After
twenty-three long days at the repair shop in San Juan, I finally
have my trusty old Maverick flats boat and its not-so trusty new
Evinrude outboard back on the water here in Vieques. I briefly
mentioned some engine troubles last month but had no idea of the
ordeal that I’d be put through from a giant corporation, simply
because I live outside of the U.S. It’s a sad story that isn’t
over yet, but it’s a good lesson about life on Vieques that I’ll
write much more about later. What’s most important to me now is
that my boat and I are finally out catching fish again. And if
you’re considering booking a trip with me, the Evinrude may be
gone next season, replaced by a Yamaha. But on to more positive
things right now.
Even though the island’s tourist season is quickly winding down,
I’m still getting a lot of bookings from some very serious fly
fishermen. More anglers are coming down this June than last year
and I’m seeing a lot of interest in the fall, normally a very
quiet time of year on the island. As a fishing guide, this is
great news for myself and my buddy Capt. Franco, but it’s also
great news for Vieques in general.
Fly fishermen (and that’s the correct term for both male and
female anglers) are the perfect type of tourists for this
island. For starters, they’re a diverse group. In the past few
months I’ve met up with everyone from a twenty-five year old
hippy from Denver, who could only afford to buy me a few beers
at Al’s in exchange for directions to a good bonefish flat, to a
sixty-two year old, Ferrari driving grandmother from Naples, who
booked me for a week of charters in hopes of setting her second
world record. These can be some really interesting people.
They may come from all walks of life but they have a lot in
common. They’re passionate about the environment, but unlike
nearly all of today’s high profile “Environmentalists,” they
actually spend most of their free time outdoors. They know that
the ocean’s resources need to be protected, but they also know
that, if used responsibly, the ocean will be here for us for a
long time. They invest both their time and money into seeing
this happen.
They also seem to agree that we’re doing things right down here
in Vieques. Every angler I’ve fished with in the past two years
has been impressed with the quality of our waters and beaches,
including the former Navy lands that are now our Vieques
National Wildlife Refuge. The views from Green Beach or Ensenada
Honda are truly some of the most beautiful in the Caribbean. As
a transplant from Key West, you have no idea how refreshing it
is to be on the run home from a day’s charter and not have to
stare at three monstrous cruise ships blotting out the horizon.
Saltwater fly fishermen are unique in their quest for the next
unknown place. Most of the world’s best trout rivers have been
mapped out for over a century, but the saltwater flats still
have a lot of exploring left in them. Vieques is currently one
of those spots. A few months back I wrote about John Dukes from
South Carolina, the first person to catch a permit on fly down
here. For hardcore anglers, that’s a really big achievement. The
next step up will be the first person to catch a fly rod Grand
Slam on Vieques, a tarpon, permit, and bonefish in one day. I’ve
had anglers catch two-thirds of it several times but the permit
still eludes us. If that finally happens for me I won’t be able
to shut up about it for at least a year, and that will bring
even more attention to Vieques as an angling hotspot.
Nearly all of my anglers ask me if I’m worried that the
inevitable “discovery” of Vieques will turn it into a copy of
Key West, overcrowded, commercialized, and overrun with guides
and anglers. Right now, I’m not worried about that happening.
The fact that we have no highway connecting us to the mainland
makes living here enough of a chore to discourage those
operations that would look to cash in quickly on a trendy new
spot. Toss in the fact that we’re not a cruise ship stop, and
probably never will be, and I’m sure that the fly fishermen will
keep heading our way for years to come.
After guiding these people around the Atlantic and Caribbean for
over a decade, I can honestly say that there is no better type
of tourist out there. They’re conscientious, educated, and while
many are quite affluent, the vast majority are not elitists.
Vieques should open its arms to fly fishermen, and so far, it
has done that exceptionally well.
Capt. Gregg McKee,
WildFly Charters
