The Placencia Breeze ǁ March 2014 ǁ Page 13
Hunting for the Destiny Fish with Captain Bruce Leslie Continued from Page 7 his packets of fluorocarbon lines noting that they aren’t cheap. This goes for every piece of Yoshii’s fly fishing gear. A single successful doctor without children, Yoshii says fly fishing is his biggest investment. And for Captain Bruce Leslie, this is his life, his bread and butter and passion.
vast brain bank, so that even if a couple years have passed since they last visited “Dead Dead Battery,” Yoshii can still be assured that Captain Bruce will take him there. Before Captain Bruce started fly fishing at 23 years old, he was taking out visitors on general guided tours and working with his father in the commercial fishing industry. It wasn’t until a guest named Wilson Creek asked Captain Bruce to help him find some bonefish that he first cast a fly fishing rod. Creek told Captain Bruce he was a natural and Dr. Wade Yoshii and Captain Bruce Leslie holds one of their prized perthat same day, the guide caught his mits. In November 2013, Yoshii caught his 100th permit while fishing with biggest bonefish ever. Creek gave Leslie as his guide. (WADE YOSHII) Captain Bruce his first fly fishing rod and flies, and he never looked back. Since that first day fishing with Creek, the captain says he has taken much time at sea studying fish behavior, the ocean tides, water depths, the wind and the sunlight.
Navigating through the flats, Captain Bruce stands on a special fly fishing ladder positioned at the stern of the boat near the engine. He navigates the water slowly pushing through gently with a long pole as Yoshii prepares to cast his line near the bow. They are both scanning the water through their special polarized sunglasses looking for the special wiggle, ripple or nervous water in the glass flats that indicates a permit sighting. If they’re lucky, they might even spot the tail end of a permit jutting towards toward the surface while it feeds on the bottom of the flats. “It’s an addiction,” says Yoshii. “You get a high when you catch one.” Captain Bruce says they Of all the clients with call it a “fix.” whom Captain Bruce has built relationships over The Captain decides to move to the past 19 years, Yoshii another flat. To the newbie, it’s all has remained his most the same – still water near a bunch loyal. The doctor takes of mangroves. But the duo has their up a third of his guiding special spots, and all locations have during the year and over their quirky names with an intrigu- a third of his catch too. ing background story. At flat “Three X” where Take the explicitly named F#%*g Yoshii had caught three Captain Bruce lifts up one of his largest permit caught to date. (WADE YOSHII) Butterfly for example. A trail of permit in a day, Captain Bruce be- Yoshii explained. “Jacks are stupid caught while wade-fishing near permit had come swimming by the gins to call on the permit, “Come on and aggressive,” he said. Long Beach, California. boat and then a flock of butterflies li’l buggers, show yourself.” Time swooped down just above the water is ticking away and the anxiety Bruce spots another push, but it’s a Today, none of that matters. casting their shadow and chasing builds up and tensions grow high jack again. He grunts and makes a off the prized fish. To their chagrin, in anticipation for the special ripple. farting sound with his mouth. Some As Captain Bruce continues pushCaptain Bruce yelled, “Those F#%* Bruce sees a push in the distance fly fishermen would be happy to ing into the flats and scanning the butterflies!” and quickly alerts Yoshii up front, catch a silly jack or even better, waters carefully, he spots the tail but soon enough they suspect it’s a the jumping tarpon and the easy- of the permit. Yoshii casts his line Other flats have been named “Three jack, which the two jokingly call, to-hook bonefish in addition to the towards the “nervousness.” He X,” “Rod Over,” “Amen Corner,” “Poor Man’s Permit.” Just to dem- pain-in-the-butt permit to make missed and loud painful profanity “Redemption,” “One Faaty Eight,” onstrate the hunting form, Yoshii a grand slam. But Yoshii’s “been breaks the silence. Just as Bruce “Why Bother?” and “Dead Dead cast his line and hooked the fish there done that.” In 2009 he landed hints that it’s time to return to PlaBattery.” Each tells a story, which then it got away. “F*#%k!” Yoshii a “Super Inshore Grand Slam” in cencia, the first strong gust of wind brings out a chuckle from both men yelled right before the fish bit again Placencia with Captain Bruce when approaches turning the boat towards and even some profanity. Every and Yoshii landed it in the boat. It he caught a snook along with the the exit. They call it the destiny fish, flat location has been permanently was a jack and if it were a permit, grand slam trio. Yoshii also holds and it wasn’t their time. Trip 30. 15 stowed away in Captain Bruce’s it would’ve never bit a second time, a world record for a corbina he permit and out.▪