Christchurch on the South Island at the base
of the Southern Alps.
The trip they offered was for three
days of guided fishing on remote rivers in the Canterbury high country.
Access was to be by 4wd vehicle, and
I was to stay in backcountry cabins
(or huts, as New Zealanders call them)
and fish nearby freestone streams for
“medium-sized” brown and rainbow
trout. The plan changed, however,
when I arrived with fishing buddy
-6-
Bill Potter in early December to find
unsettled spring weather. That meant
the weather and water conditions in
any given watershed could be poor.
So the folks at Backcountry New
Zealand suggested something that
would give us more flexibility in
choosing rivers with the best conditions each day rather than committing
ourselves to a specific cabin location
for several days. The logic seemed
good to me, and I concurred with
their judgment. I had them put us up
at the Beluga Lodge (www.beluga.co
.nz), where I had stayed on a previous
trip, and our guide, Al Kircher, picked
us up each morning in his Land Rover
for an off-road drive up into the
backcountry.
Each day, we drove to a different
river. Rides were about 1½ to two
hours long, but they were scenic, interesting and surprisingly comfortable. Even anglers with a bad back
would do fine on these drives. Despite the travel time, we had ample
time for fishing, as Kircher was in no
hurry to return to town in the
evening. Our first day, we fished a
good size stream that was wadeable in
selected places. It had braided channels and a gravel bed with lots of
open areas with gravel or sand bars.
The other rivers were smaller. One
was a medium-size stream in a scenic
area with big limestone bluffs on both
sides. The third was a small waterway
in a shielded area, which we fished on
a particularly windy day.
The fishing was typical of New
Zealand, meaning sight casting to
large but wary fish. We walked behind Kircher at a good pace, covering
perhaps five miles a day. Most of that
was easy walking on gravel or sand
banks, but occasionally we had to do
some scrambling. We had to make
fairly long and accurate casts in the
wind, with Kircher coaching us into
the right casting position. The fish
were extremely selective, requiring
eight to 10 fly changes to get a take.
Occasionally, a fish would look at our
flies before rejecting them, but more
often than not they just plain ignored
Volume 20, Number 2
THE ANGLING REPORT
them. Even Kircher was surprised at
how selective they were, having us
stick to more or less the same fly but
just a different size or color. We
fished with nymphs under a dry as an
indicator and 12- to 15-foot leaders,
increasing the challenge of accurate
casting.
We did not catch many fish, but
that also is fairly typical of this destination. Hook-ups were scarce, and being out of practice meant losing some
of the fish that did take. But almost
every fish we cast to was a nice 16incher or better. Kircher did not put
us on small fish. Of the fish we
caught, they were mostly five pounders. We fished for both rainbows and
browns and managed to catch more
rainbows on this trip.
Kircher was a delight. In addition
to guiding for both fishing and hunting, he operates a specialized outdoor
clothing and equipment manufacturing company, and he installs fencing
and does other handy work on area
farms. That means he knows every
corner of the region and everyone
who lives there. He is an aggressive
off-road driver and will entertain you
with tales of his adventures in the
backcountry. Importantly, he could
make real-time choices of fishing
venues based on the present and predicted weather and took us to carefully selected rivers each day. He
knew every rock, nook and cranny
and where every fish would be.
Kircher was energetic, well spoken
and just plain fun. He was willing to
fish as long as we wanted and packed
good lunches for a mid-day break.
When we were too tired to walk back
to the truck, he would hike out himself and drive off-road to pick us up.
The places we fished were nominally accessible by other anglers, although we often went through locked
gates for which Kircher had keys. Angling pressure was not at all a problem, as we never saw another fisherman. The areas we fished thus seemed
sufficiently isolated, although we
were fishing in the early season when
there are fewer anglers out. Later in
February 2007
January is when most locals would be
on the water.
So how does this trip rate against
my previous lodge-based trips? In my
experience, the fishing is similar and
both can involve lengthy drives in
search of clean water and light winds.
But they are different experiences.
The folks at Backcountry New Zealand were efficient and adaptable. Because they are not tied into any one
place as a base of operations, they
were able to change our trip to overcome changing conditions. Also, we
were originally supposed to fish with
another guide who became ill.
Kircher seamlessly substituted for
him. He was on time every day, and
there were no flaws in the logistics of
the trip. I would gladly recommend
them to anybody.
On a more general note, due to the
specialized fishing, I would advise
anglers planning a trip to New
Want To Go Fishing Free?
All About Our Free-Fishing Program
The Angling Report has always
valued feedback from its subscribers. And the reasons are clear. For
one thing, Angling Report subscribers are some of the world’s
most experienced fishermen. Hence
their judgments about places are
broad-based and sound. On top of
that, most subscribers’ insights on
trips have a refreshingly candid air
about them. That’s because they are
written from a point of view that no
other publication embodies –
namely, the paying client point of
view.
So, here’s the deal. We have decided to take part of the money we
used to spend on professional writers and give it to fishing professionals who are brave enough to
have their services critiqued by Angling Report subscribers. Already,
we have published more than a
dozen subscriber-written “FreeFishing” reports, and our plan is to
put an Angler/Correspondent on a
stream somewhere each month.
To be considered for the “job”
of Angler/Correspondent, all you
have to do is upgrade your subscription to Online Extra. The cost
is only $2 a month for a service
-7-
that includes: unlimited access to
our custom-searchable, 5,000-page
database of subscriber reports and
previously published articles; earlybird electronic delivery of your
newsletter each month; and access
to periodic news bulletins of importance to anglers who travel. At least
one of those bulletins each month
will describe a FREE fishing opportunity, and it will invite you to tell
us why we should select you to take
advantage of it.
Sound like fun? Well, what are
you waiting for? Sign up right now
for Online Extra and get on the list
of people invited to go fishing free.
The easiest way to sign up is to go
to our web site, www.angling
report.com, and click on “Upgrade
to Online Extra.” Or, you can call us
at 800-272-5656. Just be sure, when
you sign up, you send us an e-mail
address that you check often. Also,
be sure your spam filter is set low
enough to let our bulletins get
through. Enjoy! – Don Causey, Editor/Publisher.
(Postscript: Online Extra subscribers
now also get invited to review topquality fishing tackle and then keep
it. See our web site for details.)
Volume 20, Number 2
THE ANGLING REPORT
Zealand to fish several different
places, whether with a couple of
lodges or guide services like Backcountry New Zealand. That way you
will be exposed to more country and
types of waters. Keep in mind that
New Zealand is probably the most
specialized fishing you will ever encounter, and is not a good place for
someone who wants to fish independently. – Frank Perkins.
(Postscript: Backcountry New
Zealand offers several all-inclusive
packages. A six-day/five-night trip
like Perkins’ with accommodations in
cabins, farm stations or motels is
$2,750 per person for two anglers.
Eight days and seven nights is
$3,675. A trip targeting high-country
spring creeks and freestone rivers for
seven days and six nights is $3,995,
based on two anglers. And a sevenday floattrip using tent camps and a
bed and breakfast goes for $5,975 per
person, based on two anglers.)
enjoy himself. For the sake of those who did
not see the previous report, it is important
to point out that Tagini is an Italian angler/booking agent who now lives in the US
and creates fee-based fishing itineraries
mostly for European clients. Fee-based tripplanning is the norm in Europe. The downside is, the client has to pay a fee. The upside is, the payment of a fee by the client
insures that the agent is working for the client, not the guide/outfitter/lodge community. Tagini created the itinerary below free
of charge for The Angling Report because
he wants to gauge the reaction of American
clients to fee-based trip planning. He wants
to know what you think. And so do we.
Tagini’s contact details appear at the end
of his report, along with ours. Enjoy!)
I
t was actually quite easy for me
to create an itinerary for the hypothetical angler you asked me
to help, as I only had to think about a
fishing trip for myself. I am, after all,
SPECIAL REPORT
Trip-Planning File
A Follow-Up Report On
Fee-Based Itineraries
(Editor Note: Last month we told you all
about Claudio Tagini’s fee-based approach
to planning a trip out West, and we promised to follow that report up by publishing
one of his fee-based itineraries. Well, here it
is. Tagini created it especially for us with
the following hypothetical angler in mind:
a mid-50’s angler on a modest budget who
is more interested in the overall experience
of fishing the American West than in catching particularly large fish or large numbers
of fish. Moreover, the hypothetical angler
wants to explore remote, scenic parts of
Wyoming, preferably focusing on on-yourown dry fly fishing. Just be aware that the
written report here is a truncated version of
what a paid client would get. An actual
paid itinerary would include the names and
phone numbers of all hotels, rental car
companies, etc. Moreover, it would contain
a detailed map, and it would come in a
handsome notebook. Guided fishing days
and/or agreed-upon floattrips would also
be all paid for, with the costs added to a
single final bill submitted by Tagini to the
client. All the paid client would have to do
is follow instructions from day to day and
February 2007
about the same age as your hypothetical angler, and I like mostly on-yourown trout fly fishing. Moreover I often travel on a modest budget.
