The Vieques Angler

What Vieques Can Learn From Belize

2010-03-13T17:38:00.001-08:00

Everyone who lives on Vieques or has an interest in it's future with tourism needs to watch this excellent film on fly fishing in Belize. It's one of the best things I've seen in a long time and I'm amazed at similar paths both locations have in front of them.

Currents Of Belize

Vieques Update

2010-02-24T16:28:00.000-08:00

I've been getting a few e-mail asking why my posts have been so infrequent lately. I'm still up here on Pine Island, Florida and you can keep up with what's happening on my charters by checking out my other blog here.

I will have some more Vieques posts coming soon since I'm extremely upset by a recent CNN story concering contamination on the island. It was yet another ridiculous concoction and I won't link to it since it will only further harm the tourism industry. I'm tracking down some of the people quoted in it and it'll be interesting to pin them down on some of their statements. Stay tuned.

Yellowfin Tuna

2009-12-22T01:15:00.001-08:00

My good friend and Dr. Pedro Watlington sent me these photos of fantastic yellowfin tuna he caught a short time ago while fishing off the main island about 18 miles north of San Juan. The fish weighed 90 pounds and took over an hour to land on 30# line.

Yellowfin are one of the largest of the tunas and can grow to twice that size. They're also one of the best tasting fish in the ocean and highly prized for both sport and commercial fishermen. For a lot of anglers a yellowfin like this is the catch of a lifetime.

Puerto Rico is one of the better places in the Caribbean to chase these big tuna. Our proximity to some seriously deep water and warm currents brings them closer to shore. This is what helped put Pedro, with his 24 foot boat, on such a big fish with only a 20 mile run from home.

Vacation Planning, 2010

2009-12-19T18:56:00.000-08:00

Now that another early and seriously frigid winter is settling in on most of the US, I’m starting to get daily calls and e-mails from folks planning a first trip to Vieques. If you’re one of these people and you’d like to head down in the next few months here’s a few pieces of advice that will make your vacation a bit easier.

The first thing you should do before booking airline tickets or accommodations is call and reserve a rental car on the island. This may sound strange and a bit backwards but trust me on this one. Between Christmas and Easter Week there are rarely enough cars to go around for all the tourists and a decent vehicle, preferably a Jeep, is essential on Vieques. You won’t be able to enjoy our great beaches to the fullest without one.

Reserving a car can be a bit frustrating this time of year since the rental companies are so busy. Don’t even attempt to do this by e-mail. Call them directly and don’t bother leaving a message if you get a machine. Keep calling until you get a live person. If there are no cars available then you might want to alter your travel plans. That’s why I recommend doing this before making any other reservations, such as airlines or hotels, which will be a lot more difficult to change.

If there are no cars available and you can’t move your travel plans you should still move forward with your trip. Deciding on where to stay will now be more important. Esperanza is by far the best choice since so much is within walking distance in this town including several great restaurants and some really nice beaches. Publicos, our local taxis, are available at all hours and many of the drivers live nearby. It’s likely that you’ll find one driver and use him for most of the week. It’s also likely that you’ll meet other travelers who you can bum rides from especially if you hang out at Duffy’s or the Yacht Club during Happy Hour. The Bio Bay trips also depart from Esperanza and the weekends have a street fair atmosphere. It’s definitely a fun town but can be a bit noisy if you’re staying right on the Malecon. Book a place one street back and you won’t have any problems.

As an added convenience, if you’re planning a fishing trip on Vieques both Capts. Franco Gonzalez and J Fergeson depart from the pier at Esperanza. Since I’m going to be staying up here in Florida this coming season those guys will be the only charter fishing boats available. Their schedules are sure to fill up quickly so I’d recommend contacting them soon. Kayak fishing with Vieques Adventures is another option and they’ll also pick you up right there in Esperanza.

Even though I’ll be up here on Pine Island, Florida this coming season, feel free to contact me with any questions you might have about Vieques. With the economy hurting so badly these days, Vieques is still a very affordable place to get away from it all without too much hassle. So if you’re snowed in somewhere in New York right now and could use a little Global Warming, go ahead and make your plans for the island.

Fish Contamination On Vieques

2009-11-03T18:22:00.000-08:00

A lot of people have asked me over the years if the fish on Vieques are safe to eat. Their concerns usually come from what they read on the internet before they get to the island or what they’ve been told by the locals, mainly the gringos they meet at Al’s or Duffy’s, who warn them of toxic fish. This is really unfortunate but there is a bit of truth to some of these concerns that should be addressed.

So let’s start with what is true. There is a serious sickness that can be contracted from some fish on Vieques, as well as other temperate waters, known as ciguatera. Pronounced “sig-wha-TER-ah,” it’s caused by an accumulation of a poison known as ciguatoxin in the flesh of larger fish. This comes from algae that grows on coral and is passed up the food chain from the small reef dwellers that eat it. Throughout much of the Atlantic and Caribbean the most notorious carrier of ciguatera is the barracuda. These fish are so commonly linked with this poisoning that it is actually illegal to sell commercially or serve barracuda in restaurants in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. But ciguatera has also been found in more popular food species such as grouper and some large snapper.

