Fly Fishing Information for Tarpon season in the island of Puerto Rico is located
just a short 3 to 4 hour flight from any major city on the East coast of
the United States. Unknown to many, Puerto Rico offers some of the most
sensational fly fishing and light tackle opportunities in the
Caribbean. The West coast waters offer to any angler a fishing paradise in the winter.
The season start in October to May and the area is home to a significant population of resident tarpon year-round .
Plenty of larger fish also ply the regions bays, lagoon and estuaries
throughout the year. The big Tarpon are present, presumably to take advantage of
the warmer waters and plentiful forage.
I had the good fortune to call
the flats and bays my office for work . Cabo Rojo is a magnificent area
to cast a streamer in front of hungry tarpon. I was presented with the options
of casting to schools of feeding fish over vast shallow flats, working amongst
entangled mangroves to pocket pools & tiny creeks with single fish, and
working the magic of the river. There’s enough variety in this game to keep
anyone engaged.
A massive mangrove shoreline dominates the coastal habitat.
Crystalline waters are the norm for the lower reaches as they empty into
sweeping flats. On the other hand, rust-stained hues characterize the smaller
quarters of the upper river and tiny creek habitats. The estuary habitat is
superb; shallow sandy-bottomed grass beds, banks dominated by mangrove roots and
green canopy. The entire region sports an average depth of two to Twenty feet overall. The dynamics provide you with a perfect
window to sight-fish.
The estuary’s open water affords fly fishers with
360 degrees of casting opportunity. Keep your eyes peeled – scan for dorsals
& tails, breezing baitfish, or erupting water and instant mayhem. The flats
are a casters dream situation. The longer you can cast a line, the better your
chances of reaping the harvest. Everyone standing on the bow of the flat boat
have the opportunity to cast your fly
in front of the silver king.
It’s an awesome place to explore. It’s darn
productive for feeding fish. This place isn’t for the faint of heart however as
you’ll be challenged in all aspects of your angling skills. You earn every fish
that comes to hand. I love this game.
Once the fly hit its mark a tarpon
wouldn’t waste any time with their reaction.
Fly
Fishing for Puerto Rico Tarpon of
all sizes continues to be a sport in growing demand for the traveling
angler, as more and more people realize it is easier to schedule a
fishing trip to Puerto Rico than to a foreign country. Being a
commonwealth of the United States, there is no passport and tourist visa
required by US citizens to enter and leave Puerto Rico, also the local
currency is the US Dollar further simplifying your travels. It is like
going to Florida for the winter but with a Caribbean flair! I am the
only fly fishing guide service in the west coast of Puerto Rico and we
are
booked months in advance during the winter tourism season, which
coincides with the best tarpon fishing, with many opportunities for fly
fishermen to experience tarpon on a fly.
An experienced angler should hire a guide to see where the fishing
action is taking place, what is the technique employed and the choice of
flies and equipment, once that is information has been passed on by the
guide, the more adventuresome angler can then fish with confidence for
the same species the guide fished with the customer. Unfortunately, the
truly great fishing is available only from these knowledgeable guides,
who monitor the moving schools of tarpon, and in reality these fish are
accessible only
by boat. Tarpon are indeed the favorite target for fly fishermen, with
fish of every size available at all times of the year, from juveniles in
the mangrove lined channels that run from 5 to 15 pounds to 150 pound
or more giants that can be found anywhere in this water .
Fly fishermen can expect some chances to hook one of these fish, with
success measured in the fish you “jump” rather than catch, mainly due
to the hard mouth of the tarpon, which makes hooking and landing one of
these fish very frustrating at times. As a guide, I have noticed that
the main reason for tarpon to throw the fly is because most anglers will
lift the rod on a strike, like in the act of hooking a trout, tarpon
have a very hard mouth and must be struck very hard, I like to recommend
the fishermen to practice fishing with the rod slightly lower than
perpendicular to water’s surface, and practicing strip striking with the
stripping hand, then lifting the rod and fighting the fish. The same
techniques that were mentioned in the bait fishing section of this
article work wonders for the fly angler as well. Releasing a tarpon of
any size on a fly rod is an awesome feeling, knowing that you have
conquered one of the truly game fish species in the world. Fly fishing
in saltwater is really a lot of work, casting heavy rods for hours
waiting for the right time, it is worth the wait! The visiting fly
fisherman that travels to Boqueron Bay in search of tarpon and snook will
have to be equipped with at least 3 rods, an 8 wt, a10 wt and a 11 wt;
these will enable the angler to address most of the fishing conditions
that arise.
