Beating the Winter Blues Dirtbag Style (Sort of) - From Steve

January 22, 2008 at 3:31 pm

After surviving the dimly lit streets of Cancun, that was vaguely reminiscent of the armored convoy scene from the movie “Blackhawk Down”, Nathalie and I were finally on the road to Campeche Mexico in our rented Volkswagen Lupo, loaded to the gills with clothes, maps, GPS, fly fishing gear, bluegrass CDs, smuggled in Yukon Jack liqueur and dashboard burritos. As part of our honeymoon to the Yucatan region of Mexico, we were headed down route 81 to Tarpon Town for a saltwater fly fishing adventure. Instead of opting for a no holds barred destination lodge package, we opted for the more adventurous do it yourself trip. Ok, we did not want drown in debt for a chance to do this. Besides, I can get my own cocktails thank you.

Our destination was Campeche or Tarpon Town to the local fly fishers, on the east coast of the Yucatan peninsula. This sleepy Caribbean city sits at the gates to one of the most fertile and productive in-shore saltwater fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico.  Campeche, an historical city, once a colonial fort where pirates and swashbucklers roamed the streets, was our base for the seven day trip. Off the beaten path of the tourista circuit, Campeche still retains its old world charm and has very little of the resort “get trunk and stupid” scene. During the warm evenings, commercial fisherman still mended their nets on the beach, while young suitors serenaded their lovers on the edge of the sea wall. The local restaurants offering traditional foods with an ethnic flair that always satiated our bellies at the end of a long fishing day.

Contrary to my plan of sleeping with a blanket and a tarp on the beach and eating out of the trunk of our car, we opted for a modest hotel next to the beach. I learned quickly that a happy wife equals a happy life – you know. We staged out of a modest hotel where each morning our guide service Tarpon Town Adventures picked us up for the days fishing. Based from the government wharf, Tarpon Town Adventures, a 100% Mexican owned fly fishing company, uses 24 ft pangas (big open fiberglass skiffs) with 75hp outboards and carpeted casting decks that can run up to 40 miles per day in search of baby tarpon. Raul, the eclectic owner and head guide, has such a passion for fishing the mangroves and turtle grass flats, you can’t help but be excited. Tarpon Town is the only fully insured and licensed outfitter in the area. When we met Raul the first evening, all of our fears were put to rest.

Nathalie and I have been fly fishing in fresh water for a combined total of 15 years.  Casting in the salt with a fly was totally new to us. The distances required to cast are 20 to 45 meters, and must be precise enough to land the fly one meter ahead and one meter past a moving fish. All I can say is it was a steep learning curve. Although I had sight fished for pike and lakers many times before, the presentation did not have to be perfect. The saltwater game fish will turn tail and dart if the line and fly land hard or was not stripped properly. We had to become hunters, roaming the inshore areas stalking our prey. Polarized sunglasses a must in this situation, we used our eyes to fish and our tackle to catch. Because pods of baby tarpon have a propensity to roam fair distances following the bait, it was a game of stick and move. If there were no fish tailing or porpoising, it was futile to blind cast in hopes of eliciting a strike.

Our target was baby tarpon. Whoever dubbed these silver missiles “babies” perhaps needed a thesaurus.  Averaging 5 to 25 kg, baby tarpon are prolific in this area. The turtle grass flats and mangrove lagoons serve as a safe haven where these junior fighters can grow strong feasting on crab, shrimp and a myriad of saltwater baitfish. Often traveling in schools, baby tarpon roam in and out of the lagoons according to the flood and ebb of the tides. This behavior offered up a great many different fishing experiences. In the mangroves one had to become adept at casting over and through the thick vegetation. Side casts, reach casts and even roll or switch casts needed to be employed to cast the fly into the zone. On the flats, it was all about distance and accuracy. The double haul was a must have in our casting arsenal. Often, when cruising fish were spotted, you only had seconds to aerialize and place the fly, or you missed the fish.
Once in the water, the fly needed to be jerk-strip retrieved. One needed to impart a wounded prey movement on the fly and allow the flash to twinkle in the light, or just watch the tarpon turn tail and cruise away. Many presentations were refused, but as Nathalie and I put the elements of the equation together, we began to get hook ups.

Ok, now for the fun part! Once we hooked onto these frankenfish, it was a whole new ballgame. Being freshwater fly fishers, me and Nathalie’s first instinct was to lift the rod tip while setting the hook. Wrongo! This strategy would result in an unbuttoned fish every time. We had to learn to point the tip at the target and strip set the hook with two or three heavy pulls. This technique ensured the hook was firmly in the fishes lip and not just skin tagged in the mouth. The Tarpon was then fought side hand with the rod parallel to the water. When the fish went left you moved the rod right and so on. If the tarpon jumped, all line needed to be slack –even moving the rod toward it. Totally opposite the freshwater methodology of just holding on tight and giving line as necessary. A great many fish were lost due to one or more of these techniques not being used properly. Raul and his guides offered endless advice and we were willing to listen.

Our tackle was rather simple by fly fishing standards. Eight and nine weight rods with floating or clear intermediate saltwater lines were the weapons of choice. Our Okuma Integrity and Helios reels served us well and never wavered in the harsh salt environment. Preferring to fight short, these fish did not run large distances, so the 100 meters of backing was more to fill the spool. Our leaders were 20 down to 15 kilogram 4 meter hand tied leaders. 1/0 and 2 General saltwater baitfish patterns such as deceivers, clouser minnows, peanut butter’s and prawn imitations in white, red, yellow, chartreuse, pink , black and purple with varying amounts of flash were all that were needed. These tarpon are not fly shy and will take anything that is properly presented. Leader nippers, a good pair of pliers, polarized glasses and sun protection in the form of hat, long-sleeved shirt and sunscreen round out the armamentarium. Of course a copy of Jeff Curriers book: Quick and Easy Guide to Saltwater Fly Fishing, to use to prep for a trip and use as a good field reference (there you go, I said it Jeff). After many years of layering up for fishing in the Yukon, it was a treat to fish on a boat with bare feet and summer clothes.

While tarpon are the main event, there are plenty of snook, jacks and barracuda to tussle with as well. As with pike, a wire leader is a must for ‘cuda, in order to avoid breaking off these toothy torpedoes. With such a potpourri of game fish, it kept the fishing fresh. Because of the rich biomass in the area, all manner of fish can be seen here. The fishing, it seemed, was just a perk with a myriad of birds, crocodiles and sea mammals to see and experience. Fish can be caught every month of the year except January, when the spawning season occurs. Although November was not the best time of year according to Raul, with February through June the peak of the action, we found the experience to be very memorable. Yes there was wind, waives and the occasional rainstorm. Any day fishing is better than working.
We quickly fell into a familiar routine: Up at 4:30am, a continental breakfast, on the flats for first light, off at last light and dinner at a quaint restaurante. We would round out the day tying the next generation of flies and sipping Yukon Jack. Rough life I know. By the conclusion of seventh day we had hooked many fish and even landed a few. The experience seared a love of saltwater fishing into our hearts. Fishing the salt in the off season will definitely be on our agenda for vacations to come.

Dennis here…Steve is a Yukoner who just launched a new Whitehorse-based guiding business called Headwaters 2 Ocean Troutfitter.  Steve states: “I hope to bring the both the joy of fly fishing, as well as, safety training services out of my basement and into the public eye in Whitehorse”. You can reach him at or his new website www.h2otroutfitter.com.

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