Ciguatera is actually a neurological poisoning that produces several unpleasant symptoms. Most people initially feel a numbness or tingling sensation around their lips or on their fingers and toes. Sometimes this is followed by a reversal in temperature sensation. In other words, cold thing feel hot and hot things feel cold. After that the vomiting and diarrhea occurs and can last for several days, causing extreme dehydration.

Unfortunately there is no antidote for ciguatera once it’s contracted. And even more unfortunate is the fact that there is no simple method for detecting its presence in fish outside of a lab. There are a lot of traditional folk methods employed throughout the world and some are quite bizarre. The most popular one is to lay a nickel on the flesh and watch if it changes color. In the Bahamas they simply wait for flies to land on the fish. If it’s covered with flies it’s safe to eat. (?!) I’ve even heard of feeding a piece of meat to a cat and watching for symptoms. None of these methods actually work and simply cooking the fish also has no effect on the toxin.

Now for some good news: Ciguatera is extremely rare, especially in places with strict food safety regulations such as the U.S. and Puerto Rico. I’ve eaten saltwater fish for most of my life, including the occasional small barracuda, and have never had a single symptom. I personally know only one friend who contracted it from a very large grouper caught in the Keys. Ciguatera is also completely avoidable by simply eating fish that have no danger of carrying it. These are the pelagic or open ocean species such as tuna, mahi-mahi, or wahoo. These deep water fish have practically no chance of accumulating the toxin from their food supply and are completely safe and delicious, too. Even if you do choose to order a locally caught reef dweller such as grouper or snapper, most are usually too small to have enough ciguatoxin built up to cause any sickness.

The other fish poisoning scare on Vieques comes from the alleged threat of man-made contamination caused by the fifty year presence of the U.S. Navy. The internet is still full of articles about toxins such as depleted uranium and mercury in our soil and water coming from the former bombing range on the island’s eastern tip. The majority of these articles are either highly exaggerated or completely false. Without getting into the politics involved, a lot of private “studies” were done by outside entities with the specific intention of scaring the local population and turning them against the Navy. Just about every single news story done about the military on Vieques during the years leading up to their 2003 departure was highly slanted. At the same time a lot of well known people bought into this and came to the island simply to get their faces on TV, giving the anti-Navy side a lot of publicity.

The truth is that there is absolutely no reason for concern about man-made contamination in the Vieques drinking water, the food grown in our soil, or the fish caught off our shores. The bombs detonated on the island’s eastern training range were entirely conventional, meaning non-nuclear or chemical. The primary explosive in these bombs was TNT, a nitrogen based compound very similar to commercial fertilizer. While there were more toxic components contained in some ordinance, it was of such trace amounts that it could never contaminate the local fish population.

Defending the Navy won’t win me any friends on Vieques and I’m personally glad they left back in 2003 because some of the best bonefishing in the Caribbean is right there in the old training site. But it really bothers me when I get a phone call from potential customers who’d like to come to the island but are afraid for the safety of their children, thanks to what they’ve read on the internet.

For the past six years, tourism has been the engine that’s driven Vieques forward and I find it really ironic that the scare tactics used to get rid of the Navy are still at work poisoning this island’s economic future. So if you’re busy Googling Vieques in preparation for a trip ignore the negative articles or read them with a huge dose of skepticism. This is one of the healthiest and most unspoiled ecosystems in all of the Caribbean so come on down. And while you’re here, go ahead and order the seafood paella at Tradewinds.

Google Earth

2009-10-06T06:50:00.000-07:00

Google Earth is a great tool for a self guided angler traveling anywhere. The images they have of Vieques are especially useful and many have been updated last year. They'll allow you to zoom in on any of the beaches and see the best access point to get to the more out of the way places like Laguna Kiani or Puerto Ferro, two of the best tarpon fishing spots on the island.

I've been updating my other website www.better-flats-fishing.com with Google Earth shots of the specific beaches where you can find the most DIY opportunities. It's a good resourse especially if you have a handheld GPS to take with you. I'll be adding more locations and photos in the next few days so check back there if a specific beach isn't included yet.

Underwater Tarpon Fishing

2009-09-17T11:27:00.000-07:00

Angler Richard Gill (great last name) sent me this video of he and his brother-in-law flyfishing for tarpon in Belize with out a boat, or a kayak, or a beach. This is one of the coolest things I've seen in a while. There is bit of bad language in this video but most of it is spoken in Snorkelese.

September Bonefishing

2009-09-11T11:54:00.000-07:00

September is an especially quiet time for tourism on Vieques but it provides for some of the best bonefish action of the year. The best thing about the fall is calmer winds which make casting the these fish much easier for inexperienced anglers. Now that I'm back on Pine Island for the season Capt. Franco Gonzalez (787)450-3744 has the bonefish of Ensenada Honda all to himself. This bay at the southeast end of Vieques has the most consistent flat I've ever seen for shot at tailing bones and Franco has the best boat to take you there.

If he happens to be booked or your budget won't allow a guided trip then the small flat at Encampment Beach is your best bet. I recently fished with angler Matt Kerstang up here on Pine Island and he had just returned from a self-guided trip to Vieques. He reported several hookups of bones at Encampment and even some great snook fishing at Laguna Kiani. Both of these spots are easy to find and for exact directions click here:
www.better-flats-fishing.com/fishing-encampment-beach.html
www.better-flats-fishing.com/laguna-kiani.html

Just remember that there are still no tackle shops on Vieques so pack everything you'll need in advance.

