Meet Nick Denbow, Founder Member
The Western Caribbean Fly Fishing School (Catchafish.net) is owned and managed by Nick Denbow. Nick is a British ex-pat with over 30 years experience working in the fly fishing industry.
Fishing since age 6 his career started when he was just 13 years old, working weekends and school holidays in his local fly fishing specialist store, The Rod Box, Winchester, England. He stayed working for the Rod Box as a store clerk, river keeper, casting instructor and chalkstream fly guide for more than 10 years whilst he completed his studies. Nick achieved a Bachelor of Science degree with honors in Aquaculture and fishery management in 1998 and also qualified as a Salmon and Trout Association National Fly Casting Instructor in 2000. You literally could not be in better hands if you have a question about fish or fishing!
Nick went from university to become the assistant manager of Sportfish Pall Mall, the London flagship of sporting goods stores, here he was introduced to fly fishing in the Caribbean when he was sent to Cuba to review a popular destination for salt water fly rodders. From that trip on he was sure that he wanted to be based in the Caribbean and work and live fly fishing for the amazing sport fish that swim the turquoise waters, hence the transplant to Mexico 16 years ago.
Nick(Left)
Meet the fishing
The un-exploited gentle coastlines of the Southern Yucatan are largely protected by a barrier reef system and are the perfect place for hunting Permit and other target species in the waves. In fact the best fishing days we have are on the otherwise un-fished sandy beaches and rocky points dotted along the coast between Espiritu Santo Bay to the north and Chetumal Bay to the south. Theres no other guide operation fishing these 75 miles of shoreline! To the north of Mahahual (10 to 45 minutes drive) lie 12 different lagoons land locked yet connected to the ocean through underground rivers and caves called Cenotes. All of these lagoons boast healthy Snook and juvenile to teenaged Tarpon stocks. Occasionally we hook into fish in the 50-80lb range but its fair to say most fish are 30lbs or less. The variety of different fly friendly fish species in this part of Mexico sets it apart from other destinations. With the lagoons as back up there are practically no down days for bad weather. We are proud to say that every year we have guests achieve their Super Slam (Permit, Bone, Tarpon and Snook in the same day) on many days we will catch 10 different species on the fly. We are also happy to take bookings for just single days allowing guests time to fish on their own DIY or enjoy other activities whilst here with family and friends. Check out Catchafish’s fishing options in more depth here.