Jungle Tarpon Reserve

General Information
Anglers can expect to fish from simple but efficient river pangas, with 2 anglers per boat taking turns on the bow. Since the environment is quite dynamic, fishing situations are also varied, ranging from sight casting at tarpon hunting or waking in shallow lagoons and creeks, waiting for tarpon to roll or break bait on the surface before presenting a fly, and blind casting in likely areas. There are even times when tarpon congregate at the mouth of one of the jungle’s many creeks and line up in feeding lanes like giant trout in an explosive feeding display one has to see to truly believe. As in most tarpon fishing worldwide, knowledge of distance casting and accurate presentation is a major asset, but due to the intimate jungle environment anglers can often get much closer to their quarry than in other global tarpon fisheries, making this a unique place to hone one’s skills.

Overall, anglers can expect shots throughout the week at fish ranging from 20 to the magical 200-pound mark. And since the tarpon here are actively feeding fish with little exposure to fishing pressure, flies are often grabbed without a second thought. Should the tarpon fishing slow down other species provide great sport on lighter tackle like common and fat snook, machaca, tropical garfish, tilapia, and jaguar guapote. Or do as the locals do and try your luck at artisanal hand-lining.

Due to the nature of the jungle river, conditions change drastically each week. Anglers are encouraged to practice both distance and accuracy casting before they come. Close range loading and delicate presentations with large 11 and 12-weight outfits are important as well, so working on side-arm and slot casting can also greatly help prepare anglers for whatever mother nature decides to throw their way. While some weeks are extremely productive, this can also be a very moody and challenging fishery at times, so being ready from the start will greatly improve the likelihood of capitalizing on opportunities as they come.

Boats and Equipment
The guides run 20-foot long pangas with large casting decks with plenty of room for anglers and gear. The tarpon are medium-large (20-200 lbs) and require 12 weights to tire them quickly before release. Floating lines work best in most scenarios, but sink tip lines can also be very useful if tarpon are in some of the river’s deeper pools or as the day heats up. Having 2 rods with both a floating line and a sink tip rigged onboard is preferred so that each fishing scenario can be efficiently handled. If you’d like to bring a 3rd line we also often use intermediates when tarpon are feeding in the river. On some windless hot days, tarpon sun themselves on the surface of the glassy lagoons. In these conditions, a 10-weight with floating line can be a great tool to have. Leaders are pretty standard tapered with shock tippet to 80-100 lbs. Anglers may also wish to incorporate a piece of 20-40 lb. class tippet into their leader system so that if a tarpon runs through some branches or submerged logs we have the ability to break them off and not damage the fish.

In terms of flies, the tarpon feed mostly on various types of minnows and other small-medium baitfish, so 3-6 inch deceivers and variants of deceivers are highly recommended. The river is stained a reddish-orange from tannins in the water, so colors that produce either match this coloration (orange, red, yellow) or stand out against it (black, white), preferably in combination (orange/black/white, red/black/white, yellow/chartreuse, etc). Standard black and black/purple flies are also highly effective in both the river and lagoons. Weighted flies are recommended to break the water surface quickly, and spun deer hair heads help flies push the maximum amount of water and vibrations to get tarpon excited. An important thing to note is that starting in 2016 only carbon steel hooks will be permitted by local authorities (no stainless). Note: Custom hand-tied collections are available for sale on-site.

Not included in the package price, but available on site, is rental equipment available with Thomas & Thomas Fly Rods, Hatch fly reels, and Airflo & RIO lines, flies (custom hand-tied collections available for sale on-site), and leaders (available for sale on-site)