Now you see them, now you don’t………….
I had a tip off that the tarpon were showing in the secret lagoon. Ok, not exactly a red hot tip off because the rainy season had started the previous day and a good flush had drained off the swamp into the lagoon. This always wakes the tarpon up. But had the tarpon actually left the lagoon, or were they there all the time? My thinking is that they were there all the time. We have seen them lurking deep in the fallen timber, seemingly not feeding or moving much.
Yesterday however it was all different. Now we are back to the normal behavior (or so I thought). The tarpon, mainly small fish up to say 10lbs, in pods of four or five were porpoising right out in open water pretty well the whole length of the lagoon. Unfortunately I was late on the water, and a light breeze had sprung up, and this immediately switched off this behavior. Not before I had hooked one fish and played it for several minutes before my knot failed.
We were chatting about knots failing the other day, and all of us agreed that it was something no one likes admitting. Sue says it’s a man thing. It’s a bit like your pride in being a good driver (no one EVER admits to being a bad driver do they?) We ALL tie good knots ALL the time don’t we? Well actually no we don’t! And we NEVER have a knot fail do we? Well yes we do, actually! If we are honest. A lot of the time it is not the knot’s fault, it’s just been tied badly. Generally speaking, the more complex twists and turns the knot involves, the more opportunities there are for a careless moment which might (as in this case) cost a fish- and a lure as well!
Anyway, the fish was lost, and as the breeze strengthened, the fish faded away. And one thing I have learned here is that when the tarpon say no, they mean it. No amount of persuasion will tempt them
So back next morning at the crack of dawn. Flat calm, exactly like yesterday. Well with one difference, where were the tarpon? Not a sign. So Sue and I eased gently down the lagoon in our boat Patience, scanning the water all around us. Tarpon are prone to rolling in the wake of your boat although I can’t think why. Nothing doing. Eventually I spotted a couple of fish porpoising, so we glided gently over to them. Sue hooked one immediately but after one surge the hook hold gave and that was that. So we decided to move back down towards the sea inlet which takes us past a couple of trolling hotspots. We trolled right down to the entrance without seeing a fish, turned and came back up debating whether to call it a day. Just as we approached the second hotspot, Sue spotted a pod of tarpon rolling just ahead of us, so we thought we might as well troll over them just in case. Well I got a big hit as we passed by and 100yds of line melted off the reel in no time. The fish jumped twice in quick succession and then turned and started to run straight back towards us. For the next 20 minutes or so the fish ran back and forwards, but the jumps became fewer and smaller. Fortunately I had hooked the fish out in open water so there was no real danger of snags. However as the fight developed, the boat was drifting perilously close to the edge of the lagoon where there is plenty of timber and refuge for a hooked fish. I knew that I would not be able to stop a determined effort to get into the timber, as my light spinning rod and 12 lb line were already at full stretch. The fish by this time however was tiring and after a couple of slow runs beside the boat, Sue was able to lift the fish on board for unhooking and a quick photo. She has been moaning about a sore finger, raked by the gill rakers ever since – but I think she is secretly proud of the battle scar.
So here is a pic of the morning’s efforts. Not a monster by any standards, but a brilliant fight on light tackle. My little soft plastic fish had survived the battle and so lives to fight another day. That seemed to be a good moment to run back up to our mooring and then home for breakfast.
Whichever way you look at it, it’s a good way to start your day.

FLY ONLY - the ultimate test!
Our next guests were Len and Juliet from Tanzania (East Africa) and Archie and Barbara from Kansas USA. This foursome were fly only and so offer the toughest test of the fishing down here. We had teamed them up with our top guide, Ian Cuevas, so we were confident that they were in knowledgeable and skilled hands, in the face of difficult conditions.
Fortunately, they proved to be very good anglers and although the permit were elusive, they caught bonefish and tarpon on fly. Monkey River grudgingly conceded some late tarpon as dusk was descending, to add a little extra to the day. Curiously the early morning sessions in the river did not produce. We concluded that this was a tide issue. A rising tide at dusk appeared to be the best time.
Just like our previous guests, Len and Archie found the bonefish uncharacteristically uncooperative and catches were by our standards, low. This is the end of the tourist season and it may be that the fish are getting wary when rods start waving around out on the flats. Both Len and Archie had several shots at permit, but as is the nature of this most elusive of fish, chances were brief and few.
The ‘gummy” fly which Dell had first shown to us seems to be a particularly good bet especially for tarpon. Archie also had these, in a thin tiny baitfish shape, and a fuller more rounded version which Ian thought (correctly as it turned out) would be a better match for river fishing. Len promptly jumped three tarpon on one, and landed the fourth, all in the space of an hour or so.
So what was our conclusion? Well nowhere in this world has fishing that can be turned on (or off) like a tap. However good the fishing, however huge the shoals, however beautiful the surroundings, there will always be times when things just don’t go right. The last three weeks have been like that. Unstable weather has without a doubt played a big part. Len kindly invited me to join him one afternoon and I could see just how difficult it was to present a fly in the crosswinds we had, particularly casting right into partially submerged wild cane along the river’s edge. Only a really good caster could manage that-Len did!
