Palometa Club 2013 Opening Week January 4-11, 2013
Darren Soice and I arrived at the club on January 4 with Dick, who just got back from Alaska, to herald in the start of the 2013 season.
After a relaxed evening of setting up our gear and Dick looking for things that needed addressing to get the lodge up and running (Kaye had done everything before her departure at the end of the fall season), we all retired early in anticipation of our week.
Our first three days saw reasonable winds of around 16-18 knots but we fought with cloud a bunch. Even with that, under the ever impressive supervision of Korreano/Tony, Alonso/Fabian, and Julio/Gerardo, we managed to find a few Permit here and there. Most importantly, we managed to stick a few in the face and put some flags on the pole every day.
Day 4 was absolutely perfect. Almost cloudless, with around 18 knot winds from the south-southeast, we were able to see a lot more Permit in these conditions. Darren had a great day, with 2 Permit to the boat and after several hours of psychological breakdown on my part, I also managed to land a respectable fish as well. I’m pretty certain that Julio, Gerardo, and Darren were much more excited about this fish as it ended a couple hours of reflective silence, a self imposed “benching” on myself, and a certainty on my part that I should maybe stayed in bed that day.
Days 5 and 6 were not kind in the form of almost 100% cloud cover and diabolical wind speeds. Wednesday we woke up, saw that the sun would likely not make an appearance that day and the wind was dirtying the bay. So rather than forcing the issue, Alonso took us way back into the bay where the fresh water bubbles through the stone in channels and lagoons to give life to Ascension. Had a great day, chasing Tarpon all morning and then, after lunch, having an awesome time with Snook until it was time to head back to the club.
The last day was pretty much the same, so after consultation with Korreano and Tony, we headed off on the slightly extended ride to the backcountry lagoons and channels of Santa Rosa. This proved to be a great decision as well. We had a fabulous day of Baby Tarpon fishing with targets being available pretty much non-stop throughout the day. A whole whack of fish jumped, a lot less boated, it was one of the more enjoyable days I have had in a while and Darren just never stopped grinning.
So, once again, we headed home (not wanting to leave) completely impressed with the hospitality of Dick and Kaye, the unique resource they possess in their staff and guides, and this spectacular fishery!
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