Fishing Report

Weather conditions were variable during the months of June and July. The first half of June was calmer with easterly breezes between 5 and 10 mph. Later in the month until now, the wind has increased in strength but has been steady. This whole period, we’ve had regular passing thunder showers occurring at night, which has been great for keeping the water cool. As a result, the fish are staying on the flats for longer at low tide and are more active. The large schools of bonefish and permit are still seen every day.

Early in June, angler Trent Shepherd and his wife had some good bonefish catches and were amazed at the wonderful sight of large numbers of tailing permit on the flats. He wrote:

Sunday, June 11, 2006 11:17 am
Subject: Thanks for a great trip!

We’re back home and still glowing from such a great trip to Honduras. Thanks ... for the best fishing trip we have been on to date. Both my wife and I landed our first bonefish (and several more after that), had a chance at some permit, and even some tarpon. Can't wait to go back to Roatan and the Mango Creek Lodge - the hosts were so friendly, the service great, and the fish aplenty.

Cheers, Trent

Angler, Al Winzerling landed good size bonefish each day, as well as 2 permit in one day. He said:

... Thanks again to you and your staff for a great trip. ... Fish, fish, and more. There are so many Bonefish and Permit on the flats, there is hardly a break during a day of fishing. Most of these fish were spotted by Perry, my guide. Long before we spotted the tailing Bones or Permit's dorsal fins, Perry picked out the "nervous water" way out there. Not to mention the rolling Tarpon in the Mangroves.

Variations of shrimp or crab were the fly to use.

Flats fishing for these amazing fish will tax the stalking, presentation, and landing skills of the best fly fisherman.

Al Winzerling
Durango, Colorado
(Trip dates June 3-11, 2006)

Paul and Bryan Shepard had good catches every day. They caught at least 6-8 bonefish on the flats daily, plus another 3–6 in deeper water, between tides. All were between 4 and 6 lbs. They each landed a permit (10 lbs and 5 lbs). Of course, there were jacks and snappers caught along the way, too.

Mike Holeman, too, was very happy with his bonefish catches, saying they were the biggest he has caught to date. He also commented on the large numbers of fish on the flats. He praised the guide on correcting his mistakes with helpful advice and instruction, leading him to bring in all the fish he hooked.

The weather is warming up, but we’re staying cooler than all the places suffering heat waves to the north! Come to Roatan and cool down!

Tight lines!
Mango Creek Lodge

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.