Fishing Report #34
October 13 – 20, 2024
Welcome to the Caribbean
This will be a unique weekly report, as it’s my last one for my season at ESB. In a few days, I will return to my Patagonian lands, utterly devoid of Caribbean palms and golden sands, yet possessing their own distinct charm. I’ll return to the waters that saw me grow and to the curve of the rivers that shaped me as a guide; I’ll feel the caresses of the untamable winds that forged my spirit. But most importantly, I’ll return to my typical Argentine diet where asados are present eight out of the seven days of the week, alongside family and friends who, for some reason I still don’t understand, are always happy to see me return.
The Mayan gods, perhaps knowing of my imminent return home, have strived to show their farewell, but not in the way we all would have liked. This reminds me of an ancient Mayan story I read somewhere that went something like this: In ancient Mayan times, in a small village by the Caribbean Sea, lived Nicté, a young woman known for her connection with nature. Fishermen said that when she walked on the beach, fish would come closer to the shore and the winds would calm down. The village elders believed that Nicté had the gift of speaking with the gods through water, and that’s why the sea always protected her.
One day, Nicté announced her departure. She had to answer a call from the gods that would take her inland, far from the waves and breezes that had been her home. The news shook the village, which considered her a talisman of prosperity and good weather. But Nicté knew that farewells were part of the cycle of life and that her destiny was written in the stars.
The night before her departure, while everyone slept, a tropical storm like never before seen broke out. The palm trees bent under the force of the wind, and the sea roared in a frantic back and forth. The villagers feared the worst, but Nicté, from her hut, smiled. She knew it was not a common storm but a gift from the gods: a farewell ceremony for her, a dance of water and wind that washed away her footprints and sealed her eternal connection with the sea.
When the storm ceased at dawn, the village found itself bathed in an unusual peace. The waters returned to their usual calm, but the sky had turned a deep blue that seemed to contain Nicté’s unspoken words. The villagers then understood that the gods had not torn her from her home, but had blessed her with a farewell worthy of her spirit.
Nicté left, but the echo of the storm remained in the waves, whispering her name every time the wind blew from the horizon, reminding us that sometimes, farewells are not endings but the beginning of a new dialogue between man and the gods.
Logically, I don’t have the ability to converse with the gods or to control the weather (though I wish I could), but those who do have the incredible ability to accept and adapt to all the “gifts” the Mayan gods send them are Ralph, Vince, Andy, Henry, Gabe, Brandon, Jeff, and Kevin, who honored us with their visit for another year.
FISHING
Monday started with perfect weather, gentle winds, and clear skies, but during the early afternoon, the winds shifted north bringing dark clouds that left some rain at the end of the day. Our experienced anglers had chances to make good casts at schools and solitary palometas, but without achieving the expected results, except for Kevin, who achieved a Grand Slam. Far from being discouraged by the lack of cooperation from most palometas, they did not miss the opportunities offered by the numerous species inhabiting the warm waters of the bay: tarpon, snook, and bonefish provided the most action during the fishing day.
Tuesday’s dawn promised better conditions with gentle winds and almost clear skies, nearly perfect conditions for fishing the bay’s emblematic species, and the results soon followed. Andy closed his day with a Super Grand Slam, and Ralph joined him with a Grand Slam, offering many chances to fool the wary palometas for the rest of the group. Tarpon, snook, and bonefish again strained their lines.
As if it were a game, the clouds that accompanied us Wednesday morning left us early moderate rains and, exactly at the time marked for the start of the fishing day, magically began to retreat, leaving clear skies throughout the morning until the end of the fishing day when they covered everything again and left us rains anew. This window of good weather was perfectly utilized by our anglers, who did not let the opportunities pass and practically all added permits to the week’s scoreboard, along with bonefish and snook completing the catch menu.
The start of Thursday was somewhat stormy but without rain; the thick clouds moved rapidly across the bay, leaving wide gaps where the sun bathed the crystal-clear waters, revealing the stealthy movements of the fish. Once again, the opportunities to tempt the unpredictable big-eyed fish occurred practically all day, leading anglers and guides to focus almost exclusively on this species, though some snook and bonefish were added to the scoreboard.
The forecasts finally came true, and what seemed to be just a disturbance turned into Nadine, a tropical storm that set a fixed course toward Belize, leaving us on its “dirty” side. Strong rains, accompanied by moderate to strong winds, were a certainty for the next day, so our intrepid group of anglers took on the challenge of fishing as much as possible while the weather allowed. Vince experienced an event rarely seen in the bay: a large number of tarpon attacking on the surface, performing movements and jumps that were remarkably similar to those we might expect from hungry trout enjoying a mayfly hatch on a Montana river. After a long three-minute investigation on Google and a consultation with Dane, the bay’s tarpon expert, the mystery was revealed. The tarpon were enjoying a feast of sea fleas, which were pushed to the surface by the tarpon, and the rapid movement of these to catch them resulted in those spectacular jumps that mimicked the trout.
The forecasts were met, and the last day of fishing had to be canceled due to the truly adverse weather conditions. Nonetheless, we all felt satisfied with what occurred during the fishing days, and the broad smiles confirmed everyone’s feelings.
WEATHER
Instability was constant throughout the week, with periods of rain, north or northeast winds, moments of sun, and gray skies.
The tides were unpredictable, forcing our guides to adapt their fishing strategies to each moment.
FLIES
The appetite of the permit rewarded the good presentations and the good work of our fishermen with their flies: Flexo, ESB Spawning Shrimp, Casa Blanca, ESB Yellow Eyes Raghead Crab, Tequila Twister, etc. The bonefish had the same attitude, rewarding good presentations and good work from the imitations in the usual sizes #6 to #8. Although the tarpon and snook that were caught did not hesitate to attack the EP baitfish.
I say goodbye until next year, or perhaps sooner if you, dear reader, visit El Saltamontes this coming Austral summer, where we can share fishing days in the beautiful waters of Chilean Patagonia. Remember that fishing is not just about catching fish, and enjoy the experience that this beautiful activity offers.
See you next week with a new report and do not hesitate to contact our friends at The Fly Shop® so they can tell you first-hand what life is like in Espiritu Santo Bay, the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve (which means “Where the sky begins”, in the Mayan language).
Taak ulak k’iin and Ka xi’ik teech utsil
(See you later and good luck! in Mayan language)
Martin Ferreyra Gonzalez and the entire ESB Family
800-669-3474 | 530-222-3555 | travel@theflyshop.com | ESB Lodge
