We have been watching the fishing story unfold at Los Roques this year and I can confidently say it is fishing better than ever. The season began this year on the 11 January with a group of first time saltwater fishermen looking for their first proper flats experience. They had be drawn to Los Roques because of the predominantly hard wading and sight fishing for tailing fish. Aside from the prolific bonefish they landed they also caught bar jacks, blue runners, horse eyed jacks and on their final day one member of the team managed to land a nice parrotfish and a tarpon. Los Roques is fast becoming an excellent multi-species fishery which I believe to be indicative of the lack of pressure.
The next group that came in wanted to focus on bonefish and baby tarpon. Los Roques has always had an extensive population of tarpon, the juveniles living in the mangrove lagoons while the mature fish hang around the deeper water off the edge of the cays and Gran Roques itself. Alongside numerous shots at tarpon the group also had hundreds of shots at triggerfish and parrotfish and became obsessed with them. There were many hooks up, often ending in tears amidst the coral but Avalon and Flexo crabs were the most effective patterns to get them to take.
In early February some gentlemen arrived who were particularly focused on permit. Anyone who has tangled with the black tailed devils will know that this is never an easy task wherever you go. In decades past, Los Roques never had much of a reputation as a permit destination. Over the last eight years as the pressure on the fishery has dropped dramatically the permit have come back in greater numbers and some are huge. You know you are hunting a big fish when you are up to your waist in water and the fish is waving at you as it tails! The two had numerous opportunities, some follows, and a few bites, but one angler in the group was lucky enough to land a massive permit, estimated at 45lb, on a 7-weight rod and 15lb leader.
February began with some great tide weeks and great wade fishing on the pancake flats. The weather was a little mixed, some windy days with some cloud cover, but overall clear skies and good visibility which the groups made the most of. One group came in specifically wanting to target bonefish and they managed to average six to ten fish a day per person, typically weighing between and five and six pounds which really highlights how good the bonefishing on Los Roques is. The highlight of their trip was a remarkable 11lb plus bonefish.
A new group arrived in yesterday, and on the first day, one of them landed a huge permit on a 6-weight rod after an hour-and-a-half battle! No doubt a fight he will remember for the rest of his life. The rest of the group had some prolific bonefishing, so we look forward to seeing how the rest of their week pans out. One angler took a day to fish the blue water just 100 metres from the reef, where he landed three wahoo—the largest weighing around 30kg. After that, he switched to targeting snook and caught six of them.
Although Los Roques has always been a phenomenal fishery it fell out of favour for a while, especially as Americans can’t travel there at the moment. Much like Cuba 20 years ago, Los Roques has had so little pressure the fishery is better than ever. There used to be three full time fishing operations on Los Roques, fishing its vast 2,211 km² which comprises some 350 islands, cays, and islets. Now there is only one where all the most experienced guides have congregated, many of which have guided there for over 15 years.
For more information on Los Roques please contact Peter McLeod or Alex Jardine or call our office on +44(0)1980 847389.