AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums Belize Life Sports Fishing Report

FISHING REPORT

October 26th - November 1st, 2014

Weather Conditions: Cloudy with sunny breaks - which is a polite way of saying we had some stormy weather this week and prayed for sun. Seas were choppy and visibility was challenging - but good things still happened!

Winds: Moderate 5-10 mph Easterly winds most of the week then moved ESE 10 - 20 as the tropical wave moved through.

Air Temperature: Mid 80's for the High. Mid to low 70's, for the lows.

Water Temperature: 81-83 degrees

Moonphase: The first quarter moon was October 30th

WHAT GUESTS WERE CATCHING:

BONEFISH (Macabi): Jeremy and Joe were here from Orvis Travel leading their "Bonefish Bonanza!" A good time was had by all. We had some pretty tough conditions this week with rain, clouds and wind. The good sportsman attitude prevailed and Mr. Bonefish was a leader in making this happen. George has been fishing here at El Pescador almost 30 years. He goes out with the guides to chase tarpon, but what really gets him going is when he connects with the bonefish on the front side of the lodge. One afternoon after fishing, both George and his son Tim landed bonefish on their own. George's granddaughter Jesse was here celebrating her birthday. She was so excited when her husband Eli went out and landed his first bonefish on fly. And he just started fly fishing, so he was really stoked. Special times! Jim is here with his lovely wife Carol. Jim's persistence paid off as he attacked the beach everyday in his spare time. Just as Carol was wandering down to check in on her husband, Jim got tight with a dandy bonefish. John actually won his trip here with Orvis. He volunteers his time teaching an Orvis 101 class and entered in contest to come to El Pescador. He was thrilled was his first bonefish - a dream he thought would never be realized in this life. His smile got bigger when he returned from fishing with Captain Erlindo. He walked down the dock and would throw out numbers like, "15 today!" Cade and Andrea also landed bonefish on the fly. Robert, Mike, Bruce, Blaine, Bob, Tim, Ed - all part of the Orvis group - congratulations! It was so much fun to see you advance through the week. And welcome back Phil and John - hope to see you again next year! It was tan - small stuff, like a size 10 with weed guards that made it happen in the front. Just a slight retrieve not to spook them. With the guides - they love Christmas Island Specials in orange, pink and pearl. Size 8 and 10.

PERMIT (Palometta): There were shots and eats but no home runs this week.

TARPON (Sabalo): Keith and Andre were the only guys that landed tarpon this week. I still am holding my breath for Tim, he wants one soooo badly! There were follows, eats and jumps but these guys got it done. Keith was with Captain Alex and they had a blast with baby tarpon. Baby tarpon can be challenging because they love to jump, flip and do whatever show they can to lose the hook. Nice work! Andre was winding down when Captain Luis said, "Let's try this spot before heading in." Well, they connected and landed a nice poon! Yay!

Grand Slam: No slams this week.

OTHER SPECIES: Nice schools of jacks sharing the same water with Mr. Permit. Captain Luis got into the ladyfish with Andre and they had a great time.

FLIES THAT WORKED

FOR BONEFISH - Christmas Island special, Spawning Gotcha, Crazy Charlie tan

FOR PERMIT - Gotcha, Merkin

FOR TARPON - Black Death, Blue/White deceiver, tan bunny, White cockroach.

Guide of the week: Captain Luis for showing Andre a wonderful selection of our Belizean fly fishing. So far they have landed bonefish, tarpon, ladyfish and jacks. We'll see, they still have more fishing days together.

This Week's Summary:

Well, we have had some weather, and that certainly made it tough to see the fish on the flats. However, everyone went out no matter what - and made things happen. Some days were really wet. It's these times that anglers realize Mother Nature will prevail - it's what you do with it that makes it your experience. Thank you to all of our return guests this week! Matt and Diane, Phil and John, George, Judy and Tim, Keith and Susan. Jeremy thank you for being a great trip leader, and we look forward to working with you in a few weeks, Joe, when you return. We are moving into our "winter" season. The air is brisk in the morning and the fish are moving around a bit. Our migratory tarpon have moved out and will return next May. It's so much fun to watch the seasons change. Snook are out on the flats and on the beachside. The "snapper run" is also happening on the beach side. Traditionally November can be a big "slam" month. We'll see. We will be celebrating El Pescador's 40th anniversary this month. I have a feeling we are in for some fun surprises. Fish on!

Cast to your dreams!
Ed Blank [email protected].

FISHING REPORT

November 1st - November 8th, 2014

Weather Conditions: A mix of clouds and sun with a few showers. Mostly sunny by the end of the week with beautiful flat calm days.

Winds: The wind really moved around. NW, then N for a few days, then went S, landing NNE by the end of the week. Some days 5 - 15. Some days flat calm.

Air Temperature: Mid 80's for the High. High 70's, for the lows.

Water Temperature: 81-83 degrees

Moonphase: Full moon on the 6th.

WHAT GUESTS WERE CATCHING:

BONEFISH (Macabi): Frank came back to see us and brought his friend Paul. Paul landed his first bonefish on fly and several more. Bob, aka, Guapo, landed some beautiful bonefish alongside his bride Carolyn. And Richard and Monolisa were back and as usual, we've lost track of numbers. Thank you for returning to El Pescador - we love to see you here. Allen and Brianna were here celebrating their honeymoon. They came here prepared with a ton of spin gear. They fished on their own in the back lagoon and had a blast. They also landed bonefish on the flyrod for the first time all by themselves! Don was here with his family and he had a great time landing bonefish on the fly for the first time. One day he brought his daughter Alysson - and she landed 5 bonefish on spin. Way to go! Another angler in the making. Brian and Stephanie were here from McCall, Idaho. Brian was thrilled with all of his first bonefish on fly. Jason, thank you for bringing such a great group. Noah, John, Mark, Chris, Mike, Matt, Greg and John. We congratulate you on your bonefish on fly and spin. The bonefish were a little spooky a few days when the wind was switching around. It was persistence that made it happen!

