Iceland - Client trip report Haukadalsa and Reykjadalsa rivers

A great trip report come through from a recent clients visit to Haukadalsa and Reykjadalsa rivers in Iceland..........

Iceland - The Land of Ice, Fire, and Salmon – 10^th to 18^th July 2014

Four members of the Wessex Branch Salmon & Trout Association from Dorset had arranged a trip with Mat McHugh of Fly Odyssey who had put together a brilliantly planned trip for salmon, arctic char and wild brown trout. The four in the team were Mike Bilson, Martin Small, David Morton, and Ross Jordan, known during the trip as “The Dorset Boys”.

The flight from Gatwick to Keflavic on Thursday 10^th July was a pleasant experience with Icelandair on the Boeing 757, taking two hours fifty minutes landing at 15.15 local time. We were picked up by our private taxi and taken to the Hotel Odinsve, reputed to be one of the best in Reykjavik. The taxi driver recommended the Kaldi Bar in the city centre where they brew their own Kaldi Beer which was pleasant and at UK prices. This was certainly a popular bar with the locals and was full all evening. From there we went for dinner at the Seafood Grill, again in the centre, walking distance from the hotel. This was superb with an extensive menu with dishes such as Minky Whale, Halibut, Cod, Lobster, Shrimps, Scallops, Mussels, and many more. We continued with the local beer, as the imported wine prices were unreasonable. The total bill was around £50 per head but this was a top quality three course meal that you would expect in the best restaurants in London, well worth the money.

The next morning we were picked up by our Guide for the week, Steinar Magnusson, who had good knowledge of all the rivers in Iceland. As well as our fishing Guide he also drove us to all our destinations in his four-by-four. The drive to Haukadalsa River and Lodge was about an hour north located in the west of Iceland flowing into the Hvammsfjorour Bay. The Weather was cloudy and cool at around 14 degrees, with occasional rain, and windy spells. However, when the wind died down and the temperature warmed the midges came out with vengeance and a Midge Net was an essential piece of kit.

The Lodge consisted of eight twin en suite rooms, a communal dining room, and a lounge area overlooking the River Haukadalsa only 20 yards away. The rooms were functional, and the lounge was very comfortable with sofas and easy chairs. The food was magnificent cooked by a Swedish Michelin Star Chef called Robert, who sadly left at the end of our week. He was a great asset and will be hard to replace, not just for his excellent cooking but also friendly personality and detailed fishing knowledge especially on Arctic Char in the estuary.

A typical day started with breakfast at 06:30, leaving for the fishing at 07:00 for the first session until 13:00. The river is about 5 miles long from the estuary to the lake, and has 40 marked salmon pools. The lake acts as a filter when the rain is heavy. The salmon migrate up to the lake in a very short space of time before going on the spawning grounds further up the valley. The water is gin clear and cold. There is no weed or silt in the river, just rocks and boulders of a blue/grey colour. At 13:00 we paused fishing and came back to the Lodge for lunch which consisted of a good hot main course, after which we all tended to go for an hour’s afternoon kip to recharge the batteries before the second session. The second session started at 16:00 going through until 22:00. At the end of the fishing day we came back to the Lodge, showered, and met in the lounge for Gin and Tonics (pre-purchased Duty-Free at the airport) before the excellent three-course meal presented by Robert the Chef. Finally the day ended around 01:00 in the morning when it was still light outside, and we turned in for bed ready to get up again in 5 hours to do it all again. Frequent knaps were needed throughout the day to keep going with good humour!

The fishing at Haukadalsa was split into five rods over the five miles meaning very low fishing pressure. In our party there were four fishermen so we shared a rod between two which was a good arrangement in a twelve hour fishing day! It gave a chance for the partner to rest on the bank. Another tactic was to alternate down a pool with the first guy fishing the pool with a Riffle Hitch of about 1cm long on size 10 treble, then followed by the second fisherman with either a Red Frances size10/12 or a Sunray Shadow. The Riffle Hitch was the most beautiful way of fishing for salmon I have ever known. The technique is to cast square across the river, keeping the rod high, enabling the fly to skate across the pool in a bow quite quickly. The salmon would often follow it first for interest, maybe have a slash at the fly but miss, and then a more positive explosion onto the fly on the third attempt. The test for the angler is to keep your nerve and not strike but wait until you feel the line tightening away from you before lifting into the fish.

We were told that this season had not been good so far. The river was still very high (but clear) from all the heavy rain in previous weeks. This made it hard for the fly to fish well at the right depth and speed. In addition it appears the main grilse runs had not arrived during our stay. The peak season is said to be July 25^th until August 10^th. So far the Returns Book was recording 40 salmon since the start of the season on 20^th June whereas the normal tally for this time of year is around 100. However, the salmon that were in the river were large and fresh.

After twenty minutes of fishing the Home Pool number 35 by the Lodge I managed to land a bright 12lb fresh salmon with full-tailed sea lice indicating it had been in the river for less than 24 hours. It took a Sunray Shadow on floating line with AFTM 8 single handed rod.

