Fishing Report: March 1-15, 2007

Still in the early part of the busy season, the fishing at Mango Creek has been steady but somewhat daunted by windy conditions and some rainy days.

Taking advantage of some sun at the beginning of the month, a foursome of spin fisherman from New Jersey caught a large assortment of species in the 5 days they had on the water.

In fact, guests Peter Tabia and John Sbarbaro landed (and photographed) nine types of fish in 2 days on spinning gear: barracuda, snook, sun shark, grouper, box fish, yellowtail, red snapper, bonefish, box fish, and a trunk fish. Near the end of the trip, each landed at least one permit, one of which was caught in front of the lodge near the end of the day.

During the same week, the two other gentlemen from Jersey spent their days hooking some spectacular needlefish and barracuda. Guest Gene Wowk also landed a nice-sized permit with his spinning gear while wading the flats east of the lodge. Congratulations to all four guys on a successful trip.

The following week, the action returned to "the fly." Guests Peter Litwin and John Potter spent a few days on the flats near the lodge catching several bonefish with their guide, Perry. On the morning of March 15, they landed permits within an hour of one another. Finally, as an added bonus, Peter caught a large snook on his last day of fishing to finish off a great week.

The boys also chose to head over to Guanaja, an island that lies about 20 miles to the east of Roatan and is rumored to have a plethora of flats that see very little pressure.

Despite the rough crossing, both fisherman caught bonefish, but not in the mythical amounts they were hoping for. Trips to Guanaja cost extra (because of the distance traveled and the necessity of using two boats to go) and are extremely dependent on the weather. And though the fishing there has not yet lived up to its reputation, Mango Creek Lodge guides are anxious to explore and better learn this new collection of flats.

Fishing Report: February 2007

Windy conditions in the last few days have made things more challenging for some of our fisherman out on the flats as the fish have been hard to spot and access to some areas has been limited. Despite these blustery conditions, there has still been much success. In fact, in the last couple of weeks, guest Perry Herst Jr. and his guide, Perry, were able to catch a pair of good-sized tarpon in the wind shelter of the mangrove canals, and earlier in the month, guest Phil Clough landed a great-looking tarpon in a steady rain.

Fly selection has been the real key recently. A more discerning population of bonefish has required fly patterns that differ from the standard fare. According to the guides, the smaller-sized olive or dark brown bonefish bitters (with weed guard) have been producing good results in the shallow flats around the lodge. And, after experimenting with a number of patterns, Herlé Hamon was able to land a nice-sized Permit on a Merkin crab imitation with his guide, Tie-Tie.

For many of the fisherman, their stay at Mango Creek gave them shots at other species of fish as well. Both Perry Herst Jr. and Jeff Wiese brought in 3-foot-plus barracudas that not only gave the fisherman a good fight but also provided dinner for the families of the guides as well.

Finally, cheers to Swiss guest Neil Harrison, who took advantage of our Hobie kayak and set off to do some fishing on his own. Neil loved the sleekness and stealth of the kayaks, and the pedal system allowed him to keep his hands free to troll and cast while still driving the kayak. Plus, he said paddling around all day was "a blast" in and of itself. Hopefully, the arrival of five more kayaks within the next week or two should allow more anglers the chance to venture off on their own and enjoy not only the fishing but also the scenery of the island.

With the spring months just around the corner, the wind should begin to settle, and we’re looking forward to calm, sunny days full of action on the water.

Fishing Report: December 2006

December for Mango Creek proved another excellent month for our anglers.

Conditions for the the first two weeks were pleasant, with calm seas and sunny skies. This, combined with favorable tides first thing in the morning made it easier for spotting bonefish and permits on the flats.

We were joined by high school teacher Jeff Tonac for a day fishing at our lodge. Although lots of fish were spotted, unfortunately none took the fly, and he struck out.

Our next guests were Stella and Ben Khan, all the way from London, England, who dropped by to take a look at the place. They were soon out fishing, and Ben was thrilled to land his first permit!


Stella jumped into our new Hobie sea kayak (which is powered by peddling instead of conventional paddles) and had a blast exploring, while her husband battled on the fishing flats. At the end of the day, they both had smiles on their faces.

Our next visitors were Eric Lider and his son Lars. They were with us on a windy and overcast day. They saw lots of bonefish, but the casting was difficult for them because of the wind. A large tarpon was landed, however. The next day, another father-and-son team landed their first permit in sunny, calm, perfect conditions. The son, 15, had never been saltwater fly fishing before, and so they were both very happy with their day.

On Dec. 27, a cold front arrived at Mango Creek, bringing with it more difficult fishing conditions. Day fishermen Kent LeMonte and his son Travis decided to give it a try anyway. Bones were spotted, but none landed. Undeterred, Kent returned for 2 days with his family (6 all together). He liked the place so much he wanted his family to see the lodge. He figured that there was so much to do here it would be a good spot to bring the troop while he fished. We are looking forward to seeing the LeMontes back here soon!

That cold front that hit us toward the last week in December had a negative effect on our fishing only for about 2 days.

Tony Hughey and his wife, Lauren Kerr, from Washington DC, arrived on Dec. 23 for a 1-week visit. Tony arrived with enthusiasm. We are sure he didn't even get his bags unpacked before he was off to the flats with his guide, Kessel.


An hour later he returned, excitedly reporting "There were so many bones on the flats you could practically walk on them." The next day, he caught one bone before breakfast and another two that afternoon.

Tony was excellent at casting and continued to catch fish every day he went fishing. He did, however, take time off to spend with his lovely wife, Lauren. That included snorkeling with our guide Randy and kayaking.

All in all, we considered the month of December a success. We also added a 32-foot Albermale Sport fishing boat to our fleet. This could add a whole new dimension to our fishing fun here at Mango Creek! Stay tuned!