Cars On Vieques

2009-09-09T07:32:00.000-07:00

Cuba is famous for its fleet of pre-1959 American cars. A rolling time capsule of Buicks, Fords, and Cadillacs are part of the scenery of the Castro’s island. These classic examples of Detroit at its finest have been kept running despite a total lack of spare parts, thanks to their ingenious owners and the quality of their original designs.

Here on Vieques you won’t see anything like the Cuban parade of classics. There are a few old muscle cars tooling around, including a ’69 Camaro that belongs on a drag strip and a flawless ’65 Mustang, but these are rare birds that seem way out of place running over the horse dung and iguanas on our narrow roads. Unfortunately, the vehicular complexion of Vieques is a lot less photogenic.

This is an island where the much maligned SUV is king. Sorry Tree Huggers, but we actually need them down here. I own two, and I don’t use them to pick up the kids from soccer practice. My SUVs proudly get driven like they were meant to be driven: abusively and often in four-wheel-drive.

My favorite is a 1989 Jeep Wrangler, the perfect vehicle for Vieques. It’s as indestructible as it is uncomfortable. Old Jeeps are great for their simplicity and mine has a 4.0 liter carbureted engine, manual transmission, and nothing is computerized or electronically controlled. This makes it very easy to work on, and anyone who owns one of these old Jeeps knows that something is usually broken.

My Wrangler is no different and is about as far from showroom condition as it gets. Rust must have been standard equipment in 1980’s Jeeps and the radio, heater, horn, and wipers have never worked either. It has no top or side windows but that’s ok since the rain washes the mud and sand out of the holes in the floorboard. Even the starter usually has issues in the morning but this isn’t too much of a problem since I live on a hill and can roll-start it if necessary.

None of that matters to me. Despite my twenty year old Jeep’s condition, once it’s running nothing can stop it. It has hauled me to the most unspoiled beaches and bonefish flats on Vieques and never left me stuck in the mud. It’s towed both of my boats all over the island during four years of charters and never kept anyone waiting. It’s compact enough to bang its way through the narrow jungle trails or squeeze into a parking space on the jammed up streets of Isabel Segunda on the weekdays. And best of all, I never have to wash or wax it.

Our second vehicle is at the other end of the SUV spectrum; a 1994 Toyota 4-Runner. I bought this for my wife a year after we moved to the island for one reason: this isn’t really an SUV, it’s a tank. The only thing it’s missing is a 120mm turret-mounted cannon. These old school Toyotas are the most indestructible vehicles ever built for everyday road use. This one has automatic everything and could tow a house. Its engine is as reliable as the day is long. With over 150,000 miles on it, the only serious work we’ve ever had done to the 4-Runner is a brake job.

The down side to driving a 4-Runner around Vieques is its size. Unlike a Jeep, it’s a tight fit on some if the island’s roads. My wife once had the front quarter panel kicked in by a wild horse that didn’t like being crowded by the green behemoth. This jammed the driver’s door shut and we crawl over the passenger seat until a friend popped out the dent. Only on Vieques.

There is a benefit to driving a tank-like SUV on a small island and that’s safety. In addition to the horses and other wandering livestock, the real danger on the roads of Vieques is the other drivers. The young men on the island, like young men everywhere, drive like absolute maniacs. I was just as guilty of The Need For Speed myself and I’m amazed that I survived owning a 280Z as a teenager. The kids down here are into the “Tuner” scene, which means basically taking a tiny four-cylinder Honda with the aileron from an F-16 bolted to its trunk and blasting around as fast as possible. Driving defensively on Vieques is crucial and the big Toyota 4-Runner is the only thing we use at night or on the weekends.

Both of our SUVs are gas hogs but fortunately you don’t rack up a lot of miles living on twenty-four mile long Vieques. We’ve probably put no more than 3000 miles a year on each vehicle. And despite the abusive roads, it’s actually easy to keep a well made SUV running for a long time on the island. Like Cuba, there are a handful of mechanical geniuses on Vieques and our neighbor Mr. Henry is the best. It may take him over a week to get to your car but there’s very little he can’t fix. And unlike Cuba, we can get spare parts for anything flown here.

I get a handful of phone calls and e-mails each month from folks moving to Vieques or seriously thinking about it and cars are always a big question. If you’re one of these people I wrote this column for you. Leave the BMW at home and pick up either an easily repaired Jeep or an ultra-reliable Toyota SUV once you’re down here. And one last thing: no matter how many times you see it, or what the other gringos at Al’s or Duffy’s tell you, driving around with an open beer on Vieques IS illegal. And wear your seatbelt, too.

New Skiff From Beavertail

2009-08-31T18:49:00.001-07:00

If you've fished with me either on Vieques or Pine Island over the last two years you know what a fan I am of Beavertail's excellent line of flats skiffs. They've finally introduced their new model, the Vengance, and it looks amazing. You can click on the photos above to see the boat in more detail. They haven't listed a price yet but I'll be talking to them this week and post any details they'll give me. My guess is that this skiff will cost at least several thousand less than a similarly rigged Maverick HPX run rings around it on the water. Stay tuned.

