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Cancun-Asencion bay area - Fly Fishing
Here is a comprehensive list of
tackle needs should you desire to bring your own
equipment which we encourage. Below is more that you
ever wanted to know of tackle for the Cancun-Asencion
bay area. Happy reading.
Bonefish Tackle: (Fly fishing)
Fly Rods: Multi-piece 7 or 8 wt. Fly rods in the
nine foot length are the best choices. We like fast
tapered saltwater rods that have been specially designed
for the riggers of the salt. Good models to choose from
include the Sage RPLX, G. Loomis GLX and the Scott
Saltwater series, all in three or four piece, for easy
traveling. Bringing along a spare rod is not a bad idea.
Fly Reels: (minimum 150 yards of 20 lb. backing)
Reels specifically designed for saltwater Fly fishing is
the ticket. Smooth disk drags, plenty of backing
capacity, and sturdy aluminum anodized frames are
features to look for in a reel. Models to consider are
the Sage 5000 Series (5300 or 5400), Tibor "Everglades",
Billy Pate "Bonefish", Abel (2 or 3N) and Streamline (SL
3N).
Fly Lines: A weight forward floating line is all
you need. Scientific Anglers Mastery Bonefish are the
best going. These lines are specifically designed for
saltwater Fly fishing with a special braided
monofilament core that provides the proper stiffness to
allow excellent shooting while resisting tangles, even
in tropical heat.
Leaders: Tapered saltwater leaders made from
clear monofilament (8 - 15 lb. class) 10' - 12' are the
way to go. Umpqua Bonefish Leaders and the Rio Powerflex
Knotless Bonefish Leaders are good choices. You should
bring along some tippet material, clear monofilament (8
- 15 lb. class).
Fluorocarbon leaders are another good choice as they are
near invisible in the water, perfect for spooky fish in
very clear water.
Flies for Bonefish: Bonefish flies come in an
array of styles and colors.
The following list of flies should cover most of the
bone fishing situations you will encounter. Crazy
Charlies #6 (silver, amber, crystal pink, crystal
chartreuse) Blind Charlies #6 (silver, amber, crystal
pink, crystal chartreuse). Mini Puff #6, # 4 (pink,
tan/orange, chartreuse) McVay Gotcha #
6 (chain bead-eye). Christmas Charlies #8 (tan, pink,
yellow) Nasty Gilbert #6, Bonefish Clouser #6
(chartreuse), Raghead Crab #8, Popovic Ultra Shrimp #4,
Mangrove Critter #1/0. Finally, Jan Isley's Yucatan
Charlie #6 (pink or beige marabou tail with 3 - 6
strands of chartreuse crystal flash tied in, all about a
1/2' long, white kip tail wing tied in on throat 3/4"
long, bead chain eyes or blind, translucent yellow
swannundaze or v-rib wrapped over chartreuse flymaster
plus thread).
Bonefish Tackle: (spin/cast fishing)
Rods: 7', 2-pc. graphite rods in a light to
medium action, for lure weights between 1/8 -1/2 oz.
Spinning rods are proffered.
Reels: (Spinning) minimum 150 yards of 10 lb. test line.
Penn Spinfisher
440- 450 SS, Finor AHAB 8A - 12A, Diawa BG 13 - BG 15,
Shimano Sustain SA4000FA, Zebco Great white Series GW40.
Lines: Clear, fresh, premium monofilament, (8 -12 lb.
line class). Brands to consider include Ande, Maxima,
Berkley Trilene, and Stren.
Lures for Bonefish: Led head jigs and live bait
(when available) are the proffered choice among spin
fishermen for bonefish.
Lures: 1/8 - 1/2 oz. Gaines Wiggle Jigs (pink, brown,
chartreuse, white) Millie's Roundhead jigs, Arrowhead
jigs, Semi-Flat jigs, and Deluxe Wiggle Jigs, 1/8 - 5/16
oz. (white, pink, brown, yellow, chartreuse). 1/8 oz.
lead head jigs with 2" soft plastic tails (Mister
Twister, Swirl Tail Grubs) (white, pink, chartreuse,
sparkle chartreuse, rootbeer, sparkle rootbeer, clear
silver, clear gold) D.O.A. Shrimp Lures (assorted
colors,) Life-like shrimp and crab lures. Johnson Silver
Minnow,
1/24 oz., Epoxy Flies (weedless).
Permit Tackle: (Fly fishing)
Fly Rods: Multi-piece 8, 9 or 10 wt. Fly rods in
the nine foot length are the best choices. We like fast
tapered saltwater rods that have been specially designed
for the riggers of the salt. Good models to choose from
include the Sage RPLX, G. Loomis GLX and the Scott
Saltwater series, all in three or four piece, for easy
traveling. Bringing along a spare rod is not a bad idea.