The next day Ross had a fresh 9lb sea run salmon again on Sunray Shadow in Pool 3 just a mile up from the estuary.  The same day Martin hooked a magnificent salmon in the tail of Pool 7 near the surface again on a Sunray Shadow and after 15 minutes of hard fight it leapt into the air to snap the 12lb leader. David Also hooked a large fish on Sunray Shadow in the Bridge Pool 33 but managed to drop the fish so we never saw it. The following day Ross rose and landed a 6lb bright silver Grilse by skating a size 18 treble Riffle Hitch across Pool 22. 

The next day we went fishing for Arctic Char in Pool 1 being the sea pool and Martin landed a fresh 1.5lb Char on a streamer. As we waded out ankle deep into the bay we saw salmon spraying water up as they skittled over the shallow gravel to enter the river. Later that day Ross also caught a 2lb Arctic Char while fishing for salmon with a Sunray Shadow in Pool 3. I also managed to hook and lose a large salmon in Pool 4 about 0.75 mile up from the sea on Sunray Shadow.

After three days salmon fishing we left for our Brown Trout destination which was a four hour drive to the North East of Iceland to fish the River Reykjadalsa. This is a 20 mile long river that joins the Big Laxa salmon river about 10 miles up from the sea flowing into the Skjalfandi Bay. We were staying in a fishing lodge near the village called Lauger. Although a self-catering lodge the food was all included in the price which was taken at a local cafe. This was rather a let-down after the Michelin Star Chef at the previous location, but turned out to be perfectly practical.

The timetable changed to a slightly more relaxed schedule, having breakfast at 07:00, fishing from 08:00 until 13:00, then coming back to the cafe for lunch. We recommenced fishing at around 14:30 until 20:00 after which we returned to the Lodge for a shower and evening meal, with further Gin & Tonic or Whisky.

The Brown Trout fishing turned out to be an amazing experience. In the calm weather the midges came out and rises could be seen all almost anywhere. The best dry fly was a size 20 Black Gnat, and in the calmest conditions it was necessary to go down to 7X tippet although this was a high risk strategy with such large strong fighting fish. A sensible tippet was around 5X. There were times when we could not decide which rising fish to target first. The Browns were heavily spotted all over and of the most supreme fitness, all being totally wild. The weights ranged from 0.75lb up to 3lb with the average around 1.75lb. When the breezes came or the temperature dropped the rises tended to pause in which case a switch to a Gold Head Sedge Pupa size 12, or weighted buzzer pattern did very well. Strike indicators were a popular local method for those who like that sort of fishing. When this method got hard we diverted to streamers such as The Dentist size 8 long shank sometimes with a trailing weighted nymph dropper to add choice and depth. This was a deadly method fished down and across in fast riffly water behind boulders and across deeper pools. In total we landed 126 fine wild Brownies between us and missed or lost as many again.

A real extra treat was the presence of salmon in the river who had made themselves known by cruising around pools or splashing. On the penultimate day I decided to target the salmon firstly with the Riffle Hitch. This produced amazing results with salmon following, slashing and eventually taking the Hitch. The challenge was to wait for the pull rather than strike but having connected solidly with two salmon , one managed to snag itself around a boulder at the bottom of The Pipe Pool and rip the fly clear, while another ran strongly upstream before lacerating the leader on some sharp rock and breaking the line. The same day I lost two other salmon on Sunray Shadow making four dropped in the day.

On the final morning we managed to get four hours fishing in before catching our internal flight from Akureyri airport back to Reykjavik. In that four hours I landed two browns accidentally on the Riffle Hitch before discovering a new Pool 57 in a gorge where the waterfall created a deep narrow pool with white water at the head, fining down to a calmer tail. Thinking that the second half of the pool would be the better chance I casually unclipped the Sunray Shadow off the hook ring and flicked 6 feet of fly line across the head of the pool. I looked behind me to check the vegetation ready for the next cast and on glancing back at the pool I noticed the large brown back of a large salmon rise from the depths. Its massive white mouth opened and engulfed my fly on the first traverse of the head of the pool. Still using my AFTM 5 Helios 2 Trout rod with about 75 yards of backing I quickly realised that I needed to get below the fish to tire it out against the strong current. Keeping my rod high this worked for about 15 minutes after which the salmon decided to try a different tactic and run downstream. There was no obvious barrier to stall its run so I had no options but to get in the river and follow it downstream. This worked for 50 yards until I came across a deep pool, and so with the Battenkill Trout Reel drag now on full power I held the rod in my left hand and scrambled up the rugged and steep bank to follow it another 70 yards downstream. Eventually the river shallowed and the salmon began to tire. At this point I was able to beach the salmon. I carefully measured the fish against the rod at 98cm, estimated at 20lb and spent some considerable time reviving the fish. This turned out to be my last cast of the holiday as I had now run out of time and had to catch the lift to the airport.

