Venezuela - Logbook - FishYourDream.com

Yachts_5
Efter över ett dygns resande checkade vi in på Marina portofino lodge, där amerikanarna har sina båtar.

Marina Portofino

Yachts_4
Jonas spanar in vräkiga båtar...

Yachts_1
De höga bergen utgör alltid fond längs Venezuelas kust...

yachts_3
...och lyxyachterna marina portofinos kaj...

Yachts_2
Fler amerikanare...

Vår mate David, en rask och passionerad yngling, förbereder ballyho att trolla med. Ett äkta hantverk...

Stål/koppartråd genom ögon och runt näbb...

wahoo
Per med skaplig wahoo. Många elaka tänder... Per-Anders tog den största på bortåt 20 kg.

wahoo_2
Per med bakre partiet av wahoo.

Sjön suger och söver... Jonas och Johan i djup big game-dvala.

David gaffar dorado. Efter ett par dar bad vi att om möjligt få slippa dessa fiskar för att koncentrera oss på billfish.

Dorado
Dorado.

Johan har vakten. Två Blue Marlins och en oidentifierad billfish tog våra beten, men ingen ville stanna på kroken. Dessutom såg vi ytterligare tre Blues. Hursomhelst, det är en otrolig adrenalinkick när en fisk stor som en kviga plötsligt hoppar bland betena...

making plans
Planer smids...

The waiting game... Delfiner gjorde oss dock sällskap varje dag och även valar skymtades.

Per-Anders redo att ta ett spö.

Perto Maya, en liten fiskeby där vi bodde största delen av tiden på en liten lodge.

Diablo, vår båt, till allmän beskådan för imponerade yrkesfiskare med betydligt enklare redskap; plastekor och handlinor...

Puerto Cruz, vik utanför vilken wahooerna kryssade.

Per i samtal med kapten Nani utanför Puerto Cruz.

Lokalbefolkning med middagen...

Fly fishing
Flugfiske från Diablos för. På kvällen fylldes viken med Cutlassfish; silvrig ålliknande fisk med rakbladständer. Lyckades ta ett gäng på flugspö, dock med en ståltafs som förvandlade flugspöt till nåt annat redskap/vapen...

Puerto Maya från Diablo.

Puerto Mayas strand med Octavio i förgrunden, den man som skjutsade oss mellan stranden och båten varje dag samt ägnade en hel dag åt att fånga humrar åt oss.

Lugnt byliv i Puerto Maya.

Vår lodge.

David med en sailfish de lokala fiskarna tagit på handlina. Något vi inte lyckades med, inte ens med betydligt mer sofistikerad utrustning...

Gyllene kokosnöt med sugrör... Maten på lodgen var kanon, vällagad färsk fisk varje dag. Frukostarna var fantastiska med fruktdrinkar, äggröror, svarta bönor, majsbröd och ost.

Octavios langustrar tilredda med koriander... Han fiskade alltså en hel dag för att få dem, sen skulle han ha $18 för två kilo levande hummer, dvs ca. 67,50 sek/kilot... Vi gav honom $30 och han visade oss som tack för hjälpen runt på lördagkvällens fiesta i byn.

Under palmernas skugga.

Floden som flöt genom Puerto Maya tjänade som allmän tvätt- och badplats för befolkningen.

Puerto Maya med penn internationals i förgrunden...

Barnen på väg till skolan i Puerto Maya. Men om fisket var bra fick läraren inga elever...

Skolflicka.

Vår kapten Nani visade oss golf-delen av hans "Caraballeda yacht y golf Club". Ett otroligt välskött område i kolonialstil.

dhf
Nani på Golfklubben.

dth
Poolen på golfklubben.

trott
Jonas är trött på säkerhetskontroller på Simon Bolivar Airport. Förutom de vanliga kollarna passade militären på att kolla oss två gånger extra. Även bagaget som skulle checkas in... De uppehöll sig oroväckande länge vid snus...

Saturday, oct 28:th

Arriving at Simon Bolivar at about 4.30 in the afternoon leaves us time only for checking in to our rooms at Marina portofino lodge and having a good dinner with Nani at Caraballeda golf and yacht club restaurant. More than 24 hours of travelling made us tired but we were certainly full of expectations.