PERMIT (Palometta): Phyllis watched her husband Stanley land a tarpon one of their first days here�.we guess that was the motivation to get out there and give it her best with Captain Hilberto. Yes, Phyllis landed a beautiful permit on spin! Richard also landed a beautiful permit on spin. And then his wife Monalisa went out and landed her permit on spin! A permit is an amazing fish. They are speedy, it's true, but it's those big rubber lips that make it happen. Watching a permit take a live crab on spin is truly fun. Congratulations!

TARPON (Sabalo): Leo brought his step son Brett to check out the action. Brett was able to land his first tarpon on fly with Captain Kechu! And Stanley - of course we loved that you landed your tarpon on fly. Way to go. Ted also landed a beautiful tarpon with Captain Jr.

Grand Slam: No slams this week.

OTHER SPECIES: It was quite the show. Jason showed up on the dock after fishing with Captain Emir and Gordy. They saw a school of jacks passing. He threw his fly and it was inhaled. Jack on! After a running up and down the dock and finally jumping in the water, the 15 plus pound jack was landed. Pretty sure we will see some Go Pro footage soon!

FLIES THAT WORKED

FOR BONEFISH - Christmas Island specials, Spawning Gotcha, Cray Charlie

FOR PERMIT - Spawning shrimp, Merkin

FOR TARPON - Chartreuse bunny, Black Death, Tan bunny

Guide of the week: Captain Kechu with his son, Kristian. They received so many compliments about the teaching that went on their boat this week. Brett landed his first tarpon and other guests had many shots. The score is one thing, but Captain Kechu is dedicated to his teaching, and for this, we thank him.

This Week's Summary:

Thank you to our wonderful returning guests! Stanley and Phyllis, Leo, Richard and Monalisa, Frank, Bob and Carolyn - you make it special for us when we see your smiles returning to the dock. A big shout out to Jason from Break Water - we really enjoyed your group and look forward to seeing you next year. It was a mixed up week, and the change of season is noted. Crisp mornings as a mild cold front moved through, and then some days opened up with weather "like you read about. " Flat calm. Fish were rolling, jumping and hiding. Sometimes flat calm days can be really tough - it makes the angler up their game to make that beautiful presentation to the fish. Mornings around here start off with the shrill from our grackles - a long call, followed by some high pitched punctuation. The sun comes up about six am and with it, beautiful red, pink and orange sun rises. Quiet time quickly turns to anglers and guides moving about making sure all is ready for the day. We are looking forward to celebrating El Pescador's 40th anniversary next week. So stay tuned!

Cast to your dreams!
Lori-Ann [email protected].

Fishing photo of the week:

El Pescador guest Stanley and his tarpon

FISHING REPORT

November 8th - 16th, 2014

Our 40th Anniversary Celebration!

Weather Conditions: Mostly sunny at the beginning of the week. Then the wind switched and we had a couple flat calm days with clouds, ending with sun and the occasional thunderstorms.

Winds: The wind really moved around. NW, then N for a few days, then went S, landing NNE by the end of the week. Some days 5 - 15. Some days flat calm.

Air Temperature: Mid 80's for the High. High 70's, for the lows.

Water Temperature: 78 - 82 F.

Moonphase: Last Quarter on the 14th.

WHAT GUESTS WERE CATCHING:

BONEFISH (Macabi): Ralph and Chuck ripped it up with Captain Tomas. They had days where they would break away to chase permit, but they really dedicated their fly fishing trip to bonefish. They were rewarded with casts that landed in front of shimmering tails. They practiced their casts so on the flat calm days the fly landed with a splash. I had the opportunity to fish with Steve from Southern Culture on the Fly. We had a blast checking out the armies of bonefish passing us by as we were hunting for tarpon. Finally Steve says to Captain Jr.," I really, really do like bonefishing�." So off we went and ended the day with doubles. Captain Cinoeh loves it when Hatch reel owners Danny and John show up. Danny was fishing with his wife Carolyn, and John fished with his wife Tawnya. They had some fun technical fly fishing to some big 4 - 5 pound bones that were landed! All the boys from Traveling Adventure's landed bonefish. Jean, Rick, Max, Steve, Jim and Ed - way to go! Grant and Julia were here from St. Pete's Fly Shop - they both landed bones on fly. Maggie and Hunter just got married and had a fun fly fishing for bonefish on their honeymoon. If the fish only knew the love that they stir up! David and Katie, Patrick and Jessica - how wonderful to get to know you. Jessica and Katie showed up for casting practice and landed their first bonefish on fly. And to our apple growers - Nick, Mike, Jeff, Sean, Ryan and Travis, thank you for your enthusiasm for fishing for bonefish. Chris thank you for all the wonderful comments about your El Pescador fishing experience in your newsletter. You and Brad are a ton of fun.

PERMIT (Palometta): Captain Kechu put Grant on a big school of permit. They changed flies and finally one worked! Nice fish Grant. Nick also landed a nice or should we say, "cute," permit on fly with Captain Erlindo. Not a huge fish, but when it comes to permit, it's all great!

TARPON (Sabalo): Captain Kechu wanted the slam for Grant. Grant may not have slammed, but he landed a nice tarpon as well as his permit. (see photos) Steve from Traveling Adventures also landed a nice tarpon with Captian Luis. Way to go! And then our dear friend, Jim Klug, was fishing with Captain Kechu. His 9 wt snapped with the set, and from there�they hand lined the tarpon in for a landed fish!

Grand Slam: This is sooooo exciting! We had TWO SLAMS this week and on the same day, November 15th. Kirk Deeter was out with Captain Alex and they made it happen. It was Captain Alex's first slam in his guiding career, so he is beyond thrilled. You might know Kirk Deeter from Field & Stream or Trout Unlimited. He is a very prolific writer and all around great guy. And then�.our friend Dr. Aaron Adams from Bonefish Tarpon Trust went and landed his slam with Captain Emir and Gordy. Wow. Congratulations!

OTHER SPECIES: Larry and Mike showed up with a tackle shop. They spent their time spin fishing with Captain Hilberto and Captain Raton and we all lost count. I know they landed some huge, like 4 ft long, barracuda. You fed the village. And let's not forget Scott's snook on fly with Captain Jr. Yay!

