Note from Bill Marts, Saltwater Travel Guy
Hi All!
 This is a report to get all of you fly tiers thinking.I can see
the creations in vises all over the earth. Muddlers in the Yucatan?
Pretty soon Eric will have developed a salty Royal
Coachman. I dare someone to do it and catch a tarpon on it.
Actually, I'd love to see it happen. Sometimes it is fun to be not
so serious about all of this fishing. This is not life and death
stuff; this is living and having fun. Laugh and smile. I remember
several years ago when Mike Mercer and I were on one of the
Paradise lakes with Nacho as our guide. The tarpon were looking
up that day and were very receptive to top water flies. We
both used Whitlock's Swimming Baitfish in a shad color. The
only difference was that Mercer landed each and every one of
the tarpon that attacked his fly and I watched him closely. I
watched him because I could not get more than a jump out of
a tarpon before it spit the fly back at me. I was frustrated but
we laughed every time it happened. Then to top it off, they
put me downwind on the stern of the boat (I was smoking a cigar
at the time). The stern had a big platform, but had a hole where
the motor was. I was used to the bow with it's big deck to stand
and move around on. Well, to add more laughter at my expense,
I momentarily forgot where I was and I started to step
into the hole. Realizing my mistake (having done it before) I
knew this was a good way to break a leg. I used my "good" leg
and launched off the platform as I was falling toward the
motor. I didn't want to break my leg or my fly rod. All they saw
was my awkward "dive" off of the back of the boat. When my
head surfaced, they were laughing like it was funny or something.
But I showed them. Amongst the laughter I took a puff
on my still lit cigar while making my way back to the boat.
Some things in life are too important to take seriously.
Congrats to Nick for his first snook and to Joel for his first bonefish.
A tip of the fly rod to the guides who were with them, too.
I said this last week, but I am really glad the tarpon have
started to come out of hiding. Who knows what they were
thinking earlier in the year when they were hiding out. Or
maybe they just weren't there. Or maybe they were partying
heavy back in the mangrove jungles. I don't know, but some of
these coastal lake reports I'm getting now are sounding like "the
old days".
 As always, let me know if there is anything I can do for your
fishing travels and equipment.
As always, contact me if there is any way I can be of help
to you for current and future fishing trips.
Good Fishing,
– Bill Marts,
Saltwater Travel guy
Paradise Lodge Weekly Report
Week 11 - May 22-28, 2011
Variety was the word for the past week. From catching snook in a jungle lake, chasing permit on Chetumal Bay, snorkeling around coral reefs in the Caribbean, landing bonefish on the flats of Espiritu Santo Bay, to hiking through ancient Mayan ruins, our
guests lived fully last week. Five of our guests had fished with us last season and knew what they
returned for. The guys from Wyoming were glad to be warm and chasing saltwater fish on the flats. Trade
winds off the ocean kept the heat factor within reason, while the early evenings on the beach were
perfect for sipping icy margaritas under the palapa.
 Warning: What happens in Paradise doesn't necessarily stay in Paradise. This is living and having fun!
As we're approaching the end of May, the backcountry tarpon are making a stronger pressence. They are swimming out of narrow winding channels that stretch for miles into the mangrove habitat. Those compressed waterways make feeding easier for them as they trap baitfish against the shorelines. It's very exciting to be poling along and to hear tarpon exploding on baitfish before they come into view. You know that with a good presentation and a proper retrieve that the fish will seldom refuse your offering. Some tides last week brought as many as 30 tarpon in front of the skiff, mostly in small aggressive groups. Add that on to a flat full of bonefish and a shot or two at permit and everybody is happy.
Dennis traveled here with his two sons Nick and Joel. Nick and Dennis had fis ed with us last year, but it was Joel's first
visit. Victor took them fishing on their first day to a nearby lake,
and put Nick on his first snook. They were fishing near a cenote,
and Nick was ready. He had released tarpon on his previous trip, and knew that this could be a great place for snook. It wa s
a super experience for two brothers to share, and the release
photos were sweet. Later in the week they took my canoe into a remote lake for some more excitement as they put several
tarpon into the air and to the boat. Joel caught his first bonefish
on Espiritu Santo Bay, and the brothers took a day to travel to
a Mayan ruin site. It was a full week for both of them, as they
took advantage of snorkeling the coral reefs near the lodge.
Now that folks, is living fully!!
Both Chetumal and Espiritu Bays fished well during the week. Nacho put Larry and Bill into position for shots at permit, but refusals were the norm. They did catch many bonefish, as did Nick and Scott while fishing with Nacho. Jesus got Bill into position to cast at permit on Espiritu Santo Bay, and more than one fish said no thank you. They did have some great tarpon fishing in the backcountry, and we sure hope that it continues.
"Old school" flies are some of my personal favorites. The Muddler Minnow has a long and famous history. The advantage of this pattern for our tarpon fishing is the fact that it suspends just below the surface, allowing it to be fished slow and seductively for shallow water fish. It has a baitfish profile for a head design, and with the addition of eyes it has a lot of strike triggers. Alejandro and I were exploring a creek mouth draining a broad expanse of shallow mangrove habitat. We had released a couple of bonefish when we heard fish splashing. From the platform Alejandro saw the fish before I did as they swam around a clump of mangroves. He said "sabalo", and I quickly switched rods. I placed the fly several feet in front of the incoming fish, only to have it sink into the mud before the fish got to the fly. As I stripped to entice the fish, all it did was drag in the mud and spook the fish. Another fish came behind the first, and the same set of unfortunate events occurred. It was a beautiful marabou streamer, but I had tied it on a heavy hook to fish in deeper water. Frustrated but thinking quickly, I dove into my fly box and came up with a baitfish colored Muddler Minnow tied on a light wire hook. The fish had swum past us and into another narrow creek. Alejandro put the boat into position and I made the cast. The fly suspended just under the waters surface, allowing the fish to swim to the fly. I made a couple of short strips and the same fish that had previously spooked from the sunk fly immediately inhaled the Muddler. I fish these on # 1 and #1/0 hooks, in white and grizzly, gold, and baitfish green. Muddlers in the Yucatan? You bet!!
Well, our friends Tim and Kathryn are on their way here. Tim is bringing his newest Echo saltwater rods for us to fish. He also distributes Airflo lines, and has a new clear floating line to try out. We are using the Cortland clear floater with great success, and look foreword to fishing with Tim's new line and rods. More on that in next week's report. 
The best to all of you from all of us here at Paradise Lodge, where the jungle meets the sea on Mexico's Yucatan.
Adios from Neto, Martin, Jorge, Mario, Ciro, Nacho, Victor, Arturo, Alejandro, Jesus, Eric and Lana Ersch.
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