My main problem in creating this
itinerary was, I needed to know more
about our hypothetical angler’s particular likes and dislikes. What kinds
of waters does he (or she) prefer?
What kind of food? If our hypothetical angler had been a real person, I
would have found out all of this. Ultimately, I fell back on creating the
kind of trip I would like in this part of
the West. In the course of doing that,
I strayed a bit from the geographical
area you told me to focus on. Here is
the proposed itinerary:
Friday July 27, 2007: Arrive late afternoon/early evening at Idaho Falls
Airport. Complimentary shuttle to
-8-
Shilo Inn, where the rental car is waiting. Shilo Inn has many amenities:
view of City Park (where the Snake
River flows gently towards the falls
for which the city is named); indoor
heated pool; sauna and exercise
room; bar and restaurant, where the
buffet breakfast is served (included).
The All Season Angler fly shop is not
far from the Inn. For dinner, the Sandpiper, next door, has great food and a
decent wine selection. Many other
restaurants to suit any taste and pocketbook are within a few blocks.
Saturday July 28, 2007: Approximately one-hour drive to lodging and
another 15 minutes to trailhead, bordering a neat stream (Editor Note:
Tagini says he does not want to name
this stream in a publication with general circulation, as it cannot sustain
the kind of pressure that might result.
The name would be given to a paying
customer, however.) The hike is not
strenuous and there is no hurry anyway, as the Gray Drake hatch was invented by God just for gentlemen: It
never occurs before mid-morning.
Nice riffles and small pools can be
reached within 15 to 20 minutes. The
best stretches require a 30- to 45minute hike.
Not in the mood to hike? Travel
another 20 miles or so to reach
McCoy and Bear creek and fish for
wild spotted Snake River cutthroat.
These streams, on the Idaho/Wyoming border, are the spawning
grounds for large cutts that come up
from the Palisades Reservoir in
spring. By late June or July, when
these streams become fishable, the
larger fish have already returned to
the reservoir. However, some nice,
pan-size fish remain. Beautiful, pristine and without crowds – these are
streams where angling success is not
measured by the size of the fish and
quantity, although the latter is certainly not lacking. McCoy is almost
all reachable by car. Bear Creek can
be accessed by car only in a small
section near the forest road.
Dinner: Choose between diners
with wholesome home-style cooking,
Volume 20, Number 2
THE ANGLING REPORT
a nice grill or five-star dining at the
nearby South Fork Lodge.
Sunday July 29, 2007: One could
easily spend a week fishing the area,
alternating between these three remote streams, or take a 35-mile side
excursion to Victor, Idaho, to fish one
of the many streams that flow west
into Idaho from Wyoming’s Grand
Teton range. Moose Creek, the most
southerly, has a foot trail upstream,
starting elevation, 6,950 feet, arriving
about four miles later at Moose Creek
meadows, elevation 7,650 feet. Teton
Creek is another pretty creek – a few
miles further north, just past Driggs.
Also well worth the effort, although
requiring a much longer drive, are
Robinson, Fall and Bechler in
Yellowstone Park, not to mention
Squirrel or Conant creeks.
Monday July 30, 2007: Weekdays
are the best time to fish the Grays
River. Drive about 30 to 40 miles
(road half paved; the rest is gravel)
and you’ll find some nice spots along
this pretty cutthroat stream. Grays
River flows northward in the BridgerTeton National Forest, where it is
joined by the Little Grays, another
great stop. From here, the Grays River
flows west, paralleling the last miles
of the Snake River. The two streams
meet near Alpine, Wyoming, where
they both enter Palisades Reservoir.
Tuesday, July 31: Return to Grays
River in the am to fish those riffles
left untouched yesterday. In the afternoon, drive toward Jackson along the
scenic Snake River Canyon. Take a
detour to the right on Highway 191
toward Pinedale, following the
Hoback River (too often snubbed but
worth fishing) prior to arriving at the
lodge in Jackson. Dinner: Endless
choices: sushi; Italian; affordable,
family-oriented diners, such as Teton
Steak House on Pearl Street; a lively
local brewery/restaurant. Or fine dining at The Grill at Amangani.
Wednesday August 1, 2007: Earlier
the better start this am for opening
day at Flat Creek. Leave the stretches
close to the highway and the Flat
Creek Hatchery as far behind as posFebruary 2007
sible. Bring a thermos with hot coffee,
as early mornings at well over 6,000
feet are often on the cool side. Dress
in layers, as it can get pretty hot by
later morning when the sun rises over
the 10,000-plus-foot Table and Sheep
Mountains to the east. You will need
drinking water also. Fish with a light
rod (4 weight maximum), long leader
and a fine tippet. With even moderate
skill, by lunchtime you should have a
satisfied grin.
For the late afternoon, from Flat
Creek’s Hatchery Road, drive north
nine miles to Moose Junction, then
turn left on Teton Park Road and
cross the bridge over the Snake River.
Even though it isn’t “remote,” one
might want to stop and fish the productive spot where Cottonwood
Creek enters the Snake River. Or,
travel another four miles or so further,
turn right on Cottonwood Creek Road(unpaved, so a high-clearance 4wd is
recommended). Continue on this road
for quite a while until you spot obvious trails descending steeply into the
riverbed below. This area is aptly
called “Frustration Ponds.” The fishing here is technical, so the averageskill angler will have to sweat it out a
bit. However, once you figure out the
right fly and manage to deliver it with
a nice drag-free presentation, you can
hook some nice-size trout here. Because of the difficulties, both of the
terrain and the fishing itself, it is advisable to hire a local guide to fish
this spot, at least the first time. Suggestions available on request.
Thursday August 2, 2007: A guided
floattrip on the Snake River offers a
-9-
change of pace, and a different type
of fishing with the spectacular backdrop of the Tetons against a blue sky.
Note: This must be booked in advance. Or, fish in relative solitude on
the Gros Ventre River, not far north of
Jackson. I know of a few remote spots
where a dedicated fisherman can
catch cutthroat from 15 to 20 inches
on a dry fly.
Friday August 3, 2007: Between the
Gros Ventre River and Frustration
Ponds, nice fishing can be found in
relatively remote areas, not far from
very public ones. The remote Moose
and Teton creeks (see Sunday) are approximately 25 and 45 miles from
Jackson, respectively. The Grays
River is about 45 miles to the South.
Saturday August 4, 2007: While in
the area, a floattrip to some remote
braids of the South Fork of the Snake
would be a grand finale. Note: This
must be booked in advance. Or, fish
your way back to Idaho Falls:
Hoback, back to the stream fished the
first day, or take the back road to fish
Moose Creek.
Sunday August 5, 2007: Since flights
from Idaho Falls Airport usually depart fairly early, photograph your
rental car. If any ding shows up when
the agency picks it up, you’re covered. Take the complimentary shuttle
to the airport.
The cost of all this is $1,800
(single); or $1,000 each for two persons. That sum covers my fee, lodging, small car rental, detailed maps
with easy directions to the best fishing spots, hatch chart for local waters
and a list of reliable fly-shops, outfitters/guides and restaurants. If you
substitute the small car with an SUV
(recommended if you want to go to
Frustration Ponds or drive unpaved
roads on the Teton west slope), add
$230 to the trip’s cost. Not included
are: travel to/from Idaho Falls; gasoline; meals; fishing licenses; fishing
gear; anything else not expressly
mentioned, including guided fishing
and/or floattrips. – Claudio Tagini.
(Postscript: If you would like to give
Tagini some feedback on his proVolume 20, Number 2
THE ANGLING REPORT
posed itinerary, or contact him about
a custom itinerary for yourself, he can
be reached at: AWAFLYFISH@aol.
com. Web: www.awatravel.net. You can
copy us on your e-mail communication
by cc-ing: [email protected].)
Briefly Noted
Things To Do... Places To Go... New Developments
So, is it safe for Americans to go
fishing in Cuba now that the Democrats have taken control of the US
House and Senate? We’re hearing that
some anglers have jumped to that
conclusion. After all, it was Republican lawmakers, especially those with
Cuban-American constituencies, who
supported President Bush’s efforts to
tighten the economic screws on the
island nation. Democrats have traditionally had a more lax attitude about
the Cuban sanctions.