More News From The W Hotel

2009-08-23T18:30:00.000-07:00

I keep hearing from a lot of folks involved with reopening the Martineau Bay as the new W Hotel on Vieques. I was forwarded this article a few days ago:
www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/8/17/02844/6735/hotels/Try_Out_for_W_Vieques_s_Talent_Show_

I'm really happy to hear that 250 jobs will be created on Vieques with the opening of the new resort. At first I was concerned that the company would import many of it's new hires from its existing properties. That would be a quick way to get such a high dollar resort up and running quickly but would have earned it no popularity with the locals. This resort simply won't survive on Vieques unless it has the total support and good will of the folks that have been born and raised here. So far it seems that the management knows this.

At $675 per night, the W Hotel would be way over my budget if I were a tourist. Vieques has always been one of the Caribbean's most affordable islands but we can also have an upscale resort and not loose any of our charm. The new W Hotel is an example of genuine economic stimulus for an island that could really use it in 2009. I hope they pay attention to the needs of the locals and keep themselves part of the community. If the W Hotel becomes something "separate from the masses" they won't succeed.

West Indian Manatees

2009-08-14T07:28:00.000-07:00

My friend Ron Mayhew sent me these photos of a mother manatee and her newborn calf that were exploring his St. James City canal at the southern tip of Pine Island, FL yesterday afternoon. Although they're listed as an endangered species, the west indian manatee is a very common site in this area. It's not uncommon for us to come across dozens of them on a daily basis while we're out fishing the flats. They routinely swim right up the canals in search of a drink of fresh water from a dock hose. Manatees in Florida have no natural predators, and at the same time no fear of people. This is kind of ironic since boat collisions are a common occurrence, even though they're rarely fatal. The large white stripe down the mother's back in the top photo is the result of being run over at one time in her life. In fact, I've never seen an adult manatee in Florida that didn't have some scarring on its back. It's sad to see these wounds but the manatee's elephant-like hide and thick layer of fat protects them quite well. The pristine condition of the baby in these photos shows how extremely young it is.

The west indian manatee can be found throughout a good deal of the Caribbean but they're nowhere near as common as they are in South Florida. We come across a manatee or two about once a month when I'm fishing on Vieques, especially in the former Navy restricted zones. This is also the only place I've ever seen adult manatees without any boat scars whatsoever. Fifty years of keeping people out of these areas sometimes does wonders for the wildlife.

Vieques Hot Spots

2009-08-05T11:46:00.000-07:00

While I'm currently guiding here on Pine Island, FL for the rest of the year, I still get daily calls and e-mails from folks on or heading to Vieques. If you happen to be one of these people and can't book either Capt. Franco (787-450-3744) or Capt. J (787-502-3839) for a fishing charter, you're in luck. I've been working on a website for the past few months that details all of the best spots on Vieques where you can fish from shore. I've posted some of this information on this blog already but I've gone into much more detail on the new site, including driving directions and GPS numbers that you can plug into GoogleEarth. The site is a work in progress that I'll expand to include other locations but most of the Vieques info is complete. Check it out and feel free to send me any thoughts or ways to improve it: http://www.better-flats-fishing.com/

Big Sea Trout In Matlacha Pass

2009-08-03T06:04:00.000-07:00

Lately it's been hard to catch a sea trout that was under the 15 inch size limit. The two pictured here were caught yesterday on a topwater Bagley Mullet just south of the Matlacha drawbridge. The grassfields just east of the island have also been producing a number of keeper size trout and you can easily access these areas with a kayak. I love targeting trout since they're one of the most user-friendly gamefish in all of Florida. Working a topwater lure is easy for anyone and you get great visual strikes. A pair of sea trout like these will easily make a meal for four people and you can release everything else you catch.

The W Hotel, Vieques

2009-07-29T18:55:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of thoughts about this redesigned luxury hotel that will finally open in November. I really hope the W will be a success on Vieques but I've had my doubts for some time. I really hope they prove me wrong and bring high dollar tourism and the jobs that follow to the island. The people of Vieques are capable of providing this level of service and deserve the economic rewards at the same time. I'll post a complete article soon but here's a recent press release from the NY Times about the W's new restaurant and its celebrity chef:

http://www.intransit.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/29/ducasse-goes-tropical-at-w-vieques/

http://www.wildflycharters.com/

Choosing A Fly Rod, Part 1

2009-07-23T20:10:00.000-07:00

While I was unpacking after moving into our new house last month, I came across a handful of fly fishing gear that I hadn’t used in a long time. One piece of tackle was my 12-weight Sage RPLXi and Tibor Gulfstream reel. Even though this was the most expensive rod and reel that I own, it hasn’t seen the water in almost seven years.

I stopped using it for the tarpon in Key West when I realized that a 10-weight was much easier for my clients to cast and didn’t spook those heavily pressured fish as much. I took it with me when we moved to Puerto Rico but the tarpon on Vieques were all twenty-five pounders, also perfect 10 weight fish. So the big 12 weight stayed in its tube for the next five years. Now that we’re back in Southwest Florida, with a thirty minute boat ride to Boca Grande and the monsters that live there, my old 12-weight and big Tibor reel will see some action once again.

I feel silly for letting a $1200 piece of gear collect dust for several years, and that brings me the subject of this month’s article: Who really needs top of the line fly fishing tackle and how do you justify spending that kind of money?

