SLIPSTREAM ANGLING BONEFISH TIPS FOR BEGINNERS
Fly fishing for bonefish in skinny water is so much fun and it offers a wonderfully unique combination of hunting and fishing that is pretty tough to beat. For first timers, there are so many factors at play, which at times can seem overwhelming. Wind, clouds, different colored bottom, line management, the movement of the skiff and fish, can all complicate what the first-time bonefish angler has to contend with when targeting bonefish. But, with a little patience and persistence, the first-timer can and will have success.
The ABC’s of Fly Fishing for Permit in Belize Part 6 Moving the Fly, the Hookset and Potential Problems
Once you’ve managed to get the fly near the permit, teamwork and communication with your guide becomes critical. He will be able to see what’s going on far more clearly than you will, so follow his instructions! The eyes of a good Belizean permit guide are nothing short of remarkable. If he tells you to pick up the fly and recast it, then that’s what you do. If he says to move the fly a tiny bit to get the permits attention, then move it an inch or so and wait for his next instruction.
The ABC’s of Fly Fishing for Permit in Belize Part 5 Making The Cast
Casting to permit in deeper water. When you find yourself at the front of the boat and you’re looking for permit in deeper water, you need to be ready with enough line out (no more than you can reasonably cast) and the fly between your thumb and forefinger.
The ABC’s of Fly Fishing for Permit in Belize Part 4 The Influence of Tides, Water temps and Moon Phases on Permit
Understanding the role that the tides play on permit behavior and feeding is critical to catching them. The simple fact is that permit feed most aggressively when water is moving on the flat, both coming in and going out. Too many outdoor writers and journalists have been guilty of getting caught up in focusing exclusively on incoming tides, when writing about fly fishing for permit. This is akin to telling only half the story and leaving out some of the best parts
The ABC’s of Fly Fishing for Permit in Belize Part 3 Diet and Feeding Habits of Permit
Permit will eat a wide variety of marine life, from grass shrimp and small conch to lobsters and juvenile octopus. Permit are opportunistic and will eat the same food day after day if it remains plentiful. And while the ways of this fish are still quite mysterious to us, we do know that the bulk of the permits diet in Belize consists primarily of crabs. The crabs found on the tidal flats throughout the world are camouflaged to mimic the color found on the bottom of the flat where they live. If the bottom has a mottled brownish hue, then that’s more or less the color that the crabs on that p
The ABC’s of Fly Fishing for Permit in Belize Part 2 Weather and its Impact on Fly fishing for Permit
If you’re going to target permit you have to accept the fact that you are going to be completely at the mercy of the weather gods! Weather will play a huge role in all aspects of chasing permit and you have to be prepared for all contingencies. Critical gear requirements include a high-quality rain jacket, a heavier rod for potentially strong winds, and an extra pair of quality polarized shades (I prefer Smith eyewear) with an amber glass for overcast days.
The ABC’s of Fly Fishing for Permit in Belize Part 1 Distribution and Size
Having lived in Belize for 10 years, where at least half that time was spent exclusively targeting permit, I’ve learned a thing or two about this bewildering fish. If you’re serious about pursuing permit with a fly rod, then at some point you absolutely have to go to Belize. Certainly, there are other locations where the permit fishing is excellent (Cuba/Mexico) and decent to good (Honduras/Florida Keys), but few of these places offer a more consistent level of permit action than does Belize.
The “once in a lifetime” days
After my last post about getting spanked on the Henry's Fork, I thought I'd go in the opposite direction and do a post about those miracle days we sometimes get when we are very lucky and conditions are optimal. Rather than me write this one myself, I'm going to post an email from a long term client/friend named Terry L, who had one of those rare magical days, while in Cuba in April of this year. His joy in describing his day is captivating!
Getting your ass handed to you
Every so often we all have days on the water that are, well, potentially embarrassing and most certainly humbling. If it all goes to shit, and it often can, your ego will take a bit of a beating, the sting of which may last well into a post fishing cocktail or two. I was fishing the Henrys Fork two weeks ago and ran up against one of the meanest, nastiest and most spectacular pieces of water I’ve ever fished: the extraordinary Ranch Section of the Henry’s Fork.
Fishing From Global Live Aboard Operations
I have been a huge fan of live aboard fishing trip operations for a long time. From a purely angling perspective, there are just so many positive attributes to doing a Mothership based fishing trip. Unlike, many years ago, when these operations were generally pretty basic and rough, it was a given that if you wanted to do a live aboard week, that you would likely be compromising on quality of food and accommodations; today’s modern live aboards pretty much have all the creature comforts that traveling anglers have come to expect.