We ran this idea by the Treasury
Department’s Office of Foreign Assets
Control (OFAC) at press time, and the
feedback is worth noting. OFAC
spokesperson Molly Millerwise told
us the change of guard in Washington
has not resulted in the Treasury Department being ordered to do anything different as regards the enforcement of economic sanctions against
Cuba. The sanctions originate in the
State Department, by the way; the
Treasury Department is simply mandated to carry them out.
“There are no changes to the embargo itself, nor anything that would
invoke a relaxation of economic sanctions,” is the way Millerwise put it.
“As far as anglers are concerned, it is
business as usual.”
Indeed, as this is written, Americans who have traveled to Cuba
through a third country continue to
be hit with civil penalties. If you
check out the Civil Penalties Actions
and Enforcement Information posted
to the OFAC web site (http://
www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/
ofac/), you’ll find that OFAC collected $52,579 last year from individuals who violated the sanctions.
While two of those cases were for purchasing Cuban cigars over the
Internet, the rest were for spending
money on food and lodging in Cuba
February 2007
between 2000 and 2005. That’s a lot
less than was collected in 2005 (a
whopping $617,494!) but still
enough to warrant your attention.
We’ll keep you posted.
Remember that humanitarian relief project on Christmas Island that
we told you about in the November
2005 issue? Subscriber George
Maybee, you’ll recall, was organizing
an effort called Friends of Christmas
Island with the intent to provide
needed medical supplies and services
as well as safe drinking water to the
residents of this popular fishing destination. Well, the first shipment of 15
crates filled with medical equipment
and supplies was on its way to the island as we went to press. Maybee expected the shipment to arrive by the
first week of this month.
Both Maybee and Brian Gies of
Fly Water Travel (800-552-2729),
who is helping Maybee spearhead
this project, were on Christmas Island
coordinating the relief effort as we
went to press. They promised to send
us an update upon their return. Here
at The Angling Report, we applaud
this effort and encourage anglers who
love Christmas Island and would like
to help the people there to get involved with Maybee’s organization.
You can contact Maybee at 303-655-
-10-
9831. E-mail: at [email protected].
Exactly what is the story on
Mango Creek Lodge on the island of
Roatan in Honduras? We’ve mentioned the place several times over
the years, and have asked repeatedly
for subscriber feedback from anyone
who actually goes there to wet a line.
Well, Angling Report President/Publisher Don Causey spent an afternoon
there in late December and has this to
say about Mango Creek:
“The so-called Bay Islands off the
east coast of Honduras – Roatan,
Utilla and Guanaja - are up there with
the most striking places in all of Latin
America. The mountainous, heavily
forested islands rise sharply from the
ocean and have very irregular coastlines. If it weren’t for the tropical foliage and swarms of hummingbirds, the
terrain would suggest coastal Maine.
It’s not the sort of terrain one commonly associates with flats species
such as tarpon, bonefish and permit.
“My first visit to the Bay Islands
was to the now-defunct La Posada del
Sol Lodge on Guanaja back in 1994. I
was not impressed with the fishing at
all. Seems La Posada back then fished
several over-pressured flats quite
some distance from the lodge, but focused most of its efforts on a smallish
flat right out front where it was common practice for the guide to chum
bonefish in range with handfuls of injured minnows. Spin fishing was the
norm.
“My experience at La Posada left
a bad impression of the Bay Islands as
a fishing spot, and it has been an uphill fight for me to consider the area
as anything more than a charming vacation area. Now, after a brief visit to
Mango Creek Lodge on Roatan, I’m
not so sure what to think about the
Bay Islands. I had the opportunity to
Volume 20, Number 2
THE ANGLING REPORT
visit Mango Creek briefly last month
when a cruise ship I was on made a
stop nearby.
“I made a point of visiting Mango
Creek because the owner, Terry Kyle,
has reportedly been working hard to
stop the bonefish netting around
Roatan. And, according to a report we
ran in 2004 from Jim Klug of Yellow
Dog Flyfishing, his efforts have met
with some success. Klug described
Roatan back then as having ‘tremendous potential.’
“Indeed, based on the quick look
I had, Mango Creek is the kind of
place a laid-back angler would enjoy.
The cabanas where you stay are built
right out over the water so you can
hear waves lapping as you drift off to
sleep. There is an unhurried air about
the place – a sort of fish-when-youwant schedule. While I was there,
much was being made of fishing from
kayaks, the pedal type that allow you
to cover a lot of water very quickly.
Kyle says he plans to encourage more
clients to fish from kayaks. In that
connection, he plans to start arranging all-day kayak trips that start with
clients being dropped off with their
kayaks at likely fishing spots some
distance from the lodge.
“Most of the bonefishing at
Mango Creek is done by wading.
Sturdy boots are a must here, as many
of the flats are covered with broken
pieces of coral. Grass flats predominate, but that does not equate with
mud on Roatan. Most of the flats are
firm and very wadeable, Kyle says,
going on to note that the grass does
mean you need to bring no-weight
flies, preferably weedless ones.
“The markedly unhurried and
unregimented air about Mango Creek
no doubt stems from the fact that
Kyle is not interested in building a
big fishing business around the retirement home he has created for himself.
At most he wants to break even, he
told me, and create employment for
the many people who work for him. If,
along the way, a fishing program
helps him conserve the area – including the bonefish – so much the better.
February 2007
“The shortness of my stay prevented me from doing much more
than walk a flat out front of the lodge
where almost all of the clients who
come to Mango Creek spend at least
some time. Judging the quality of the
bonefishing at Mango Creek on the
basis of what I saw on this one flat is
unfair. In about an hour, I saw some
three dozen bonefish, some of them
quite large. The fish did appear to be
spooky, however. The client I walked
the flat with had no luck at all enticing a strike while I was there.
“Kyle and his head guide, Terry,
were quick to point out that the fish
elsewhere around the island were
much less spooky. And, due to the
ongoing effort to stop netting, the
numbers of fish are increasing. A
good angler, I was told, could catch
six, seven or more fish in a day.
“What really whetted my interest
about Mango Creek was owner Terry
Kyle’s talk about permit and tarpon.
Kyle admits openly that he is not a
saltwater fisherman. His fishing background is the Rocky Mountain West.
Many of his clients come from that region, too. The result is, I came away
convinced Kyle does not fully understand the fishery around Roatan. Yes,
he’s had some Grand Slams, he says.
And any client who wants a tarpon on
a given day usually gets one, he says.
“Pressed on the subject of tarpon,
Kyle urged me to hurry with my meal
so there would be time for him to take
me on a quick run to the eastern end
of the island where he said there were
numerous channels flowing through
flooded mangroves. Along the way,
-11-
he pointed out various landmarks and
points of historical interest, most of
them revolving around the pirates
that once dominated the area. The
area he took me to was perfect tarpon
habitat. There were deep, fast-flowing
rivers everywhere that emptied onto
grassy flats. Apparently, it had not
occurred to Kyle that tarpon could be
a major draw for his lodge. Seasonally, he says, some very big fish can
be caught. 30- to 40-pounders are
common.
“Before I left, Kyle urged me to
come back, or send someone in my
stead who could help him figure out
just how good the tarpon and permit
fishery is around Roatan. As this issue
goes to press, I’ve proposed that he
offer a FREE Fishing Trip through
our Online Extra Program. If he does,
I’ve promised to select an Online Extra subscriber who has helped other
lodge owners figure out fisheries, or
at the very least a very experienced
tarpon and permit angler. Online Extra subscribers will know shortly if a
trip has been offered.
“In the meantime, if my description of Mango Creek intrigues you,
the cost of a week-long stay here (six
days fishing, seven nights) is a modest $2,180 double occupancy. That’s
the all-in cost for everything from arrival at the airport on Roatan, including booze. You can get more details
by going to the lodge’s web site at:
www.mangocreeklodge.com. The email address is: mangocreek@hughes
.net. For sure, there is a place on our
Honor Roll for the first subscriber to
book a week-long trip to Mango
Creek and file a detailed report afterward. See page two for details on our
Honor Roll Program.”
If you are planning to fly
Lufthansa to a fishing destination
this year, you should know the airline
has implemented some hefty new fees
to transport fishing gear. Upon checking in at a Lufthansa counter in the
US or Canada for a flight to Europe,
you could pay from $160 to $180 (depending on the gateway) each way to
Volume 20, Number 2
THE ANGLING REPORT
check in angling equipment weighing
up to 33 pounds. The fee is part of a
new baggage policy that calls for
charging excess baggage fees for all
sporting equipment based on a complicated schedule determined by the
kind of equipment checked in and the
specific flight route. Within Europe,
the fee for transporting angling
equipment ranges from $25 to $50 US
(20-40 Euros) depending on which
countries you fly to and from. You
can see the fee schedule at: www.luft
hansa.com. (Click on “Information
and Services”, then “Excess and Special Baggage.”)