FLIES THAT WORKED

FOR BONEFISH - Christmas Island specials in orange, pearl and pink - size 8. Gotchas and Crazie Charlies in size 8 with weed guards, small tan crabs in size 8.

FOR PERMIT - Peterson's Spawning Shrimp in size 4, Avalon's size 2, Floating tan crabs size 4, Christmas Island Specials in size 4, Gotcha's in size 4. (We use a lot of shrimp patterns, stripped, for our permit).

FOR TARPON - Chartreuse bunny, Black Death, Tan bunny, White toads. Size 2/0 and 3/0.

Guide of the week: While a lot of spectacular performances were noted this week, we simply must honor Captain Alex for his first grand slam with noted author and fisherman, Kirk Deeter. Way to go. Look for him splashed all over a copy of "Field & Stream," soon! Congratulations Alex from your family at El Pescador.

This Week's Summary:

El Pescador celebrated our 40th Anniversary this week! A great big thank you to all of our guests who helped us to honor this great event. Jim Klug celebrated the release of his book, "Fly Fishing Belize." It's a beautiful book and signed copies are available in our fly shop! Jim Klug is considered family here, so we are thrilled to his book release along with our 40th celebration. To our return guests - you make it all happen. John and Danny from Hatch reels, thank you. All of our demo reels are Hatch and now we will feature their new fly lines as well! Phil Monahan from Orvis and American Angler, Kirk Deeter from Field & Stream, Scott Morrison, and Adam Marton - we look forward to seeing you on your next return. Thank you for all you do for El Pescador. Mike, thank you for bringing Jenny - she is a treasure. And we are so happy you are back to your health and better yet, standing on the bow looking for your beloved tarpon. We are humbled and appreciate all that our guests add to your El Pescador experience. Keep sharing your ideas - we learn from you. Photos from this week will be coming in, and for this, we thank you. Cheers!

Cast to your dreams!
Lori-Ann [email protected].

Fishing photo of the week:

El Pescador guest Grant and his Permit

FISHING REPORT

November 15th - 22nd, 2014

Weather Conditions: The week started with scattered thunderstorms then went to four days of pouring rain ending in a postcard perfect sunny day!

Winds: ESE 5 - 10, then N 5-15, NNE 5 - 10, E5 - 10.

Air Temperature: Mid 80's for the High. High 70's, for the lows.

Water Temperature: 78 - 82 F.

Moonphase: New Moon the 22nd.

WHAT GUESTS WERE CATCHING:

BONEFISH (Macabi): We welcomed back our "Orvis Bonanza" anglers this week. Jack,Charles, Mark, Sean, Matt, Mark, Will and Jack - nice going. It was pouring rain and you made it happen. We welcomed back Will. Will landed 30 bonefish on fly in a little over an hour with Captain Emir. Maggie from Orivs Travel, we salute you on your first bonefish on fly! Peter, "primo" fly casting instructor, we were thrilled to see you here bonefishing with your group. Amazing leadership from Joseph and Peter with the group, thank you. Krista, thank you for your positive attitude and I'm glad you landed some of our Belizean bonefish. I know they are not as big as your Florida bones, but ya gotta say, we do have a lot of them, right? A special treat for me, I fished with Jessica McGlothin who works as a writer at Orvis. Jessica is a young strong fly angler and was thrilled to land her first bonefish on fly this week. We fished with Captain Jr. who showed Jessica what is needed in a saltwater cast. I know we will see Jessica back here fly fishing Belizean waters.

PERMIT (Palometta): Jim from "Catcher and the Fly," landed 2 permit on fly before 7:30 am with Captain Emir and Gordy. See our El Pescador facebook page for some of these beauties. These fish were included in his "week slam!" Captain Scott Owens was fishing with Krista - both avid fly anglers from the Florida Keys. The luck exploded when they partnered up with Captain Alex. Day number one, Mr. Permit was landed - a nice 15 lb beauty. This is where the luck started�

TARPON (Sabalo): And then, Captain Alex put Scott on a few tarpon. This lead to his slam! Two days after the slam, in the pouring rain, Captain Alex saw a tarpon roll as they took shelter a lobster shack. Alex yelled, "tarpon!" Scott was on it. They jumped 26 tarpon on fly and landed 6! It was nothing short of epic. The fly, a black one. Dark day, dark fly? And we are thrilled Joseph Pinkard landed his two tarpon with Captain Emir. Jumped 4, landed 2. And then Jim from "Catcher and the Fly," landed 2 from the 4 he jumped with Captain Emir and Gordy. On Saturday, Justin went out with Captain Luis. They said, "one more pass�" and landed a beautiful tarpon. And special note! Mike was here last week. We were so excited to see him and get to know his lovely wife Jenny, that I forgot to mention his tarpon. Mike jumped 9 tarpon with Captain Jr, and landed one. Congratulations to all of our tarpon anglers.

Grand Slam: November is a slam month around here at El Pescador. Congratulations to Captain Scott Owens for his slam with Captain Alex on November 15th. We are thrilled for both of you. The weather was challenging but you made it happen!

OTHER SPECIES: The barracuda fishing right now is off the charts. With the mix up of weather, they hang right in there. Barracuda on fly or spin is really fun. Cuda, jacks, snapper - all landed on fly and spin this week.

FLIES THAT WORKED

FOR BONEFISH - Christmas Island specials in orange, pearl and pink - size 8. Gotchas and Crazie Charlies in size 8 with weed guards, small tan crabs in size 8.

FOR PERMIT - Peterson's Spawning Shrimp in size 4, Avalon's size 2, Floating tan crabs size 4, Christmas Island Specials in size 4, Gotcha's in size 4. (We use a lot of shrimp patterns, stripped, for our permit).

FOR TARPON - Chartreuse bunny, Black Death, Tan bunny, White toads. Size 2/0 and 3/0.

Guide of the week: It's a tie. We have to award Captain Alex again this week for the amazing fly fishing experience provided for Captain Scott and Krista. Off the charts! And Captain Emir and Gordy - a team that leaves anglers dreaming for more - provided Jim and Joseph with great tarpon and permit fishing. For this, we thank you.