Let’s start with the easy part. If you’re a beginner at this sport, there is no reason to spend any more than $200 on a fly rod and reel. Many manufacturers such as Cortland, Temple Fork, or Redington offer complete packages for around $150. This will give you a saltwater-ready rod, reel, and line with a lifetime warranty thrown in, too. The advances in graphite manufacturing and computerized machine-tooling have created a revolution in affordable fly fishing gear. Yes, it will be made in Asia, but these outfits are as good as anything the big name American companies were producing ten years ago at almost five times the price.

The high performance and fast action of a $700 rod will be lost on you if you’re a beginner, so don’t even look there. Orvis, Sage, and G.Loomis, the same folks who’ve invented and perfected the $700 fly rod, all offer beginner’s outfits for less than a third of that price. Don’t let a tackle shop or even a friend talk you into anything more expensive for your first fly rod.

So let’s move up the scale a bit. If you live here in Southwest Florida, have regular boat or kayak access to the shallows, and have learned to cast a fly past fifty feet, then it might be time to consider buying a higher performance rod and reel. This is where you want to look at an 8 or 9-weight from any of the big name companies. It might not be cheap but trust me on one thing; their lifetime warranties really are good for a lifetime. I break at least three or four of my Sage rods a year, (usually on ceiling fans,) and have never had to argue with the home office out in Washington State.

You still don’t need to look at the very top of the price list of fast action saltwater rods. A smooth casting 8-weight from a company like Temple Fork or St. Croix can be picked up at the Bass Pro shop for under $300 and even returned there if you happen to break it. A lot of serious anglers are using these four-piece models as back up rods when they travel since they can be carried on the plane. Considering the nightmare of modern baggage handling, this is a really smart idea.

Saltwater is a harsh environment so you will want to pay a little more attention to the reel you select. Once again there are dozens of great ones out there but you’ll want a reel manufactured from bar stock aluminum with a sealed drag. This will eliminate any corrosion worries and won’t need much maintenance other than a freshwater rinse at the end of the day. Look for that lifetime warranty here, too. Most manufacturers offer it.

So now let’s move back up to the high-dollar stuff and figure out who needs it. As a guide I have to have the best gear possible and clients should expect to see that on any charter boat. That doesn’t mean I buy all new rods and reels every season, far from it. Most of my fly tackle is several years old but as I mentioned earlier, it has a high attrition rate. The lifetime warranty eases the pain of snapping a rod that costs as much as a mortgage payment.

If you’re on the water a lot, have your casting perfected, and can afford it, by all means buy the best rod and reel possible. The latest generation of rods are astounding and definitely worth the money. There’s currently an arms race between the big three manufacturers to produce the lightest rods possible that can still throw a heavy saltwater fly line. The Orvis Helios at $785 is winning right now.

I use Sage rods exclusively and their Xi2’s are my favorites. (Yes, they do give me a guide’s discount.) The reels I prefer are made by Tibor and are totally bulletproof. I’ve have one of their Everglades models that I’ve never once taken apart or cleaned in thirteen years. I use it every time I fish and I know it can handle anything I do to it.

Ask five different guides what the best rod and reel is and you’ll get five different opinions. The good news is that there is a ton of choices out there for every angler and budget, and nearly all of it is quality tackle that didn’t exist a few decades ago. No matter what you spend these days, if you choose properly you’ll have a rod and reel that can last many years or even a lifetime.

Island Dogs

2009-07-20T18:14:00.000-07:00

Here's another photo of Maggie, our Puerto Rican Greyhound, and her boyfriend Gizmo, a Catahoula/Beagle mix. These are the two greatest dogs in the world and they're both mutts. There's nothing better than mixed breed dogs and I don't understand why everyone doesn't own one or two. Maggie was adopted by us as a puppy on Vieques and Gizmo is our neighbor's rescue dog who lives here on Matlacha, Florida.

This brings me once again to asking you folks to check out the Vieques Humane Society at http://www.viequeshs.org/. Summer is a really slow time of year on the island and the stray dogs down at the shelter will still need help despite the lack of tourism and the dollars you bring.

If you're smart enough to be visiting Vieques right now, please swing by the Shelter in Villa Santa Maria. You don't have to take a dog home, but how about dropping off a bag of food or a few bucks to buy them one?

We'll talk about fishing in a day or two. For now I just love trying to raise money for these island dogs. Please click on this address: http://www.viequeshs.org/.

Best Tarpon Fishing Of The Year In Charlotte Harbor, Florida

2009-07-17T12:54:00.001-07:00

These are some of the shots I took over the last two days while tarpon fishing with my dad just north of Pine Island. All I can say is that the tarpon bite has been incredible in the mornings. These are juvenile fish, all in the twenty to forty pound range, but you can't find a better fly rod target anywhere. I've been using my 9-weight Sage and have no problem whipping these tarpon in less than fifteen minutes thanks to the 86 degree water. As an added bonus, the springtime anglers have all cleared out and we have these fish all to ourselves. If you haven't checked it out before, Pine Island, Florida is a great and much more affordable alternative to the Keys. Give me a call or shoot me an e-mail and I'll be happy to give you an up to the minute fishing report.