We stayed the final night in Alex’s Guesthouse at Keflavic which was a real surprise. It consisted of about 20 twin bed log cabins a short distance from the airport runway with a free shuttle bus, ready for our home flight at 07:45. A superb idea and wholly practical. The final night we managed to find another superb restaurant called the Duus on the harbour front at Keflavic being a 20 minute walk. This was a magnificent fish restaurant and a fitting end to a great holiday, the prices were reasonable at about £50 per head for top quality food.

So the final Catch Return for the week for the four anglers was 11 salmon hooked (4 landed), 3 Arctic Char, and 126 wild Browns up to 3lb. A magnificent result with many great experiences on the way. The special features of Iceland are the purity of the water, lack of pollution, industry, or population, the tightly controlled light fishing pressure, abundance of water, midges, and salmonids. A perfect cocktail for the keen flyfisher  who can stand the physical pace.

Michael Bilson

July 2014

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON FLY FISHING IN ICELAND PLEASE CALL US ON +44 (0)1621743711 OR EMAIL US: enquiries@flyodyssey.co.uk WEBSITE: www.flyodyssey.co.uk 

Fly fishing Iceland - Paul Procter Hosted trip to Litla River

Our annual Iceland fly fishing hosted weeks with Paul Procter have been running since June. Here is his report on the 3 days on litla river in Iceland's north.............

Known for its hostile climate, we were treated to near perfect conditions during our July 14 visit to Iceland’s north shores.  Comprising of a river, lake and thermal springs the Litla system was our destination for a 4 day sortie.  The river is home to some stomping brown trout that gorge on emerging midges during calm periods.  Blessed with such conditions on the first morning, we’d have been foolish not to take advantage.  It’s hard to concentrate when several large fish are puncturing the surface with a loud clatter of their jaws!  Nonetheless, our nerve held and the whole group got to grips with some feisty fish.  Surprisingly, it wasn’t all trout either, as such was the hatch, shoals of arctic char wanted in on the action too.  Now, nothing can prepare you for big char, as pound for pound they pull harder than most species, including salmon! Tangling with them using 4-5 weight outfits and delicate tippets is nerve wracking stuff.  

                  Tim Marks gets off to a flying start with a solid Arctic Char taken on a #20 CdC tethered to a 2.5lb tippet  

                              PP starts his campaign with this cracking brown trout that fell for a small CdC emerger.

Our days seemed to follow a set pattern and by mid afternoon, annoying local winds increased just enough to put midges off emerging.  Having been spoilt with plenty of dry fly sport, rather than reach for nymphs, we headed to the lake, in search of char and trout which were happy to forage round the margins under a curtain of broken water.  Sight fishing for lake char is something else.  Admittedly, we scored well with small nymphs at first, but these relics of the Ice Age weren’t shy when it came to accepting a dry fly either.  In particular, a small black Klinkhamer or foam beetle pattern did the trick.  

                                       

                                        Tim Smart leans on another char having found the mark with a black Klinkhamer

Not that it went dark you understand, but the evenings provided us with unforgettablesport when a fading breeze resulted in a glassed-out lake.  Then the char simply went nuts, mopping up everything in their path.  To see a shoal of these dimpling all around you is a lasting sight and one that will stick in our memories for years to come.  Of course, it would have been easy to kick back and soak up the whole experience, yet the hunter within overrode such thoughts and we simply kept pestering fish until the wee small hours.

                                                         Tim Smart bent in again as the clock ticks towards midnight

2 minutes to midnight and our group huddle together as they decide whether to chase trout or char in the wee small hours

Long shadows mean only one thing-big trout… So come that witching hour, we were out stalking the banks.  Naturally, such fish tend to be illusive, but a large dollop of perseverance kept us in the game.  Granted, our fair share of fish were lost and missed, but enough stuck to make burning the candle at both ends more than worthwhile. As for 24 hour daylight interfering with your sleep pattern, not a bit of it…who wouldn’t sleep soundly with 6lb odd of wild brown trout under your belt!

Paul Procter with a solid 6-pounder taken at 2am  

 Written by Paul Procter, 2014

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON OUR FLY FISHING OPTIONS FOR BROWN TROUT AND ARCTIC CHAR IN ICELAND PLEASE CALL US ON +44 (0) 1621743711 OR EMAIL: ENQUIRIES@FLYODYSSEY.CO.UK

Fly fishing Mexico - Casa Blanca Lodge client report

Here is a great report from client Alex Wee who spent 9 days fly fishing out of Casa Blanca Lodge in Ascension Bay, Mexico. Congratulations on your 4 permit Alex.....

El Diablo Negro’

This was my 4th trip to Casa Blanca. The first 2 I have regarded as learning my craft. Last year 2013 was ‘fishy’; I caught some scary sized snook, jacks, with plenty of tarpon and a permit. This year was different. If someone said I would catch one permit in the week and a bunch of other fish, I would have been happy. What came to pass was very different.

The weather was my biggest worry. A week prior to my trip, the reports were showing thunderstorms and 90% chance of rain every day and for the next 10 days. The rain gear was stowed in my luggage. Thankfully it only came out for 15 minutes on the second last day. Night storms freshened the air; better for sleeping but also better for the mosquitoes.

