2020 - A year in review
Well, where to begin? I will start by wishing everyone reading our first blog of 2021, a happy and prosperous year, full of amazing and fulfilling experiences and adventures.
2020 has been, as we all know, a bit of a mire sadly, due mostly to the continuously problematic Covid 19. This had a detrimental impact on many of us, from loss of work, cancelling long-held plans and for some, more profound personal tragedies.
Looking a little closer to home, we were confronted with our own challenges, what with the refunding of existing bookings and dealing with cancellations across the board. We were also impacted by the closure of governmental offices, making it very difficult to open our fly shop in a timely fashion—besides, the complexities of sourcing our stock during global shortages.
Thankfully, as with many small businesses, we struggled through in true British style, working to provide our guiding services to the few clients that came down during the year. The lack of angling pressure and low tourist numbers offered a perfect storm for excellent fishing and a very relaxed environment away from the wider world crisis.
Our clients enjoyed some excellent fishing, with many firsts and PB's in the mix to keep everyone happy. Whilst we genuinely love what we do, sharing in these personal milestones further adds to our job satisfaction.
We also had several memorable days in our personal fishing. One such day back in August will stay firmly in our minds for a good while. We ended up landing 7 Permit in a short 2-hour window, followed by a good-sized Bonefish and the accompanying Tarpon, to complete the slam.
These days served as great 'pick-me-ups' whilst the troubles of the world droned on in the background. There truly is no remedy quite as powerful as a school of tailing Permit to help you forget the outside world and any personal woes.
So, on to 2021. Well, here we are, on January 1st, ready to start yet another year and one that hopefully is a lot more successfully and prosperous than the previous year.
What does that mean for 'Fly Fish Costa Maya' you may be asking yourself?
It actually means a number of things. We work hard to offer a premium service and one that exceeds client expectations. With that in mind, we have partnered with Villa Marcela in Calderitas, to provide a truly unique and memorable accommodation experience to both our anglers and their families. We wrote a previous blog here with more information on Villa Marcela and the plethora of activities they have to offer.
In addition, we have commissioned the building of our new Belizean Pangas, fully equipped with GPS, transducer, lean bar, speakers, dry storage, live well, SeaDek and new 115hp Yamaha engines, allowing us to get you out fishing much quicker and more comfortably.
Where a typical run out to the flats could take up to 1 hour in our previous skiffs, now we can get you out there (in most sea conditions) in under 40 minutes. These Pangas also give us the option to head over the reef on calmer days and chase Dorado (Mahi Mahi), Tuna, Barracuda, Sailfish and more on both fly and light tackle. There aren't many destinations where you can be casting to schools of tailing Bonefish at 10 am and then pods of Tuna 30 minutes later over the reef, but here it is a realistic possibility.
Being able to offer this is an exciting prospect and one we can't wait to share with future clients and friends. Offering both the inshore and offshore packages has never been done before down here, but it is a testament to our constant drive to innovate and provide a memorable experience. We are sure this offering will be greatly received.
The last piece in our jigsaw is that as the world slowly returns to normal, we find it easier to source stock for our fly shop, as most major brands start to cover their backorders and ship out newly placed orders. As a result, the fly shop should slowly begin to grow in the coming months, becoming a real destination anglers happy place, and a haven for locals and ex-pats alike in need of gear and like-minded conversation.
Before rounding up our summation of 2020, all that's left to say is a big thank you to our friends and clients that have made the year one to remember for all the right reasons. We look forward to welcoming you back this year, sharing in more firsts, PB's and memorable times on the water.
All the best from Will, Nissa, and everyone here at Fly Fish Costa Maya.
We hope you have a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year, and we look forward to seeing you down here on the flats soon.
