The Gear & Tackle Lists

Tackle

It is best to bring your own rods. Even for a day trip as the guides do have some equipment to loan but when they break a rod it is a few months before they are able to get a replacement. Therefore it is impossible to count on having a loaner rod available when you arrive.

Bonefish

• 7 - 8 weight rods (maybe a 9 on a windy day)

• Floating tropical line

• Disc drag reel with 200 yards of backing

• 9 ft-12 ft leaders with 8 lb. flourocarbon tippet

Permit

• 8-10 weight rods

• Floating tropical line and clear intermediate line

• Disc drag reel with 200 yards of backing

• 9-12 ft leaders with 8-12 lb. flourocarbon tippet

Tarpon

• 8 - 10 weight for small tarpon
  10-12 weight rods for the migratory fish ( summer
  

• Floating tropical line and clear intermediate line

• Disc drag reel with 300 yards of backing

• 9-12 ft leaders with 16 or 20 pound class tippet with 60-80 lb shock tippet

Barracuda

• bring the wire bite guards!!

THE FLY BOX

Go a little smaller than you might think,  better to have too many 8's than 4's for the bonefish.  Tie a few patterns with just the weight of the eyes as a variable 1 with lead eyes, 1 with chain, 1 with small chain, and 1 with no weight or mono eyes just to make sure you have flies for very skinny water all the way to waist deep water.  Presentation seems to be much more important than fly selection. Quantity is for a full week so divide by 6 for a day trip.

Fies and tying materials are hard to come by in Mexico so we encourage everryone to bring a basic box even for a day trip. The guides wil lalways have some secret weapons.

Gear

The following is a list of gear that we recommend. It's short cause the weather is so nice! Your biggest concern should be protecting yourself from the sun. Fishing gear recommendations are on found above. This is a packing list for a week long trip. Daytrippers may not need a few items.

• Sunscreens SPF 15, 30, Zinc Oxide Sunblock for lips and nose

• Hat with brim and neck guard (or sunhat for non anglers)

• Long sleeve shirt and pants for fishing, white socks ( tops of feet get burned in the boats)

• Sunglasses (polarized of course)

• Wading boots

• Bath ing suits

• T-shirts

• Shorts

• Underwear

• Sandals

• Boat and walking shoes

• Beach towels and blanket

• Rain jacket (an occasional cold squall will roll though!)

• Bug repellent (not often needed but important if you do)

• Passport or birth certificate and picture ID

• Camera & film

• Reading & writing materials

• Snorkel equipment (we have some if you don't)

• Some cash(nearest cash machine is 3 hours away!) to tip guides

• fishing tackle and equipment

• lightweight sleeping bag(for camping adventures only)

• flashlight

Equipment and Gear Buying Guide

Rods:

Always buy 4 or 5 piece rods - they are so much easier to pack and the technology in making ferrules means you cant' feel the joints anymore. Whether it is the latest and greatest evolution of graphite or technology that is 5- 10 years old, modern rods are a pleasure to cast.

REELS:

I use large arbor reels for saltwater and fresh water. The retrieval rate is awesome and it helps the drag maintain a consistent pressure while a fish is running. ( The diameter doesn't change much as you lose line as it does on a standard arbor) There are some wonderful reels out there but the Mach Large Arbor is a great value, it is light, it is pretty, it is smooth and it doesn't cost a fortune!



FLY LINES:



Fly lines should be specific to the conditions - Broad categories include: Warm Water or Cold Water?, SaltWater or Fresh water? Lines can be full floating,  full sinking,  or partial sinking (sink tip). The tapers can vary infinite ways to help you throw different kinds of flies in different situations, or one taper may help you mend line easier than another.  Almost every manufacture of high quality lines will offer a line for the specific species  and purpose you are looking for.

LEADERS:

I prefer to use flouro carbon leaders for most of my fly fishing needs (salt or freshwater) as they have more abrasion resistance than standard monofilament.

I also always use flouro carbon tippets for fresh and saltwater applications for it's invisible nature. Most of our destinations have pretty stupid fish but it still makes sense to use the most invisible tippet.

FLIES :

If you need flies for one of our trips we can provide you with a selection specific for the time of year and destination you are traveling to.  This is a courtesy to our clients and we do not sell flies to anglers who have not booked a trip through us! ( We are not snobs we just are not set up to provide tons of flies!) The selections usually come in $100, $150, $200 selections.


 



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