But what you really want to know is how the fishing panned out.There were many jumped tarpon, and quite a few caught ( leadered but not always boated ). Sadly the biggest one caught was off the pier, and jumped the hook as I tried to lift it out of the water. There were days when the water would boil with rolling fish and my the purple and black EP fly was inhaled many times, but nothing I did would set the hook.The snook were more cooperative. Most of the time they were hungry. Watching them slam the fly as they make that mad lunge for it, and

seeing the water erupt is a sight I never tire of. The arm wrenching tustle, and acrobatics that follow are more satisfying, as once they are hooked, they usually stay on. Snook to over 20lb were boated, with the majority around the 15lb mark.

Bones were plenty and always hungry. Anyone that has been to Ascension bay will know that a bone over 4lb is a special fish. Santa Rosa Lagoon fished poorly the day I was there but I did catch a few of the ‘home bones’ which were about 5lb. Those fish have grown fat on the sardines fed to them by the lodge staff, but are very cagey and difficult to trick. The big daddy looks 9lb maybe pushing 10, his oversized black head and back creating a serious wake as he patrols in between the skiffs and the mooring ropes, never once distracted by feathers and flash.

Ascension bay is about permit. Cayo Xhobon, Tres Marias, Vigia grande, the 4th river - staring at emerald waters, looking for a wake and a sudden silver flash, dark tails flicking on the surface ripple. Standing on the bow, 60ft of running carefully laid out behind you in the cockpit, 15 ft of head out and holding the fly in your left, aching feet, itchy buff, listening to the wind flap your shirt, when suddenly the poling changes rhythm and the skiff switches angle. I look behind to see what direction Jorge is staring at, and quickly face the front looking at the same patch of water. I hear him mutter something about nervy water 300ft and coming our way. I check the line is not caught on anything and that there are no tangles.

‘Can you see them - yes or no?’ ‘Er, I think so’ ‘yes or no’ ‘got ‘em’

‘Cast now’ The squimp takes flight infront and then behind the boat, and I feel the Helios bend, make my haul and shoot the rest. There is the sound of something unrepeatable in Spanish as I hook myself in the back of my head and the line gets trapped under my feet. And so it was like that for my many permit encounters.

There were those permit moments when the fish would follow, tip their head down and eat, but spit the hook. And the time I lost a fish so big that Jorge refused to even tell me its size. I saw it from only 40ft when it ate and it was a long and deep fish, and after an agonising 20 minutes, I heard a distant splash and felt the sickening loss of tension in the rod. That is why I now have cold beers in the boat - for those moments when there are no words to say, only beer to drink.

But it was not all like that. It was on the 4th day, there were no clouds the sun was high making spotting easy, and as we turned off the motor we both saw the school over 100yds away. Just tailing in the shallows. We jumped out of the boat, and let me tell you how difficult it is to walk quietly and fast and avoid catching the line around your feet. We worked our way to the fish so the wind was coming from the left and we could intercept them side on. They were still feeding, blowing the sand for those very pale crabs. One false cast and 50ft of line shot out landing the fly just in front of the fish. They were still happy, still feeding. ‘Strip, take slack out. Strip. Strip. stop, strip slow, stop, strip, he’s got it’ My left hand pulled and the line tightened.

‘let him go’. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

My favourite sound on the flats. The permit bolted, the only thing slowing it down were bits of cork and carbon.There was nothing I could do except to let it tire itself against the drag, everytime I played the fish to within 100ft and it would take flight. I saw the backing knot disappear 6 times through the top ring before it started to tire. After a nerve wracking 20 minutes the fish was finally tailed. I sank to my knees laughing and crying all at the same time. My family call that my fishy smile, and they all know how much it meant to me.

The flats were very generous and gave up another 3 permit, but nothing as special as that one

Casa Blanca Lodge at Ascension bay is a remarkable place. The hustle and buzz of the Riviera Maya are left behind when you land at the airstrip. Manuel hands you a cold towel, and the first of many margaritas, as you alight the panga. By the time you get to the palapa (dining area at the lodge), the tequila has taken effect, and you need another to maintain the sway. It helps me get my sea legs for the next few days.

The food is fantastic and there is plenty of it. After a day chasing shadows on the water, you are welcomed back with beer, margaritas, and hor d’oevres - cerviche, nachos and guacomole, pan fried fish. Dinner was equally wonderful - I have learnt not to eat to much on surf and turf night - Lobster tail with Fillet steak.

There are many different fish to chase. Some days I would spend 6 hours staring at endless flats, imagining ‘nervy water’, only to have have one shot at a cruising fish. Other days it was ‘Tarpon soup’. You could hear them rolling from 100m away and when you saw the number of fish feeding it would be hard to believe. That day was crazy, I jumped 6 nice fish, but nothing would come to the boat.