This Week's Summary:

We know that weather does as it wishes. We had some serious rain this week, but this did not dampen the spirit of our anglers. I mean it poured, and the guides said, "let's go!" They went out with a prayer and their anglers came back drenched and smiling. A big shout out to Jim, "Catcher on the Fly," - he landed his slam over the week. He was beyond excited. See photos. And Scott, all we can say is, "wow!" Congratulations on your first slam and the epic tarpon fishing. Nice work Krista on video and stills! And to all who participated in the Orvis Bonanza week, thank you. As I said when you were awarded your bonefish pins - you made lemonade out of lemons. This is the spirit that shares our sport. Thank you.

Cast to your dreams!
Lori-Ann [email protected].

Fishing photo of the week:

El Pescador guest Jim and his permit

El Pescador guests Scott and Krista with permit

FISHING REPORT

November 22nd - 29th, 2014

Weather Conditions: The week started with mostly sun and a few cloudy spells. Then the cold front came in and we had rain for three days. The week ended with sunny skies a few clouds.

Winds: ESE 5 - 10, NNW 10 - 20, NNE 5 - 15.

Air Temperature: 76 - 80's for the High. Low was 60! (and for us, that's cold).

Water Temperature: 78 - 82 F.

Moonphase: First Quarter on the 29th.

WHAT GUESTS WERE CATCHING:

BONEFISH (Macabi): The Lewis family showed up and they take their fishing very seriously! Matt took his three boys out with Captain Hilberto and they all landed fish. Matt and Jake landed bonefish, so they were awarded their pins. Don't worry, I know we will see William and Hunter back here with bonefish on their minds. Liza was here celebrating her friend Sally's big 50. She used this time to learn to fly cast and caught her first bonefish on the fly! Jack was also a part of the party, and he landed bonefish with Captain Vince. Nick and Neal were here to explore Belizean waters. They both learned from Captain Jr. the way we like to present a fly to the fish on the flats. They were both rewarded with some really nice bonefish on the fly as the rest of their family hung out by the pool and enjoyed vacationing. David has been here before - he came armed with his spin gear and enjoys trying new poppers, lures and the like in our Caribbean waters. He landed a ton of bonefish - and also learned to cast a flyrod well while he was here. Dave is a perfect example of how an angler can take his or her past fishing experiences and apply them to new waters. Deluane and Melissa showed up ready for action. They had been practicing their cast with Chris from the Orvis store in Houston every Saturday. With just a few tune ups, they had their double haul down and they were both thrilled with bonefish on the fly. Yay! Roy fished with Captain Vince and everyday he had this giant smile on his face. The guy was just stoked with his bonefishing on fly. The Heathcott family was here! Gary and Max did the representing for the fishing department and both landed bonefish. Gary was here with his son Nick. Gary gets to fish a lot - has a place in Key West - so he gave most of the shots to Nick. Gary did get to land some bonefish on fly between Nick's catch! And Ann, you were a good sport! It's always wonderful to see you guys here, and we are thrilled you had fun fly fishing for bonefish. Lastly,our honeymooners Allen and Britney. They were blessed with bonefish on the fly and as Allen said, "we have a whole bunch of new friends now as well!" Congratulations to all who landed bonefish this week.

PERMIT (Palometta): Jim from "Catcher and the Fly," landed 2 permit on fly before 7:30 am with Captain Emir and Gordy. See our El Pescador facebook page for some of these beauties. These fish were included in his "week slam!" I lost track of Nick's permit with Captain Alex - but I think it was four on fly? In any case, he was thrilled because one of these permit counted big time for his slam! Matt's patience with all his boys paid off and he landed a permit on fly with Captain Hilberto. Aki was back with his son Mak - the dynamic duo. Aki landed a small permit on a 5 wt with Captain Cesar. Big fun. And Jack tore it up with Captain Emir and Gordy. Nice permit on fly Jack. See photo.

TARPON (Sabalo): So Nick went out and landed a few tarpon on fly with Captain Alex - and yes, one of these lead to his slam. See photo of Nick with one of his tarpon! Jack also landed a nice tarpon on fly with Captain Emir and Gordy. Jack slammed for the week! Gary jumped one with Captain Vince - almost leadered! ( a new word for spell check).

Grand Slam: And as November winds down, Captain Alex and Nick were able to get the slam done before the month ended. Congratulations to Nick who will be honored on our "Slam wall of fame." Congratulations to Captain Alex for his third slam on fly this month!

OTHER SPECIES: Dami returned to El Pescador from Holland. Kinda a big trip. He loves to fish with Captain Cinoeh and chase barracuda! One day he landed 17 on fly. He uses poppers and loves the attach from Mr. Cuda. As the weather changed throughout the week, he noted the behavior change in the cuda fishing. One day they attached, the other day, nothing. It was Thanksgiving week, so had a lot of children fishing from the dock and catching snapper, needle fish and who knows what. Snapper on the fly is really fun too and many of our anglers landed snapper during the changing weather for fun. The Heathcott family had big fun out on our reef fishing trip with Captain Jerry. Gary landed a big cuda and loved the whole experience.

FLIES THAT WORKED

FOR BONEFISH - Christmas Island specials in orange, pearl and pink - size 8. Gotchas and Crazie Charlies in size 8 with weed guards, small tan crabs in size 8.

FOR PERMIT - Peterson's Spawning Shrimp in size 4, Avalon's size 2, Floating tan crabs size 4, Christmas Island Specials in size 4, Gotcha's in size 4. (We use a lot of shrimp patterns, stripped, for our permit).

FOR TARPON - Chartreuse bunny, Black Death, Tan bunny, White toads. Size 2/0 and 3/0.

Guide of the week: Captain Alex ripped it up with Nick this week! Thank you Alex. And with three slams this month - may you stay humble!

