FFF Fly Casting Clinic :: Nov. 12 – 19, 2010
4th ANNUAL TOM WHITE MEMORIAL :: FALL 2010 CASTING CLINIC
Join Joe Libeu and Dusty Sprague in November for outstanding fishing at Ascension Bay Bonefish Club (ABBC) in Mexico. ABBC maintains a long history of providing the traveling fly fisher with outstanding flats fishing inside the pristine Sian Kaan Biosphere. In addition to fishing for Permit, Bonefish, Tarpon and Snook, Joe and Dusty will provide presentations and one-on-one instruction to strengthen your casting and fishing skills. They will provide preparation workshops and can provide testing for Certified Instructor and Master Instructor for those interested in the Federation of Fly Fisher’s (FFF) Casting Instructor Certification Program. If you like, Joe or Dusty can fish with you and offer suggestions for curing casting problems and improving your presentations. Joe and Dusty have extensive experience in teaching fly casting and fishing for salt and freshwater species. Joe is also a FFF Master Certified Casting Instructor and member of the Casting Board of Governors.
The week includes seven nights lodging, all meals, six days of guided fishing with transfers to and from Cancun.
For more information about ABBC and the week see ascensionbay.comThe cost of the week is $3300.
Note: For those interested in being tested for FFF Certified Instructor or Master Instructor, advance arrangements are necessary. Contact us before the trip; we will arrange a morning during the week to provide the examination.
We are taking reservations now — Sign up now for the Fall clinic!
“… spot on”
Guy
Logistics:- spot on for John for sleeping, dining, getting to the boat. A big thank you for helping us get there.
Food:- I’ve eaten at some of the world’s best restaurants and this eatery holds its own..
Margaritas:- to die for, and plenty of them!!!
Company:- Rudy already said it was a mix, but it just shows that Michegonians, Texans and Brits can not
only co-exist, but actually enjoy the piscatorial melting pot. Conversation ,when not interrupted by Ipad
voyages into the financial and policical spectra, was varied and good fun.
Lodge Management:- attitude was first rate from Dave through to the guides and all involved in the running of ABBC. Nothing was too much trouble.
Fishing:- the reason we came. John and I had multiple shots at permit and I was the lucky one. Two in a day, one wading and the other off the boat. Separate report attached.
Now an official member of the Royal Ascension Bay Permit Society.
All in all a first rate holiday!
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Next time:- I would allocate 1 day to Tarpon and 1 day to fish the reef if conditions allow.
Can’t wait for the next visit.
Geoff
A TALE OF TWO FISHES
Tuesday May 11, 2010
John and I set off with Alejandro on day 3 of our quest. A quiet morning started with Alejandro making me jump out of the Panga and wade after a large single permit. The sandy bottom was not helpful as I was sinking 4” every step; after 50 yards I was struggling and the permit was moving effortlessly away. Back into the boat we (or the guides) were seeing many a permit and John had a few good shots before the lunch break.
After the break we continued and suddenly Alejandro had me jump out of the boat again. He had spotted a permit on the back of a ray and we got close enough for me to see it and then get a couple of casts. The fish I saw went left and I thought I had messed up but the line tightened and the other fish, the permit, went right with the fly safely in his mouth.He made one long run and then a shorter one, but he came quickly to us and we unhooked him in the water and sent him back to grow; he was 4-5 lbs. My first permit while wading.
John took over and fished hard for 2 hours having shot after shot at permit. Alejandro polled himself into a frenzy as he attempted to put the boat in the best position for John to cast at the fish; the blisters on his hands were testament to his efforts. There was one moment when a permit was about to swallow John’s fly – John could not really see from his seat in the boat – when he received two simultaneous instructions for the guides. One said “stop” and the other said “cast again” John chose the wrong option and pulled the fly away.
I took over at 3p.m. and still we continued to find a remarkable number of permit. I had a couple of near things with much sucking in of cheeks and then at 1o’clock we spotted a nice fish. The cast was OK. ” Slow strip” came the instruction “wait, strip, strip, stop, strip stop” and there I could see the permit face to face, his mouth open under the water. I didn’t strike I simply stripped once more, the permit closed his mouth on the Raghead and turned away, the fly lodged in his lip. He didn’t mess about; the line hissed through the water as he took a couple of hundred yards off the reel; Alejandro tightened up the brake but Mr. Permit pulled further away. It’s easy to see why you need 250yards or more backing for these extremely powerful fish. The ensuing underwater tug-of-war went on for 30 minutes or more, me gaining line back and the permit taking it off again.
Finally I started gaining line, getting all the backing back on the reel and was able to see him in the water. The sight of the boat spooked him and the process was repeated with the fish first one side of the boat and then shooting off around to the other side. I brought him alongside the boat and Alejandro leaned over to tail him, but Senor Permit was having none of it. With his tail thrashing furiously he escaped the grasping fingers and fled back to the open water. This happened another two times before Alejandro was able to get both hands on the fish and lift him proudly on to the boat. We sat side by side and held the fish in front of us and you can see from the pictures how long the permit was- almost 36” –
A two permit day. Serious satisfaction. Dreams are made of this.
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PHOTOS
