Fulling Mill Ambassador Katka Švagrová, a passionate fly fisher who has more than 20 years of experience has recently returned from a trip to Belize in search of the Grey Ghost. Katka, who has been 5x women’s Czech Republic fly fishing champion within 5 years of competing, has spent the past 3 years traveling the world with a fly rod. She has experienced some of the most remote destinations in Western Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, Norway, Maldives, Guatemala, Belize and so on… Besides Fulling Mill, she is sponsored by RIO Products, Costa Del Mar, Patagonia, Reel Skipper and Einarsson reels.
The main bonefish season is in progress. Some of you would like to know, which patterns served me well on my the lastest trip to Belize. I had a chance to visit the amazing place at Isla Marisol Resort on Glovers Reef and spent a full week DYI flyfishing on local flats. I never experienced bonefishing before, but many people all over the world call them ‘the Ghost of the flats’ and yes, that’s exactly what they are! I carried with me 2 full boxes of Fulling Mill Saltwater Flies in different patterns, colours, and weights.
That place and fishing just blown my mind, amazing clean island with palm trees and well-styled cabanas and as a bonus waters around were full of schools of bonefish, big tarpons, and barracudas and if you are lucky you can meet face to face the King of the flats – The Permit.
I started to fish the first day I arrived on a local beach, where I spotted some good sized bonies. After reading some blogs and magazines I tried to cast with Gotcha #8 as many people recommended and very quickly I landed one small, but nice Bonefish. But in general, It was really tricky. Some of them were decent sized bones, following the fly a few meters and then quickly disappear – just like a Ghost.
Next day the local guide sent me to fish further up on coral flats, where I found myself in Bonefish paradise. Big schools of bonies were tailing in shallow water and without any problems accepting every presented fly.
But, the day after I was thinking more and more about the smartest ones. The local bonefish from island beach. They didn’t stay in schools as fish further up on flats did and they were super spooky and clever. After I tried almost all fly box I put on a Tan #4 Cuban shrimp Light.
I was staying maybe 15 minutes on the same spot, waiting for the big ones to make their usual trek on the sand-bank. When I finally saw a couple of cruising fish and the fly hit the water surface the miracle happened. STRIP! STRIP! STRIP! Without any caution after a few strips, one of them just pulled my fly line, the reel was screaming and the grey ghost was running on the beach. What a fight!
This fly became a fly of the trip. I never fished with other bonefish flies during the stay, because there was no need for it. That fly just cracked the bonefish code and brought me so many good fights, along with stars of happiness in my eyes after releasing my first solid bonies in my life!
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