My lucky week 2

[paul]

I've been very lucky and had the chance to go bone fishing in Mexico. We fished on the flats


and Jo cast in the mangroves



catching bones




and others





One day, having been wading a few miles off shore, we got back into the boat for a little rest and fun with the smaller colourful fish. I was using a 6 weight rod with a 10lb nylon tippet- a bit heavy for these small ones but what i was using for bonefish. I hooked a small snapper when this thing exploded out of the water with my snapper in its mouth; all went very slack ; and then tightened again- it had been coming towards me- and disappeared at a great rate of knots taking me miles into the backing.

About 10 minutes later it jumped right out of the water and spat out the lunch that was giving it toothache. Again slack, again miraculously still on.

Pumping steadily to get back some line only for another run to go back to square one- conscious all the time of the frailty of my tackle an age later it came to the boat with my hook right in the scissors.





After the photos were taken, I sat down tired and shaking and yielded my position on the boat to Jo, who on his first cast......



Sadly there was nowhere to buy a lottery ticket!

[yeoman]

Hi Paul

Looks a great place and nice fishing.

How does it compare with Belize?

Ben

[paul]

Belize- at least where I went- is predominantly a permit place, noted for Pete's first. This means you can spend most of the week fishless even if conditions are right as they are difficult to find, difficult to tempt and difficult to land.

Mexico (Punta Allen) is very varied fishing- lots of bones wading on sandy flats where your chance of seeing them (rather than casting on guide's instruction) is good. Abundant small tarpon, and big jacks not to mention the odd barracuda. There are also permit for either a single-minded hunt for them or a half day of two within a weeks fishing. There were several caught the week I was there and a monster- c35lb, three hours to land, caught the week before.

It is also cheap relative to other bonefish locations such as Cuba, the Bahamas and the Seychelles. For more info and lots of interesting pictures of great catches see Mat McHugh's Fly Odyssey websitehttp://www.flyodyssey.co.uk/home.html- particularly the client reports and newsletters.