Over the years, we have dialed in the Inshore bite at Tropic Star Lodge – and after years of practice, it really is starting to show. Anglers have been releasing huge amounts of different species on each outing, and stories of being beaten up by tackle-destroying Inshore beasts are becoming more regular. The colossal Cubera Snapper are right at the top of this list – fish that destroy anglers’ dreams as they peel line off, heading into the rocks. Sometimes they break hooks right off, and on occasion, whole poppers come back to the boat in half. When you get it right, though, it is incredible to feel the power of the Cubera Snapper. The Roosterfish have been coming through in larger numbers and a few guests have been able to catch trophy-sized fish of over 50lb. These larger Roosterfish give anglers multiple powerful runs and are a blast to catch on surface lures. Bluefin Trevally, Mullet Snapper, Almaco Jacks and African Pompano are just a few of the species that anglers have been hooking into as well. Offshore, the Yellowfin Tuna have been around in smaller schools, in the football-sized range. Anglers have been loving fighting them on the lighter spinning gear.
We had a bit of rain over April, but the sunshine was always quick to return and the seas were beautiful. The sea surface temperature remained pretty high throughout the month, reaching into the 80’s Fahrenheit, and the breeze was a nice gentle one from the South most days. Inshore, the water has been clear most of the time – heavier rains meant green waters at times, but that didn’t stop the fish biting.
Guest Highlights
Dan Erb, an experienced angler and friend to all at the Lodge, has been visiting us for many years and has done more than twenty trips to the Lodge. This trip, he was joined by a good friend, Pete Giffen. Pete really wanted a Billfish, and so they tried Offshore for some Billfish. Unfortunately, it’s a tough Billfish bite in April. That said, the two gentlemen happily smashed some Yellowfin Tuna. They caught 14 in a single day and many more over the course of their trip. Inshore was also a lot of action with both anglers releasing a whole stack of Roosterfish, and Red Snapper.
Garry Simmons, Richard Lynch, James Edwards and Michael Dyer came to Tropic Star Lodge at the end of April to target Roosterfish, and that’s exactly what they did. Fishing with Capt. Adolfo, the guys headed up the coastline and targeted the wraiths of the rocks while enjoying the truly incredible jungle surroundings. Garrys’ Rooster was one that he will be able to boast about for his whole life. He released a monster that the captain called at 70lb. Another goal was for Richard to get something awesome on fly, and he got that right with a Dorado on fly while fishing Inshore, again, showing us that you never know what might hit your bait.
Mike Schneidereit loves the outdoors, especially hunting and fishing. He has been trying to get this trip right for a long time, so it was great having him at the lodge. His main goal was to catch a Roosterfish. He has been trying to catch one for many years, and told us he didn’t think they existed because he always caught something else, but never his Rooster. On his first day out on the water, he came back still believing that they did not exist. The next day, however, he came back to the dock with green flags flying high and a big grin on his face, as he had fought and released his mythical beast. Mike also caught a Sailfish Inshore, along with a few different Jack species, Yellowfin Tuna and Sierra Mackerel over the next few days.
We had the opportunity to spend quality time with our guests this April, which the staff here really enjoyed. Anglers had to work hard for their fish, but Neptune provided, as always. We are looking forward to the Roosters coming through in even bigger numbers as we head into May, and are very excited to be hosting our upcoming Annual Roosterfish Tournament.
