San Felipe - Day Four

San Felipe – Mexico – Day Four

Today was my final day in San Felipe. I’m bummed to leave, but excited for the next leg of my journey. Campeche is next. But first, one more morning of fishing in San Felipe.

This morning we found a huge school of tarpon. There where fish rolling everywhere. I was able to jump another 9 fish and land 2 more. They would be the last fish we would see for a few more hours. As the morning grew older the wind grew stronger, so we hunted for fish in the deep in the channels. After a handful of fruitless channels we found some rolling tarpon easily reached. On my first cast I jumped the biggest fish of my visit, 20 lbs! Even Marco gave out a “WOW!” He had been telling me for three days that the channels may surprise me. In vein I tried to put the fish out of the doomful mangrove roots. Out the fish’s third jump my bow was too late and the fly slingshot back to me.

It was the perfect way to leave San Felipe. I landed the first tarpon I hooked. Then lost the last one. I look forward to my next visit to Tarpon Cay Lodge.

Damien

San Felipe Day Three

San Felipe Mexico – Day Three

Finally, there was no wind this morning. In anticipation of the perfect weather and Marco’s wanting to show me some bigger fish, we left the lodge before sunrise. The ocean was glass, mirroring the rising sun as we sped an hour out of the San Felipe in search of migratory tarpon. March is early for the heart of the migration, but Marco assured me we would see a few.

My sleepiness was rudely awakened shortly after the motor quit by Marco yelling “TARPON, TARPON”. I looked just in time to see the second fish roll well out of reach of my cast. They where swimming parallel with the boat and much faster than we were moving. They were quickly gone. It was easy to see they where twice the size of the fish I had seen thus far, but they where not as big as the fish Marco usually sees in that area. The morning grew long and the Tarpon scarce. Those first rolling fish would be the only tarpon we would see for the rest of the morning.

On our way back to the lodge we stopped to fish the prime baby tarpon water and found a school on flats right away. I made 5 perfectly placed casts, but could not get the hook up. On the 5th presentation I drew 3 fish from the school to inspect my fly. I thought one of the three would eat, but instead they turned and raced to catch the school, spooking the bunch in the process. This morning would be my first fishless out of the trip. I hope it will be the only one.

We returned early to the lodge for lunch and siesta. At three we loaded into the van and headed out. Marco wanted to show me the baby, baby tarpon he is aiding to develop. He has dug deeper channels in the mangroves, for the 1st year tarpon to have sanctuary. It was cool to see that they behave much like the old fish, rolling and schooling, and eating everything they can. I saw many fish 4 – 6 inches chase my crazy Charlie, unable to fit connect with the too large hook. I did catch one fish of 10 inches, which is the size that Marco releases in mangroves with easier access to the open ocean. He releases between 70 and 150, 8 – 12 inch tarpon each May. No wonder why there are so many tarpon here. Not only is he helping the tarpon grow as yearlings, but he has helped to establish a bio-reserve for both Tarpon and Snook. The commercial fishermen in San Felipe are not allowed to fish a 12 Kilometer area north of town. Further, Marco and his guides don’t fish the first 2 kilometers of the reserve. That is the area they release the first year fish. They don’t want them to become wary of their boats.

I like the fact that Marco is thinking about the future of the area.

Damien

San Felipe Mexico - Day Two

March 18th – San Felipe – Day two

It is official. Tarpon Cay Lodge is the most unique fishery I have fished. Everything here is special. The accommodations are common, yet comfortable. The food is traditionally delicious. It is a good thing I like to eat fish. San Felipe is a rural fishing village. Motorcycles and bicycles are the most popular form of transportation, besides your feet. I did see an H2 today, which was a slight dose of reality. The people of San Felipe are very friendly. Everyone smiles and greets me as we crass on the street. The staff of Tarpon Cay Lodge are especially hospitable. They have told me to help myself to the cervesa in the cooler, but have not let me finish one yet before ask to get another. This is my kind of place.

Today was more of the same with the tarpon. The winds where up again, forcing us to go deep into the mangroves to find rolling tarpon, willing to eat my flies. I’ve found this style of fishing to be very difficult for landing fish. There is not enough room to fight them. I jumped another 15 before lunch, without landing one. I did catch my first snook today. They are fun to catch, but are not a tarpon. The highlight of my day came this afternoon. We found a boca with a hard bottom surrounding it. Sensing the uniqueness of the opportunity, I jumped into the water. Three or four strips into the first cast my line stopped as a tarpon went cartwheeling through the air. I brought that fish and another to hand. Before venturing to the next spot I jumped another 9 tarpon!

This place never quits.

Damien

San Felipe - Day One - Tarpon fishing

March 17th, 2007 – San Felipe, Mexico – Day One.

I woke this morning to winds gusting over 15mph. To make conditions worse, the front was coming from the south. Winds from the north, or the west are not a big deal. When the winds are from the south, they blow straight into the flats we want to fish. My guide commented on the wind, finishing forecast with “today will be difficult”. As we left hotel San Felipe, a.k.a. Tarpon Cay Lodge, I couldn’t help but feel less optimistic about my chances at casting to tarpon than the night before while listening to Marco, my guide, tell me stories of casting to rolling tarpon at 9, 11, 12, and 2’o’clock. “You have to see,” he kept saying.

When the motor on the panga stopped a quick 20 minutes from the hotel I stood on the bow of the boat and stretched out some fly line. We poled slowly toward a “boca” with out any words between us. I was anxious, “come on tarpon, roll”, I thought to myself. After a few dozen casts without success we poled to next boca.

Once we turned the corner around the mangrove into the next bay, I saw them. “Sabalito” Marco said. As we got closer my adrenalin surged. For a moment my cast feel apart, due to the excess energy in my veins. Marco chuckled and instructed me to relax, “its just tarpon”. Just Tarpon? No. There are many tarpon. A fish broke the surface with in range of my cast. Two false casts and my fly was in the center of the disappearing ring. Strip, strip, strip and the line tighten in a familiar ferociousness. I drove the hook in deep with more strips on the line. On the third strip the sliver prince was airborne, violently shacking his head, trying to free the hook in his jaw. The fish tried again and again to free itself, jumping and racing to the security of the mangroves. It took every inch of my 8 weight BIIX to bring the kinglet of the mangroves to the boat. When Marco placed the shining fish in my hands and my anxiety blew away with the wind.

The rest of the day was like a dream. Marco showed me more fish than I could have ever imagined. At every boca, and deep within the mangroves I cast to pods of 20 or more fish, jumping way more than I would land. By 10 am, I had already lost count of how many tarpon I had seen, jumped, and landed.

I never want to leave this place.

Damien Nurre