The last day was one of those days - It was 230pm and we had seen nothing all day. Drifting down the wind, Jorge and I see a lone fish tight to the mangroves. I put the fly 60ft into the hole, between the branches, leading the fish by 5. It sees the fly, I strip long and fast, the fish chases and eats. Bang - the rod is almost pulled out of your grip as it takes an alarming shape - Snook on. We then run towards home. Only once we get to the home flat, we see permit. The first shot gets a hook up, but the fish spits after a couple of minutes. The school skitters

about 40yards and then turn back to the boat. I fire another one out, the fly sinks and I lay the crab still. The head goes down and the tail shakes as the fish chases, and I strip nice and slow. Fish eats and 10 minutes later my 4th permit of the trip is in the boat - small but as they say ‘ permit is a permit’. Unbelievable. Winking at us in the shallows were little grey tails. It had to be done. The home flat was very kind that afternoon, and 5 minutes later a bonefish was swimming around my ankles. All in the last hour.

El diablo negro - that’s what they call them down there. The really big permit - over 30lb, and if you meet Jorge, ask to see his ‘trofeo’. And I have seen them, and hooked them, but they were too shy this year to have their photo taken with me.

Next time.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON FLY FISHING IN MEXICO PLEASE CALL US ON +44 (0)1621743711 OR EMAIL: enquiries@flyodyssey.co.uk OR VISIT: WWW.FLYODYSSEY.CO.UK

Cuba - Isle de Juventud fly fishing trip reports

We have had two groups fly fishing out of the Isle de Juventud in Cuba over the past couple of weeks on Perola and Georgiana. Both weeks had fabulous weather and great fishing.

The first group from Australia and New Zealand  spent the week aboard Perola. Nik Mathiessen of Big Angry Fish sent through these images and words from their trip.

"Had absolutely amazing weather and amazing fishing!"

A report on the Georgiana week will be online shortly.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OF FLY FISHING IN CUBA AT ISLE DE JUVENTUD PLEASE CONTACT US ON +44 (0) 1621743711 OR EMAIL: enquiries@flyodyssey.co.uk

The Brando, Tetiaroa pre opening visit - Fly fishing for bonefish and giant trevally.

I have just returned from a 10 day stay at the luxurious eco-resort The Brando, Tetiaroa. We arranged a 10 day stay for Sir Douglas and Lady Myers, supporters of the Tetiaroa Society, and a client who has fished on and off at Tetiaroa for the past 15 years as well as at at all the famous bonefish destinations throughout the world. This was our third trip to the island together and with The Brando opening on the 1st July it was a good opportunity to see the finished product and allowed the F&B team an opportunity to test their cuisine and service skills.

Tetiaroa has always been one of the most stunning coral atolls in the world to visit. Until now that meant roughing it but with the opening of The Brando that is all about to change. The resort is a stunning piece of architecture and blends in completely with the atoll, not impacting on the visual beauty of the environment. The villas are stylish and spacious and the landscaping provides complete privacy. The eco credentials are to be found throughout the resort - SWAC air conditioning, solar power and coconut oil (Biofuel) powered generators. The resort sources much of its produce form the island from the orchard and vegetable gardens and even produces its own honey!!

Sir Douglas and I spent 10 days fishing the flats with Teihotu Brando who is learning the craft of fly fishing. Bonefish were our main target and we encountered good numbers of fish most days. Tetiaroa's bonefish are typically large alb plus and generally founds as singles or pairs. Occasionally small groups of 5-12 fish will be encountered but for the most part your time is spent stalking these large single fish in shallow water. On most days we would average 5-10 hook ups and many close encounters. These fish will often end up at your rod tip before spooking.

The really exciting thing about Tetiaroa is the opportunity to land double figure bonefish. On this trip we landed 3 fish over 10 lbs with Sir Douglas landing his two largest bonefish ever of 33 inch and 3 22 inch respectively. They weighed in at 13 lbs and 13 1/2 lbs. Absolute monster bonefish.

While the main focus of this trip was for the large bonefish I did manage to spend a little bit of time looking for my favourite flats species - the giant trevally. This atoll has good numbers of GT's that can be found chasing mullet on the flats or cruising the drop-offs in search of food. One each occasion we went looking for GT's we encountered fish resulting in a fine fish of 116cm. In July we will be starting a GT acoustic tagging study to try and understand more about the species movements around the lagoon and to help in fisheries management regulation for the atoll.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OF VISTING THE BRANDO OR PARTICIPATING IN OUR RESEARCH ON GIANT TREVALLY AND BONEFISH ON THE ATOLL PLEASE CONTACT US ON + 44 (0)1621743711 or EMAIL: enquires@flyodyssey.co.uk OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.flyodyssey.co.uk

Cayo Largo, Cuba - Client Trip report

Each April we send a group of anglers to Cayo Largo in Cuba. Here is a report from one of our clients, Mr Robert Thong from the UK, who returned with Marie for the second trip to Cayo Largo. This report was first published on Marie's blog  "The Larder 36" which is a great read.

