Angling Abroad and the Adventures of Travel

The glass doors open and immediately your eyes begin to scan the immense area that is Fishing Tackle Unlimited, one of the largest privately owned tackle shops in the world. Hanging from the ceiling are replica mounts of fish from every corner of the globe, including some huge sharks and tuna.

For the fisherman this place is it, if it's not here I don't know if you need it. No matter how many times I go in this place I am still in awe of the whole package, it is unbelievable.

Now comfortably inside the store I make my way over to "The Traveling Angler", an outfitting service run by Fishing Tackle Unlimited and managed by Andy Packmore. If you have a destination in mind Andy can help you out with all the details, Alaska or South America and all points in between. Andy not only books these trips he is also a very knowledgeable fisherman who is just as comfortable casting a fly rod as a bait caster.

In preparation for a trip to the Yucatan I had come to Fishing Tackle Unlimited to pick up some new gear, several spinning rods and some bait casters from the new line of rods built exclusively for Fishing Tackle Unlimited (FTU). As I picked up the rods it was plain to see that they were high quality and well made representations, I was anxious to give them a workout.

Back at home I packed the new rods with care in a travel tube and hoped the airlines would show me some mercy and reunite the rods and myself in Mexico. Fortunately enough the gamble paid off and all the gear made the flight with no damage, now all that was left was to do was get on the water and chase some fish.

The 5:30 alarm seemed really early but soon enough excitement took over and sleep seemed overrated. My fishing partners on this trip were Captain Aaron Hommel and my son Hunter. Both Aaron and Hunter were in search of their first bonefish. Aaron had caught bonefish before but never sightcast to them with fly tackle. Hunter on the other hand chose to tackle these fish with spinning gear, a perfect opportunity to test out the new rods from FTU.

The short ride across the lagoon was halted as we came upon a large school of bonefish with tails out of the water and heads down in the sand searching for their next meal. As we eased the panga skiff into position Hunter took the front deck over and readied for a shot at the feeding fish. The first cast drew a strike but the fish unfortunately came unhooked in mid-fight. A quick follow up cast soon had Hunter's rod bowed up and the drag on his reel screaming.

The 5-minute fight concluded with a healthy 2 pound bonefish coming to the boat, snapping a few pictures, and releasing the fish to fight another day. Now that one goal had been accomplished it was time to let Aaron have a shot. In the days and weeks before the trip Aaron had really been brushing up on his fly casting stroke and it was very evident as he routinely made some beautiful presentations.

The next school of bonefish that presented itself made a perfect target for Aaron and he took advantage the opportunity by catching a nice 3 pound fish. A beautiful cast and a fine result to say the least.

The rest of the day saw Hunter and Aaron trade off catching fish and talking a little trash between one another. Around mid-morning we made a trip farther north in hopes of finding a permit or perhaps even a snook. That gamble paid off as we found two permit but they never gave us a shot at catching them. We did however encounter plenty of big trigger fish rooting in shallow water and they made excellent targets.

Hunter got a first class workout as these big trigger fish continued to see just how much line they could take from his reel, the runs they displayed were impressive to say the least. Each fish we encountered just absolutely crushed a Berkley Gulp Shrimp and ran out of sight all while we laughed at Hunter trying to stop the fish.

The whole trip went off without a hitch and we accomplished everything we set out to do, the new FTU rods were well tested and they passed with flying colors, Hunter caught his first bonefish, and Aaron successfully sightcasted his largest bonefish to date. I on the other hand enjoyed watching the whole scenario unfold; sometimes it's nice to be a spectator. Once again the Yucatan has spoiled us and we will be left with many great memories until the next trip.