I suppose you could say that this just adds to the desire to come back and try again, a feeling we anglers all get from time to time. No sooner are you off the water than you are thinking about the next time.Still as Sue remarked as we said goodbye to our last visitors, a month which included three new records, two Grand slams, plus a number of fly caught firsts for guests cannot be called poor in anyone’s language. Maybe we expect too much from the fish lurking in their watery world below the silvery surface.

Return of the flyfishers!
This week we have Dave Lewis, demon fly fisher from Wales, making a return visit to us, together with Terry Smith, and newcomers Ray Jennings and Dell Elliot making up our second consecutive party of four from England (sorry, Britain).
When the weather forecaster on our national radio station, Love FM, knew Dave was coming back to Steppingstones, he immediately changed the forecast to howling gales and rain. As usual however he got it wrong, although we did have a fairly brisk wind.
With choppy seas on Day One, the guys decided to hit Monkey River at first light as we have been getting reports of tarpon and snook showing. This proved to be a good decision. Dave landed tarpon and snook on fly, Dell had his first ever tarpon on fly and the others also jumped tarpon and snook, as well as a few surprise tubas. These perch-like ciclids fight like blazes, and it is a pity they don’t grow all that big! The machacas which can normally be expected to come up to surface lures were however not coming out to play.
Day Two was a blast straight out to the reef with bonefish the main target. The sea has heavy so the guys got bumped and soaked going out, and bumped and soaked coming back. Despite this they were rewarded with some decent sized bonefish on the flats around Nicholas caye. Ray managed his very first bonefish on a fly which is always a great landmark. A strong breeze however made sight fishing a challenge even with our eagled eyed guides George and Wayne at the helm.
By the time the guys got back it was 7pm, so in two days they had averaged 12 hours a day on the water. No wonder they looked tired. Dave made a brief appearance before dinner before crashing out in his cabana. He ate his dinner for breakfast the following morning! Sue’s Mexican tacos WERE good, but for breakfast??
Thursday dawned much calmer, so amidst muttering about permit fishing, the boats set off for the southern end of Port Honduras Marine Reserve. The day turned out to be not a day for permit. A strong wind and colored water made fish spotting very difficult. Ray had some nice jacks on poppers plus more tarpon to everybody. Both boats went up Deep River which IMHO is one of the most enchanted places on earth. But nothing inclined to feed. The rivers need a good flush through which we reckon could happen any day now.
Their day ended in Monkey River hoping for a last minute tarpon, but it was not to be. They did however witness a pitched battle between two rival troops of howler monkeys - probably a territorial “misunderstanding’ as the Belizeans call it!
So to Friday. The plan was to go out to Ranguana and engage the bonefish again. However the wind sprung up overnight, so both boats elected for a starting effort back in Monkey River.
The river was quiet, so a move down to Deep River seemed like the best bet. However this too was pretty slow. After a day of stopping and starting, despite all efforts the day was unproductive. So while Dave and Terry decided to call it a day, Ray and Dell decided to have one last cast. Their persistence was rewarded and a tarpon and snook compensated for a disappointing day.
So the following day, bright and early the team decided today was to be the big day, and duly set out after permit. That evening the guys were back late. When we saw the boats approaching the dock in pitch darkness we knew something was up from the broad smiles. Dave had hit his grand slam of a permit, a tarpon and a bonefish, and Terry managed a permit and a bonefish, and lost no less than four tarpon late on in Monkey River in a desperate attempt to achieve his grand slam! So it was drinks on the house for everyone that evening, which is a Steppingstones tradition. Grand slams are not common, even here in Permit City. It is not just a matter of catching all three species in one day, it is as much a challenge of finding all three species feeding! The purists will insist on Grand Slams being all fly caught, but we excuse a little involvement of hermit crab in catching permit! As the guys will tell you, hooking a permit is hard enough on ANYTHING!
The following day, it was hardly surprising that, sore heads from the night’s celebration or not, the team was headed back out to do battle with the permit again. Terry in particular felt hard done by having missed out on his Grand Slam so narrowly the previous day. Determination often gets rewarded, so it was no surprise that Terry turned out to be the star of the show, with a Grand Slam of his very own to celebrate that night!. This Steppingstones tradition is getting to be a bit expensive on free drinks! Still it does not happen every day.
Next day saw the weather on an improving trend so it was back out to the reef in search of the bonefish shoals. The fish were quickly located but were in a silly mood, swimming around like harbor mullet, as Dave described it, and refusing even the most tempting of offers. Despite this a couple were landed and a very big bonefish showed itself although it remained uninterested in feeding.
Overall this was a story of what might have been. Stories of lost fish, missed fish, and shoals disappearing in a flash. However, the boys, led by demon flycaster Dave all caught tarpon, bonefish and snook . Terry and Dave both had Grand Slams as memories to treasure. Dell and Ray had some decent jacks, plus barracuda, etc. on lures as well as their successes on fly, so honour was in the end satisfied.