Pine Island Update

2009-07-14T12:58:00.000-07:00

Summer in Pine Island is a quiet time of year, just like on Vieques. And also like Vieques our fishing doesn't slow down at all. The tarpon are all over the place and we hooked four this morning on fly in Charlotte Harbor. This is very dark water up here compared to the Caribbean and this makes casting to individual fish much more difficult. We simply look for rolling fish at the break of day and hope we don't drill them on the head with the fly.

The redfish and sea trout in the photo are are year round catch in Southwest Florida. They're also excellent eating. The trout are especially easy to catch by floating live shrimp over a shallow grass bed. The reds, which are more common in the fall, have been hanging deep in the mangroves and also hitting shrimp.

Our limits are one redfish and five sea trout per person per day. Bringing back a few fish for the grill is the one thing I do miss when I'm down on the flats of Vieques. Our most common species is the bonefish and they make lousy table fare and should never be killed anyway.

I'm still getting a lot of e-mails from folks heading down to Puerto Rico and the summer is a great time on the island for fishing. I'll be up here for the rest of the season but contact either Capt. Franco at (787)450-3744 or Capt. J at (787)502-3839 to book a flats or offshore trip.

New Website

2009-07-02T08:52:00.000-07:00

I’ve been getting a lot of comments recently about the redesign of my Wildfly Charters website, (http://www.wildflycharters.com/) It’s been a long overdue update and I want to mention the three guys who get the credit for the new look.

The home page photos are courtesy of Dennis Welsh (http://www.denniswelsh.com/,) a professional photographer based in Maine and a regular visitor to Vieques. His work has appeared in dozens of catalogs, from Abercrombie and Fitch to Nike, and numerous outdoor magazines. I first met Dennis two years ago while he was on the island shooting for Patagonia Outfitters. I wore their expensive clothes for a couple of days and let Dennis tag along for the ride. In return I got to use some of his best photos for my site. One of his Vieques shots was just published in this summer’s Patagonia catalog.

The graphics on the homepage are thanks to my brother Randy McKee. Randy is the type of artist who can sketch out a world class logo on a cocktail napkin in less than ten minutes. He’s currently an art teacher in Mansfield, PA but should be making a million dollars a year with a major ad agency. An example of his stuff can be seen here: http://www.cafepress.com/worsttaste/5355268

Finally, the whole www.wildflycharters.com site has been put together by my friend Capt. Don Hare down in Key West, Florida. Don is the owner of Data and Terminal (http://www.dterm.com/,) which provides website design and hosting for any type of business. Don’s been taking care of the site for the past five years and he’s always available to answer my questions or make any changes when I ask for them. He’s been especially valuable to me since I’m basically computer illiterate.

If any of these guys can help out a business or website of yours please feel free to e-mail me and I’ll put you in touch with them.

Beavertail Skiff's Free Test Ride

2009-06-25T05:44:00.000-07:00

Technical Poling Skiffs are the latest trend in the ever-expanding flats boat market. These are skiffs no more than eighteen-feet in length with hulls weighing under 700 pounds and drafting less than six inches of water. These impressive numbers require equally impressive materials more commonly found in stealth aircraft. Six hundred pounds of carbon fiber isn’t cheap, and one of these little skiffs can cost as much as a new BMW sports car. For my money, the best technical poling skiffs on the market are made by the Avon, Minnesota based company called Beavertail.

Beavertail’s main competitors are boats like the Maverick HPX or the Hell’s Bay Whipray. These skiffs all have hulls that weigh in around the 500 pound mark. The B-2 that I purchased two years ago came with a new Yamaha 50hp outboard and a Blue Rock aluminum trailer. This boat cost me exactly half the price of the other two competitor’s skiffs. That price included the delivery from Minnesota to San Juan, Puerto Rico. I did get this boat at a slight guide’s discount, which is common in the industry, but the competitors offered the same deal and their costs still came at twice the price of the Beavertail.

I’ve fished on those other skiffs extensively and I still own a very early model Maverick Mirage. These competing hulls are pure quality and should you choose to buy one, you’ll definitely get your money’s worth. But buying a Beavertail and saving nearly $16,000 was a no-brainer for me.

The only thing I sacrificed by upgrading to a B-2 was top speed. My 1993 Maverick Mirage with its 90 HP outboard runs at least 10 mph faster but burns twice the fuel. It competitors can also mount higher powered engines but for the areas that I fish, extra long runs aren’t necessary. Now that gas is heading back towards $3 per gallon, that’s a fair trade.

Beavertail does not have a dealer network, and having a factory located 2500 miles from the nearest bonefish isn’t too convenient for many hard core flats anglers. The way they demo their boats is through the owners of their skiffs. I recently shipped my B-2 skiff back to Florida from Vieques, so if you’re anywhere in the Ft. Myers area and want to take a test ride just call or shoot me an e-mail. Give me a day’s notice and I’ll have no problem setting aside an hour to show you my 2006 Beavertail and take a spin on the waters of Matlacha Pass.

My B-2 has been replaced by a newer model called the Vengeance, but a ride in my 2006 skiff will still give you an idea of the quality of their products. On a final note, Beavertail does not pay me anything to do this. If you do wind up buying one of their skiffs the company will give me a nice gift certificate to a couple different tackle companies for my effort but that’s it. I have no plans of ordering a new boat from them anytime in the near future. I’m not sponsored by Beavertail and they have no paid ads on this site. They’re just a great company making a great boat. You can spend a lot more money but you won’t be any happier than dealing with these guys.