Just after Easter, Marie and I returned to fish Cayo Largo in Cuba after having had such an exciting time two years ago. We enjoyed another great angling trip, albeit somewhat different compared to two years ago, which just shows the immense variety of the fishing here. So I thought I’d post another blog article on Cayo Largo to inform readers who are considering fishing there.

The Place and Getting There

Cayo Largo is a narrow 25-km long island in Western Cuba, half an hour flying time directly south from Havana via a local air shuttle service. It is a planned vacation resort island, with several mega resort hotels and many self-catering cabanas and villas for vacationers looking for sun, beach and diving. It is situated in a protected Marine Park throughout which commercial fishing is banned and only one designated group, the Avalon fly fishing operation, have exclusive rights for sport fishing. Catch-and-release fly fishing is the only allowed method. Avalon run six guided flats boats for a total of up to 12 anglers at any time, fishing six days a week.

As part of the Avalon package, we stayed in the all-inclusive Sol Melia resort hotel, a 10-minute daily transfer by a dedicated mini-bus every morning to the marina where the flats boats are kept. The hotel is filled with holiday makers from all over Europe and the Americas – there was a pre-dominance of Italians and Canadians the week we were there. We took breakfast and dinner at a range of restaurants situated on-site at the resort, plus a packed lunch on the water with our fishing guide on fishng days. All meals are included and the hotel also has a 24-hour bar offering unlimited beverages including alcoholic drinks – once at the resort, there is no need to carry any cash around as everything is already paid for, making this an excellent option for non-fishing partners and friends of the anglers as there is a full-range of water- and land-based activties on offer at the hotel every day, all included in the price. Of course for the anglers, there is no opportunity to sample any of these non-fishing activities except on the arrival and departure days as the fishing takes up the whole day – I’m sure none of the anglers minded!

The package also includes one night’s stay at a top hotel in central Havana on the in-bound journey and again on the way home, with an easy option to add extra nights in Havana at either end, so the fishing trip can be combined with a visit to a very quaint and interesting city.

The Fishing

The sheer size of the marine park is astonishing, split up by Avalon into 6 distinct fishing areas ranging from two areas within just 5 minutes boat ride from the marina, to the furthest two areas which are an hour’s boat ride away. On any particular day, only two of the areas are fished (by up to three boats each), so that each area is rested for at least two days in the weekly cycle – hence the fish are not at all pressurized. In any case, each area is very large, so you are rarely fishing near any of the other boats, and it’s not possible in a day for any one boat to fish all the available water even in its allocated area. We never fished the same water more than once in the whole week.

  

  

In all the areas, you can find the standard flats species of bonefish, permit and tarpon, as well as snook, various type of jacks and snappers, and barracuda. Bonefish are everywhere, sometimes in huge schools of 100+ fish, and it wasn’t unusual most days to land over a dozen bonefish between the two of us in the boat. Most of the bonefish we caught were in the 3 to 4 lb range, which is on the high side for the Caribbean, many of them aggressive very hard-fighting specimens, with a fair sprinkling of 5 and 6 lb fish, plus one 7-lb and another 8-lb trophy. There are permit around too – we got a few shots at them most days without managing to land one (unlike our last trip), although some of the other boats did manage to do so. And tarpon can be found both in the deeper channels and off the beaches – I had good shots at a few and managed to land a nice 25-lb one after a half-hour battle. A very pleasant surprise were the hard-fighting jacks and the large-ish snappers, many of them 2-lb and up – on one memorable day I landed five bigger jacks ranging from 6-lb to 10-lb, each putting up a tremendous fight. And if you’re so inclined, you can also fly fish for the very aggressive barracuda – see the picture below of a huge 30-lb cuda that Marie landed.

We fished with 8-, 9- and 10-weight single-handed fast action rods, with floating lines on the flats and off the beaches, and intermediate and sinking lines in the deeper channels and dropoffs.

Season and Contact Details

The fishing season in Cayo Largo runs from November through to July, with April to June being the most popular times although there is good fishing to be had throughout the rest of the season subject to higher risk of rain and winds.

We’d like to thank Mat McHugh of Fly Odyssey for organizing our trip and Mauro Ginevri and his team for their expertise and hospitality. Special mention also to Sean Clarke and his group from Farlows who were great fishing companions.

Fly Odyssey attending the Upcoming Events

We will be attending the following events over the coming fortnight. 

This weekend we will have a stand at the annual SPORTFISH show at the Reading store. This is a great event with free entry and all the UK's biggest tackle manufactures showing their latest products and a huge range of demonstrations. For more details please visit the Sportfish website (linked above).

On the 14th May the RISE fly fishing film festival will be returning to London and is to be held at The Courthouse Hotel Cinema located on Great Marlborough St. 

Details of the shows and how to purchase tickets are below:

RISE FLY FISHING FILM FESTIVAL

The feature film Leviathan will show 10 minutes of the bonefish and giant trevally research we have been undertaking at Tetiaroa as well as footage of trout fishing in New Zealand, Giant trevally on the Great Barrier Reef, rainbow trout from Jurassic Lake in Argentina and finally tarpon crashing bait balls in remote Costa Rica . 

