Palometa means permit in Spanish, and the Palometa Club is the first fly fishing lodge in the world to focus on permit fishing. Simply put, Ascension Bay is probably the best place on the planet to catch a permit on a fly and the guides at the Palometa Club work hard to give guests that opportunity. Pairs of anglers fish out of pangas with both a senior and junior guide, both of whom are local and speak English. Permit caught in Ascension Bay average eight- to 15-pounds, but fish approaching 30 pounds are caught annually. Perhaps the most challenging and coveted saltwater trophy on the fly – like a steelhead or Atlantic salmon – permit can be difficult to catch and one fish to the boat in a week is a real accomplishment. However, there’s always the chance for more, and guests at The Palometa Club have landed as many as three in a day!
Ascension Bay is also a premier fishery for bonefish. Bonefish here are in the three-pound range and there are also smaller, “schoolie” fish that are easy to catch, making this a perfect destination for first-time flats anglers. There is also a class of fish that are larger – six to eight pounds – and these fish are much more challenging to catch. Ever since a commercial netting ban was enforced, the size of bonefish has been increasing and double-digit pound fish are now caught every season. Tarpon are also found throughout Ascension Bay and range in size from 10 to 20-pound “babies,” found in the mangroves, to migratory fish well over 100 pounds, which show up on the flats in the spring. Schools of fish in the 30- to 50-pound range are sometimes encountered while searching for permit and experienced anglers always keep a tarpon rod strung.
Because the lodge is so focused on permit and maximizing the multi-species potential of their fishery, it’s no surprise that more Grand Slams (permit, bonefish and tarpon all caught in one day) are realized in Ascension Bay than at any other saltwater destination in the world. Add a snook to complete a Super Slam, perhaps the greatest saltwater angling achievement possible. It’s certainly not easy, but it is doable, as Ascension Bay also supports a healthy snook population, with large numbers of fish averaging 8- to 12-pounds caught each year.
Palometa Guides:
A great aspect of Ascension Bay is that you can wade fish and/or cast from the front of the boat; it pretty much depends on your preference and what species you’re after. Bonefish provide a great opportunity to wade the endless hard-packed white sand flats the bay is famous for, while the search for permit usually requires using the boat to set up properly for a good shot. Fishing the flats with The Palometa Club involves fishing two anglers to a boat with two guides. That means two sets of highly skilled eyes looking for fish. The boats are traditional pangas retrofitted with poling platforms and a wide casting deck on the bow. The double-cockpit design is terrific for line management and the overall, larger-than-a-normal-flats-boat, size provides great stability and comfort for traveling across the Bay. And you won’t believe how adept their guides are in poling and positioning the boat. Most experienced anglers consider them some of the best they’ve ever fished with.
The guide corps is made up entirely of local fisherman born in Punta Allen. They each grew up fishing Ascension Bay and know it intimately. They are all members in the local Cooperativa Pescado and own their own boats. From November to June they work exclusively for The Palometa Club in established teams of Guide and Junior Guide. Each of them speak good conversational English and they truly rival the best fly fishing guides anywhere in the world. During the week they rotate anglers and guides to give everyone a chance to fish together. The lodge keeps a white board hung on the patio with each days guest/guide combinations for the following days fishing.
