Mrs Ruggiero from Cedar Crest, NM, caught 41 BONEFISH IN TWO DAYS, while fly fishing for the first time in salt water...
"Bob did a great job in helping us put together our first flats fishing experience. He suggested both: Let It Be Inn and doing it in the month of April. Excellent guidance.
The lodge and setting were great. They were surpassed only by the great service we received from everyone. Plus we all had fun (lots of it) too. not just fishing but relaxing and socializing.
Everyone was terrific! By having a maximum of 6 guests we all got to know one another quickly (owners, staff and guests). Crazy Charlies is a great setting to unwind before and after dinner plus they play some great CD's too.
We don't know if Rick and Rosie were being overly gracious, but beer, wine at dinner and national liquors were included at no fee. If this is the norm, they might want to tout it.
Ruben and Greg were terrific. Rubens spotting of game was unbelievable. Even at week end we still had problem seeing up close what he saw from yards away. Both guides were very patient, especially with us having no experience in this environment. They gave us fishing tips, casting help and gave 200% to make sure we caught fish and had fun doing it. Overall, a great experience.
We are glad we've found Fishing International."
- Edward Ruggiero, NM.
I was out with Let It Be Inn's top two guides, Manuel Chac and Ruben Franco.We had been out 3 days prior and hooked Permit 2 of the 3 days. We weredoing some Tarpon fishing and waiting for the sun to get a little higher before looking for Permit. 3 Tarpon had ducked under the Mangrove and while we were waiting for them to come out we looked over our shoulder and the Permit was tailing 20 meters behind the boat. My first cast was a little to close to the fish and he spooked Surprisingly, he settled back down and took the fly on the second cast.
I was fishing with 15 pound tippet and using a "standard"
yarn crab. There was so many Tarpon around that day that the
Grand Slam was just a matter of getting the Permit in the
boat. It was without a doubt the best two weeks of fishing
I've ever had in Ascension bay.
Greg De Julio
January 2002
Dear Fishing International Inc.
With Rick and Rose the owners and Greg to lend a hand in all fishing situations, Rubins, Manwell and all the other guides make just a perfect team. Nothing was too much trouble to make my stay a good one.
Day one started with breakfast at 7;00am, the Panga was ready to go for 7;30am. By 11:30am I had taken half a dozen nice bonefish off the local flats. Later we decided to walk along the beach where there was chance of catching bigger bonefish and maybe see a permit, Manwell was constantly in attendance bringing the boat up at the rear. Only a hundred yards into the walk we spotted three small permit close to the shore, the first shot produce nothing! We quickly changed to a six weight with a smaller fly and bingo the fish was on. A five minute fight ensued before the fish was tailed, photographs were taken. At this point Manwell told me that two third of a grand slam had been achieved. While having lunch a ten weight was prepared for Tarpon and at 2pm we set off on a long run South to give it a try. The first area produced nothing and the same for the second area, no fish spotted no shots taken. 3:45pm we entered a small channel in the mangrove and just when we had given hope two tarpon were spotted. 60ft 12o'clock Rubin said make it count and I did, the fish hit! I got one chance and luckily the fish stayed on.
Photo Mike
Mulhearn
Mike Mulhearn wading the flats of Ascension Bay.
Summary
Fishing
- First day a Grand Slam and it just went on and on.
- Snook to double figures.
- Barracudas, snappers and tarpon on fly.
- 1 permit on fly.
- Over 150 bonefish caught.
- A 30 bonefish day with fish in the 5lb - 7lb range
Lodge and Guide
- Lodge excellent
- Food Excellent
- >Guides Excellent and hard working
- Weather OK
I have been fishing the flats now for seven years and this trip was by far the best.
A thousand thanks to everyone at Let It Be, I'll see you next year.
Regards
Mike Mulhearn, England
March 16, 2001
The lodges meals and service were outstanding! Rick and
Rosie were marvelous host and hostess. Rosie's culinary
skills are outstanding and their hospitality
exemplary.
The fishing program was excellent....good fishing, thoughtful guides and excellent boats. The daily organization of fishing, the starting times, was superb. This was the best fishing and most fun of any trip of this kind that I have had.
Rodney Block, Napa, CA
January 2001
"Bob; The trip was great! The hosts were great! The fishing was great! The food was great. Our guides were amazingly good and really into the fishing. It was very windy most of the time which made fishing pretty difficult and the water very muddy. However, our guides knew the area so well that even in the worst weather they could find somewhere to fish. I caught fish every day, we caught all three species (bones, permit and tarpon) unfortunately not for the same person and in the same day for the grand slam. We also caught snook, cuda, jack crevale and snapper. We both came very close to a double grand slam in our second day. My father caught a permit, a bone and had one long release tarpon. I also had many bones that day (one while fishing for tarpon with a big fly and 80 pound shock), a jack crevalle, hooked a big tarpon which threw the hook after a jump, and had a permit bite but couldn't get a good hook set. I had many, many shots a big permit that day. In fact our guides put us on a spot that had all the three species in it and plenty of them. I finally caught my tarpon in the last day. I will probably send more of a report with some pictures once they develop near the end of the week. Thanks for making this trip possible". - Donald M Doell, Canada