Greetings from Boqueron, Puerto Rico,
The past three days of fishing have been nothing short of magical. The combination of a great group, nice weather, and amazing fishing has certainly made some memories for the group. The guides here at the lodge are not only fantastic fishermen, but they are extremely welcoming and knowledgeable and a joy to be around. The past few days have started out with a 6am wake up. The boys stumble downstairs from our comfy beds and air conditioned rooms to start to make a quick breakfast before the guides show up at 6:45am. Once groups are split up, we load up rods, kids, and our warm Cubano sandwiches into the guides' Tacomas, where we drive to our fishing launch for the day.
Seeing the smaller towns we pass through start to wake up for the day is an enjoyable part of the ride. The mountains overshadow the countryside, showing green ridges that look like they belong to Costa Rican jungles. The water is flat calm when we put in, making for a beautiful and satisfying ride out into the ocean to start our day of fishing. Before 3pm, the group generally is amped from an exciting day of sight fishing, yet tired from the full day out on the water.
The tarpon fishing has been great. Before the end of day one, everyone caught numerous tarpon (including many who caught their first ever)! The tarpon have been caught deep into the winding mangrove rivers where the smaller fish jump and backflip once they are hooked. Further out on the mangrove shore line, hungry, patrolling medium (5-25lb) fish have been chasing down whatever flies the boys have been casting at them. These fish hang in tight to the shaded overhangs from the plants, providing a challenging yet rewarding opportunity to cast to them. The guide group is ultra-skilled and professional, navigating the waters with ease. Out in the deeper water, the big silver kings (tarpon) come to play. Several fish in the 25-40lb range have been landed, with a dozens of others being hooked. Tarpon are notoriously difficult to land once hooked, making it all the more challenging. As you can see, the boys haven’t been having too tough of a time though….
On some of the flats, many of the boys have chosen to test their skill (and sanity), by targeting the elusive permit on the fly. The permit is likely the only fish that every angler who fishes for them could tell you every fish to the exact number that they have caught in their lifetime. The thing with fishing for permit is that, if you do everything perfectly, they still probably won’t eat your fly. Here in this part of Puerto Rico, the fish are huge, smart, and seriously hard to catch. Despite all of that, the group has still caught them! For those that have targeted them, watching their black dorsal and caudal fins wave in the air as they go head first into the sand in search of crabs can drive any avid angler absolutely wild. They are beautiful, rare fish and are spookier than Halloween. Still, despite all odds, we have still had campers catch them!
Around 4:30-5:00pm, once we are done with fishing, the boys have been coming back, rinsing off in the shower, and enjoying a nice siesta after a full day in the sun. After some rest we have been heading to the beach, watching the pretty, pink sunsets, and going fishing near our lodge. These times have been nice for the whole group to connect with one another when we are together. Once dinner rolls around, we have been chipping in and cooking some delicious meals. First night was homemade shrimp scampi pasta. The next two nights were chicken empanadas and fresh chicken tacos. We don’t usually last too long after dinner with the full day on the water plus the early wake up ahead of us. Over the next few days the boys will enjoy two more fantastic days of fishing. They will get the chance to keep catching the tarpon and permit of their dreams while spending great time outdoors in the beautiful Puerto Rican ecosystems. We will get time to explore some of the local towns nearby our lodge and spend a night eating out at a local restaurant with the guide crew. The kids have been a blast to be around and get to know better. I am blown away by their maturity and willingness to help one another. I feel super grateful to be their trip director and get to spend a few more days in paradise with them all. Until then, tight lines and good times.
~ Jack and the gang
