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November South of the Border Style
 On
Halloween, I departed Portland heading for an overnight stay
in Cancun with Brian, Frank, and Larry, my companions on the
flights from Portland to Mexico. The other 14 anglers in our
party left earlier in the day. Upon arriving in Cancun our party
had a wonderful meal at a local steak/seafood house and went
to bed awaiting the next day's subsequent transfer to Casa Blanca
Fishing Lodge.
Sitting at the tip of the land known as "Punta Pajaros,"
Casa Blanca has established itself as one of the world's
finest fishing lodges. Casa Blanca is located at the southern
border of Ascension Bay, just north of the Bay of Espirtu Santo.
It is part of the Sian Ka'an Biosphere reserve, a United
Nations designated World Heritage Site, that covers 1.3 million
acres of protected Mangrove forests and bays and miles of ocean
flats.
 Looking
out the windows of the Cessna Caravan that carried us from Cancun
to the lodge, once we passed Punta Allen...there was no human
existence in sight, just mangroves and water...and then the
plane slowed, the motor deadened, and the landing strip and
the lodge came to view. Expectations were high...and we weren't
to be disappointed.
Upon arriving at the lodge, we were shown to our rooms and then
received the requisite welcome address, followed by a quick
bite to eat. Ceviche and a cold beverage is always a nice way
to be greeted. Staff members were gracious and welcoming...this
was the theme all week.
OK, OK, what about the fishing? We had arrived on the heels
of a "Northerner," a weather situation not at all common. The
manager, Tom, spoke of being 'cautiously optimistic' when fishing
was brought up. I was aware the weather had hampered the fishing
of the previous week. The wind blew strongly through Saturday
evening and waves crashed the shore, rods were rigged, casts
were made from the pier...we all went to bed anxiously awaiting
the morning.
When we woke up, there was not a cloud to be seen. We were treated
to a picture-perfect, sunny, cloudless day with a slight breeze.
This was to be the story of the week. Often at night we would
have a stronger breeze and sometimes rain, but during the day
very few clouds and the wind would die down. In fact I have
never been anywhere else where the wind dies during the mid-day
period...usually it is the other way around. Perfect conditions
for sight fishing to the fish we were able to spot.
Permit and bonefish abound in these waters teeming with life.
On our first day, the skiff hadn't slowed more than 2 pushes
from the pole when I heard a whisper from the platform, "bonefish,
60 ft. 11 o'clock," Luis pointed out. I hadn't even stripped
line off my reel yet. I have never been anywhere equal to the
amount of life here. The water is always nervous, something
is always moving, swimming, flying...jacks and barracuda crash
baitfish in all directions. We saw osprey, flamingos, and gulls
all cohabitating amongst the mangroves.
Bonefish were numerous and fish of all sizes were seen, I saw
fish in the 6-8 pound range...and some bigger every day. Many
permit were cast to...and 3 landed by the group. One angler
went a tarpon shy of the Grand Slam. He cast off the dock into
the darkness until midnight just to make sure his opportunity
wasn't missed.
I can honestly say that Casa Blanca exceeded my expectations
in every way. I'd like to express many thanks to the staff
who made this trip truly special. From the guides, to Nito "el
tequila diablo", and to management and the kitchen staff,
I have never seen consistent service at this level.
Upon returning this past weekend, I have already been contacted
by the members of this trip to schedule a return next year.
I would like to offer the following dates for anglers wishing
to join in:
October
31st to November 7th - Anglers to stay at Casa Blanca
November
7th - November 14th - Angler Couples to stay at Playa
Blanca.
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