McLaughlin Boys In Vieques

2009-06-21T17:09:00.000-07:00

New Jersey angler Roger McLaughlin and his family were one of my last charters of the season on Vieques. Here are a few of the great photos that they sent me from our trip back in April.

Both boys, Brendan and Owen, scored on strong pulling bar jacks and teamed up on a nice baby tarpon. Dad won the hard luck prize by loosing a couple of mid-size tarpon and breaking my same spinning reel two years in a row.

Fishing with kids is always a great experience, especially when they get to land something special like a tarpon. It's even better when they get a chance to show dad how it's done.

But seriously, Brendan and Owen's dad is actually a very good angler and breaking gear is not uncommon when we're tarpon fishing, especially when we're using light tackle.

The company who's reel Roger broke twice just sent me two brand new models and an admission that their earlier graphite had some flaws. I suspected as much but to hear it from the source was really remarkable and encouraging at the same time. I'll have a full report on this tackle company and their new reels in a few days.

Clouser Minnow 2.0: The Supreme Clouser

2009-06-15T13:10:00.000-07:00

The Clouser Minnow is by far the best all-around fly ever invented. Originally created for the smallmouth bass of my old homewaters on Pennsylvania's Susquehanna River, Bob Clouser's simple little streamer has landed more different species in both fresh and salt water than any other pattern.

The Clouser has traditionally been tied using bucktail which gives the fly just enough bouyancy to slow the sink rate of the dumbell eyes. This combination of materials is what gives the fly its highly effective, bouncing retrieve. The only problem with the bucktail Clouser is that it's not especially durable. It only takes a couple of whacks by hard mouthed species like tarpon or snook to mess up the natural hairs and make the fly unusable.

If you tie your own flies this isn't much of a problem. The Clouser is one of the easiest patterns and can be tied properly in about two minutes. You can spend an hour at the vice and have all you'll need for a trip to Vieques or anywhere else. Even if you're not a tyer, Clousers are usually one of the least expensive patterns at your local fly shop and you can find them online for as little as $2 a piece.

One thing I like to do is tie several Clousers using synthetic Supreme Hair instead of the natural bucktail. This material is inexpensive, easy to work with, and makes the fly very durable. Their action is nearly the same but they sink quicker, which makes them a great choice for blind casting over the reefs and deeper flats. I've had Supreme Clousers stand up to multiple barracuda hits in the Keys and all over the Caribbean. When I'm up in Southwest Florida I use this fly as soon as I find a big school of ladyfish or small sea trout. When the strikes are coming one after the other, a Supreme Clouser will keep you in the action much longer than a natural version.

Beginners

2009-06-14T19:18:00.001-07:00

When I was guiding in Key West our local fly shop used to send me a lot of customers who never touched a fly rod before but wanted to learn the sport. This wasn’t because I was the best instructor available. In fact, I’m a self-taught caster and have no fly fishing certifications whatsoever. I simply had a reputation with the shop’s owner for not yelling at my anglers, even when they’d lobotomize me with a heavily weighted crab pattern or drive a 2/0 Owner hook deep into my calf muscle. Plus I always needed the money so I‘d take anyone they sent my way.

Getting so many unskilled anglers was sometimes tough on the ego, especially during tarpon season. We’d often come back to the dock at the end of the day and see most of the other guides and their customers high-fiving or clinking long-necks together in celebration. They’d be telling and retelling their tarpon stories while I’d look at my anglers and say something like, “Well, you learned a lot today and you‘ll be much better next time.” Then I’d try to not pick at the scabs on my right temple or the back of my calf.

Actually, I really like having beginners on my boat. Most of them are more than willing to listen and they also haven’t taught themselves any bad habits that can be really difficult to break. Just setting the hook on a tarpon with a fly rod is an act of real violence that doesn’t exist anywhere in freshwater fishing. Gently lifting the rod after the fish eats is a serious hurdle for a lot of folks who’ve started out on a trout stream. It can take several missed shots until they stop doing it. In fact, comparing trout fishing to tarpon fishing is like comparing the Tour-de-France to the Daytona 500. They’re both wheeled racing but there’s a bit of difference in horsepower.

I did actually have two different anglers manage to land tarpon without ever casting a fly before. The first beginner simply had a fish that really wanted to be caught. It was a dead calm July morning and the tarpon were rolling everywhere. I had just put the rod in my angler’s hands, explained the basics, and watched him flail away spastically like a typical first-timer. It didn’t matter. The tarpon were swimming right up to us and his fly fell in the middle of the first big school, no more than ten feet from the bow. A seventy pounder inhaled it and made a hard turn, solidly driving the hook right into the corner of its own mouth. All the jumping in the world wasn’t going to dislodge it and I had the rod rigged with a heavy 30# leader. The ninety degree water wasn’t holding a lot of oxygen and the fish wore itself out quickly. It was a miracle tarpon that we wouldn’t duplicate again that day, and my angler’s casting never got any better. At the very least I was convinced he’d become a lifetime client but I didn’t hear from him again. Maybe he figured that fly fishing couldn’t get any better than that so why not quit on a high note.

