Hosted Trip Reports
Hosted Trip Reports
Holbox Fly Fishing Lodge, Isla Holbox, Mexico
June 12, 2019
Having heard and read about the tarpon fishery of Isla Holbox, Mexico we decided to go and check it out. As we approached the front patio of the Holbox Fly Fishing Lodge we were not disappointed by the sight. Looking past the sand beach, deep blue water seemed to just scream tarpon. We both stood there for a few moments just taking it in. Luciano, the lodge manager, stood back and only smiled as he knew how we were feeling. That special moment when you first glimpse a new piece of water. After a welcome tropical drink, we were shown around the nicely appointed lodge area, given an informative briefing of the weeks fishing program and taken to our room. We unpacked our gear and rigged rods before heading back down the stairs to experience the first of many authentic Mexican pre-dinner appetizers.

Early next morning, after a sit-down breakfast, we headed for the beach where we met our guide Jossi and got situated aboard his panga. We shoved off and ran out into the vast ocean in search of rolling tarpon. We saw a lot of diving pelicans and massive schools of sardines but no giant tarpon. Following a quick lunch of sandwiches, cookies and lots of water/pop we headed back into the mangrove lagoons looking for baby tarpon and snook. There opportunities did present themselves, as we jumped numerous tarpon, even landing a few, and also caught snook, ladyfish and saltwater catfish (a species Cheryl and I had never had the opportunity to fish for).

After a full day of hunting the open ocean and working the amazing in-island mangrove structure for fish, we called it a day and headed back into the lodge for a drink, appetizers, a chat session with the other guests and finally a shower. Later we headed into town for a hearty Mexican seafood dinner and nice bottle of wine; eventually we returned to the lodge for a good night's rest.
Each day, weather permitting, we would follow this same routine. If the wind really starts to blow you simply cannot venture out into the ocean to check for the giant tarpon. However, even if the wind really blew and clouds blocked out the sun our guide would always find us a secluded location that held fish. While we were generally focused on the fishing, we did steal moments to look at the wildlife. Some of the animals seen during our trip included dolphins, turtles, crocodiles, iguanas, parrots, herons and hundreds of flamingoes. One of the stranger creatures we saw was the prehistoric looking horseshoe crab! 

While we did not land any ocean tarpon during our stay, we did see and cast to numerous schools and our lodge friends (the father and son team of Mike’s from Kentucky, USA) did a stand-up job of landing two large tarpon. Well done indeed!
Sadly, our trip to Holbox Fly Fishing Lodge on Isla Holbox, Mexico came to an end much too soon. We had barely scratched the surface with regards to the fishery and left many traditional Mexican food items untried. Our departure gift was a scenic ferry and van ride back to Cancun where we rested up before returning home. Obviously, we are looking forward to returning to visit Luciano and Jossi, soon hopefully! In the meantime On The Water Fly Fishing Travel will continue to provide a variety of destination fly fishing trips that we'd love to share with you.
Mango Creek Lodge, Roatan, Honduras
May 18, 2018
Most of you are aware that Cheryl and I just got back from our hosted fly fishing trip to Mango Creek Lodge on the island of Roatan, Honduras. We had the pleasure of fly fishing the numerous flats adjacent to the reef, one of the finest bonefish and permit fisheries I’ve had the opportunity to wet a line in. The bonefish here proved to be quite picky, calling for not only accurate presentations from us, but our flies had to be the correct pattern to fool the tailing bonefish we located. Out of the thousands of flies that we had on hand, two patterns accounted for 80% of all bonefish landed. A snag-guard equipped Spawning Shrimp fly in size 2 and an olive Primordial Stew in size 8 were gobbled up by these nervous bonefish during our stay at Mango Creek Lodge. Never again will I only have a few of these patterns on hand. I was down to my last Spawning Shrimp by the end of the trip as the fish and the guides kept taking them. I can also tell you that the baby tarpon fishing in the mangroves was very exciting and the permit fishing was, well permit fishing! Lots of shots at fish but just as many refusals.

The food, accommodations and staff at Mango Creek Lodge definitely exceeded our expectations and we are looking forward to a return trip. After all, we have some unfinished business with a certain school of permit.
Campeche, Mexico
May 13, 2017
As some of you may already know, Cheryl and I really enjoy fishing for baby tarpon and have been fortunate enough to fish for them numerous times in the past, always having a great time. Our most recent hosted trip to Campeche, Mexico fishing with Campeche Tarpon did not disappoint. The weather for the most part was cooperative, sunny and hot, and despite the wind, the fishing was, overall, quite good.

What continues to impress us about Campeche, Mexico, and plays a significant part in the success of these trips, is the vast expanse of different water that Campeche Tarpons guides have access to in order to mitigate tough weather or slow fishing conditions.

For example, during the middle few days of our recent trip, the shifting wind prevented us from being able to effectively fish for tarpon in the more open 'hot spot' locations, and seemed to leave the fish in a sulky mood. This forced the guides to focus on alternative locations such as the mangrove rivers, lagoons, and the cormorant rookery area for relative cover from the wind and more receptive fish. The tarpon were not being what I would call particularly active feeders; a result of the unstable conditions brought about by the shifting wind. However, in spite of the difficult conditions, every angler was able to land at least one special fish during the trip.

In addition to numerous 'firsts' catching tarpon, some of the anglers also landed their first snook on the fly.
Besides the fishery, the other aspects which we believe sets Campeche apart from other destinations are the food, the accommodations, the local history and the people. The food is simply the best authentic Mexican cuisine we have ever eaten, the historic Spanish officer's quarters turned boutique hotel is very special indeed and the excursion to the ancient Mayan city of Edzna never fails to impress. Lastly, the guides, shuttle driver, hotel staff, restaurant waitstaff and especially Alejandro (the man behind Campeche Tarpon) are 100% committed to making sure everyone had a fantastic trip.
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