Playa Blanca Fly Fishing Lodge Hosted Trip Report

Playa Blanca Fly Fishing Lodge Hosted Trip Report – November 2024:

“Being my first time to Playa Blanca Fly Fishing Lodge, I was just excited to see a new lodge and fishery! On top of visiting a new lodge and fishery, I was looking forward to fishing with some lifelong friends. My buddy Kevin was able to join this trip with his friend Nick. This was Nick’s first saltwater trip, so everything was new to him. I was also excited about potentially fishing with WCA Senior Guide Vance Freed. I had worked with Vance for years and he was always an angler that I had looked up to. Our entry to Mexico did not disappoint as usual. Andrea and her crew were dialed – picking us up at the airport, transferring us to the FBO and getting us to the island with ease. I had visited Casa Blanca Fly Fishing Lodge a couple years ago and had a general understanding of Playa Blanca Fly Fishing Lodge. My expectations were minimal as through communication with staff and customers that Casa Blanca was the nicer of the 2 facilities. I was pleasantly surprised at the quaintness of the facilities at Playa Blanca. The space was more enclosed and quant than Casa Blanca but I felt the grounds and accommodations were equally as nice, just a little more rustic feel. The service was spot on with Joey and Cristobal leading the way. The food and drinks were top notch as expected.

Day 1 ended up being quite an epic day! I was fishing with Nick. Our buddy Kevin was coming in a few days later than the rest of the crew. We cruised out to fish with our guide Osso and made it to our first fishing spot. Nick asked me to jump up front since he had never been saltwater fishing before. We immediatly spots a school of Permit. On my 2nd cast I was hooked up! By 8:11 am on our first day of fishing I had boated my first Mexican Permit. About 45 minutes later, Nick went on to catch his first permit as well. It was his first saltwater species on fly rod! We continued to fish that specific shoreline. As the sun got a little higher, we were able to sight-cast to some bonefish. We were both 2/3rds on our way to our first saltwater grand slams (Landing a Permit, Tarpon and Bonefish in one day). In an effort to pursue the Grand Slam, we agreeing that we should leave this area to look for Tarpon. We moved to a big island in the middle of the mouth of the Espiritu Santo Bay. We hit the front side first. There were football fields of pilchards up and down the shore! Polling the frontside, I was able to land a Tarpon to complete my Grand Slam before lunch! Some shots at Snook (the 4th fish in the Super Slam) had me thinking about a Super Slam. Nick and I jumped a handful of small Tarpon and Nick landed a knuckle buster of a Jack to complete our pursuit on the frontside of the island. Lunch was great with an audience of Barracudas that unfortunately resisted my tube lure. Nick completed his Grand Slam on the backside of the island as we snuck along the mangroves. Day 1 was amazing! Upon arrival at the docks we found that the luck was in our boat with no one else catching any permit. The evening was complete with a homemade Margarita at the Pallapa and a great meal. The trip started off with a bang and an customary “First Permit” scorpion for Nick.

We were humbled on Day 2. Our boat had lots of opportunities to keep us interested but didn’t land any Permit. As a whole, the other 3 boats landed 6 permit. The forecast was promising and all the anglers had a great day. Coming back to the lodge, my friend Kevin had arrived. Equally as important, the had one of my favorite island appetizers: Ceviche! Day 3 was a similar day. My boat did have much results on the Permit front, but its hard to beat ice cold Coronitas and some bow time with old friends. Collectively the group caught 5 permit. The vides were positive for the group as everyone relaxed back at the lodge that evening.

Day 4 brought more humble pie. A few Permit came unbuttoned or broken off. Luckily, the bonefish were plentiful and action was good. On day 5, Kevin and Nick went into the tarpon lagoon. Vance and I were on a mission. I was pumped to get on a boat with Vance. Not much of my saltwater boat time these days is spent with people as veteran as Vance. I was hoping to learn some new skills or techniques and pick up a trick or two. Surely if we saw half as many Permit as I saw the days before; we would come tight to a few. That was simply not the case! The Permit must have known there was a storm coming because they absent from the day. The reports coming back to the lodge were that the Tarpon lagoon was the play that day.

All in all after 5 days, I believe we were 17 permit landed with 2 Grand Slams. Not bad! Our final day on the water, day 6, looked to be a wash with an approaching Tropical Storm. We still managed to get out on the water in the sheltered backside area of Santa Rosa. While Kevin and I got completely soaked, we were able to jump 6-7 Tarpon. We had even more changes that we fumbled. Even with all the inherent knowledge shared through WCA and friends’ experiences, everything about Playa Blanca Fly Fishing Lodge exceeded my expectations. It’s a truly magical place and I look forward to an opportunity to get down there at some point again!