What makes this all complicated
is the fact that a number of reservation agents we spoke with over the
phone were unaware of the new
policy. Some thought it only applied
in Europe. Application of the new
policy appears to be spotty at this
point, with some agents charging the
hefty fees and others foregoing it. Additionally, if you connect to a
Lufthansa flight through another carrier and check your bags through, the
fee may be calculated differently by
the carrier you check in with.
To be fair, Lufthansa is not the
only airline that has started charging
extra fees for sporting equipment. Air
Canada implemented a special fee
last year for some hunting equipment,
and has announced plans to begin
charging for other sports gear as well.
Currently, angling equipment is still
accepted by Air Canada under the
free baggage allowance.
Clearly, new airline baggage policies are going to make small travel
rods more popular. They will also
likely inspire some anglers to use
baggage-shipment services. We are
looking into those services now and
will have a report on them soon.
Continuing subscribers will remember our reports about Ugludax
Lodge on Umnak Island, Alaska. The
place is way out in the Aleutian Islands, beyond Dutch Harbor, near the
village of Nikolski. Ugludax offers
offshore fishing for salmon and haliFebruary 2007
but, as well as salmon and Dolly
Varden angling in the various streams
and lakes that riddle the island. The
lodge was managed by MUM Alaska
for a number of years, but recently
came under the control of the Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association, APICDA
(www.apicda.com). A nonprofit organization, the association develops
commercial and sport fishing operations in the Bering Sea and Aleutian
Islands with an eye towards enhancing the long-term social and economic viability of coastal communities. We checked in with APICDA’s
Director of Tourism George Weaver to
learn what the association was doing
these days with Ugludax Lodge.
Weaver says they are continuing
to offer salmon and halibut fishing,
angler who breaks the world halibut
record while fishing with Ugludax.
That record, by the way, is 459
pounds and was caught in the region
around Umnak Island.
You may soon be seeing a lot
more about Ugludax Lodge, as
APICDA is aggressively marketing
the place through various outlets, including numerous outdoor shows
around the country. They are even
working with Football Hall of Famer
Larry Czonka, host of the TV show
North to Alaska. The fishing season
starts in May for Dolly Varden and
halibut. Halibut can be fished until
September and Dollies into late August. Sockeye salmon show up in July
and are available to late August.
Pinks and silvers appear in early August, with the pinks running until late
September and the silvers available
until October. A seven-day/six-night
all-inclusive package runs $2,900.
That includes round-trip marine transportation from Dutch Harbor to
Nikolski, where anglers previously
had to shell out another $200-plus for
air transportation. For more information, visit the lodge’s web site at:
www.nikolskiadventures.com; or call
888-430-8329.
but have invested in a new charter
boat for fishing in the open water.
The new vessel is a 32 x 11-foot twin
diesel cabin cruiser made locally in
Homer, Alaska, and designed to
handle the waters around the island.
Big halibut are a major draw of the
area. These fish are mostly pursued
with heavy tackle, but he says they
are also offering halibut fishing on
the fly during a window of opportunity in August when the normally
deep-water fish follow the salmon
into the shallow water. Weaver admits
this is a very specialized fishing with
sinking tips and a large shrimp fly designed to get down deep. Persistent
anglers can land 30- to 40-pound
halibut this way, he says.
For those who want to fish for
really big halibut, Weaver says they
are offering a $100,000 prize to the
And, finally, the angling community, particularly the fly fishing
catch-and-release community, tends
to be pretty blasé about the threat animal rightists pose to the future of
hunting and fishing. The presumption
seems to be that fly fishermen are a
gentler group of people than hunters,
who knock things down and kill them
with high-powered bullets. All fly
fishermen do is entice fish to bite and
then waltz them around a bit before
sending them on their way. Who
could object to that?
Well, the truth is a growing number of people object to fishing. Moreover, some of the most vociferous opponents of fishing particularly object
to catch-and-release fishing. Ask an
Inuit what he thinks of “playing with
your food” the next time you go to
Alaska. Ask an animal rightist how he
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Volume 20, Number 2
THE ANGLING REPORT
(or she) feels about waltzing a fish
around before turning it loose. The
fact that an angler does not kill and
eat what he catches makes the “cruelty” involved gratuitous and – from
a legal standpoint – hard to defend in
light of the way animal rights law is
evolving.
What occasions these unsettling
comments is the news that Scotland is
on the verge of banning the use of
live bait in fishing. Importantly, the
main reason for the ban is to reduce
animal cruelty, not prevent the spread
of unwelcome species. One wag has
asked if the ban will stop the use of
worms as well as minnows.
So, what does this have to with
catch-and-release fly fishing – the
sport of gentlemen? No fly fishermen
would even think of using bait.
The important thing to watch is
the underlying trend of animal rights
law. If it is “cruel” to attach a minnow
to a hook, it’s cruel to attach a fish to
a hook. If that cruelty is completely
gratuitous – that is, unrelated to human consumption – it is unjustified
and therefore wrong.
Does anyone else share this concern about the growing threat to fishing? Send comments to: doncausey@
msn.com.
OUTFITTER CRITIQUES
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
(This section of The Angling Report is based entirely on subscriber-written Angler Network Forms. Our policy on these forms is we publish excerpts
in the newsletter of Angler Network Forms as received and exert no censorship. Agents, guides, lodge operators and/or outfitters who disagree with
anything said about them in this section are free to submit a rebuttal. Only paid subscribers may file Angler Network Forms or request printouts
of them. As a subscriber, you can help extend the reach of this program by filing an Angler Network Form yourself. You should have found one
inside this issue of your newsletter. For details on how to order printouts of Angler Network Reports, see Trip-Planning Database Service Box.)
Subscriber Teri Rosette has filed
an interesting report about the peacock bass fishing she enjoyed in
Panama this past December. Rosette
says she and friend Ross Beatty were
in Panama on business, looking at resorts for Beatty’s incentive travel
company and decided to spend a day
fishing. They stayed at the Gamboa
Rainforest Resort (www.gamboaresort
.com), located on the Panama Canal
in the Soberania National Park about
30 minutes from Panama City on the
Pacific Coast. Gamboa is a luxury resort offering everything from ecotours to spa treatments. The resort
also borders the Chagres River and
Lake Gatun where it offers guided
trips for peacock bass.
Rosette and Beatty fished with a
guide named “Toleco,” who took
them into the Panama Canal itself,
amidst big cargo ships, to fish side
channels and islands where the fish
hung around tree roots and other
structure. Rosette says Toleco located
fish quickly by throwing out a small
minnow on a line. If nothing hit the
minnow within a few minutes, Rosette
says they were off to another spot.
When they found fish, she says the
action on fly rods was nonstop.
Rosette says they started on red,
orange and bright green poppers,
February 2007
which the fish hit voraciously for several hours. In the afternoon heat, she
says the fish stayed in deeper water
but eagerly hit clousers in red and
green.
The fish they caught were small
peacocks in the one- to three-pound
range, but Rosette says they were
plentiful and lots of fun. She says
there were larger fish around, but they
did not land any. She says she and
Beatty regret having only one day to
fish, and would happily have fished
every day they were in Panama. Rosette warns fellow subscribers that the
guides are not catch-and-release anglers. They will want to keep a few
fish for their families.
Besides the fishing, Rosette says
Gamboa Rainforest Resort offers
many activities for non-anglers and is
the perfect place to bring the family
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or a spouse. She says the staff is very
knowledgeable about the rainforest,
and there are a number of exhibits
and tours, as well as an aerial tram
that allows visitors to experience and
learn all about the local flora and
fauna. She eagerly recounts one experience when their fishing guide took
them to a small island for a lunch
break. She says several monkeys came
right into the boat out of curiosity,
and one managed to take her sandwich right out of her hand.
The cost of a trip to Gamboa depends on the package, time of year
and type of accommodations you
book. Room rates alone can range
from $135 to $650. Rosette says they
booked the fishing independently for
$250 for the day, but Gamboa
Rainforest Resort offers a three-night/
four-day fishing package for $585 per
person, based on double occupancy.
(Postscript: We wouldn’t be doing
our job if we did not mention that
Rosette’s friend, Ross Beatty, will be
booking incentive travel trips and vacations to this destination through his
company Beatty Group International,
503-664-3340.)
