The Bite is Back, and so is Bobby...

Mitch Widom's brother Glenn with the Holy Grail in hand!
A couple more great moments from the group...

Our good friend Bobby Balogh returned to the Palometa Club for four days of fishing this season with no less than 12 angling pals in tow! This is a group that knows how to fish and dish.

Bobby and his partner in piscatorial pursuit, Mitch Widom, brought their A-team down, undeterred from our earlier rash of unstable weather and intent on teaching this mainly Florida contingent that you can catch a permit on something other than a live crab.

In typical fashion Mitch had the fishing report written before their plane landed back in Miami, and so it is with great honor that we turn the microphone over to Senor Widom, Esq. for the call:

"The definition of obsession - flying to Mexico to fish four days hoping, actually praying, to catch one fish. And I don't mean one species of fish, I mean a grand total of one fish in four days. That's exactly what my brother and 11 of our close friends did this March.

Almost a year ago we heard that The Palometa Club, located four hours south of Cancun Mexico, was the world hot spot to fish for the Holy Grail of saltwater fly-fishing - the permit. The permit, a pompano like fish, comes into the shallow flats in search of its favorite food, crabs. Catching one on a live crab is very doable. But when you try to catch one on a bunch of feathers tied to look like a crab, your chances of success drop dramatically.

Although most of the guys in the group had caught permit on the real thing, only two had ever held one that had eaten their fly. As we made the four hour van ride to the Lodge, listening to the guys anticipation and excitement about joining this exclusive club reminded me of why we had come all this way hoping to catch one fish.

Arriving at the Palometa Club we were pleasantly surprised. The Lodge, located in a little town called Punta Allen, sits right on the beach with six very comfortable bedrooms, air-conditioning, an outside bar overlooking the water and even wi-fi. The owners Kaye and Dick Cameron couldn't have been nicer or more accommodating. Each day they made all of us feel like family staying in their home. And the food was nothing short of fabulous. Dinners included pistachio hogfish, homemade fish soup and manchego cheese pie. Each day upon returning from fishing Kaye greeted you with her special recipe margaritas and the appetizer of the day, fresh shrimp ceviche, cheese quesadillas and a shredded chicken and vegetable tostada called panucho.

Unfortunately for our group the weather did not cooperate. A rare, late March cold front dropped the temperatures bringing rain and clouds the first two days and strong winds the last two. Permit don't like these conditions and most of the fish went to deeper water. With fewer permit in the shallows, the already difficult task - to catch one on fly rod - become almost impossible.

Despite the poor conditions, three guys realized their dream of their first permit on fly. It was especially satisfying to see my brother, Glenn Widom, holding his first permit and watch the video of him letting out a scream of relief when his guide tailed his prize. Glenn gave the 12lb beauty a quick kiss and released him to fight another day.

Although our fishing was off due to the weather, The Palometa Club is a very special place and we will be back. Hopefully next time mother nature will cooperate and we will experience the 20 shot days my friend Bobby Balogh experienced just one year ago. Virtually everyone in his group caught a permit on fly rod. Until then this crazy obsession with the Holy Grail of fly-fishing lives on."