FISHING REPORT

September 14th - September 21st, 2013

Weather Conditions: The week began with mostly cloudy conditions and thunderstorms. Wednesday was calm and then Thursday the wind kicked up to blow out the last of the tropical wave.

Winds: WNW 5 - 10 mph. ESE 10 - 25, then it slowed to a nice E 5 - 10 and wrapped up the week with ESE/ S ending the tropical wave.

Air Temperature: Upper 80's, low 90's

Water Temperature: 78-82 degrees

Moonphase: The Full Moon was on the 19th.

WHAT GUESTS WERE CATCHING:

BONEFISH: Rose and Guillermo, Julian and Ingrid and Tricia and Richard all landed bonefish this week. They came in as a group from Houston. On their way here they met Jay - who was also on his way to El Pescador and adopted him! Jay has also landed his first bonefish on fly. It's slow season - so the fish in front of the lodge are safe from anglers, but not Max. Max (our EP dog) points bonefish and loves it when they explode in front of him.

PERMIT: Jay hasn't had a vacation in two years. The last time he was fly fishing was 5 years ago. On his second day out with Captain Alex he landed a permit on fly! They were bonefishing, but the permit ate instead! He knows he is lucky, and that's a good thing. On the 18th we had the biggest tide of the month, 1.5 ft. This, compared to an average .6 ft tide. We had a break in the weather. Captain Emir called and we ran out to check out the situation. We found strong current lines and we could see fish moving. The problem was we didn't have any sun - or it was brief. Then we saw a big wake, I just switched my fly to an Avalon. It was about an 80 ft cast. As I stripped, I felt the grab. For once I had the presence of mind to keep low with the rod, and keep stripping. The next grab was a solid hit. I lifted my 8 wt and proceeded to see the reel empty quickly. Yikes. We ran after it a bit, and then settled down as I collected yards of backing. It was a beautiful permit, about 15 lbs. I jumped in the water to release the fly and the fish. It was Captain Emir's call - he saw the fish before me and guided me right on the money. It was teamwork that paid off. Most of the time we go permit fishing we get our butts kicked. So, it was flat out wonderful to land that beauty. Life is renewed! It's just that simple.

TARPON: Kevin arrived with an arsenal of beautifully tied bunnies and toads from his vice. He also brought some tying material and tied up some beauties while he was here. Kevin and Tomas have had few shots the past few days - the tarpon are sparse with this full moon. He has jumped one, and I'm really hoping he lands one today. Tarpon fishing requires a lot of time hunting fish. You don't hear the reel singing much. He decided to break up the serious quest and landed some bonefish to change the MoJo. I believe this will work. Let's hope so. Jenn and Hackney are here to celebrate their 9th wedding anniversary. They are family to us here at El Pescador. I have lost track of how many times they have been here. I have seen them both grow as anglers, and it is especially wonderful for me as I watched Jenn practice her cast out on the dock. She can throw 80 with the best of them! Hackney jumped 2 tarpon yesterday - they always fish with Captain Cesar. My secret wish is a tarpon for Jenn. She has really worked at her fishing and needs to be rewarded! To be continued�.

OTHER SPECIES: Snook seen not caught. Jacks, barracuda and ladyfish all landed on fly and spin.

FLIES THAT WORKED

FOR BONES - Crazy Charlie, Gotcha, CI Special

FOR PERMIT - Turneffe Crab, Avalon, Big Squimps!

FOR TARPON - Black Death, Chartreuse toad

Guide of the week: Captain Emir for some awesome guiding with Lori-Ann.

This Week's Summary:

The weather brought in big tides and mixed conditions. It's summertime and our rainy season in the tropics. Things are a bit hotter when the breeze stops. The big full moon was bright as the skies cleared later in the week. Some nights we had mosquitos - some evenings fire flies. Our group was small this week, so we had time to note all the nuances that we believe play a story in fishing conditions. Big tides bring food. Current lines can look like a string of M&M's to permit as all the shrimp and crabs move with the water. Where do the tarpon go? Are they feeding at night and finding a nice sleeping spot in the deep during the day? Our fishing conditions are reflected in so many variables. It's fun to continue to use our power of observation and notice the patterns of Mother Nature. It really is soul food. Thanks everyone for an enjoyable week!

Cast to your dreams!

Lori-Ann Murphy [email protected].