Last month we told you about the
customized fishing trips organized in
Argentina and Chile by Tim Rafford
Volume 20, Number 2
THE ANGLING REPORT
of Patagonia Angling Adventures.
This month, we have a report on the
same kind of service offered by Alex
Prior of Southern Exposure (Web:
www.flyfishingcoyhaique.com. Email: info@flyfishingcoyhaique
.com). The report was sent to us by
subscriber Dean Pierose, who says he
has been to Chile with Prior four
times now. He says he uses Prior’s service because his trips are completely
focused on what the client wants to
do. He says Prior knows the region so
well and has so many contacts that he
can put together a trip that features
any combination of fishing experiences, whether an angler wants to fish
only dry flies, float or wade, or fish
spring creeks, lagunas, freestone rivers or lakes. “He knows every water
within a 200-mile radius of
Coyahaique and can give you six options for anything you want to do,”
says Pierose.
His last trip was during Chile’s
spring season this past October/November in the Alsen Region, where he
fished the Rio Baker and Rio
Cochrane, along with several lakes.
He says he spent 12 days fishing with
his son for rainbow and brown trout.
Their trip began at the Rio Baker
Lodge on the mouth of the Rio Baker.
They spent four days there and fished
the Baker and Cochran rivers, which
he says fish well in the spring as they
are glacier-fed streams. He says they
were able to sightcast to spawning
rainbow trout, and although they did
not catch lots of fish, the ones they
hooked were quality fish. He says
they experienced the most incredible
caddis hatch he has ever seen on the
Baker, with non-stop action on 17- to
25-inch fish for two hours. On the
Cochran, he says the water was so
clear they could see 20 feet down to
the bottom of the river. He says this is
the prettiest stream he has ever seen,
but that lots of wind can make the
fishing tough.
After a few days, Pierose says they
moved to Lake Tamango where they
stayed in a cabin with a view of the
Cerro Castillo and fished several
February 2007
small lakes in the area. He says they
fished from a boat, as well as from the
banks of the river. They used large
dry flies to land as many brown trout
as they wanted. From there, they
moved to Mincho’s Lodge on the
Simpson River and fished the surrounding waters for six days. Although a number of the streams there
were blown out from rain, Pierose
says they got all the fishing they
wanted on various lakes. Their last
two days found them at a cabin by a
lake where he caught six browns from
24 to 26 inches while wade fishing in
the snow right in front of their cabin.
In addition to the fishing, Pierose
says Prior arranged for various activities for his wife and his son’s fiancé.
He says they enjoyed horseback
riding, visiting local museums, shop-
ping for handmade crafts made by local artisans, viewing petroglyphs and
other activities. He even arranged for
all of them to take a train tour into
the wine country while in Santiago.
Pierose gives Prior an all-excellent rating and says he is the only operator he uses in Chile. He gives the
cost of these customized trips as
roughly $400 per day for anglers and
$200 for non-anglers. That fee goes
up an additional 20 percent when a
lodge stay is involved.
If you’ve doubted our previous reports about fishing in southern Louisiana post Hurricane Katrina, subscriber Tony Kirk says he was there
this past November and again in December, enjoying what he describes
as “fantastic” redfishing. Kirk says he
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and a friend fished with Captain
Gregg Arnold (Tel. 504-237-6742.
Web: www.fishinthelandofgiants
.com) and reports catching 22 redfish
in two days. His three largest fish
each weighed 31 pounds. He says
they fished south of New Orleans,
sightcasting in water only one to two
feet deep. He says the water was so
clear, he could see the fish open their
mouths to suck down his fly.
Kirk says he has fished more than
30 times with Arnold over an eightyear period, and that every winter he
catches several fish in the 20- to 30pound class each day, weather permitting. Also, he says he normally does
not see another angler on the water.
An experienced international angler,
Kirk equates the quality of the fishing
and overall experience with bonefishing in Seychelles or trout fishing in
Argentina.
As for New Orleans, Kirk says the
area has recovered from Katrina, with
the French Quarter back to normal
and lots of restaurants and other
places open for business. “Don’t believe the reports in the media,” he
says. “I visited New Orleans just two
months after the storm, and I don’t believe the fishing was ever affected.”
He goes on to encourage fellow anglers not to think twice about traveling to southern Louisiana to experience sight casting for big reds. He
gives a cost of $450 per day, and says
anglers can either stay at Arnold’s
house or easily find accommodations
in New Orleans.
(Postscript: Next month we’ll have a
full-length report on a FREE Fishing
Trip to southern Louisiana offered to
an Angling Report Online Extra subscriber by Richard Whitner of Gulf
Coast Outfitters. Whitner tells us the
sportfishing business in his neck of
the woods is continuing to suffer because traveling anglers mistakenly
believe the fishery was irrevocably
damaged or that the area infrastructure has not recovered from the hurricane. He says guides there need support in the way of angling business,
and he hopes Angling Report subVolume 20, Number 2
THE ANGLING REPORT
scribers will help get the word out.)
Continuing subscribers know we
have filed several reports on the highpriced bonefishing services provided
in the Turks & Caicos by a company
called Silver Deep (Tel. 649-9465612. Web: www.silverdeep.com).
While some anglers have criticized
the $750 daily fee this company
charges, subscriber Jeff Davis says the
services provided by Silver Deep’s
Arthur Dean are well worth the price.
“I have fished all over the world,
and I keep returning to T&C to fish
with Dean,” says Davis, noting that
he fishes twice a year with him. This
past November, he says, he made his
25th trip with Dean.
Davis says he continues to fish
with Dean because he consistently
puts him on numbers of bonefish. He
likes the wide open flats Dean takes
him to, with imminently wadeable
hard bottoms of white sand, plus the
numerous creeks and bights he knows
that are reminiscent of Andros Island
in the Bahamas. Davis says he has
seen schools of spawning bones with
Dean that filled the water column
from top to bottom. He says he regularly catches fish in the five- to sixpound range and occasionally a 10pounder. “Even a novice should catch
a lot of three- to four-pounders with
Dean,” says Davis.
Besides the fishing, Davis says
the guide/client relationship he has
with Dean is excellent. He describes
the man as a unique “character” who
sings all day in the boat and is very
intelligent and knowledgeable about
the area. Additionally, he says he is
reliable, creative and just a great person to be with on the water. “I have
recommended Dean to many fishing
friends, and they have all reported
great experiences,” says Davis.
Interestingly, Davis says that for
the first time in 15 years of fishing
the Turks & Caicos, he spotted a
school of tiny permit last April. He reports accidentally catching one about
the size of his fist. Also, he says he
has seen tarpon in the west Caicos ocFebruary 2007
casionally. He does not recommend
planning to fish for these species,
however. Instead, he says anglers
should try barracuda and blacktip
sharks on fly for a change of pace.
Remember The Palometa Club
(Tel. 866-723-7776. Web: www.palo
metaclub.com), that new permit and
bonefish lodge located on the
Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico in a
town called Punta Allen. We published a FREE Fishing Trip report
about the place last April (see Article
ID 1826). It was written by subscriber
Don Rollins, who raved about his entire experience.
So, how is the club doing now
that it has wound up its first season?
Two subscribers fished there this past
December and have filed follow-up
reports. the first is from Louis Weber,
who booked his trip through Wild On
The Fly (866-899-7008). Weber reports enjoying many shots at permit
and bonefish despite a week of dicey
weather. Out of six days, he says he
was able to fish five, with two days of
sunny skies and three of gray overcast
skies and rain. He says they hopped
from island to island, seeking the leeward sides to get out of the wind.
Even in bad conditions, Weber
says his guides put him on fish.
“They are amazing,” he says. “They
can see anything and won’t quit.” He
says that although fishing ends at 4
pm, his guides were willing to chase
after permit spotted only 15 minutes
from quitting time. Additionally, he
says they were excellent instructors
and had his girlfriend catching fish
-15-
although she had never fly fished before. As for numbers of fish, Weber
says he has never seen so many permit, and that there were enough bones
to catch fish all day long.
Weber also has good things to say
about the lodge itself and the staff,
with a special nod to the meals served
to them. He says owners Kay and Dick
Cameron are wonderful hosts whose
personalities are a great plus. He
gives the entire operation an enthusiastic thumbs-up and reports a cost of
$2,900.
The second report is from subscriber Donald Beck, who fished at
The Palometa Club this past December, also through Wild on The Fly. He
too reports winds of 15 to 25 miles
per hour the six days he fished and
rain on four days. Nonetheless, his
group of six anglers landed two permit (a 10- and 12-pounder), one tarpon, two snook and “a fair number”
of bonefish. He says they saw lots of
permit but found the snook and tarpon scarce. As for the guides, Beck
says they are very familiar with the
area. Furthermore, Beck notes their
exceptional communication skills
and positive personalities. Regarding
the lodge, he says the Camerons were
great and the staff fantastic.