Reels need to be preferably of the large arbor type capable of
holding the fly line plus 350 yards of backing and equipped with a
smooth drag system that will handle the fast, strong runs of a tarpon.
Lines can be of the floating, or intermediate sinking type, with a
shooting head line a nice addition to the arsenal, just in case the wind
decides to get a little nasty. Most charters will provide all fly
fishing equipment, as well as Us and locally tied flies. Shore fishing
can be done from most the shore targeting several of the reef
species found in the area usual catches are snappers of various species,
barracudas, ladyfish and a variety of jacks. A spinning reel and
matching rod capable of holding 250 yards of 8 pound monofilament is
the best choice of tackle as most of the beaches will be wind swept
during the day, making fly casting difficult in the open. Jigs, plugs
and shiny spoons seem to gather the most attention among the reef
predators as they resemble the small baitfish that congregate on the
reefs.
As in other Caribbean islands you have to be careful as you wade and
fish the beaches, always gently shuffle your feet as you walk, that way
you disturb the stingrays making them swim away without a tail swipe and
possible injury with their poisonous spine. The fly fisherman needs to
be able to cast in different scenarios, short 20 foot roll casts in the
mangrove channels and 60 to 70 feet long casts for open water fishing.
It is important to practice the double haul at a park, football or
soccer field. I am going to emphasize, Please practice your double haul
ahead of time, I can not tell you how hard it is to learn this on the
water, with tarpon rolling everywhere. And in the event of a spectacular
tarpon feeding frenzy, you will hear your heart pounding through your
chest. The waters in Boqueron Bay is cristal clear, and let me
tell you folks, tarpon have the keenest eyes, make no mistake about it,
when they want your bait or fly they will eat it!
Because of the cristal clear water , distance is more desirable an
accuracy; the longer the fly is in the water (Strike Zone!), the better
the chance for a strike. Many different types of flies work in Puerto
Rico, most of the tarpon and snook are taken on the following: Tarpon
Toad Purple/Black, Woolly Mullet, gray Grey/Silver/Black, a tarpon
bunnys Back/Brown/Purple, Clouser Minnow,Olive/White/Black,Black
paradise,
and the innovative Gummi Minnow. Always have some Guglers in 2/0 on
hand just in case a Tarpon and
Snook feeding frenzy forms while you are in the water, an unforgettable
sight for those fortunate to see the hundreds of fish working under the
screaming seagulls and pelicans.
For those that want to wade the reefs and beaches, some deceivers in
white, olive, yellow and silver are always a good choice. Leaders need
to be 6 to 9 feet long, with a butt section of 50 pound fluorocarbon
tapering to 30 pound, then followed by your tippet section in 16 to 20
pound and finished with 2 feet of 40 pound fluorocarbon and a bite
tippet of 50 to 100 pound test fluorocarbon, depending on the size of
fish targeted. Although expensive, fluorocarbon leaders are invariably
the best, for their invisibility in the water and their resistance to
abrasion. As with all types of fishing it pays off to keep your knot
selection and leader construction easy to tie and foolproof. From years
of experience I have found that bimini twists, perfection loops, blood
knots and uni-knots are reliable and perform flawlessly in most
conditions. Armed with this basic information you are now able to
schedule a trip to beautiful, friendly Puerto Rico and give yourself a
real fight, the one that only a leaping tarpon will give you.Puerto Rico is the “secret” hotspot just a few hours from any major airport
in the US mainland.
This is a fishery that makes for lifetime memories. The
guides and hosts will certainly add their special touch. If you’re interested
in more travel details please contact :
Capt. Francisco "Pochy" Rosario
http://lighttackleadventuretarponfishing.blogspot.com/
