In the 1660s, the beachfronts and coastal lagoons and rivers of the region were roamed by the likes of the pirate Captain Henry Morgan. These days it’s Venezuelan tarpon, believed to migrate as far north as Florida, traveling through these waters that raise the neck hackles of the anglers who fish with Rio Indio Lodge. The lodge is located within minutes of the seaward passes of the Rio San Juan and Rio Indio, and fishing action takes place not more than a few miles from shore or upstream into the lagoons and tributary rivers. Seasonally, the larger numbers of tarpon arrive heading southward from March through May. More tarpon — and the largest fish, upward of 250 pounds, I'm told — arrive heading northward from mid-August through October. But tarpon are present 90 percent of the time off of the Nicaragua coastline in schools that commonly number 50 to 100 fish and reach upward of 500 to 600 fish. The inshore lagoons and rivers can be ripe with them, too. Because wave action at the rivers’ mouths is the most determining factor day to day in reaching the Caribbean or fishing inshore, at least five days angling should be planned to experience the fishing inside and outside the passes. Lighter winds and lower river flows occur from August through November, making the passes more navigable.
A big tarpon boated while fishing out of the Rio Indio Lodge. Photo courtesy of Rio Indio Lodges.
June 2018
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