And, finally, five subscribers have
filed reports on steelhead fishing
trips. The first is from Tom Carson
who fished the Deschutes River in
Oregon this past September with The
Riffle Fly Shop (Tel. 800-411-3330.
Web: www.theriffleflyshop.com). He
reports that he and four friends experienced some difficult fishing, with
only two or three takes or good hookups for each angler and only four
landed steelhead between them over a
three-day period. Despite that, he says
the fish were big and provided some
exciting action in fast water. He says
the guides, Matt and Dillon, knew the
river and which spots to work, but the
fish simply were not biting aggressively. “The results were definitely
not due to lack of effort on anyone’s
part,” he says.
Volume 20, Number 2
THE ANGLING REPORT
The trip involved floating the
river in one raft while the supply raft
traveled ahead to set up the evening
camp. The anglers and guides would
stop to wadefish various stretches.
Carson says the wading was tough,
with melon-size rocks in deep, fast
water. A wading staff is a must in this
river, he says. Also, he says they often
fished places where there was no
room to back-cast, requiring roll casting to get a fly to the fish.
Carson goes on to say that this
trip is not about catching a lot of fish
but rather the excitement of a big
steelhead taking your fly and heading
for fast water. He also says the country and wildlife are a large part of the
experience, particularly the spectacular views within the canyon.
He gives The Riffle Fly Shop an
all-excellent rating for service and
the guides’ knowledge of the river
and the fishing. He says he does not
recommend the trip for anglers who
are not physically fit or who expect to
land 10 or more fish a day. He gives
the cost as $1,500 for a three-day
float, including license and flies.
Still in Oregon, subscriber Steve
Christensen fished the Grande Ronde
River with Discovery Outfitters (Tel.
888-347-1200. Web: www.discovery
outfitters.org). You may recall
Christensen’s previous report about
this operator regarding a trip for
smallmouth bass on the John Day
River last June (see November 2006
issue). Discovery Outfitters is a Christian-based outdoor adventures company that organizes a variety of group
trips, including inexpensive float
fishing trips. This past October,
Christensen returned to fish steelhead
trout with them and reports hitting
the B-run, which he says is a small
run of mostly male but extra-large
fish running up to 35 inches. He says
they were a week early for the main
run, and the steelhead were scarce.
Fishing was by drifting and wading,
using rafts to access fishing spots. He
says they floated different sections of
water each day, returning to the same
base camp in the evening. ChrisFebruary 2007
tensen says the Grande Ronde below
the canyon is very wadeable and
amazingly easy to fish. The banks in
other sections can be up to 30 feet
high, but the stretches they fished
were easily accessible.
Christensen gives a cost of $350
for his three-day floattrip. He reminds
interested subscribers that Discovery
Outfitters is only a general adventure
trip outfitter. While the guides know
the river and where anglers will find
fish, they are not actually fishing
guides. This trip is for independent
anglers who can figure out the fishing
more or less on their own. See a photo
of Christensen’s steelhead in the
Photo Gallery section of our web site
at www.anglingreport.com.
Moving up to British Columbia,
subscriber Roy Parks says his group
of six anglers caught more than 40
steelhead on the Dean River this past
July/August while fishing with Moose
Lake Lodge (Tel. 250-742-3535.
Web: www.mooselakelodge .com). He
says this was his second trip for steelhead, and he managed to catch four
fish himself that ran 12 to 20 pounds.
Parks says Moose Lake Lodge has a
remote lodge overlooking the Dean
Channel close to the ocean. He describes the Dean River as a typical
steelhead stream with lots of rocks
and rapid flowing water. He says anglers must wear felt-bottomed waders
or spiked boots to keep from slipping
on the rocks. He also says the fishing
is hard, as the river is fairly wide. He
says most everyone there used a spey
rod to cast across and drift down all
day. He says they used jet boats to
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travel up and down the river to various pools holding steelhead and then
got out to wadefish.
The lodge on the Dean is small
and sparse but comfortable, says
Parks. Up to six anglers are housed in
small cabins, with meals served in the
main lodge. Parks gives the staff good
marks and says the guides were excellent. He says the lodge and guides
were able to completely outfit him for
five days, providing everything from
underwear to flies when Air Canada
lost his luggage.
In addition to the steelhead fishing, Parks also spent a few days at
Moose Lake Lodge, 90 miles inland
from the Dean River area, where he
fished for trout and salmon. He says
he enjoyed two days of fly-outs and
caught countless small rainbow trout
and salmon from 12 to 25 pounds.
Parks says he customized this trip
with Moose Lake Lodge and reports
paying $6,200. He says he enjoyed
fishing with this operator so much
that he will return again this year.
Subscriber Isadore Yablon also
fished for steelhead in British Columbia this past August and reports experiencing hot-and-cold fishing on the
Skeena and Copper rivers while fishing with Skeena Wilderness Charters
(Tel. 800-485-7696. Web: www.bcsteelhead.com). Yablon says the fishing was fair overall, but that the fish
he encountered were fresh and active
albeit on the small side. They averaged about 10 pounds.
Fishing was by floating to fishing
areas and then wading. Yablon warns
that wading on these rivers is difficult
due to lots of slippery rocks. “You
need to be a sure-footed wader,” he
says. Also, he says there are lots of
overhangs in places close to the rivers, requiring the ability to roll-cast
30 to 40 feet with a two-handed spey
rod.
In addition to steelhead, Yablon
says the Skeena and Copper also offer
fresh Coho and sockeye salmon. He
says the sockeyes were so fresh they
were still silver. He says they took the
same flies they used for the steelhead,
Volume 20, Number 2
THE ANGLING REPORT
and some days saw more sockeyes hitting their flies than trout.
As for Skeena Wilderness Charters, Yablon gives them an excellent
rating overall. He says his guide,
Kory Doll, was the outfitter’s son and
was very good. He says they provided
all the flies and use strictly barbless
hooks. Lodging was in the outfitter’s
home, which Yablon says is set up
quite nicely to host angling clients.
He gives a cost of $750 per day for
this trip.
Finally, over in the East, subscriber Jeffrey Vickers fished for steelhead in New York. He reports fishing
the Canadaway, Chautauqua Creek
and 18-Mile Creek in Hamburg
County with Vince Tobia of Cattaraugus Creek Outfitters (Tel. 716-4792327. Web: www.cattarauguscreek
outfitters.com). Vickers says he contacted Tobia after reading our reports
about the self-guided fishing he arranges in the Bahamas. When he
learned Tobia also guides for steelhead he booked a trip for that. Although Vickers says he had fished for
everything else in the Northeast, he
had never fished for steelhead. He had
heard that the steelhead runs in the
tributaries off the Great Lakes had rebounded, and he wanted to give them
a try. Vickers says he averaged eight
hook-ups a day and landed about four
or five steelhead each day. He also
landed a five-pound brown trout.
Vickers says they were going to
fish the Cattaraugus Creek first, but it
was too high due to early snow and
rain, so they started with the
Canadaway. He says this was a good
stream to get initiated into steelhead
fishing. He says there were a lot of
other anglers, and it was not pristine
water, but he got enough shots at fish
to figure out the fishing. He hooked
eight steelhead in all and landed five
of them.
The next day he fished
Chautauqua Creek, which he describes as a beautiful, small creek running through a majestic canyon. The
fishing was slow, with only two
landed fish. He says they went back
to the Canadaway for more action and
found it was less crowded than the
day before. He caught another four
fish there. The last day he fished the
18-Mile Creek and picked up a few
more fish.
Just about all the fishing was from
the bank, with only some wading. He
says he had expected crowded fishing
conditions but found it was not that
bad. As for Tobia, Vickers says he is
an intense angler who loves to spot
fish and will stay on the water until
dark. He says he plans to fish with
Tobia again and gives the cost of his
trip as $300 per day.
And Finally...
