I am trying to make plans for my half-century mark and have been given some latitude. I am trying to plan something to do with bonefish, tarpon and, maybe permit.

I have checked out the internet for Islamorda, but am just overwhelmed. I find many guides and many places to stay, but I have no personal experience.

April looks like a good time, but I am just befuddled with everything else.

If anyone has personal experience and can recommend guides (especially) and places to stay, I would be very thankful. I am thinking 3 or 4 anglers and 6 various other family members who need a nice place to stay, with access to a pool and the beach, the closer to the beach, the better.

I am also intrigued with other loacations out in the islands, but I am at ground zero as far as knowlege and information about those.

Most anything constructive would help. Thanks in advance.

Tad,
I hope I can help. I went to Islamorada two years ago hoping to catch my first bonefish. Here is what I found.
The good things.
1. The keys are a really cool place. Lots of things to see and do. My wife loved going 50 mph in the flats boat over the super shallow water.
2. We stayed at a place called Cheeca Lodge. Nice rooms, one of the better place to stay in Islamorada. Pretty good $$$ to stay there.
The bad Things.
1. Not a great place to go if it is your first flats type fishing trip. Islamorada has some of the largest bonefish in the world. They are also very spooky. Lots of pressure on them plus the weather elements (Wind!) can make fishing very difficult.
2. Guides - There are some old salty seadogs as guides in Florida. The first day I hoped in the boat, my guide asked if I had bought him lunch. At $425.00 a day, I don't think so. He should have bought me lunch and dinner. LOL
I fished two days with different guides and didn't catch any bones. I can't remember their names. We had shots, but like I said, not a great place to start bonefishing. Bonefish are spooky enough, permit are even tougher. I did catch some small barracuda's and got my first bonefish while fishing off the beach at Cheeca Lodge.
A buddy of mine who has fished Christmas Island bonefish several times fished there for a week without catching a bonefish. He went back this spring and got blanked on tarpon.
All in all I had a good time but was disappointed in the fishing. I know the keys offer some great fishing but it just didn't happen for me.
You may want to post this same message on Dan Blanton's Board. There are lots of people with flats fishing expierence there that my have other places / suggestions you my want to look at for you big 50 trip.
www.danblanton.com
Good Luck,
Brian

Brian,

Thanks very much for the reply. I don't want to bite off more than I can chew with this trip. The difficulty catching those fish sounds like something I've heard or read before. I can hardly imagine being in some place for a whole week where you know there are fish but can't catch them no matter what you do. The older I get, the more frustrating that scenario becomes. Perhaps I should widen my search. I know there are a lot of really cool sounding tropical places where the fish are more cooperative, if not as large.

Thanks, again, for your help.

For my first bonefish trip I went to Placencia Belize. It's not really known as a fishing spot but I caught lots of bones (mostly 12-20 inches). I had some 30 fish days. I got skunked on Permit but had one take...I just missed it. There are also tarpon. I went in March.
Feel free to email me and I could give you more info.
Dave

Seastrike,

Thanks for your reply. I sent you an email.

Thanks, again.

Tad I think that email went to my home...
work email is dlane@bay-loans.com
phone is 206 260-1810
Dave

Tad,
After my trip to Florida, I really wanted to go somewhere to catch lots of bonefish. I took a trip last spring to the Turks & Caicos Islands, which are south of the Bahama's. I caught 23 bonefish while there. Expierenced anglers I fished with had twenty fish days.
Here are a couple other places you may want to consider for your trip.
Playa Blanca or Punta allen area in Mexico. These are south of Cancun in a nature reserve. You get shoots at lots of types of fish, tarpon, permit, bones. I've had friends go there and all had good times provided the weather held up.
Make sure you do a post on Dan Blantons website. Tell them what you want to fish for, who will be with you (wife, kids) and things to do while you fish. You should get some good responses.
Also do a internet search "Mexico Bonefish" and you will come up with a lot of options.
One other option is to call Fishing International at 1-800-950-4242 and tell the what you want to do and see if they can arrange a package for you.
Good Luck,
Brian

Brian,

Thanks much for the information. I look forward to tracking down the leads you have given me. Planning these things is a good part of the fun. Makes an old parrothead feel almost spry!

Thank you,

I fished out of Bud and Mary's Marina with Richard Stanczick (sp?) a few year back. I don't think he guides, but may be able to give you some help.

Last year I went to Grand Bahama Island and fished for bones there. A whole lot smaller fish, but literally hundreds on the flats. I'm a losuy caster with unweigthed shrimp, and too inept at fly casting to reach spooky fish so ended up with only one fish in two days of fishing. My lack of skill not the guides problem who was excellent.

You might check the cost of guides and lodging at Islamorada, and Grand Bahama and the airfare for Grand Bahama which is just about 60 miles off the Florida Coast. There are good hotels there.

I can dig out some phone numbers if you need them.

Yo Man, Isamaroda rocks, BK and I went there over new years this year and had a blast.
Book a trip through Jack and Mary's I think is what it is called, we traded them some trips there and they were way cool. Also I will dig through my cards and find the cool guides we met down there. Also you need to go to Woody's and See Big Dick and the extenders, killer band and comedy in a lets say a titillating atmosphere.
We were drunk most of the time but what a great place, I would like to move there myself.
Peace Superfly