This Week's Summary:

It was a bustling Thanksgiving week here at El Pescador. Turkey dinner for 85 - and it was amazing. Thank you to Bella our head chef and the talented kitchen crew for pulling it off under the direction and wise guidance of Miss Chris. We are thankful for our return "family" that make El Pescador their home in Belize. Cary and Kristen have been diving with Alonzo for ten years - and because they are teachers, we see them on Thanksgiving vacation. Aki, Chris and Mak - we always love to see you here and it was especially wonderful to share Thanksgiving with you. Jack and Ann - thank you for telling your family you had to change things up this year and go fishing. It's a good reason! Sally, I know this is going to be a wonderful year for you! With all the generations of family and friends that showed up to wish you the most special 50th birthday - it has to be great! And to our El Pescador family, thank you. We are a team of 45 and everyone's job here is very important. We are thankful to Ali, Chris and Steve for running a tight ship and at the same time "being there" for your employees when needed. And Max our EP dog is thankful that Jacob is back working as one of our night guards. Jake was out for a month due to a bike accident, and Max was in a deep dark depression. Now his tail is wagging. So we leave you this week with wagging tails and gratitude. May the wind stay at your back and offer you good tides!

Cast to your dreams!
Lori-Ann [email protected].

Fishing photo of the week:

El Pescador guest Gary and his 'cuda

El Pescador guest Jack and his Permit

FISHING REPORT

Nov 30, 2014 - Dec 5, 2014

Weather Conditions: A mix of clouds and sun in the morning and then thunderstorms developed throughout the day. And it would rain hard! Scattered showers prevailed until the end of the week and then, the sun came out and stayed!

Winds: ESE 5 - 10, NNW 10 - 20, NNE 5 - 15.

Air Temperature: 76-80s for the High. Low was 60 (and for us that's cold!)

Water Temperature: 78 - 82 F.

Moonphase: Full Moon on the 6th

WHAT GUESTS WERE CATCHING:

BONEFISH (Macabi): We have had some big bonefish landed this week! In spite of some pretty tough rainy days, bonefish were found tailing in the lee. Angler's came back dripping wet but said, " Funny, you don't notice the rain when you are catching bonefish!" Bud was here again to fish with Captain Luis. They had some incredible bonefishing. Fred and Paul were here from the UK. They both landed bonefish on the fly. Paul's double haul was perfected by the time he left, once he stopped the mind chatter. Scott and Tai loved their bonefishing. Tai said she was used to trout fishing and was wondering how it was going to be, but she adjusted just fine. Yeah, that's why we have strong drags on our saltwater fly reels - it's needed. No stripping fish in here. Bill and Kathy were here for their fourth year and both landed bonefish on the fly with Captain Kechu. Roy brought back his boys - grown up big boys, Wade and Lawrence. They were chasing tarpon most of the time but took out time for Mr. Bonefish. Nice bones landed on fly for all of them. Larry showed up to check out our Belizean waters. He'll be back. He landed some really nice bonefish on fly with Captain Vince. Sally and Phil showed up from Idaho. A pre-winter trip. Phil landed bonefish and his adventures will continue over on Caye Caulker. Peter had a big birthday this year so he celebrated by bringing his big boys here as well. Peter, Matt and John had a blast landing 40 - 50 bonefish on spin a day! Keith, Matt, Matt and David also landed bonefish on fly and spin. And let's not forget Matt and Kristen. Matt was chasing tarpon with Captain Tomas, but managed to get some fun bonefishing time with his lovely bride. Way to go anglers!

PERMIT (Palometta): Fred was thrilled with his permit on fly with Captain Alex. Permit have been seen in the 5 to 25 lb range. Our leaders are longer, about 12 ft down to 20 lb. If they get picky, we add a couple feet of 15 or 16 lb test. Avalon's, size 4 Christmas Island Specials and Gotcha's are the favorite these days. A good mantas shrimp pattern is always a good thing to have in your box as well.

TARPON (Sabalo): Fred, way to go! Fred landed a nice tarpon with Captain Alex on fly. He slammed for the week, so he was a happy camper. See photo!

OTHER SPECIES: The barracuda fishing on fly and spin has been off the charts! And Captain Emir and Gordy had Phil out for some amazing snook fishing on spin. Bud reported that he and Captain Luis saw so many snook they though they were bonefish! One actually took the bonefish fly. And yes, the ladies in the kitchen have been making up some incredible fish fingers with the fillets.

Grand Slam: Sooo close! But none were completed this week.

FLIES THAT WORKED

FOR BONEFISH - Christmas Island specials in orange, pearl and pink - size 8. Gotchas and Crazie Charlies in size 8 with weed guards, small tan crabs in size 8.

FOR PERMIT - Peterson's Spawning Shrimp in size 4, Avalon's size 2, Floating tan crabs size 4, Christmas Island Specials in size 4, Gotcha's in size 4. (We use a lot of shrimp patterns, stripped, for our permit).

FOR TARPON - Chartreuse bunny, Black Death, Tan bunny, White toads. Size 2/0 and 3/0.

Guide of the week: Captain Alex for getting Fred his tarpon on fly! And thanks to all the guides for the great work with your anglers this week. I heard so many nice comments about all of you.

This Week's Summary:

Here we are, the first week of December! Thanks again to our returning El Pescador guests: Kathy and Bill, Bud and Ruth, Roy, Wade and Lawrence, and always our "honeymooners," Matt and Kristen. It's so wonderful to see you again. Our anglers were all good sports this week. They went out in the rain and found some fun on the flats. And when the sun came out, we had rainbows! We all worked on casting out on the dock and tied up some fun toads for tarpon. (Lately, tan toads are the ones getting the bite!). All the fish are here, we just need to keep pursuing and trying new ideas for getting that bite. This is fishing. It's always nice to go out and have everything be perfect - the weather, our casts, corporative fish, but that's not fishing. Those are good days fishing! Fishing - the act of angling, is all about going out and seeing what is going to happen. It's the mystery that become memories filled with stories about the day, as well as the accomplishments. So keep practicing your casts, and be ready. The day will come when it all comes together. You just need to show up for the game.

Cast to your dreams!
Lori-Ann [email protected].

FISHING REPORT

December 13th - 20th, 2014

Weather Conditions: The week started with variably cloudy and cool weather. There was the occasional rain storm, some sun breaks and then the end of the week was flat out beautiful.

Winds: NNE 5 - 10, NE 5, then light and variable.

Air Temperature: 77 - 83 F.

