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More Musings
Changes in Latitude Winter 1999
On April 27th, Jim Melton, Carl Kirksey ( a former member of TRTU) and I boarded a plane in Charlotte bound for Cancun Mexico. This was to be the first leg of our trip, an overnight in Cancun and then on to Havana Cuba on a flight the next day. We packed our saltwater gear for a chance to have some action with the fast running fish of the ocean, namely bonefish, tarpon and permit.
On arrival in Cancun, we checked into our hotel and found a wonderful restaurant for supper, La Haichuela, truly great food and atmosphere. Later, Carl (better known as “El Tigre”) suggested cocktails at Chilly Willy’s an internationally known feline hangout.
Next morning we decided that a change of plan was in order. We had heard that Castro had decided to close the fishing grounds and had the area guarded by armed militia. Not wanting to cause an international incident by slipping around the guards and also not particularly desirous of visiting a Cuban prison, we decided to boycott Cuba in favor of Belize. After all we're Americans, we can go anywhere!
Belize is a small country, about the size of Massachusetts, and located just below Mexico's Yacutan Peninsula. I had visited Belize two years ago and had done some spectacular scuba diving in the gin-clear waters off the coast. So, we obtained new airline tickets that would take us as far as Belize City, the capital. Upon arrival in Belize City we boarded a flight to Placentia in Southern Belize. Placentia is a small, laid back village with the distinction of having the smallest main street in the world according to Guinness Book of Records ( it's a sidewalk!).
Since this trip was now a bit unplanned, we decided to go straight to the home of Charlie Leslie, a world-class saltwater fly fishing guide. Praying that Charlie would be available all the way to his house, we found him napping in a hammock in his back yard. The good news was that he wasn't booked, the bad news was that he had been ill and would be leaving the next day to see a physician in Belize City. Charlie recommended a hotel for us to stay at and a guide who could take us fishing the next day for some standard deep sea fishing. We noticed the temperature had increased ten or fifteen degrees from the 85 Mexico temperature, but after a wonderful meal of broiled grouper we finally set up three fans and got some sleep.
Next morning we set out with James, our guide to fish near the reef, 22 miles offshore.
It was hot! We made liberal use of powerful sunscreen and kept covered. For Jim Melton, a guy who lives to winter backpack and wade in waters about to ice over, thoughts of my having coaxed him to the gates of hell surely crossed his mind.
At the fishing grounds we saw a lot of fish in these clear waters, you can see the bottom at forty to fifty feet. There were fish everywhere, even flying fish coming out of the water. We trolled through a school of tuna three times! Without a bite. We had noticed the night before that the moon was nearly full. These fish feed at night during moonlit periods - not a good omen for us. If El Tigre had not hooked a four foot barracuda, we'd been shut out for the day. James was disappointed and pointed out that we should have been there yesterday. How many places have I been a day late? More than I can recall.
After a shower and another fine seafood meal, we ran the fans and tried to sleep again. Next morning, with Charlie still not available, another guide was obtained and Melton and El Tigre went back to happy fishing grounds. I had talked with James and discovered that he actually did more scuba diving than fishing and that the whale sharks were in the area in numbers for mating season. I have been trying to swim with one of these truly magnificent creatures for the past two or three years without success. So I went scuba diving with James.
Comparing notes at the end of the day over ice cold Belikens, (the local brew) Melton had saved the day with the requisite barracuda catch, and I had missed sighting a whale shark by five minutes. However, Melton and El Tigre had seen one near the surface, a forty footer. These are the largest fish in the world. Gentle giants, they feed on plankton and very small marine animals.
Our hotel was mostly empty and there were air conditioned rooms, so Melton decided we should avail ourselves of this invention. I was a little cool that night, but a warm blanket lent some comfort.
Charlie Leslie arrived at the beach by boat the next morning to pick us up. Finally we'd get to use those fly rods. First, though, he would take us to the Tarpon Hole to spin cast for some of those monsters. Again, we saw lots of fish - tarpon in the sixty to eighty pound range. Without a strike! The day was turning hotter, but the fishing was not, so off to the flats for some fly fishing. The tide was right and we arrived to find big permit finning in the shallow water. We casted and chased them around and then caught some bonefish. Then a funny thing happened. As I turned to walk across the flats to the boat, I could see Charlie, our guide and Carl, but where was Jim Melton? He was nowhere in sight! How could this be, we were eighteen miles from land. As I got closer to the boat I nervously shouted to the others - where's Melton? Hoping, all the while that they would know what became of him so I could explain it when we returned from this peaceful land that maintains full diplomatic relations with the United Stated.
Carl and Charlie pointed downward to the water near the boat - and there he was, fully clothed, floating in the shallow water in the shade of the boat, sound asleep!
We'd had a great day - bonefish will strip flyline like no other fish - exciting stuff. Permit are out of the questions for beginners like us, so it's not real disappointing ot to catch them. El Tigre hooked two pelicans at the Tarpon Hole, though they thankfully escaped - I haven't heard how they taste!
Next day, I decide to make one last effort to dive with the whale shark. El Tigre had had too much fun and decided to laze around the grounds. Nobody wanted to fish with Melton anyway, so he went with Charles Cabral, who may be the second best guide in the world, but not far from the first. Jim had decided he had gotten the hang of what needed to be done to be successful with bonefish and told Charles this as they arrived on the flats - then fell off the boat headfirst! Surely Charles was convinced that Jim was an experienced saltwater angler from that adept maneuver!
Over cold Belikens, we compared notes at the end of this glorious day to find out that Melton had caught bonefish and five permit! I had been diving with a 30 foot whale shark as well as a pod of bottle nose dolphin!
As with all good things, this trip came to an end, but only after stopping at six airports enroute to Cancun, where we once again dined sumptuously at La Habichuela and returned to our hotel. Since El Tigre was so well rested from his lazy day, we left him to prowl Cancun's night scene alone.
This was a great trip, but I can't help but think that it may have been even greater with a bit of planning. Watch out for that full moon!!
By: Stan Cutts
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