LEVIATHAN TRAILER

We look forward to seeing you there.

Fly fishing in the Maldives - FOUR RESORTS NOW OFFERING FLY FISHING

Since 2011 we have spent a large amount of time looking at the fly fishing potential in the Maldives. We have now visited 4 different resorts and each offers unique opportunities to combine a family holiday with some opportunities to wade the flats for a variety of species including bonefish, giant trevally, bluefin trevally, triggerfish, info pacific permit, and many more. You can view our selection of Maldivian resorts here: Fly Odyssey Maldives Page.

Atmosphere Kanifushi: Our most recent visit took us to the island of Atmosphere Kanifushi. This is a new resort located a short seaplane flight away from Male. Unique in the Maldives this resort offers a Premium Plus Plan (all inclusive) while maintaining the high standards expected of a stay in the Maldives. It also has some great flats nearby where you can fish for bonefish, giant trevally and more.

Ayada: Ayada is located in the far south of the Maldives. An 1 hour 30 minute transfer takes you to this stunning Turkish inspired resort. No expense has been spared in finishing this resort and Spa and villa's are as good as we have found in the Maldives. From a fishing perspective there is a stunning flats system known as 5 islands. This has a superb bluefin trevally fishery with double figure fish regularly encountered on the flats. The bonefish numbers don't appear to be has high as other parts of the Maldives but regular encounters with Indo-pacific permit occur. This fishing is ideally suited to those anglers who like to explore by themselves.

Client Review:

All in all Mat it was great trip.  A good adventure, hard at times, scary (thunder and reef edge monsters) but when it came right it was great fun and all the sweeter for the hard work.  I would suggest it is not the place for a total novice but it will certainly teach you new things.  I found the trevally tricky to start with but soon found the secret for them.  It is a great location for some fishing while on a couples holiday, but I think it deserves a bit more than that and I would suggest some exploration during big tides may turn up some very interesting results.

Rob Evans, UK - March 2014

Kanuhura Resort and Spa: Kanuhura is a long established resort. It is set on a stunning island and is located on the same atoll as Atmosphere Kanifushi. This resort is ideal for both families and couples and offers all the usual activities expected of a resort in the Maldives. This resort offers guided fly fishing on the various local sand islands for bonefish and giant trevally.

Client review:

That's my Maldives fishing finished- just going to laze on the beach for my last 2 days. In all I fished 4 half days, landed 2 bonefish( lost a big fish of around 6lbs) , landed 2 small GT's( one was pretty big in my opinion but I guess small by GT standards), lost a GT of around 10lbs that I fought for 10mins on my bonefish outfit, and caught around 10 small bluefin and striped travally up to around 4lbs. Also caught a few queen fish, small grouper and white snapper. 

All in all a great holiday!

Kenny Johnston, UK - March 2014

Island Hideaway, Dhonakulhi Island: Dhonakulhi Island has been closed for refurbishment for the past 12 months. The resort has been updated and a large number of water villas built in the lagoon. We will be checking out to the new changes later in the year and finding out how the resort is planning ton developing its fly fishing program.

FOR ENQUIRIES REGARDING FLY FISHING OR POPPER FISHING IN THE MALDIVES PLEASE CALL US ON +44 (0)1621743711, EMAIL US AT: enquiries@flyodyssey.co.uk OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE: WWW.FLYODYSSEY.CO.UK

The Brando Hotel opening 1st July, 2014 - Participation in Bonefish and Giant Trevally Research

In July, 2014 The Brando hotel will open on the pristine and unique island of Tetiaroa. The Brando hotel is a high end eco-resort with 33 luxurious rooms on one of the prettiest coral atolls in the world. This hotel will provide one of the finest luxury tropical island resorts ideally suited to families and couples. 

With the opening of The Brando Hotel, Tetiaroa we would like to invite anglers to participate in our fly fishing based research programs on the island which will be run in partnership between Fly Odyssey and the Tetiaroa Society.  These projects will be investigating various aspects of the biology and ecology of bonefish and giant trevally on the island and offers the unique opportunity to contribute to a better understanding of the species in French Polynesia.

You can view our webpage and and flip page brochure at the following links which explains the location, the Brando hotel, the fishery and research being undertaken on the island:

The Brando Tetiaroa
Tetiarao Brochure

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT PARTICIPATING IN OUR FLY FISHING RESEARCH PROJECTS OR STAYS AT THE BRANDO HOTEL PLEASE CALL US ON +(0) 44 1621743711 OR EMAIL: enquiries@flyodyssey.co.uk

CUBA AND MEXICO FLY FISHING INFORMATION DAY AT FARLOWS, PALL MALL - 10 AM, WEDNESDAY 16TH APRIL, 2014

Fly Odyssey will be present in Farlows, Pall Mall providing information on two of our most popular destinations: Cuba and Mexico

We will have all the information on last minute rods and special deals available at both locations along with information on our upcoming hosted weeks to Cayo Largo and Georgiana (Isle of Youth) in Cuba and Playa Blanca and Punta Allen in Mexico. If you are travelling or planning to travel to either destination in 2014 or 2015 please come along to discuss your best options.