Water Temperature: 76 - 80 F.

Moonphase: Last quarter on the 14th.

WHAT GUESTS WERE CATCHING:

BONEFISH (Macabi): Leo and Joy just wanted to make sure they got out of Montana before the big winter sets in. They had not caught bonefish before, but they left El Pescador pros with bonefish on fly! Steve brought his girlfriend Nancy from New York so she could check out what goes on behind the scenes on these fly fishing trips. Steve - who used to own The Urban Angler in downtown New York, is a smart man. He scheduled a shore lunch with Captain Cesar on the day he brought Nancy out in the boat. They loved it! Nancy is now initiated to bonefish action, and Steve landed some beauties. All the guides have said they are seeing "bigger" bonefish these days. John and Winnie brought their daughters - all from Seattle, for a fun fly fishing vacation. John and Winnie love their fishing but don't want to pressure their daughters to love it as much as they do. Hayley and Eliza both came out to the casting dock and started casting with ease. Fifteen minutes here and there, and then, you can start to breathe. Hayley also tied up some nice flies at the vice in the bar. John and Winnie both landed some nice bonefish on fly. John was tarpon crazed most of the week, so the bonefishing allowed a little sanity to the situation. Tiffany and Collin came from Fort Collins, Colorado. They both landed bonefish on the fly with Captain Cesar, yay! Wes and Leslie took time out from saving animal lives as veterinarians and landed some big beautiful bonefish with Captain Kechu. Her husband started out with a bang getting a slam the first day out, but Veronica made sure she got her bonefish on fly with Captain Emir and Gordy! Robert is a new villa owner here at EP. It was so much fun to see him introduce his family to fly fishing this week. Cobert, I think you have some fun fly fishing in your future! Nice going on landing multiple bonefish in front of the lodge! Wow!

PERMIT (Palometta): Whoa! Jay went out the first day with his lovely wife and Captain Emir and Gordy. Well, they slammed! And it was the permit that got the whole deal going. Jay went out on day number two, and landed his second permit on fly - a nice 16 pounder. We are seeing a lot of permit, but mostly they are not in the mood to commit to the fly. As the moon changes, so will their attitude.

TARPON (Sabalo): Jay landed his tarpon on fly with Captain Emir and Gordy - and yes, this went toward his slam! John fished with Captain Vince all week. They were in them thick - had a couple bites, but mostly the fish had "lock jaw." Robert and Colbert chased tarpon most of the week as well. They had some great shots, long follows and refusals. I think Colbert did have a bit in there. As a beginner fly fisher, he is going for the big silver right off the bat. Anyway, we have a lot of good tarpon fishing out on Savannah, but they are picky. It was the green toad that closed the deal for Jay.

OTHER SPECIES: Jacks! Jacks are big fun and they are around. Mutton snapper on fly? Yes!

Grand Slam: Congratulations to Jay Stringer who was honored on our "Grand Slam" board this week. The big three - bonefish, permit and tarpon - in one day on fly with Captain Emir and Gordy.

FLIES THAT WORKED

FOR BONEFISH - Christmas Island specials in orange, pearl and pink - size 8. Gotchas and Crazie Charlies in size 8 with weed guards, small tan crabs in size 8.

FOR PERMIT - Peterson's Spawning Shrimp in size 4, Avalon's size 2, Floating tan crabs size 4, Christmas Island Specials in size 4, Gotcha's in size 4. (We use a lot of shrimp patterns, stripped, for our permit).

FOR TARPON - Chartreuse bunny, Black Death, Tan bunny, White toads. Size 2/0 and 3/0.

Guide of the week: His name is very well represented on our Grand Slam board�.drum roll please�.Captain Emir is our guide of the week for getting Jay his slam the first day out. Wow. And especially since Emir is going through some growing pains as Captain Gordy, his son, is starting to guide on his own for EP. They are truly a dynamic duo and have been responsible for a crazy number of slams in 2014! Congratulations Emir and thank you.

This Week's Summary:

Our December fishing has been remarkable in spite of some weather days. We always warn people to have fun with the bonefishing before burning up deck time chasing tarpon�but we also know how addictive chasing tarpon can be. That was the case this week. Robert and John - you are due! Our tradewinds are back and the sea is settling. We had a great time meeting new friends this week and look forward to your return. Our fly fishing community is a close nit one, and that's a good thing. We get to know some really fun and interesting people here and for this, we thank you. Thanks for sharing your stories and extending your cast here at El Pescador. We hope this holiday time is special for all of our angling friends. Keep tying flies, casting your lines and living your dreams. From all the staff here at EP - we look forward to seeing you on the dock!

Fish On!
Lori-Ann [email protected].

Fishing photo of the week:

El Pescador guest Jay and his big permit - part of his Grand Slam!

FISHING REPORT

Dec 20, 2014 - Jan 3, 2015

Weather Conditions: The last two holiday weeks have been mostly sunny, some big wind on occasion, a few thundershowers and overall, pretty darn nice.

Winds: Winds: NNE 5 - 10, NE 5, then light and variable.

Air Temperature: 77-83 F

Water Temperature: 76 - 80 F.

Moonphase: Full Moon on Jan 5th

WHAT GUESTS WERE CATCHING:

BONEFISH (Macabi): It's always fun to see our friends Dean and Tracy. They have been coming to El Pescador for years and they always add to everyone's experience. This time the bonefishing became really important to Dean - as it cinched his slam! However, the biggest smile was on Tracy, who landed a big beautiful bonefish on fly the day she joined Dean and Captain Emir on the flats. Mark and Lori had beautiful bonefishing with Captain Luis on fly. Steve was here from Orvis. He brought his new bride Molly to show her what fly fishing the flats is all about. We are excited to report they both had nice bonefishing on the fly. What a great honeymoon! Trish was here with her son Kai and boyfriend Sterling. They all landed bonefish on the fly. Kai is in eighth grade and will have lots to tell his classmates back in Denver. Peter enjoyed sharing deck time with his enthusiastic son Max. Max, also in the eighth grade, landed his first bonefish on the fly. And the family fishing continued. The Grinstein's and Sharp's take their fly fishing very seriously. It was so much fun to see Graeme get up with such enthusiasm for the fishing day. Not an easy thing for a teenager. A very special treat was having our friend Tom Brokaw return with his extended family. Tom and Charles both landed some nice bonefish with Captain Alex. There was special holiday magic in the air with many of our anglers. Sandra showed up by herself. At 73, she decided to get to know about fly fishing the flats. She had never fished before - any kind of fishing. However, her late husband loved to fly fish, so it's Sandy's mission to explore and learn. She landed some beautiful bonefish with Captain Luis on the fly. Roger and Rusty showed up with all their spin equipment. They experimented and found success on many of their lures in addition to live bait. The weather was mixed up - and the bonefishing wasn't always easy. However, the anglers that pursued tailing bones with patience found success. Congratulations!