Fly Reels: (minimum 200 yards of 20 lb. backing)
Reels specifically designed for saltwater Fly fishing
are the ticket. Smooth disk drags, plenty of backing
capacity, and sturdy aluminum anodized frames are
features to look for in a reel. Models to consider are
the Sage 5000 Series (5300 or 5400), Tibor "Everglades",
Billy Pate "Bonefish", Abel (2 or 3N) and Streamline (SL
3N).
Fly Lines: A weight forward floating line is all
you need. Scientific Anglers Mastery Bonefish are the
best going. These lines are specifically designed for
saltwater Fly fishing with a special braided
monofilament core that provides the proper stiffness to
allow excellent shooting while resisting tangles, even
in tropical heat.
Leaders: Tapered saltwater leaders made from
clear monofilament (12 - 15 lb. class) 10' - 12' are the
way to go. Umpqua Bonefish Leaders and the Rio Powerflex
Knotless Bonefish Leaders are good choices. You should
bring along some tippet material, clear monofilament (8
- 15 lb. class).
Fluorocarbon leaders are another good choice as they are
near invisible in the water, perfect for spooky fish in
very clear water.
Flies for Permit: Bauer's Fur Crab #6, Turneffe
Crab (olive) #6, Raghead Crab #8, #2, or 1/0, Del's
Permit Crab #2, Popovic Ultra Shrimp # 4 or 1/0, Bauer's
Mantis Shrimp.
Permit Tackle: (spin/cast fishing)
Under most situations your bonefish spinning outfit is
adequate for permit fishing. If you had to change one
element of your tackle it would be your reel. Permit are
in the jack family, and pull like few fish can,
therefore a reel capable of holding a minimum of 200
yards of 12 lb. test is the best choice. Live crabs are
a permit's one and only weakness. Most permit are caught
with a 1/8 oz. Wiggle Jig with a hermit crab trailer, a
very deadly combination. You can also rig a slip sinker
outfit with live bait: Small or medium size barrel
swivel, 1/8 - 1/4 oz. slip sinker and a #1 or #2 Mustad
9174 O'Shaughnessy bait hook with a hermit crab threaded
on. Hooks should all be barbless.
Tarpon Tackle: (Fly fishing)
Fly Rods: Multi-piece 8, 9 or 10 wt. Fly rods in
the nine foot length are the best choices. We like fast
tapered saltwater rods with plenty of butt strength.
Good models to choose from include the Sage RPLX, G.
Loomis GLX and the Scott Saltwater series, all in three
or four piece, for easy traveling. We highly recommend
bringing a backup rod.
Fly Reels: (minimum 200 yards of 20 - 30 lb.
backing) Reels specifically designed for saltwater Fly
fishing is the ticket. Smooth disk drags, plenty of
backing capacity, and sturdy aluminum anodized frames
are features to look for in a reel. Models to consider
are the Sage 5000 Series (5400 or 5500), Tibor
"Riptide", Billy Pate "Bonefish", Abel (3N or 3) and
Streamline (SL4).
Fly Lines: For 90% of your tarpon fishing a
weight forward floating line is all you need. Scientific
Anglers Mastery Bonefish or Tarpon Taper are the best
going. These lines are specifically designed for
saltwater Fly fishing with a special braided
monofilament core that provides the proper stiffness to
allow excellent shooting while resisting tangles, even
in tropical heat.
In addition to your floater and intermediate sinking
line can be necessary, especially when fishing over
rolling tarpon in and around the various cenotes. Here
again, Scientific Anglers Mastery Sinking Bonefish or
Tarpon Taper lines are the best. These lines are
abrasion resistant, with a very slick finish for
distance casting, featuring a long tapered tip for
delicate presentation and clear color that won't spook
fish. If you had to pick one line, go with the
floater...
Leaders: Leaders for tarpon fishing incorporate a
shock tippet section married to a class tippet section,
by a series of special knots. If you are not into tying
your own, then we recommend the Rio Powerflex Big Game
Leaders. They are sold in packets of three with
pre-straightened shock tippets ready to go. The 16 lb.
class tippet / 60 lb. shock tippet leaders are perfect
for Ascencion Bay. If you would like to tie your own
tarpon leaders, some good reference books are Lefty Krey
"Fly Fishing in Saltwater" and "Practical Fishing Knots"
by Lefty Krey and Mark Sosin.
The Ascension Tarpon Leader: Off your Fly line
run a butt leader of 30 to 45 lb. test mono 5' in
length. To this attach a section of 50 lb. to 60 lb.
test mono (shock tippet) 3' to 4' in length. To attach
the two pieces of mono together, use back to back nail
knots. This is a simple and very clean leader, perfect
for tarpon in Ascension Bay.
