Flyfishing’s first descent on Honduras’ Faraway Cay
ON MARCH 20, THE BLADES of a canary-yellow A-star helicopter kicked up a cloud of sand while planting its skids on a tiny atoll off the Caribbean coast of Honduras. Years in the making, the landing at Faraway Cay was like a blindfold removed. According to satellite imagery, the island doesn’t exist. But minutes after landing, Steve Brown was hopping out the chopper door and stringing a fly rod, about to go wade a flat where even Google Earth can’t take you.
Brown is a Colorado native who for the past decade has operated Fly Fish Guanaja in the Bay Islands of Honduras. He first learned of the uncharted cay, 160 miles east of Guanaja, via word of mouth. Locals spoke fondly of the area’s prolific lobstering grounds. And when Brown hired one these locals as a full-time flats guide, the tales of giant bonefish and numerous permit spun by Rankin Jackson perpetuated the legend.
“The place is one of those cultural waypoints where the boys go out to sea and become men,” Brown says. “And Rankin is such a great storyteller that we just assumed he was exaggerating. But after scaling down the hype, what’s left was still so intriguing. We had to go see it.”
So last year, Brown began laying the groundwork for an expedition. He hired pilot Paul Kendall for aerial reconnaissance, secured a film crew to document events, assembled a team to erect a camp complete with a kitchen and 40’x40′ yurts, and brought on paying clients to help fund the venture. That was the easy part. Buddy-ing up with government officials, knocking on the Honduran navy’s door, and immersing himself in the clandestine tactics of a dangerous trade are where logistics took a turn for the unheard-of.
In 1998, Hurricane Mitch, a Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 150 mph, pummeled Honduras with enough rain and animated mud to annihilate the majority of the country’s crops and infrastructure. On islands like Guanaja, squalls uprooted vast mangrove systems. And in the aftermath, Honduras turned dark; a place where murder rates are today among the world’s worst and where a shady cocaine trade thrives. The Caribbean edge of the country, in particular, is a primary landing zone for drug mules. According to the 2016 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), “The region suits narcotics trafficking due to its remoteness, limited infrastructure, lack of government presence, and weak law-enforcement institutions.” Faraway, it turns out, shares all those traits.
In order to safely access the remote cay, Brown turned his attention toward the Honduras capital of Tegucigalpa, reassuring government officials that flyfishing is not a crime.
“Moving jet fuel via fast boats and setting up remote camps are the exact steps you take if you intend to do something illegal,” Brown says. Jet fuel is made from kerosene, which puts choppers in the air, but also is used to make cocaine. Brown needed to…