PERMIT (Palometta): Sometimes when you go fishing you just get lucky. Sandy not only learned to fly fish this week and landed bonefish, she also landed her first permit on the fly! And yes, we did explain to her that this in not an everyday occurrence. Dean went out with Captain Emir on day one and nailed a nice 15lb permit. And this was the permit that was part of his slam! Jeremy was fishing with Captain Cinoeh and had great permit fishing last year. This year it was a little tougher. This is when you see the good and the bad with permit fishing. It can destroy a person! Why aren't they there all the time? How come they didn't eat any of my flies? This was going on with Julian - also fishing with Captain Cinoeh. Then, the last day Julian was out, they landed a big 18 lb permit that went to his first grand slam! Amazing.

TARPON (Sabalo): We had some spectacular tarpon on fly this week. Give it up to Trish who landed three tarpon with Captain Luis! Dean landed a baby tarpon with Captain Emir that went towards his slam. And Julian landed a nice one with Captain Cinoeh that also went to his slam! Mark landed a 50 pounder with Captain Vince. Black death in muddy water. Then he went out with Captain Jr. and landed another nice tarpon. Cosmo had 5 bites with Captain Tomas. The angler's that stuck it out were rewarded. And the code is: slooooooooooooooooooow retrieve.

OTHER SPECIES: Barracuda, jacks, snapper and snook. Some really nice shots at big 20 plus pound snook that were too smart to bite. Roger and Rusty landed 6 Mahi Mahi the day they went off shore.

Grand Slam: Congratulations to Dean Mcnaught and Julian Humm. They both slammed this week on fly! Dean with Captain Emir and Julian with Captain Cinoeh. They will be honored on our Grand Slam wall of fame.

FLIES THAT WORKED

FOR BONEFISH - Christmas Island specials in orange, pearl and pink - size 8. Gotchas and Crazie Charlies in size 8 with weed guards, small tan crabs in size 8.

FOR PERMIT - Peterson's Spawning Shrimp in size 4, Avalon's size 2, Floating tan crabs size 4, Christmas Island Specials in size 4, Gotcha's in size 4. (We use a lot of shrimp patterns, stripped, for our permit).

FOR TARPON - Chartreuse bunny, Black Death, Tan bunny, White toads. Size 2/0 and 3/0.

Guide of the week: We had spectacular performances from several of our guides this week. And for this, we thank you. But Captain Luis took a first timer on the flats, Sandra, and made her a fisherman. She landed her first bonefish and permit on fly this week! Luis was instrumental because he took Sandra and started her out building her confidence each day. By the end of the week Sandy's smile was as big as the waters she fished. Congratulations and thank you Captain Luis!

This Week's Summary:

Holiday time at El Pescador is a big time. We have extended families enjoying all the fun the sea has to offer as well as just hanging out and enjoying some fun down time with loved ones. It makes it extra special when we see our return guests. The Love family is here playing world class volleyball with the EP staff and guests. Edwina and Julian came from the UK. Edwina gets so excited about the small and grand gifts of each day. It was thrilling to see her ask her husband Julian how his day went with Captain Cinoeh. He looked up, a tear in his eye, and told her the news of his first slam on fly. Time was frozen for a few seconds on the dock. A big shout out to the Grinstein family. They brought special treats for the guests and staff each day in addition to being a ton of fun. We are pretty sure Lefty's honorary godson, Archur, is going to be the next Dali Lama. Tom Brokaw's two year old grandson is a treasure. His mom Sarah hears it all the time. Tom and Lefty got to know each other as they filmed Buccaneers and Bones. Tom immediately fell in love with Lefty - and made him Archur's godfather. Sarah says Lefty takes this very seriously. It was so much fun to get to know the extended Brokaw family as they spent Christmas here at El Pescador. My, how our fly fishing family grows and extends and enriches so many of our lives. Yes, we had holiday magic here. Thank you to all of our guests from your El Pescador family. We look forward to many good times in 2015 and wish you all the very best.

Fish On!
Lori-Ann [email protected].

Fishing photo of the week:

El Pescador guest Mark and his Tarpon!

FISHING REPORT

Jan 4 - Jan 11, 2015

Weather Conditions: The week started with abundant sunshine with a few cloudy spells. Then a cold front from the north came in and mixed up the weather with periods of hard rain, clouds and sun breaks.

Winds: E 10 - 20, NE 10 - 20.

Air Temperature: 70-83 F

Water Temperature: 74 - 76 F.

Moonphase: Full Moon on Jan 5th

WHAT GUESTS WERE CATCHING:

BONEFISH (Macabi): Captain Cinoeh, Captain Luis and Captain Jr. have all remarked that they have seen some big bonefish this week. A 5 pound bonefish for us here on Ambergris Caye is giant! We are hoping it is because of the "catch and release" practice, which is law, here in Belize. Tan seems to be the magic color, and a slow�retrieve. Fast stripping just spooks them and off they go! It was wonderful to see Alison and Reeves here again! They brought their family and they all landed bonefish on the fly. Bragging rights, just saying. Norman, Norman, Makenzie, Katie and Maury�way to go! We look forward to seeing you in the future chasing our bonefish with your fly rods. Luke and Jen had some excellent bonefishing and they were awarded their pins. If you catch a bonefish here on fly or spin, you are awarded a pin the night before you leave. Andy and Kim both received pins, as did Ryan and Adrianna! Of course we are partial to our father daughter teams - it was a pleasure to see Jay teach his daughters about casting on the dock. We took over - always a good thing, and they really enjoyed themselves! Katie went out with her dad the next day and landed her first bonefish on the fly. Wow! Wenke and Mike also landed their first bonefish on the fly. They wore their pins proudly back to the freezing Chicago weather. And I know Russell was planning on fishing on his own, but when his daughter Brita said she wanted to go fishing - he was thrilled. Brita was so excited to land her first bonefish!