Flies for Tarpon: In general, tarpon flies should
be tied on 1/0 & 2/0 size hooks. Slight variations in
shape and color can be all that is needed to entice
tarpon into striking. When fishing the lakes at Paradise
(November -
March) brightly colored flies work best in stained
water. Dark flies are the ticket (April - October) when
the water is typically gin clear. They key here is
contrast in color between the water and the Fly. Flies
that work well include the Paradise Sunset (orange,
yellow & grizzly), Paradise Purple (black & purple),
Prince of Tides, Paradise Cockroach, Grim Reaper,
Borski's Orange Butt Tarpon, Red & White Tarpon, Lefty's
Deceivers in various contrasting colors, and the
Tropical Punch. Your flies should be dressed heavily in
order to maintain neutral buoyancy and create an
attractive silhouette that moves water. Recently Tom has
good action with Dahlberg Rabbit Strip Divers & Dahlberg
"Sliders" in red & white as well as lightly dressed
Snook-A-Roos. Mini Crystal Poppers can produce savage
top-water
strikes, especially during the fall months. There is a
well stocked Fly
tying bench at the Lodge, and can help you create the
current hot patterns.
Tarpon Tackle:
(spin/cast fishing)
Rods: 6' 6" - 7' 6"
medium/heavy action rod for lure weights 3/8 oz. - 2 oz.
(12 -20 lb. line class) spinning or casting rod. If you
chose a casting rod, go with a trigger stick. G. Looms
makes some fine rods to fit this bill.
Reels: (Spinning) minimum 150 yards of 15 lb.
test line. Penn Spinfisher 650 SS, Finor AHAB 16A, Diawa
BG 30, Shimano Sustain SA6000FA, Zebco Great white
Series GW60. (Casting) Abu Garcia 6500 C Syncro, Abu
Garcia SM5600C, Quantum Iron IR3W, Shimano Calcutta
CT-200.
Lines: Clear, fresh, premium monofilament, (16
-20 lb. line class). Brands to consider include Ande,
Maxima, Berkley Trilene, and Stren.
Leaders: Shock tippet is needed when fishing for
tarpon and snook. We suggest 40 lb. - 60 lb. clear
monofilament.
Lures for Tarpon: There are a wide variety of lures that
are effective in taking tarpon. One of big obstacles in
hooking and landing a tarpon is getting the hooks to
stick. Many anglers have increased the number of fish
actually landed by replacing the treble hooks on the
lures with single siwash hooks. (Surface) Rebel "Jumpin"
Minnow 4 1/2" 5/8 oz. (silver/black, silver/blue,
copper/back, copper/orange) Heddon Zara Spook 4 1/2"
oz.(gold/black/orange, gold/chartreuse, silver/red
head}.
(Subsurface) Rapala CD and/or F 14 5 1/2" (silver,
red/white, gold/ flored,
silver) Bomber Jointed Long "A" 4 1/2" 3/8 oz.
(silver/red head, silver/black, firetiger) Bomber
"Mullet" 3 1/2" 5/8 oz. (gold/black/orange, silver/red
head) In addition: chuggers, poppers, Creek Chub
Darters, & stick baits.
(Jigs) 1/4 - 3/4 oz. saltwater jig head with 4" - 6"
soft plastic jig bodies "Sassy Shad", grubs, and swim
baits. Bucktails from 3/8 - 3/4 oz. (yellow, white,
black, red/white, chartreuse).
Snook Tackle: (Fly fishing)
You can use the same Fly fishing tackle that you use for
tarpon. Snook key in on surface flies with a vengeance.
Surface patterns like Whitlock's Swimmin' Frog, Swimming
Baitfish, Randy's Gator Frog, Peacock Diver, Snook-A-Roo,
and Crystal Poppers are good choices. Flies outlined in
the tarpon flies section will work for your subsurface
patterns including Whitlock's Sheep Fly Lefty's
Deceivers, and Dahlberg's Rabbit Strip Divers.
Snook Tackle: (spin/cast fishing)
Please refer to Tarpon Tackle (Spin/Cast Fishing)
Barracuda Tackle: (Fly fishing) Ascencion Bay waters are
full of barracuda. Your tarpon/snook or bonefish/permit
Fly fishing outfit is perfect for hounding cudas. For
barracuda fishing you'll need a spool of nylon covered
braided wire "Sevalon" or "SevenStrand" kink-resistant
wire in the 40 lb. class. The Fly Shops' "Cuda Fly",
Goddards Needlefish, and a chartreuse and white tarpon
streamer, with plenty of flashabou is all you need.
Barracuda Tackle: (spin/cast fishing)
Your bonefish/permit or tarpon/snook spin/cast outfit is
perfect for barracuda. Rapala type lures, and tube lures
(chartreuse, orange and flo.
red will get the job done. You'll need a spool of nylon
covered braided wire "Sevalon" or "SevenStrand"
kink-resistant wire in the 40 lb. class.
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