Video
Broadband (wmv)
Modem (wmv)
Download (wmv)

Sunday, oct 29th

Lines in at two since Nani used the time before lunch to educate us in the art of fighting billfish. That means connecting us and a 30 lb gear with his toyota. We liked the session. After some steaming from Caraballeda we started fishing in the western part of La Guaira bank. Rough seas. A triple strike of dorado generated three of the same as a start. After two hours of trolling we started to run for Puerto Maya (where we spent all the nights while fishing). When almost there, something grabbed the artificial lure (squid) that we were trolling in high speed. According to the crew it must have been billfish since the leader looked like it had been worked over with sandpaper (=the bill). The dolphins introduced themselves to us, and we saw them almost every day.

We installed ourselves in the lodge and had a good dinner including the dorado we caught earlier.

Monday, oct 30th
We fished well offshore, about 28 miles north of Puerto Maya. Nothing today except for four wahoos cutting four leaders close to our home port.

Tuesday, oct 31:th

Before heading out we passed the wahoo area with metal leaders. We caught three wahoos ranging between 15 and 20 kgs.

We fished a little west of La Guaira bank and caught 2 dorados.

Wednesday, nov 1:st

Today we fished western La Guaira bank (outside the power plant). The action for the day was a blue marlin between 100 and 150kgs crashing into a ballyho on the left outrigger. It stole a good deal of line but did not stick. The bait was separated in half.

Thursday, nov 2:nd

Fished about two hours this day in front of the power plant. Nothing. We went to a marina for diesel this day. We saw the back of a whale, exhausting water several times but we could not tell the species.

Friday, nov 3:rd

Today we ran far offshore north from Puerto Cruz. Since we saw no birds or baitfish, Nani said to me; you decide when we start fishing. I said "now" and David started to rigg 5 lines. Before the second ballyho was in the water Nani saw a blue marlin behind the first bait, and David tried to feed the fish but it would not take it. After a few hours of trolling a blue ran into the pattern and took a ballyho (I was asleep, but the noice from my friends and the crew woke me, adrenaline running) but again it did not stick. Probably had the leader wrapped around its bill.

Saturday, nov 4:th

We headed for the power plant, and as we steamed I suddenly saw some foam on the surface not far from the boat. I pointed it out to the mate, David, and in the same instance a big blue jumped through the patch of foam. I guess there was baitfish... We stopped and fished for it for a while but it did not show itself again. Instead we saw the back of a whale again. Possibly the same animal because it was more or less in the same area as last time. Nothing today either... The guys and me has given up the thought of billfish...

Sunday, nov 5:th

We fished ourselves all the way from Puerto Maya to the airport, then we had to steam to Caraballeda to make it before nightfall. Nothing except one barracuda. The baracudas had by the way destroyed more than one bait during our fishingdays.

In the marina we hear that some boats had a good day northwest of la guaira bank, the same area we fished friday where we had one of our few blue bites. We checked in to our rooms in the marina portofino lodge and had dinner in the restaurant. Since we had only fish for dinner in Puerto Maya we ordered red meat in the restaurant...

Monday, nov 6:th

Nani drove me and Jonas in his car to the golf part of his club at the foot of the mountain. Beautiful colonial style buildings very much contrasting with the buildings outside the walls... Contrasting was also the gardens and the tidyness. Then he drove me to Puerto Azul Marina, he thought it would be a nice place for me to stay with my family. A beautiful place! Again, inside the fences and beyond all the security you begin to wonder if you are in the same country. At 13.00 we left for the airport, a good idea to be there early ( the flight was 18.05) since the national guard decided to check everyones (!) baggage (even the check in baggage) twice, and especially ours...

So to summon things:

We caught seven dorados (we tried to avoid them after the first few days),

three wahoos (we tried to avoid them after the first few days) and one barracuda.

We had two bites from blue marlins, one from unidentified billfish and we saw two more blues that did not bite.

Oh, and I caught a bunch of cutlassfish in the lagoon of Puerto Maya on my fly rod. But I need a marlin...

Finally, we had a great fishing vacation with good people, sun, blue water and good food and drink. Thanks Nani!

Want to do a trip like this? Contact:
info@FishYourDream.com

/Per

Do you have any questions? Please contact us! E-mail:

, phone: +46 733-76 18 97