PERMIT (Palometta): It was more of a tarpon week. Let the East wind bring back our permit to the flats! Wait, news flash! Captain Alex just walked in the door to announce that Dale landed a nice 15lb permit on live crab. Yay!

TARPON (Sabalo): The tarpon fishing this week was, "like you read about." Flat out beautiful conditions on Savannah for a few days. The water color was slightly off, but the bite was on! Most everyone was using 40 and 50 lb shock with small, 3/0 light colored flies. Tan sparkle was working, so was white. Jake said, "My goal is to have my wife land a tarpon." Jake Grove and his lovely wife Katie went out with Captain Emir at 5 am and "got er done!" Katie landed her first tarpon on fly! Jake had several eats from the great shots he was able to make to the fish. Like 80 ft shots that landed in the bucket. He had action all day long. Mark was super excited fishing with Captain Jr. They went out the first day, landed a nice tarpon on fly, then went out and did it again! Then, Luke went out with Captain Jr. and he landed a nice tarpon on fly. And a big yahoo to Jay - who landed his first tarpon on fly this week with Captain Alex. Way to go.

OTHER SPECIES: Barracuda, jacks, snapper and snook. The tides kept the fish out from the mangroves, so angler's had good shots at snook on fly and spin.

Grand Slam: No slams this week. I guess it wouldn't be so special if it happened all the time, right?

FLIES THAT WORKED

FOR BONEFISH - Christmas Island specials in orange, pearl and pink - size 8. Gotchas and Crazie Charlies in size 8 with weed guards, small tan crabs in size 8.

FOR PERMIT - Peterson's Spawning Shrimp in size 4, Avalon's size 2, Floating tan crabs size 4, Christmas Island Specials in size 4, Gotcha's in size 4. (We use a lot of shrimp patterns, stripped, for our permit).

FOR TARPON - Chartreuse bunny, Black Death, Tan bunny, White toads. Size 2/0 and 3/0.

Guide of the week: Drum roll��..The guide of the week goes to Captain Jr! Jr. is responsible for Mark's two tarpon on fly and Luke's tarpon on fly this week. That's a hand shake that will keep your anglers grinning this 2015. Gracias!

This Week's Summary:

Alison and Reeves, congratulations on your marriage! And thank you for bringing your family to El Pescador for your fishing vacation. May your marriage bring you many fabulous fish! Jay and Amy - thank you for bringing your beautiful daughters, Katie and Abby. I know the guys around here are going to miss their beautiful smiles and fun laughter. Jay - I know you are a doc, but tarpon fever never goes away! And of course we love our friends from Cutthroat Anglers in Colorado. Jim and Kouri it is always a pleasure to see you here. Visit more often! Cutthroat Anglers will be hosting a trip in October - give them a buzz and join in the fun! Fish On!

Fish On!
Lori-Ann [email protected].

FISHING REPORT

Jan 25 - Jan 31, 2015

Weather Conditions: A bit of a cold front came through early in the week producing some cooler temperatures and a north wind. Generally sunny conditions for the first half of the week

Winds: 10-15 from the northwest shifting to northeast early in the week

Air Temperature: High 70's, low 80's for the High. low 70's, for the lows.

Water Temperature: 79 F.

Moonphase: The first quarter moon is on January 27th

WHAT GUESTS WERE CATCHING:

BONEFISH (Macabi): Brad and Mike came from Alaska with their wives Rosalie and Jennifer. The first day out the guys got some well-earned bonefish in the face of some fairly stiff wind. Nigel, Simon, Nic and Ivor returned for their second visit in less than a year all the way from the UK! Larry got his first day out with Captain Alex on Tuesday but he is officially here to celebrate his wife Shayla's birthday and is limiting his days on the water to 2 with the rest devoted to the birthday girl. Returning guest Kim warmed up with a few bonefish his first day out, but plans to focus on his nemesis - tarpon! Nigel picked up the pace on Thursday with some bigger 3-4 pound bonefish with Capt. Cesar.

PERMIT (Palometta): Well if seeing were catching, Mike, Nigel, Brad would be celebrating on Monday as they encountered loads of permit but unfortunately, these particular permit had particularly poor attitudes towards fly fishermen. The guys were skunked.. not even a look. However, the next day, they turned the tables by landing three permit between the three of them! Steve landed a 20 pounder on his first day out with Captain Emir. Nice fish.

TARPON (Sabalo): A few shots on Monday with Nigel and Capt. Cesar at the helm, but no bites. Nigel's son Simon landed his long sought after tarpon on his second day out with veteran guide Hilberto. Simon jumped an aggressive tarpon towards the end of his last day out on the flats. "Tarpon" Ted is his new nickname.

OTHER SPECIES: Saw a big snook from the dock here at EP, the reef fishing trips ended up with lots of snapper, triggers, jacks, cuda and grouper. The fly rodders got some cudas as well. Young Eli (age 3 and a half) caught a needlefish longer than himself during the family's half day reef adventure!

Grand Slam: No slams this week.

FLIES THAT WORKED

FOR BONEFISH - Christmas Island special, Spawning Gotcha, Crazy Charlie tan

FOR PERMIT - Mantis shrimp, Christmas Island Special

FOR TARPON - Black Death, all white Deceiver

Guide of the week: Captain Luis for the 3 permit day with Alaskan's Brad and Mike

This Week's Summary:

It is hard to believe we are fishing into 2015 - Happy New Year to all of you! It was a pretty quiet week here at the lodge with only a couple boats going out each day. Congratulations to Jennifer our most improved caster this week, she went from never holding a fly rod to double hauling in 3 days!

Fish On!
Ed Blank [email protected].