Fishing Trips
One of the things I had looked forward to in moving to Nicaragua was being able to fish. While not that knowledgeable about fishing I do enjoy it and prefer fresh-water f...ishing. Salt-water or deep sea fishing usually requires a boat ($$$) and spending 30 minutes pulling in a large fish is not my idea of a good time. Pulling in a seven pound bass that keeps leaping out of the water is more my speed but I enjoy both. I hope to eventually to find a kindred soul near Granada that might share my passion.
Unfortunately, this section of the country does not have any major clean rivers though in the north and east there are huge rivers. We are near Lake Nicaragua but again, it requires a boat to get out far enough to find the good fish. The boys in my neighborhood continuously press me to take them fishing so every few weeks we take a trip. The boys range in age from 12 to 20 years old.
The boys usually fish like the locals using a spool of line, a hook and a small weight to get the bait deep enough. The bait of choice is beef heart though sometimes they cut up small fish, shrimp or the little crabs found near the shore. The problem with their method is that they can only fish near the boat or near the shore so they were thrilled to see I had brought many rods and reels from the states.
I’ve gotten to know the panga boat operators so now they only charge me 300 córdobas to drop us off at one of the 350 isletas near Granada then pick us up three hours later. It has taken us a few trips to discover which islands had the best fishing but we now go to an island owned by a gringo who is never in the country. It has a wall around most of the island which makes it easy to just sit on a wall and fish. Very enjoyable for me.
The first few trips the boys would catch many more fish than me though they would be satisfied with very small fish which meant fish soup when I’m thinking of fish fillets. I tried every lure I had but the beef heart works the best especially if you use a small piece put securely on the hook. I’m sure the lures would work with the larger fish but I had not found them yet. I’m satisfied with the four and five pounders we now catch.
Our last trip was especially satisfying which I’ll relate here. About 10 boys gathered outside my house for our 7:00 AM departure. They brought with them two pounds of beef heart and a few worms. Everyone piles into my Jeep along with my fishing gear and four rods. The harbor is only a few blocks from my house and I have a favorite boat operator that charges the same whether I bring two or ten boys. The harbor is actually quite beautiful and has about 15 boats (pangas) for hire. The harbor is a small peninsula into the lake with trees coming right down to the shore. These boat owners usually also have a small restaurant there for the tourists.
I first pay my respects to the woman who owns the business and she is usually lying in a hammock. We agree once again to the price and where we wish to be taken. She then assigns it to one of her men and we climb aboard. The panga will hold up to about 15 people with seats running parallel to the sides and it has a canopy top. Life jackets are provided to everyone and we’re off. At a low speed we zigzag through the little islands passing mansions and hovels. Many of the islands are for sale from $50,000 to several hundred thousand dollars depending on its size, availability of electricity, etc. For some reason there seem to be fewer bugs on the islands than along the shore of the lake. Most of the islands are heavily forested. It is always a pleasant ride through the islands reminding you just how beautiful Nicaragua is.
Upon our arrival at the isleta we tie up to a small boat dock made of rocks. We remind the boat operator to return at 11:00 and he bids us farewell. The island is about an acre, surrounded by a short wall and has a large house built in the middle. A smaller house near the shore is for the family that tends the island for the owner. There are many mango trees so they are busy picking up the fallen mangoes and tossing them into the lake. There are so many that failure to cleaning them up would result in the island literally being covered with them.
About half the boys grab a life jacket, jump into the water and swim to the next island. The other boys and I grab the gear and head to our favorite fishing spot further around the island. I now have it down to a science putting the smallest amount of meat on the hook to ensure the fish do not just grab the bait and leave me standing with an empty hook. The fish begin biting immediately and I quickly have four nice fish. These were fighters, leaping out of the water and giving a good struggle all the way to the shore. We caught about 20 fish in all with eight or nine big ones. At this point we discovered the island dog had eaten the rest of our beef heart so that was the end of the fishing. One funny incident was when a boy standing on the wall caught a fish and fell backwards to the ground trying to reel it in. He saved the fish, a walloping 4-incher. Must have been a particularly strong little sucker!
