I’m here in Punta Allen, Quintana Roo Mexico at Grand Slam Lodge. I’m dual hosting this trip with friend Patrick Berry for Fly Fishers International. Pat is the president of FFI. Not only is the FFI one of the leading organizations on teaching the art of fly fishing, but also huge on conservation for all fish species on all waters worldwide – both reasons why I’ve not only been a member, but also an ambassador for several years.
The guests on the trip are a variety of top FFI members and donors. Pat came up with the idea to get these folks together to meet on a fishing trip. A trip they would pay for but it would include he and I as the hosts. Being my relationship with Yellow Dog Flyfishing, it was an easy one to put together and within a day after Pat offered the trip to Grand Slam, it was booked.
Despite missing a day because of my “Monsoon Currier” issue, I made it last night and met everyone at dinner. Its neat group of people. Today I was so pumped I got up very early and walked the beach around the lodge. Then I had the pleasure of fishing with Doug Silver from Colorado.
Being I’m a guy that likes to fly fish for any species, I told Doug to make a fishing plan with the guide and I’d go with the flow. Doug and our guide Louis chose to hunt permit. I was surprised but as you can imagine, delighted.
After a scrumptious breaky, Doug and I met our guide (Louis) and guide in training (Mario) at the dock. The entire group leaves around 7:30. Doug has been fly fishing for a number of years but fairly new to saltwater fly fishing. Yesterday he species hunted and nailed his first barracuda’s on fly as well as several types of snapper. He chose to hunt permit today because they ended yesterday seeing a huge school of permit.
Sure enough, after we left the dock we started looking for the permit school they saw last night. We polled a deep flat (8ft deep) and I could see Louis and Mario scanning the deep water. Doug was posted on the bow. This wasn’t your dream shallow water flats permit situation but a permit is a permit. And honestly, just because you find a school of 20 permit mulling around in deep water, doesn’t mean they will eat your fly.
Soon we found them. It took about 45 minutes but in no time Louis and Mario were positioning Doug for a cast. They got him in range but the wind was in his face. Tossing a heavy crab into the wind is tough no matter who you are and after a few minutes of trying, Doug told me to grab my rod.
My torn rotator cuff isn’t on my casting arm. But during my first hour in the boat I learned just how much I grab on to things with my left arm in order to move around a boat. I was slower than normal getting my permit rod out and making way to the bow. But I made it, and the permit where there so I went to work.
It’s a good thing I got my casting up to par in Oregon last month because this was a tough one. Its intimidating enough when you can see the black tails of permit. Then toss in a steady face burning 20 MPH wind, it’s challenging. I made a couple mediocre casts with no results and then the hovering permit school slipped away.
We didn’t lose sight of the perms however. Louis polled hard to get me another shot. Eventually we were on them again. In my mind I was thinking about how I almost gave up on this trip two days ago when stranded in Duluth, Minnesota however I convinced myself this “two day fishing trip to Mexico” would all be worth it if I got several casts to permit. This was it. I launched a good cast.
I had on the Camo Crab. I’d have preferred to toss a shrimp pattern in these conditions but the guides preferred the crab. Sure enough a fish sunk down from the school obviously following my sinking crab imitation. I slowly stripped. I felt a thud and strip set. The entire school blew up and ran for dear life. My fly line didn’t follow. No fish.
I think that my fly line hit one of the swimming permit and I felt him and set and that’s what spooked the school. Louis on the other hand claims he saw the permit eat my fly. I’m not sure he’s right as I saw my Camo Crab sink out of sight. But there was a permit behind it. Who knows? What I do know is neither Doug or I cast to a permit again all day!
When you fish for permit you often get skunked and that’s exactly what happened. I’m not sure Doug realized how difficult permit are to fool but he got a true experience fishing for them today. Fish or not, we had an absolute blast fishing together.
Grand Slam lodge provided us a fun and relaxing evening. After a hot shower we enjoyed snacks and beers. Then they fed us a fantastic dinner. We’ll be back after it again in the morning.
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