Subscriber Feedback on Grand Bahama Report
(Don Causey Note: My report in the December, 2006 issue about the Pinder brothers
and their fishing operation on Grand
Bahama Island inspired a couple of subscribers to offer a contrasting view of the
virtues of fishing around Freeport. I welcome this kind of feedback, as the push and
pull of opinion is what this newsletter is all
about. For the record, though, I have to
point out that on my trip to Grand Bahama
I did not see the town dump and the plume
of smoke emanating from it that Jeff Miller
describes in his report. Ditto airplanes
roaring overhead. Also, it’s only fair to
point out that both of the major operators
in Freeport – Grand Bahama Bonefishing
and Pelican Bay Bonefishing – fish both
the north shore of the island and to some
extent the more sheltered south shore as
conditions dictate. As for the appeal of
Freeport, I must admit I was probably
swayed in my opinion of the place by my
non-fishing wife, who enjoyed herself there
immensely. Left to my devices, I’m happy
sleeping in the woods if the fish are biting.)
Subscriber Jeff Miller, Jr. writes: I
February 2007
recently read Don Causey’s glowing
report on fishing for bones out of
Freeport. I thought Don made some
good points, but disagree with his
suggestion that it’s really not worth
making the roughly one-hour drive to
Maclean’s Town on Grand Bahama’s
east end. Let me offer a few thoughts
and observations….
I disagree with Don’s contention
that Freeport is a great resort community with everything a non-fishing
spouse or family member could want.
To my way of thinking, Freeport is
OK, but something of a tourist trap.
The hotels are pretty nice, but dining
and shopping (think t-shirt and souvenir stalls for people piling off
cruise boats) are limited. The golf
courses are flat and fairly interesting
at best. The casinos are small. If you
prefer a fishing lodge experience to
-17-
staying in a resort hotel, North Riding
Point and Deep Water Cay Club are
both outstanding options.
The Pinder brothers are terrific
guides and great guys. I’ve fished
with all of them, both at Deep Water
Cay and, more recently, out of
Freeport. They’re fun to be with, and
the fishing they offer on the northwest side of Grand Bahama can be terrific with very large fish. But….
The area fished by the Pinders and
others out of Freeport is wide open to
the north wind, the worst one for
bonefishing in the Bahamas. Interestingly, on days when they get blown
out, the Pinders sometimes trailer
their skiffs back to Maclean’s Town
to find shelter from the wind and pick
up a few bones.
Finally, the flats fished out of
Freeport are not a thing of beauty.
Volume 20, Number 2
THE ANGLING REPORT
While out for the day, you’ll see numerous commercial airliners arriving
at and departing from the Freeport airport. You’ll probably find yourself
within view of the sizeable town
dump, too. You’ll typically see
plumes of smoke from the trash-burning that takes place there. Smell isn’t
typically a problem, though. Especially if the wind is from the north.
The east end, by contrast, is pristine, beautiful and enormous. When
Gil Drake built the lodge at Deep Water Cay in 1958, it was one of the first
in the Bahamas. Mr. Drake chose a
place with a huge number of flats and
cays, assuring low-pressure fishing
and protection from the wind on all
but the very worst days. He had first
pick and he picked well. While there
are sometimes other fishing operations on the east end, they tend to
come and go and usually send out
just two or three skiffs on the days
they’re there. Deep Water Cay Club
carefully rests and rotates flats and
I’ve never felt like the fish were
stressed by too much pressure. While
it’s true that the club’s owners are
privatizing and developing the island
in significant ways, they claim that
they will not put more skiffs in the
water. So far, they’ve remained true to
that claim.
In conclusion, while I agree that
one can have great days of bonefishing out of Freeport, there are lots of
reasons to head for Maclean’s Town
and some wonderful lodge-based angling.
Subscriber Charles Day Dilks
writes: I read with interest your recent article about fishing Grand
Bahama. Although I agree with much
of what you said, my experience during two trips in 2004 and 2005 was
different in some ways than that reported. To be sure, I fished Grand
Bahama with Pelican Bay Bonefish-
ing, not Grand Bahama Bonefishing.
Still, I must report that I was greatly
disappointed in the number of fish I
saw, as well as the enthusiasm and
commitment of my guides. If the
weather wasn’t perfect and the sun
wasn’t shining, the guides would stop
polling and hang out. They did not
have any strategy for finding fish in
less than perfect conditions. My disappointment in the fishing was alleviated somewhat by the fact that
Freeport, as you reported, is a good
place for an angler with a non-fishing
partner. It is indeed an attractive
place to visit due to its numerous restaurants, golf courses, fine hotels, etc.
Due to the lack of good fishing on
my last visit, I had the opportunity to
fish with Captain Perry Demeritte on
the East end of the Island. We
couldn’t believe the difference. We
found schools of bonefish that were
hungry to take the fly. We waded flats
for about half the time and found big
bonefish tailing. Perry had a wonderful personality, worked hard even
when the weather conditions weren’t
perfect and didn’t blow up when a
fisherman missed his target. He
showed up every day in a freshly
washed, starched fishing outfit, and
his wife made delicious meals to order.
To eliminate the daily drive from
Freeport, we stayed at a small motel
about 20 minutes away from the
launch site. Although the motel was
not as fancy as most lodges, it was
certainly clean and serviceable.
What’s more, it was on a beautiful,
unspoiled beach with miles of uninhabited shoreline. On arrival and departure days, we were able to walk the
beach and find bonefish on our own
within easy casting distance. Meals
were served at a locally-owned restaurant on the beach, which, again, was
perfectly adequate and charming.
Contrary to what was said in the
article, we did not find overly
crowded flats; in fact, most days we
saw very few boats. This is partly because McLeans Town, where the boat
is launched, is very small and was
badly damaged by a hurricane. Moreover, it does not have any accommodations to speak of and, therefore,
cannot support a large fishing fleet.
This, of course, is with the exception
of the Deep Water Cay Club located
on a nearby island, but nevertheless,
their numbers did not bother us or
crowd the fishery.
Our initial experience has been
borne out over the last two years
when I have fished three or four days
each trip with Perry. Although I hate
to give away information on my very
best fishing guide, I think it is only
appropriate to give Perry the opportunity to be recognized and fairly represented in The Angling Report.
(Postscript: The various companies
mentioned here can be reached as follows: Deep Water Cay Club, Tel. 843815-8300, Web: www.deepwatercay
.com; Grand Bahama Bonefishing,
Tel. 336-768-6666. Web: www.grand
bahamabonefishing.com;
North
Riding Point Club, Tel. 242-3534250. Web: www.northridingpoint
club.com; Pelican Bay Bonefishing,
Tel. 954-364-7590 or 242-373-9550.
Web: www.pelicanbaybonefishing
.com; and Capt. Perry Demeritte, Tel.
242-353-3301. Web: www.captin
perry.com.)
Back of the Book
(All items in this section are paid advertisements. Ads cost $1.50 per word. They are published as a reader service. For more details on our ad rates and policies,
contact: Edi Bell, The Angling Report, 9300 S. Dadeland Blvd., Suite 605, Miami, FL 33156-2721. Tel. 305-670-1361. Fax 305-670-1376.)
February 2007
-18-
Volume 20, Number 2
THE ANGLING REPORT
From Alaska to the Caribbean, the West
Coast to Labrador, North America offers
exceptional angling possibilities. For
those who dream of fishing in scenic,
pristine surroundings, whether it be for
wild trout, steelhead or salmon; for big
game fish; or permit and bonefish, the
choices are virtually limitless.
Since 1992 we have been organizing
fishing trips, particularly in the Rocky
Mountains, from the Kootenai/Glacier
National Park area through Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and to
the San Juan River in New Mexico.
We specialize in customized trips including productive, little-known waters,
which can be fished in solitude, as well as
the famous rivers, where cutthroat, rainbow and brown trout are the primary species.
Contact us for your next
fishing adventure.
Tel. 302-436-0153
E-mail: [email protected]
http://www.awatravel.net/
Catch Salmon BC
Nootka Sound, Vancouver Island, BC.
Open ocean, surf-line rock piles,
eight inlets, 12 rivers.
Salt and freshwater fly fishing, coho,
Chinook, chum salmon,
steelhead, sea run cutthroat trout,
and black bass.
Tell.877-610-1011.
www.Catchsalmonbc.com.
10% discount to Angling Report
subscribers.
Mongolia River Outfitters
Amazing taimen and trout fishery.
Fly fishing only.
Professional guides.
Beautiful accommodations.
Float new water daily - no shuttles.
Now booking September 2007.
Tel: 866-586-3009
E-mail: [email protected]
www.MongoliaRivers.com
Advertise With Us!
E-mail: [email protected]
Giant Labrador Brook Trout
Awesome Lake Lodge
www.awesomelake.com
Toll Free 877-677-3363
PO Box 358 Stn C Goose Bay NFLD
Canada A0P 1C0
February 2007
Chilean Patagonia
Thank you for a successful season.
Now booking for 2007-2008.
