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The Fishing - Los Roques - Clients Comments - Book References - Contact Us - Home
You could fish sun-up to sun-down for a week and not fish all the flats available within a short run from the lodge...
...Grass flats, hard-packed sandy bottoms and coral bottoms presented different challenges and required different fly patterns.
GETTING THERE
Accessed by daily, direct, commercial service from the mainland, Los Roques is easier to get to than you might think. Venezuela's capita, Caracas, home to over 7 million people, is served by nonstop flights from Miami (just three hours flying time), New York (four-and-a-half hours) and London (nine-and-a-half hours) as well as many other European and U.S. gateways. If you arrive in Caracas before noon on the weekend, you can still get to the island that day; otherwise you overnight at the Best Western Hotel and Marina (five-minutes from the airport), and fly over to El Gran Roque early the next day, arriving in time for breakfast at the lodge and a full day of fishing. You can also enjoy a full day of fishing on the day of departure.
SEASON
The lodge is open year-round with optimum fishing results January-October. Because it is located so much farther south, Los Roques is ideally protected from the cold fronts that plague the fishing in the northern Caribbean during the winter and also is out of danger from the hurricane zone in the summer and autumn months. All in all, it is as safe a bet as you are apt to find weather-wise.
There is flexibility too! With no set turnaround day or minimum required stay, Pez Raton can accommodate up to 12 anglers of all durations. By keeping their operation small you can more easily achieve your own personal fishing objectives and personalized service is guaranteed.
FISHING AREAS
Islas Los Roques consists of 40-50 major islands located 92 miles north of Caracas. If you count all of the small islets and coral outcroppings in the area, there are over 300 islands in the chain, which puts the potential size of the fishing area into perspective. There are hard sand flats, some very large (reminiscent of Christmas Island), but most of the flats are 70-100 feet wide with very little coral and a good amount of turtle grass - ideal wading.
The flats are healthy with lots of baitfish. The tides normally fluctuate less than a foot daily. The flats are sensitive to tidal fluctuation, so the guides will switch locations if a particular flat is void of bonefish during a certain tide phase. The guides may return to an unproductive flat later in the day, and the results can be spectacular. Most flats are exceptional at low tide, while some fish best at extreme high tide; thus, good fishing can be found throughout the day.
The number of tailing bonefish found at Los Roques is astounding. The flats drop off into channels followed by a reef. At the edges of the flats barracuda as well as jacks and other reef species are found. All of the fishing, except for tarpon, will be done by wading; the guides will always try to start you off so that you wade downwind with the sun to your back. Normally the wind is in the 5-15 knot range.
Some lagoons are shallow and provide exceptional and unique bonefishing. These lagoons are fished primarily at high tide stages when other flats are too deep for the best fishing. Long leaders, finer tippets, non-weighted flies, plus careful approaches and presentations are all requisite to the best action in these quiet, skinny-water lagoons. There are also small, deeper water lagoons within many of the islands where 5-10 lb. tarpon have been caught. We are still learning about the tarpon resource al Los Roques, although it appears promising. Fishermen occasionally have the opportunity to cast to large permit from the boat in the deeper water approaching a flat. Tarpon in the 40-60 lb. class have also been sighted at the edges of some islands.
CLIMATE
Venezuela has one of the most pleasant tropical climates on earth. In Caracas, which is inland in the mountainous foothills, the average annual temperature is 70 degrees with daytime temperatures reaching the mid-80's from December to April (the dry season). Nighttime temperatures can drop 10-15 degrees, meaning a light sweater may add comfort in the evening; during the whole year, there is a burst of sunshine around midday.
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