Always ready for any event, I had brought along a book and sat in the shade reading the rest of the morning. The boys spent the time swimming and carousing. At 11:00 the boat returned and we had a pleasant cruise back to the harbor. There we enjoyed some cold drinks and returned home to proudly display our catch. Even though I like fishing, I’m not that fond of fish for food so I gave all of mine to the boys. A good day for all and the boys had fish for dinner that night.
Unfortunately, this section of the country does not have any major clean rivers though in the north and east there are huge rivers. We are near Lake Nicaragua but again, it requires a boat to get out far enough to find the good fish. The boys in my neighborhood continuously press me to take them fishing so every few weeks we take a trip. The boys range in age from 12 to 20 years old.
The boys usually fish like the locals using a spool of line, a hook and a small weight to get the bait deep enough. The bait of choice is beef heart though sometimes they cut up small fish, shrimp or the little crabs found near the shore. The problem with their method is that they can only fish near the boat or near the shore so they were thrilled to see I had brought many rods and reels from the states.
I’ve gotten to know the panga boat operators so now they only charge me 300 córdobas to drop us off at one of the 350 isletas near Granada then pick us up three hours later. It has taken us a few trips to discover which islands had the best fishing but we now go to an island owned by a gringo who is never in the country. It has a wall around most of the island which makes it easy to just sit on a wall and fish. Very enjoyable for me.
The first few trips the boys would catch many more fish than me though they would be satisfied with very small fish which meant fish soup when I’m thinking of fish fillets. I tried every lure I had but the beef heart works the best especially if you use a small piece put securely on the hook. I’m sure the lures would work with the larger fish but I had not found them yet. I’m satisfied with the four and five pounders we now catch.
Our last trip was especially satisfying which I’ll relate here. About 10 boys gathered outside my house for our 7:00 AM departure. They brought with them two pounds of beef heart and a few worms. Everyone piles into my Jeep along with my fishing gear and four rods. The harbor is only a few blocks from my house and I have a favorite boat operator that charges the same whether I bring two or ten boys. The harbor is actually quite beautiful and has about 15 boats (pangas) for hire. The harbor is a small peninsula into the lake with trees coming right down to the shore. These boat owners usually also have a small restaurant there for the tourists.
I first pay my respects to the woman who owns the business and she is usually lying in a hammock. We agree once again to the price and where we wish to be taken. She then assigns it to one of her men and we climb aboard. The panga will hold up to about 15 people with seats running parallel to the sides and it has a canopy top. Life jackets are provided to everyone and we’re off. At a low speed we zigzag through the little islands passing mansions and hovels. Many of the islands are for sale from $50,000 to several hundred thousand dollars depending on its size, availability of electricity, etc. For some reason there seem to be fewer bugs on the islands than along the shore of the lake. Most of the islands are heavily forested. It is always a pleasant ride through the islands reminding you just how beautiful Nicaragua is.
Upon our arrival at the isleta we tie up to a small boat dock made of rocks. We remind the boat operator to return at 11:00 and he bids us farewell. The island is about an acre, surrounded by a short wall and has a large house built in the middle. A smaller house near the shore is for the family that tends the island for the owner. There are many mango trees so they are busy picking up the fallen mangoes and tossing them into the lake. There are so many that failure to cleaning them up would result in the island literally being covered with them.
About half the boys grab a life jacket, jump into the water and swim to the next island. The other boys and I grab the gear and head to our favorite fishing spot further around the island. I now have it down to a science putting the smallest amount of meat on the hook to ensure the fish do not just grab the bait and leave me standing with an empty hook. The fish begin biting immediately and I quickly have four nice fish. These were fighters, leaping out of the water and giving a good struggle all the way to the shore. We caught about 20 fish in all with eight or nine big ones. At this point we discovered the island dog had eaten the rest of our beef heart so that was the end of the fishing. One funny incident was when a boy standing on the wall caught a fish and fell backwards to the ground trying to reel it in. He saved the fish, a walloping 4-incher. Must have been a particularly strong little sucker!
Always ready for any event, I had brought along a book and sat in the shade reading the rest of the morning. The boys spent the time swimming and carousing. At 11:00 the boat returned and we had a pleasant cruise back to the harbor. There we enjoyed some cold drinks and returned home to proudly display our catch. Even though I like fishing, I’m not that fond of fish for food so I gave all of mine to the boys. A good day for all and the boys had fish for dinner that night.