• Floating lodge – the PUMA in Lago
Yelcho. Capacity six fishermen. Fish the
bays and rivers, including the Futaleufu, of
the 28-mile-long Yelcho Lake. Mostly dry
fly fishing for true trophy rainbow, brown
and brook trout of three to 15 pounds. The
closest thing to flats fishing there is in fresh
water. PUMA has been in operation for 17
years.
• Our second lodge is nine years old and
located halfway between the lake and the
ocean (25 kilometers from the lake) on the
Yelcho River. No roads; you travel by boat.
Pristine river fishing for browns and rainbows, with occasional cohos, Chinooks,
Atlantics and sea-runs. Also available are
other lakes in the immediate area, including
the lake that every client from the 19982005 seasons, including legendary guide
Bill Curtis, said “was the best dry fly fishing he ever had.” The lodge accommodates
eight fishermen.
Puma Fishing LTD.
Contact: Dr. Stephen Selway, D.V.M.
Tel./Fax (Apr. 30 to Nov. 30)
516-775-0827.
Tel./Fax (Dec. 1 to Apr. 27)
954-922-5389.
E-mail: [email protected]
Backcountry New Zealand
Fly fishing adventures in New Zealand’s
South Island. Backcountry New Zealand is
one of the leading fly fishing guiding operations with guides who will do their best
to deliver a fishing experience of a lifetime.
We have a wide range of options from lodgebased fishing to multi-day camp-out trips.
E-mail: [email protected]
Visit us on the web www.backcountry.co.nz
Anglers the world over flock to New
Zealand to fish for rainbow and brown
trout. Nowhere is the fishing better than
at our Poronui Ranch and Station on
North Island near Taupo. Up in Canada,
Atlantic salmon provide a different, yet
exhilarating, fly-fishing experience. Ask
us about Miramichi Black Rapids Salmon
Lodge in New Brunswick. It’s known for
its fast-flowing rapids full of migrating
Atlantic salmon.
For more information contact:
Kevin McKinstry
Tel. 800-281-7991
[email protected]
www.westerveltlodges.com
-19-
One Trip And
You’re Hooked!
The Perfect Cast invites you to discover
a new way to build business relationships
through the use of a new business tool
- fly fishing.
The Perfect Cast takes the individual
challenge of fly fishing into a group setting of business executives where everyone discovers and experiences new
things together. Exclusive destinations,
exquisite accommodations, gourmet dining and deluxe travel provide the ultimate relationship building experience.
Call to arrange the experience
of a lifetime.
Tel. 646-522-3426
Web: www.theperfectcast.com
New Orleans Fly Fishing Headquarters
Call now for bookings.
• Shallow water sight-fishing for big reds.
• World’s most extensive saltwater
fly collection.
• Orvis, Sage, Scott, Tibor and more.
Uptown Angler
Tel. 504-529-3597; or 800-974-8473
www.uptownangler.com
Fish Cape York Australia
Carpentaria Seafaris
Seven nights, six days fishing Cape York
from Carpentaria Seafari’s live-aboard
mothership Tropic Paradise.
Fish from flats skiffs on rivers, estuaries,
flats and shallow reefs. Chase busting
schools of fish offshore. Kick off your
shoes and fish miles of deserted beaches.
54 species have been caught on a single
trip on fly and light tackle. Most of them
are fish you have never seen and all of
them peel line off your reel like a freight
train. Barramundi, mangrove jacks,
queenfish, seven species of trevally, permit, tuna, huge Spanish mackerel, cobia,
giant ladyfish and many more. 2007
price is $4,468 for a full week of fishing. Bring an appetite for fabulous fishing and gourmet food.
Join us for the best week of fishing on
the planet! Call for a free video
Tel. 888-409-2008
E-mail: [email protected]
www.fishabout.com
Volume 20, Number 2
THE ANGLING REPORT
Early Season Fishing can be great on
our Pennsylvania Limestone Streams.
Plenty of big fish, great spring creeks,
blue ribbon freestone streams and no
crowds! And if you’ve got cabin fever,
the early season fishing can be excellent!
We fish some of the best streams in Pennsylvania, within an easy drive of the midAtlantic, Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Because we rest our water as much or more
than we fish it, the fishing is consistently
good. Fly fishing only, strictly catch and
release. We offer both guided and unguided private access fishing – ask about
our StreamSide camps for groups. Don’t
forget about steelhead, the spring runs
are coming!
Visit www.loganoutfitters.com.
Or contact Bob Hesse
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel. 877-768-7688
The Best of New Zealand Fly Fishing
For over 15 years, we have specialized exclusively in New Zealand fishing and
travel. Fly fishing is our central focus, but
we are experts in many other activities and
accommodations available in New Zealand.
We create exclusive fishing programs, as
well as sightseeing and other nature-based
activities. Call for brochure or visit New
Zealand’s most exciting fishing site. www.
BestofNZflyfishing.com
Mike McClelland
10544 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
Toll-free 800-528-6129
E-mail: [email protected]
Off Season Fly Fishing in Paradise
Challhuaquen Lodge is a new marvelous
place located in the heart of Patagonia
on the banks of the Futaleufú River that
offers the most gorgeous natural scenery,
an awesome fishing experience and five
star hotel services.
To find out more about our crystalline
waters surrounded by glacial lakes,
millenarian trees, plenty of rainbow and
brown trout, quite a few huge Pacific
salmon surprises, and the elegance and
comfort offered by a lodge designed by
and for demanding anglers, please visit
our web site at: www. challhuaquen.com
and call us in the US at: 212-671-0611.
February 2007
Trophy Redfish
Fly fish 25 miles from New Orleans in
skinny water year round. Specializing in
catch-and-release sight casting.
Accommodations for up to eight guests,
includes meals. Four flats boats.
Capt. Gregg Arnold – 504-237-6742
CUBAN FLY FISHERS
Cuba - Las Salinas
Fantastic bonefishing, permit, tarpon.
One guide per fisherman. Excellent rates.
Tel. 011-44-207-731-6871 (England)
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.cubawelcome.com
For those who dream of fishing in scenic,
pristine surroundings, whether it be for
marbled trout, Mediterranean brown or
grayling, from the Italian/Austrian Alps
and the Slovenia countryside, south
through Tuscany and Umbria, we organize exceptional angling experiences - selecting the best waters and the right time
to fish them.
Since its inception, W.E.T. has specialized
in truly personalized fly fishing itineraries, including productive waters that can
be fished in relative solitude, as well as
famous rivers, for fishermen only or
couples and families traveling together.
You will cast to that rise you saw, slightly
upstream, either on slow-moving water,
perhaps under a low-reaching branch’s
shade, or just past a small boulder’s wake
in a faster-moving stream, the very same
way you’ve been casting on streams you
know, from California’s Hat Creek or
Pennsylvania’s spring creeks, to “the slide”
section of the Madison and many other
fast-moving freestones of the Rockies.
Fly fishing in Italy, Austria or Slovenia,
is in many ways a very different experience than what one might be accustomed
to. To begin with, whether lodging in a
medieval village or in a small countryside
hotel, chances are that one travels
through history just to get to the stream,
to say nothing about the epicurean delights you’re treated to, including some
gourmet streamside lunches with your
English-speaking guide.
And since there is plenty for the non-fishing companions to do (from escorted
touring to art and history programs, culinary classes and/or fashion shopping),
these fly fishing trips are of the type that
you don’t have to beg your girlfriend,
spouse or family to join. Au contraire,
they will beg to be taken along.
Tel. 302-436-0153
E-mail: [email protected]
http://www.westerneuropeantravel.com/
-20-
Flies for the Serious Angler. Specializing
in tarpon, bonefish and permit flies.
Fantastic custom tying program for all
your other needs. Visit: www.ssflies.com;
or call 207-512-2900.
World’s Greatest Redfishing
Fly fishing and light tackle.
Corporate groups welcome.
Call Gulf Coast Outfitters in SE Louisiana.
Tel. 877-redfish (733-3474)
2,800 square miles of flats and only 10
flats skiffs. Which 280 square miles of
flats are you going to wade today? Bonefish, permit and tarpon.
See June 2004 Angling Report.
Cell: 011-39-33581-49111
E-mail: [email protected]
Web. www.avalons.net
Patagonia Lakes District Loop
Ten nights/seven days fishing in
Chile/Argentina.
$3,850 per person.
Patagonia Angling Adventures
Tel. 207-749-3383
[email protected]
Fly Fishing For Taimen.
Comfortable yurt camps and guided
wilderness floattrips on
Mongolia’s Delger River.
Tel: 866-427-9668
E-mail: [email protected]
www.fishmongolia.com
Volume 20, Number 2