Guest Review

My son, Bryan, and I spent the first week of July at the Mango Creek Lodge for a fly fishing vacation. The folks at the lodge could not have been more pleasant or accommodating. The food was great! Most importantly to us was that the fishing was great also. We caught many bones during the week.

Bryan's favorite pattern was the Agent Orange and mine was a bitters. Lightly weighted or no weighted flies were the choice.

We each were able to catch a permit during the week. Bryan caught his on his first day of saltwater fly-fishing. Perry estimated Bryan's at about 10 lbs and mine at about 5 lbs. I can't say enough good things about our guide, Perry. He would meet us at 6 a.m., and we would wade fish until around 9:30 and then come back to the lodge for breakfast and to collect packed lunches and then off again to fish from the boat until the tides were right again for wading.

We would usually return to the lodge around 6:30 to 7:00 p.m., where drinks were served and then a delicious dinner. Our last day, we fished for 14 hours with Perry. I have never been to a lodge before where the guides would spend a 12+ hour day with you. At other lodges I have been to, the guides would always have you back at the lodge by 4:30. Since I caught my permit at about 5:30 in the evening on the flats, I would not have had that opportunity at any other lodge. We greatly appreciated Perry's skill and his dedication to our having a great time and catching a lot of fish.

Overall, we had a great fishing week and look forward to returning.

Paul Sheppard

Guest Review

Roatan Honduras may not be for you if............

If you don't like walking the flats at high tide (knee deep) and casting to pod after pod of 8 to 12 lb tailing permit, you might not like it here.

If you don't like walking the flats at low tide (ankle deep) and casting to pod after pod after pod after pod of tailing 7 to 10 lb bonefish, you might not want to go here.

Since the fish are in shallow water and are extremely wary, be prepared for a reel screaming, mind erasing, explosion of a run well into your backing if you hook either of the above.

If you don't like fishing from sun up to sun down with guides that are dedicated and enthusiastic, you might not like it here.

If you don't like poking around the mangrove swamps looking for snook and tarpon between tides, you might not like it here.

If you don't like cruising the deep flats between tides looking for 20+ lb permit or 100+ lb tarpon, you might not like it here.

If you feel you need to pay twice as much to fish, you might want to stick with the Yucatan.

If you would rather have your alcohol added to your trip expense rather than included in the price (no limit), you might not like it here.

If you would rather your guide demand a cast beyond your current skills, you might want to consider other options. The guide we worked with, Perry, evaluated our skills and worked to find us the best fish we were able to reach, rather than finding a fish and waiting for us to figure out how to get to it. There was no huffing or eye rolling when we fumbled.

If you can't sleep in a custom made cabaña decorated with hand-carved mahogany furniture and accents, complete with a constant sea breeze, you might not like it here.

However, if any of the above feels right for you, I strongly suggest you contact Mango Creek and book some time on the flats. They truly care that your experience is exceptional.

Cheri and I enjoyed ourselves immensely. We collapsed each evening after the full day's fishing and a couple of cocktails. It was hard work of the
best kind.

Jerry Poole

P.S I attached a copy of the fish again, I just don't get tired of looking at the picture. For all of you with scale problems, the fish was in excess of 23 lbs.

P.P.S. I get to brag about this one for the rest of my life.

P.P.P.S. Eight years, and the last couple were more than two trips a year.

P.P.P.P.S. Thanks for letting me share.

Fishing Report

The fishing has been consistent on the flats during March, April and May, with everyone catching bonefish (2 – 5 lbs) and even a few permit and baby tarpon.

Two anglers, Darrell and his father Donnie, managed to catch a pair of permit ... one after the other (5lbs and 6lbs, both on Turneffe crabs). Their photo shows them side-by-side, each with a permit in hand, and grins from ear to ear! They tell a great story of how guide, Perry, worked this trick.

Buzz was here last week, and apart from bonefish he had a "mini grand slam." The permit was a tiny baby the same size as his hand, and the tarpon was about 5 lbs. Brooke, also here last week, had a nice permit, about 10 lbs. The really big permit (20-30lbs) are still visiting the flats, but lately no one has landed one on a fly. They have been breaking off and getting away after a good fight. However, June, a tiny lady from Manhattan caught a permit of 23 lbs on a spinning rod. The fish looked almost as big as her! Jacks, snappers and barracudas have been caught regularly too.


The weather has been consistent, though temperatures are rising (77 F-89 F), and we are getting some fairly strong breezes (from NE, 10-15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph).
There are still plenty of bonefish and permit visiting the flats when it’s windy, and a bonus is that they are less spooky than they are in flat calm water. It’s worth practicing casting in the wind.

Tight lines,
Mango Creek Lodge