Ascension Bay Fishing Report with Captain Greg Rahe (April 2012)
Captain Greg Rahe, guide and owner of Club Grand Slam on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, on what happens at his lodge when the permit won’t play ball…
Time for Plan B!
What do permit anglers do when the weather gets ugly and the permit fishing is off? They head to the backcountry and wail on snook and tarpon. It started on day one, with high winds and dark skies, and then took on a life of its own. The first group had so much fun, they came back to the lodge with stories of bush whacking in the mangroves, and everybody wanted to get into the action. It seemed that every new group, upon hearing stories of a fabled 100lb snook, wanted to spend a day or two or the whole week exploring the backcountry.
Ascension Bay is known best for its wading flats and big schools of bonefish and permit. However, ringing the bay are approximately 200 square miles of hidden mangrove passageways and large green rooms full of snook and tarpon. These areas rarely see anglers, and we have spent the last six years intently mapping them with GPS and Google Earth.
April was a tremendous month here in Punta Allen, and Ascension Bay. Our final tally was 357 bonefish to 8lbs, 47 tarpon to 60lbs, 34 snook to 40lbs, 8 permit to 25lbs. Four Grand slams… yee haa! And a whole lotta anglers imbibing Lupita’s margaritas in the late afternoon.
Captain Greg Rahe is the co-owner of Club Grand Slam in Punta Allen, on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Click here to find out more about the lodge
