Fishing Report: November 2008

Over the week of Thanksgiving, Mango Creek Lodge welcomed the arrival of a large group from Alberta, Canada. These guys were excited for some action and ready to hit the flats.

The weather, however, had other plans. Although the typical rains of this time of year were held at bay, low water temperatures kept the fish slightly lethargic. Undeterred, this great group of experienced fly fishers forged on. Over the course of the week, they brought in a number of bonefish, tarpon, blue runners, needlefish, grouper, and snook. The lone permit that was hooked up broke off, to everyone’s disappointment.

Toward the end of the week, the temperatures began creeping back to normal levels, and the water warmed. As the rest of the group departed for home, Bob Shaunessy, who stayed an additional 2 days, found the conditions on the flats much improved and took advantage of this positive change to significantly improve his tally for the week.

On a final note, Mango Creek extends special congratulations to Vincent Ircandia, who achieved his first saltwater catch on his second day of fishing by hooking up a tarpon. Congratulations, Vincent!

Fishing Report: August-September 2008

August and September were typically lazy summer months here on Roatan. As the temperatures warmed up, the breezes died down. August started with typical winds in the 13-15 mile-per-hour range, but by early September, they had diminished to less than 8 miles per hour most days. These conditions were great for casting and spotting fish! However, September also brought the challenge of high tides, which is the norm for this month on Roatan.

Chuck and Rod Hornor came to Mango Creek Lodge for a week but ended up staying two because of Hurricane Ike’s march through Houston. With their flights cancelled, the brothers decided to tough it out another week on the Roatan flats. And it was a good thing they did. Both brothers enjoyed consistent catches of bonefish their first week—-even with Rod taking two afternoons off to see the fish from the other side while scuba diving. They also took advantage of the flat seas to take a day trip to test Guanaja’s waters. They reliably reported several bonefish each day. They also saw good numbers of permit. In fact, both said they had their best chances ever that week, but neither could get one to take. The second week, the fishing cooled off some as the temperatures rose. However, Chuck finally hit gold and got his elusive permit.

Chuck was just here in March and is already planning another trip for the spring.

Fishing Report: July 2008

July marked the end of the busy season here on Roatan, and Mango Creek Lodge saw it out with a great group of anglers.

We finished the month with a full house and a camera crew! Cindy Garrison from ESPN and her team visited for a week as they filmed footage for a number of potential new projects. Cindy spent time with our managers discussing Mango Creek’s environmental and conservation initiatives before hitting the water to scout the flats. She met with success and caught a few bonefish—and her camera crew, of course, caught it all on film. Look for updates about Mango Creek and Cindy’s new projects coming soon.

Mike Krentzman and Cindy Garrison

While Cindy was busy filming, Gord and Cathy Joyce were enjoying their third trip to Mango Creek. This great couple has become like family to the lodge and even brought along photos from their past trips to share with our guides and staff. Gord and Cathy caught a number of fish on their days on the flats and also snuck in some spinning.

Also during this time, William and Will Joyce, a father a son, were doing their own exploring. While William fished, Will photographed the amazing sea life around the reef and got some terrific footage of his own. William did OK himself and caught several bonefish, a permit, and a couple of toothy needlefish.

William Talley and a bonefish

Next up were Bill and Sue Martin, who joined us the following week. Bill split his stay between time exploring with Sue and time on the water, where he really lit it up. He warmed up Day 1 with one good-sized bonefish and then followed that up on Day 2 by getting seven of them! On Day 3, Bill caught three bonefish on his morning trip and then met up with Sue for a picnic and snorkel on the secluded Pigeon Keys. Afterward, he was back on the flats with a pink crab pattern, which helped him bring in two permit! He was all smiles the rest of the week and said it was his best fishing day ever.

Bill Martin and one of his two permit

Fishing Report: February 2008

Well, what can we say? The fishing has been great, and our season is proving to be as good as last year, with a number of guests returning to the challenge of our flats.

It may be an anomaly, but it appears that our bonefish are slightly bigger than last year. See this photo of Mango Creek Lodge guide Perry with a nice bonefish caught by guest Chuck Hornor.


At the same time Chuck was visiting, Joe Pozzi and Wally Filkins from Chicago joined us for some spin fishing. Tie-Tie, their enthusiastic guide, put them on a number of species. These included two permit, one grouper (30 lbs), snook, snapper, bonefish, and even small sharks. Their stay also included a trip to Guanaja, where they managed to land 12 to 15 bonefish.

Weather at this time of year includes trade winds that at times make it more difficult for the fly fisherman. However it is unusual for the wind to persist for more than a few days. For the experienced fisherman, this is not an issue.

This is a picture of Chuck. He really doesn't like getting sunburned. He reported that bonefish were present in great numbers, that they were not "spooky," and that he caught more than 30 during his stay!

He's coming back ...