Paul Procter has recently returned from Casa Veijo Chac in Mexico after hosting three weeks of saltwater flats fishing at this great fly fishing destination……
November saw us back in Ascension Bay at Casa Viejo Chac. For a number of years now, owner Manuel Chac has rolled out the red carpet in terms of his guiding team, a knowledge bunch who understand what kind of angling experience UK visitors are after. This is vital when you’ve such a diverse fishery with bonefish, permit, tarpon, snook and many other fish in the offing. Often the hardest problem is deciding which species you care to target next!
For once, we were blessed with day after day of clear skies, making sight fishing a pleasure rather than a chore. Obviously, bonefish featured heavily in the opening days though once our groups had got their eye in then snook, tarpon and permit were coming thick and fast.
Kevin Stolz in particular seemed to have a nose for finding snook and his efforts were well rewarded. I was fortunate to be sharing a skiff with Kevin on one particular day that got hijacked by bonefish, tarpon and barracuda, all of which latched onto a fly intended for snook. Obviously, we had our share of this stunning predator too.
Naturally, being exposed to the elements pretty goes with the territory of saltwater fishing, when a breeze can easily become your Achilles heel. However we had several days of light breezes when “permit” were on the lips of most. As fickle as ever, back at the lodge there were the usual tales of wayward casts, following fish and missed takes after a day on the flats. However, perseverance eventually shone through when a handful of modest sized specimens came to hand.
Aside from the usual suspects, this year saw plenty of jack crevalle wandering mob-handed over the flats. The sight of six or eight jacks bow waving towards you as they carve up everything in their path is about as exciting as it gets. Granted, many consider them the bully boys that will snap at anything, but hooked on a 7, or 8-weight bonefish outfit they’re the epitome of what saltwater fishing is all about. Furthermore they punch well above their weight.
I’m always envious of first timers to this environment as they really don’t know what’s in store. Case in point was John Wilson, who was more use to dabbling for wee grayling on his local stream. After tangling with bonefish and snook he returned day after day grinning like a Cheshire cat. There were tailing permit too though by his own admission, he wasn’t quite prepared for them. He made up for it on a shoal of passing jacks.
Paul Procter Dec 2016