For more information please contact Fly Odyssey on 01621743711, via email at enquiries@flyodyssey.co.uk or speak with a Farlows staff member on 0207 484 1000.

Client report - Cinco Rios Lodge, Chile

Some great feedback from regular client Peter Connor who visited Cincos Rios Lodge in Chile for 10 days in February. A great insight to this fabulous lodge...

Hi Matt,

Please accept my apology for not replying sooner. 

You know my philosophy, the place itself provides the delight, and that the fishing sits alongside. I found the country to be quite breath-taking; from the impish shiny eyed uniform who guided me through the chaos of Santiago Airport (for a very small tip) to the bleak barrenness around Balmaceda Airport to the mountains and lakes around Coyhaique. From minute one I was made very welcome, collected at the airport on time and delivered safely to Cincos Rios by one of the friendly staff.  The lodge as you probably know is custom built looking over the Simpson River valley, (though we did not fish it whilst I was there.) None the less a provider of poetic sunsets and stimulating dawns, even the air tastes different as the valley clears its early morning mist, Condors drifting on the early air currents. If you have a look on trip advisor (Cincos Rios in the search engine ) there are a series of photos which show with excellent clarity the style of the place.   

Sebastian was not in residence when I arrived, but the place ran with obvious efficiency, ideal after the long journey. No rushing, just a gentle introduction to the place and the system. The senior guide, Lalu, ran me through an outline of the arrangements, a gentle interrogation on what I expected from my stay. I was delighted to find that all the guides are local, or relatively so, most of them clearly passionate fishermen themselves, fly tyers and, as it turned out, expert handlers of a variety of water craft. I was a bit perturbed to hear the term 'jet-boat' applied to one of the forms of transport, but it turned out to be a robust inflatable water platform powered by an outboard impeller allowing easy navigation of shallow water, rocks and debris. These are virtually unsinkable. In my ten days fishing I did not fish the same water twice, from log strewn lake edges hiding wonderful brown trout to spring creeks and freestone rivers where free rising brownies and rainbows were the order of the day. I dont want to give the impression that it was inordinately easy, it was not; but the opportunty to catch fish was ever present, the only inhibitor in any given situation was my own skill level. I have to report I managed some good shots alongside the odd inevitable duff cast. It was only on the last day, when the wind really got up, it was like fishing in a wind tunnel, that I felt almost defeated by the elements. Even then my guide took some time out to teach me a little single spey casting to beat the wind. We did catch fish.  

In accordance with your guidance I spent some time at the fly tying bench. Over-enthusiasm lead to me taking far more than I needed. The ever present Cantaria Beetles meant that the number one fly was any variation on a big black foam beetle ( though irridescent blue for some peculiar reason also seemed to work ) slapped down on the surface, attached to a 1x or 2x leader usually drew a response. In the Valley of the Moon (what a name) the fly of choice was a bright green grasshopper. We could almost groundbait with the real thing by walking through the grass. A perfect summer's day, with a light breeze, surrounded by a huge variety of birds, including several different raptors, I caught fish too numerous to count, from 12 to 22 inches. Magnificent! On one day we jet boated to the top end of Lake Elisalde, up a gin clear river populated with big brownies clearly visible on the bottom. When we reached the lake, in a large lagoon up to about 12 feet deep, there were many big fish cruising on the bottom. Dropping a big black beetle in the vicinity of a cruising fish provoked a slow deliberate take through the ripple. These were beatiful, well marked fish and many had a single blue spot on the gill cover. As soon as the wind dropped any line movement on the flat calm spooked the fish instantly. We then resorted to taking decent sized rainbows on size 16 Parachute Adams, in the mouth of the river. On a later day I fished a freestone river for rainbows, which needed super heavy nymphs ( 2 tunsten beads + lead ) to get down to the fish, using a floating indicator to help with bite detection.

When Sebastian arrived he made every effort to ensure that the guests were well looked after. I'll give you an example. An American couple arrived, both of whom fished. In the introductory chat they mentioned that it was their 30th wedding anniversary during the week. On the evening in question there were celebratory drinks provided and the couple (and everyone else) were seranaded by a local husband and wife duo singing Chilean love songs. All unannounced and included. A delicate touch I think, unsolicited and gracious. His attention to detail is excellent and the service provided first class. Incidentally, where wives turned up with fishing clients every effort was made to provide activities for them; guided walking treks and horse riding in particular.

All in all one of the best fishing holidays I have ever had, ever, including New Zealand. So well done. All travel arrangements went well.

About New Zealand. I had intended to go in January/February 2015. So watch this space. I will be going back to Chile in 2016 about the same time.

Best regards
Peter

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON FLY FISHING IN CHILE PLEASE CONTACT US ON +44 (0)1621743711 OR EMAIL: enquiries@flyodyssey.co.uk OR VISIT: WWW.FLYODYSSEY.CO.UK