9 minute read
Puerto Rico: PR Poons on the Fly
PUERTO RICO:
PR Poons on the Fly
As we motored out of the boat launch, Barrett cranked up the turtle box. Soothing reggae tunes started filling the fresh Puerto Rican morning air and – suddenly - all the previous day’s flights were forgotten. He put the hammer down on the Maverick and we raced away across the early morning glass conditions and into PR Tarpon Town.
By: EUGENE PAWLOWSKI // Photos by: EUGENE PAWLOWSKI, MARINA BOQUERON and NO NAME FLY LODGE
Puerto Rico may not be some wild, remote location, but traveling there from Australia certainly presents its challenges. You also tend to garner some strange looks when you explain why you’ve journeyed so far just to catch a fish. But not just any fish! The last time I encountered Megalops Atlanticus was in early 2019 in Cuba.
“They are arguably the number one fish to pursue on a 9-foot rod”
Thanks to the Kung Flu, this experience was long overdue, and Puerto Rico had been on my radar for quite some time. With plenty of Google searches under my belt and glimpses of pictures, along with some half-arsed YouTube clips, my anticipation was building.
For anyone who has had an encounter with tarpon on a fly rod, they’ll understand just how much these fish get under your skin. They are arguably the number one fish to pursue on a 9-foot rod. Whether fishing them on dreamy clear sand flats, in dirty river mouths, deep in jungle rivers with howler monkeys watching from the canopy, or amidst the mangroves with hordes of mosquitoes attacking, tarpon will test your skills and determination. But regardless of the scenario, they will still try to outsmart you if you don’t give them full attention with your fly rod.
Strings pulled
So, after enduring five flights and reconnecting with a couple of Yank mates (whom I believe I met in Bolivia back in 2017), we boarded the puddle jumper. However, not without facing a serious last-minute logistical challenge at San Juan airport. I wouldn’t recommend traveling with 2-piece fly rods on Cape Air; they really don’t appreciate those “dirty” fly rods in the plane. Fortunately, some strings were pulled, and a big shout-out goes to Cooper & Matt at No Name Lodge.
As I left three new NRXT2S rods with a total stranger at the airport, I mentally prepared myself that I might never see them again. But to my relief, later that evening, the rods arrived, and all was well. A few cold rum drinks were certainly in order to celebrate, and the rod tube was humorously labeled “the bazooka” thereafter.
Getting into the groove
Frank and I were up early, with the coffee brewing and engaging in good old-fashioned “yarns” (Australian slang for catching up), reminiscing about the past couple of years and our fishing adventures together in NZ.
Slowly, the rest of the house stirred awake, and the aroma of coffee had everyone eagerly anticipating the day ahead. We loaded up the Maverick skiffs and set out. Thirty minutes later, we found ourselves standing on the dock, greeted by the resident boat ramp poon—a promising sign, to say the least.
Barrett idled back the Yamaha outboard and poled us into our first spot. It didn’t take long for him to direct us to the first pod of poons coming our way, and Chris, my fishing companion, made the first shot. A fish peeled off, tracking the fly, but turned away at the last minute. However, it wasn’t long before the next fish appeared. Chris took another shot, and before we knew it, there was 30 pounds of silver airborne. That set the tone for the rest of the day, with us either landing or jumping fish, going fish for fish.
Tackling PR tarpon
(I used a 10wt fly rod with a floating intermediate line, a black and… blah, blah, blah blah!)
I won’t get too deep into what when and how, just a run-down of what we encountered. As I am sure most of you have made it this far, you have surely fished for tarpon or are aware of what’s involved. You just need a double haul, good quality brake, and a rod with decent lifting power.
What we encountered in PR was absolute gluttony on the tarpon’s behalf. We fished on front-edge mangrove shorelines, coastal flats, and some mangrove pockets, and if there was some sargassum weed in the mix, the tarpon were not going to be too far away. Add to that a black and purple tarpon fly or if you really wanted some fun, a gurgler or popper. I even tied on a 6/0 NYAP; it got destroyed. This is an absolute blast!!! If you have not experienced this, then I must say, get around it; you will not be disappointed.
“What we encountered in Puerto Rico was absolute gluttony”
When you are getting several blowups in the one retrieve or jumping one only to connect with another fish a few strips later it’s mayhem! We had this madness for the first 3 days. After that, we settled into a more orderly routine with jumping a few.
According to Barrett, this was normal, especially more so as the weather was warming and the sargassum weed started arriving. I have experienced sargassum weed in Cuba, and we had some hot tarpon fishing then too.
No easy shot
Another great moment was on the last day. It was one of those classic tarpon cast-and-eat-scenarios, one that stays with you for a long time, that you sit and yarn about years later, and it reminds you of why you fly fish.
I was fishing with my good mate Frank; Frank was up on the bow and ready. It had been a slower-than-normal morning, and we were concentrating on looking for bigger fish on the outside.
Matt was pushing us down an edge; we had good sun but a steady 15kts of trade wind across us. We came to a big sandy patch; we staked out for a moment. If any fish were to push over the sandy patch, it would stand right out against the sand after coming off the turtle grass.
Before too long, Matt calls, “good fish coming at 11 o’clock.” This was no easy shot for Frank; he had the wind in his face, and Matt had to hold the boat long enough for Frank to get one shot before the wind would push us off.
Matt spun the boat slightly to give Frank a better shot. Frank held his nerve, Matt called “make the shot,” Frank made the cast, and a bloody good shot around 50 - 60ft into the wind!! (That does not sound that exciting or difficult, but put yourself in that position, two sets of eyes watching you, the guide has one chance at giving you the optimal shot before the skiff gets blown out of position, 50ft cast is easy in the park, but put a 60lb tarpon closing in on you fast, suddenly a bit of pressure is mounting. Sure, a keys veteran would do it in their sleep, but we are all not keys veterans spending 100 days on the water, now are we?) But one thing Frank does do is before each trip, he puts in some solid hours getting his casting in saltwater form, and on this day, it showed, and Frank crushed it.
“The poon was all over that fly like a pig on a truffle hunt”
“Matt’s instructions: ‘Wait, waiiit, wait, strip, strip, strip, set, set, set—stick him!’ That poon was all over that fly like a pig on a truffle hunt. Frank got a solid hook set and cleared the line, surviving the first of the tarpon dance where it’s all over the water like an out-of-control Polaris missile.
In good time, we had her boat side, some solid fist pumps, high fives, a few grip-and-grins, and then we watched her swim away. Well played, Frank. Well played!!!
PR permit
We also chased some PR Permit, but it’s not for the faint-hearted. It’s real in-your-face fishing. You are on foot on the reef with waves crashing all around you, stumbling over rocks and coral.
From a distance, it must look like you have just come out of the pub after necking pints for 8 hours. It’s great visual fishing as you get very close to the perms, but getting a fly in the zone is not easy. But if it were easy, then you probably would not be holding a fly rod to start with. If you are lucky enough to connect with one, then it’s a whole different ball game that’s very likely to end in tears and an empty bottle of rum.
No Name Lodge
No Name Lodge is a great little operation. Matt is a fantastic manager/host who runs things well, and he has a good bunch of guides from Florida who are dialed into the fishery. No over-the-top egos here, just down-to-earth fishy crew that all have the same sickness as you or I.
If you’re after a Tarpon fix and looking for something a little different away from the Keys or Mexico and want shots at some serious numbers of fish, especially if it’s your first time fly fishing for Tarpon or even if you’re a seasoned hand, plus for the real sickos out here, the chance to dance with the black-tailed devil, then I recommend putting PR in your travel plans.”
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