The Ascension Bay Expedition has been very successful in the first half of our trip. We have fished hard the last three days, and we will be back out there tomorrow, followed by our service project day on Thursday. To this point, everyone has caught lots of fish, a few of us landing very large tarpon (60-100lbs)! We still have two more days of fishing with the guides, so hopefully we're able to land some more.
The first day of fishing, we all woke up excited. The excitement was rewarded - the entire group went out and caught fish. For many of them, it was their first bonefish on the fly. These fish are considered -pound for pound- one of the hardest fighting fish on the planet. On top of the bonefish, our group was able to hook five migratory tarpon on our first day, landing two great-sized fish. With their sandpaper-like mouths, these prehistoric-looking fish easily slice through fishing line.
After our first day of fishing, everyone came back eager to share their stories. We went back and forth about our days as we enjoyed two plates of nachos and fresh hibiscus and tamarind fruit juice. We played bocce ball and volleyball to kill time before dinner, which naturally became a little competitive. Dinner was fresh, grilled Mahi Mahi; most of the kids were ready to go to sleep directly after. We all got to bed early to rest up for another day on the water.
Our second day of fishing was another great, successful day: tons of bonefish caught and one big tarpon. The kids seemed to be getting more comfortable and were starting to target permit and tarpon over the more common bonefish. After fishing, we played horseshoes and more volleyball before being fed delicious Chile Rellenos for dinner. The kids were even more tired after the second day of fishing and were asleep early.
Today made for a third day of superb fishing, and you can tell the kids are getting more confident. Almost everyone has transitioned to targeting permit and tarpon over bonefish and there have been tons of barracuda, snapper, blue runners, and jack crevalle being caught as well. We are still waiting for someone in the group to hook a permit, considered the most difficult fish to catch on a fly rod, but we still have two more days of fishing. Wish us luck as we head into the final days of the trip!
Best,
Jack, Jack, and the crew
