photo credit: heydrienne

Midwestern Trout Guy seeks firm, silvery bonefish for a first time affair. Looking for a one day “adventure” in the Caribbean. My wife will be joining us. Must be willing and able to meet in the Yucatan in early June. No strings attached. Well, maybe a hook, a few feathers and some line….

Shortly after the wheels of the plane left the Earth, my thoughts turned from our coming tropical vacation to the 8 and 9 weights stowed above my head. A long awaited 10 day Mexican vacation was as clear as gin on the horizon. Warm sun, white sand beaches and the Caribbean Sea were on tap and this “flats virgin” could only think of that elusive apparition of the shallows-bonefish!

Would the waters of Ascension Bay be the same color as the photos in the books I devoured prior to the trip? Would the bonefish be a solid mass of muscle as I imagined them in my dreams? Could they possibly be into my backing in seconds? Will I be able to see them or even be able to present a fly to them without succumbing to nerves? Would I have the right flies in my arsenal of 5 dozen? Would I vomit on the guide?

These questions and others danced in my head as they would not be answered until our fourth day in Mexico…. A one day bonefish trip, was I loco?

l had been dreaming of this for many years and the buildup to our excursion was intense. The resort was beautiful, there were friendly people, great food, cervesas, margaritas, rum and tequila to keep me from obsessing too much about the flats. The bartenders did their damnedest to make sure I was going to be okay. My wife in her bikini did her part as well.

Snorkeling in the crystal clear waters of the resort in and around the reef, there were numerous species of jacks, palometas and even the odd barracuda. Could these be caught on flies? Should I possibly do this before the bonefish outing? I figured it would be like foreplay without ever getting laid. A very good time, but it would not be the big event. I chose not to settle, ordered a mojito and went sea kayaking. It was the perfect cold shower.

After a fitful night of sleep, the big day had arrived. I must have looked at the alarm clock every 5 minutes for eight hours straight. Our van arrived at the resort to take us to the lodge. I had everything packed, checked and re-checked. All systems were a go.

Small talk with the driver, my better half and another day-tripper made the journey smooth and easy. That is until the pavement ended. We bounced our way into the Sian Ka’an biosphere. Large iguanas and crabs scampered across the mangrove and palm tree lined road for much of the journey. We called the iguanas “Mexican squirrels” as they were as plentiful as the brown furry rodents are back home. The flora and fauna were all encompassing and nothing short of gorgeous. After some close calls with other vehicles on the one lane road, our driver finally announced “we are here.” A sense of serenity washed over my body. The folks at the lodge were waiting for us with big smiles and a wonderful breakfast.

After breakfast, our passionate guides checked lines, leaders and 4 oversized fly boxes. They smiled their approval. My boxes were jammed with some of the saltwater flies I had procured over the years and some that were tied especially for the big event. There were colors and sizes in those boxes that cannot be compared to the drab shades in my quiver of trout boxes. The names of the flies were even more vivid than regular old trout patterns-Crazy Charlie, Gotcha, Bitters and Merkin versus Adams, Wulff, Elk Wing Caddis and Hare’s Ear. It was fascinating opening up the jaws of my Renzetti to accommodate the large stainless steel hooks that the saltwater flies required. It felt liberating being able to tie a couple dozen bonefish flies in the time it normally would take me to spin a handful of dub bodied, hair wing, size 16 dry flies. As our guide dug deep into the box, he pulled out a rusty brown colored, rubber legged shrimp/baby lobster pattern I had tied after seeing some similar patterns. In his best English he said “ohhhh, this one is a good one.” Once knots were double checked and everything was rigged, we headed for the dock.

The pangas danced lightly on the surface of the azul water of Ascension Bay. The engines roared to life and we bolted across the bay. We arrived at a large protected flat that was as picturesque as any piece of water I had ever seen. Good idea, the less wind for us the better. We practiced casting under the watchful eyes of the guides as they scoured the bay for tailing bonefish. “Right in front 40 feet” were the enthusiastic words from the guide. I missed the first cast a little too far left, but the fish did not spook. “Wait, wait, wait, wait” was whispered from the guide. “They turned and are headed for…” At that point I felt a bonefish eat as I had so many times envisioned in my mind’s eye. I set the hook as instructed and my first bonefish showed me my backing as it hauled ass toward Cuba. A permanent smile was plastered on my face for the remainder of the day.

It really did not matter how many were hooked or landed as there were plenty of both. What mattered most was that I was in paradise with my wife and that we had experienced a day fishing that we will never, ever forget. For once, the anticipation of the first time lived up to its billing.