The other beginner who landed a tarpon with me was a PGA golfer who’s name I didn’t recognize. I remember that he was ranked number sixty-two on the money list at the time. After an hour on the bow he was throwing a very decent fifty foot cast, which is all you need in most situations. I started poling him down the brightest flat in the area and he was getting good shots every fifteen minutes or so. He missed a few takes but two hours later he finally struck one hard enough, cleared his line, and landed the tarpon shortly after that. By the time our trip was over he jumped two more fish and was casting almost as well as I could. It was very impressive to watch but not all that surprising coming from a professional golfer. An ESPN producer once told me that he watched Tiger Woods learn to cast flawlessly in less than five minutes.

So why was I the world’s worst golfer the one time I tried it? Golf and fly fishing are actually very similar disciplines. A good swing or cast both require coordination, timing, and finesse. But the similarities don’t stop there. Golf and fly fishing both give you the opportunity to spend lots of money on some really overpriced gear and experience all the hassles of traveling with it to some very expensive locations. Both sports give you a decent chance of getting struck by lightning. Golfers and fly fishermen also get to spend hours watching their sports on TV while boring the hell out of their non-golfing/fishing spouses. But best of all, you can become completely obsessed with both and still be lousy at them. In this case they provide you with a great excuse to throw your expensive gear down in disgust and start drinking while outdoors.

That’s probably why I never gave golf another try. I’d be dead from liver failure by now.

A Vieques Houseguest

2009-06-03T10:55:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I posted a story about finding a tarantula in my Jeep while I was driving to the beach one morning. Dozens of people have told me that it was their favorite article I’ve written so far, and judging from all the e-mail I got there seems to be a big interest in the creepy-crawly things here on Vieques.

Well, since I don’t have a great Vieques fishing story right now, let's meet another charming resident, the giant brown centipede. The handsome fellow pictured here was a mere six inches long. They get twice that size and those black things near its head in the close-up photo are fangs. Oh yeah, the giant brown centipede, which can grow over a foot long, is also highly venomous. Hooray!

Most websites will tell you that the giant brown centipede’s bite is painful but not dangerous to humans. That’s a load of bull. I personally know two people on Vieques who were sent to the hospital with centipede bites. Our veterinarian even told me he once had to amputate a puppy’s leg after it was bit by one. That’s right, the giant brown centipede also kills puppies! If that’s not proof of how evil these things are just Google “centipede eats bat” and watch the video, but only if you don’t need much sleep tonight.

Unlike my tarantula encounter, there’s nothing really funny about finding a giant brown centipede on the floor of your bedroom. I woke up one morning and there it was, a few feet away from where I was peacefully sleeping. It made the tarantula seem about as threatening as finding a baby panda in my Jeep.

After killing the centipede with two cans of Raid and half a clip of .45 caliber hollow-points, I did what any reasonable homeowner would do and decided to burn my house to the ground. Unfortunately, I live in a typical Vieques home built out of cement block and poured concrete which doesn’t light easily. So I did the next best thing and moved out the following day. I’m writing this from the safety of Pine Island, Florida, where the sharks, cottonmouths, and alligators make me feel like I’m in a petting zoo.

In all serious, and before I cause everyone reading this to cancel their vacation plans to the island, this was the first and only giant centipede I’ve ever found inside my house, and my moving to Florida happens every year at this time. It had nothing to do with the centipede. Our friend Art from AA Exterminators has done a great job of keeping centipedes out over the past five years, but Vieques is in the tropics and these things are part of the landscape. Fortunately, the giant brown centipede is a nocturnal hunter and prefers dark and very moist places. Flip over a bunch of rocks or rotting logs in the jungle down here and you’ll definitely find a few. They rarely come inside occupied homes. If this were an everyday occurrence I wouldn’t be writing about it. In fact I wouldn’t even be living here.

It’s not that I’m squeamish about things that creep and crawl. I adore lizards and snakes and have had dozens as pets over the years. Handling slimy fish is what I get paid to do and just about any wild animal fascinates me. But I draw the line at the giant brown centipede. I mean, it’s not only the most horrifying thing on Earth, but it’s also a venomous, bat eating, puppy killer. Where did this thing possibly come from?

For years now the debate between believers in evolution and believers in creation has focused on the great apes. Did we or didn’t we evolve from them? I think that both sides are looking in the wrong direction and need to focus instead on the existence of the giant brown centipede. There’s plenty to debate here.

How did this thing possibly evolve? Nothing eats it and it doesn’t control the population of anything. It doesn’t even pollinate any plant. So what possible purpose does it serve other than to freak people out? There’s no scientific explanation for its existence that I can possibly think of. At the same time, I believe that God loves us and would never create such a thing as the giant brown centipede on purpose.

So I have a couple theories of my own. Either God stepped out for a few minutes to admire His handiwork and Satan snuck in and came up with it, or it evolved on another planet and a group of aliens dropped it off here since they couldn’t stand having them around either. Both theories make sense to me. If we had the technology we’d beam every giant brown centipede straight to Alpha Centauri tomorrow, and that bat eating video was clearly filmed in Hell. So that’s the giant brown centipede, a trick by the devil or a nasty gift from aliens. Take your pick.