late July fishing report - 08/22/04 06:00 PM
This was my 2nd time fishing at AC, the first was in summer 2 yrs ago. I spin fished 2 days this year with Ricardo from Amigos Del Mar. For spinning he uses shad darts baited with hermit crab. The darts cast really well making it easier for accurate casts in the wind. I was lucky and the wind was relatively light each day. On day one I boated 15 bones 12 to 18 inches in 4 hours! We found some schools of about 100-200 fish. I find bonefish much more plentiful in Belize, but not the size of the Florida bones. After lunch we went to some nearby artificial reefs (underwater cars & busses) and hammered red, mangrove, and yellowtail snapper. I took some of the fillets to the restaurant at the Sunbreeze where I was staying, and they cooked them any way I wanted with choice of potatoes and veggies for US $7.50. Yummy!! Day 2 we used sardines and fished near the natural reef all day. It was a successful day catching many snapper, cuda and other fish.
On the previous trip I went with Ricardo 1 day and Jose Luis 2 days. Both guides are excellent for spinning or fly fishing for bonefish. However, Ricardo provides spinning and bait casting reels while Jose only bait casting reels. One day Jose took me to the Savannah flats and I boated 6 tarpon 20-30 lbs in a few hours. If you go to the Amigos dock late afternoon and ask for either of them directly or calling them (Ricardo cell phone (501) 601-6591 and Jose (501) 226-2617) it costs $200 a day. Whereas going through Amigos Del Mar will cost you $225.
Initially I put in a call to Capt Bicho and we played phone tag missing each other. I did see his boats and would recommend the wider boat with the bimini top for reef fishing. It would be more stable and provide shade compared to the Amigo boats. Although I'm sure Bicho and his guides do well with bones too, with my overwhelming successful experiences it is hard for me to not stay with Ricardo for bone fishing and for snapper at the calm water, artificial reefs. Good luck and tight lines everyone.
On the previous trip I went with Ricardo 1 day and Jose Luis 2 days. Both guides are excellent for spinning or fly fishing for bonefish. However, Ricardo provides spinning and bait casting reels while Jose only bait casting reels. One day Jose took me to the Savannah flats and I boated 6 tarpon 20-30 lbs in a few hours. If you go to the Amigos dock late afternoon and ask for either of them directly or calling them (Ricardo cell phone (501) 601-6591 and Jose (501) 226-2617) it costs $200 a day. Whereas going through Amigos Del Mar will cost you $225.
Initially I put in a call to Capt Bicho and we played phone tag missing each other. I did see his boats and would recommend the wider boat with the bimini top for reef fishing. It would be more stable and provide shade compared to the Amigo boats. Although I'm sure Bicho and his guides do well with bones too, with my overwhelming successful experiences it is hard for me to not stay with Ricardo for bone fishing and for snapper at the calm water, artificial reefs. Good luck and tight lines everyone.