"AND, I WILL GO AGAIN"

In the year 2000 I made the above statement after my first bonefishing experience in Cozumel. And now, 4 years later, I kept my word. Hugh Smith and Scud Yates made it possible for me to "go again". Not only did I get to bonefish, but I had my first taste of fly fishing for permit, snook and the monster tarpon.

Everyone had prepped me for the ride from Cancun to the Pesca Maya fishing camp on Ascension Bay, Mexico. As a Kentucky country boy, back in the 30's with my Dad, we traveled serious back roads regularly in his salesman job. But the last 2 ½ hrs of the 5-hour trip to Pesca Maya topped them easily. All we did was move from one pothole or washout to the next and couldn't tell when we were out of one and into the next one!

The camp is rustic. No frills, but a comfortable fish camp for serious fishermen. Food was good with hearty breakfasts and varied evening menus. The Chef was particularly good with his sauces and seasoning.

Six of us made it for the first four days. Hugh came after being delayed at the last minute on business. My other camp mates were Ted Campbell, D.C., Jeff Weppler, D.C., Fred Erickson, Austin, TX, Ron Caspers CA(and soon Alabama) and Scud Yates, Ft Walton Beach. All were retired USAF but still working. We would fish two men to a panga boat and swapped partners regularly.

Scud and I went for Tarpon one day. A 10wt outfit with a sinking line was the tackle. We blind cast for over 4 hours without raising a fish. We saw two with one about 50 lbs. Scud did most of the work but I threw the 10wt sinking line for a short while without any problem.

Ron Caspers and I went for snook one day. It was cloudy but we could spot the snook in the edges of the mangroves. We saw about 25. I had a shot at three and had two follow but no joy on my white deceiver. Ron hooked a 3 footer not far from the boat. It was like an exploding stick of dynamite when he hit. He made a short 20 foot run, leaped a foot out of the water, flipped and broke Ron's 10wt at the butt section ferrule. I now know about snook fishing ( not catching!).

Several times during the week I heard the word "Permit". "Tom, see them. See those black dorsals! 10 o'clock, 60 feet! Now 90 ft." All the while I was trying to put down my bone rod and get the permit rod, strip line and quick cast 90 ft. I can't cast 90 feet with a 20 mph tailwind!. Finally one day when guide Manuel and I were wading near some small mud bones, one appeared. I finally saw the flash, but no black fin. I didn't have anything in my wading fly box but bone flies so I just tossed the Al Clark shrimp at him. I had several shots and one brief follow. Each time I cast to the permit, the small bones would get it first! Many small bones landed but no Permit. Hugh caught the only one a couple of days after we left.

My bonefishing was spotty. My speed casting and spot casting were rusty. One day I had to use my slow Talon rod (broke my faster St Croix in a screen door) and it just wasn't fast enough for speed casting. I was pretty bad for the first couple of days. Then I had to overcome breaking off bones with my "redfish strip set" on an 8# tippet. I don't know how many nice bones are in the water sporting my fly in their jaw. The last couple of days were some better.

Fishing conditions, overall, were pretty good. We had a couple of cloudy days making sight fishing tough. We had some "testy" wading situations. One afternoon, Manuel and I waded in a soft mucky lagoon for about 300 plus yards to find a small school of larger tailing bones. I made one shot and landed a nice 18-20in. bone. The fish scattered and we couldn't find them. Then another 300 plus yards in ankle deep muck to get out. All that for just one nice fish. We did get a close look at Roseate Spoonbills. On another day when the clouds broke, we went into another soft mucky flat. I sunk twice up to my knees in muck and Pancho had to help me out. Tailing bones everywhere but because of the wading conditions it was hard to get close enough to put a fly on them. I did get a shot at the biggest bone I saw the whole week. It looked like a submarine wake when he came for the fly. He ate and I promptly gave him my "redfish strip set" and broke him off!

I think I counted 12 quality bones and many small mud bones for the week. It took a few days to get techniques to where I was making respectable shots. The bones were a little fussy on fly patterns a couple of times. One day, we tried 5 patterns before settling on a tan gotcha with a holograph flash tail. For me, the tan mini puff, Lefty's tan craft fur shrimp, and Al Clarks tan shrimp were the best attractors. On the last day, I gave the guide his choice of flys and he took a handful of those three.

I was surrounded with some really nice people all week. Scud was a super roommate. The only problem he had was when "someone" accidentally set the alarm clock on our final departure day! Ted, Fred, Ron, Jeff, Scud and Hugh were much younger than I but they didn't leave me out of anything except I opted out of the second night raising of the glasses! Even they were too old to do that more than the one evening.

There were several other fishermen at the camp for the first couple of days. Tim and Lori Profata from Colorado were there the entire time. What a delightful young couple. They were spending a whole month at Pesca Maya and have vacationed in Mexico for the last 15 yrs.

The van dropped me at Playa del Carmen on the way back to Cancun. I spent the afternoon and night in Cozumel. Had a visit with Nassim Joquin after getting off the ferry, checked into the hotel, cleaned up and shopped in the afternoon. Met Nassim for dinner that evening. What a nice young man. Jim and Lee introduced him to Pat and Me in 2000. We have stayed in contact since that time. He is a world class fly fisherman. He is currently working with Time/Life publications on a coffee table type book on Mexican fly fishing. He helps his father and grandfather in their extensive businesses on the island. He also organizes fishing trips. You must visit their web site for accounts of their many trips and fish stories. Flyfishingmexico.org. Nassim is a busy, busy young man.

At age 74 (almost 75), I really had a great time. All the planning, prep, tying many flies, the travel, and fishing added up to an excellent experience. They made this old man feel really good!

Now, in the next few months, I have to decide how to build on this experience. I'm a long way from tapering off.

Tom Barnes, Pesca Maya fish camp, Ascension Bay, Mexico, April 30 -May 8, 2004