What wasn’t perfect was the weather. Andros was under the same weather system as the Florida Keys we’d just left. Upon arrival we rigged rods and checked leaders while Charlie mixed drinks and regaled us with stories of monster bones, massive schools, and, well, everything we’d dreamed of for months. We went to bed early dreaming of giant bonefish and worrying about the weather, both with good cause.

Check out the full story here.

Norman is a really nice and quiet guy. He comes across as professional, honest and knowledgeable in his guiding and I got the sense from him that he was a pretty solid all around guy.

Norman tagging a bonefish for BTT

Norman could use some help right now to cover the costs for the funeral.  If you’d like to help out, you can contribute to this fund, set up by Deneki. You won’t get a tax deduction, but it is still worth doing.

Sending good thoughts to Norman. I can’t imagine what he’s going through.

There are some promotions going on at the moment to convince you all to go ahead and make the financial commitment.

We are having monthly give-aways of gear (this month it’s Howler Brothers), next month Cheeky, then Orvis,…. But best of all, the final drawing at the end of the year is a trip to Ascension Bay.  And for people who join and renew at $100 of higher (we don’t want to forget them), there is a year-end raffle for a trip to Pesca Maya.

So… what do you think… why don’t you go ahead and do it.  I’m a member.  Just say’n.

Don’t be that guy that doesn’t support the cause, man. (yes, I have had a couple)

So… is the EXT from Albright the most expensive 8 wt. in the world? Well, depends on how you look at their numbers.  See, the MSRP is $1,195.00.  Um… that would be the the priciest 8 wt. on the planet (by $300+).

The NRX =$760

The Sage One =$730

Winston iiix = $810

Orvis Helios = $825

Well… that just sounds a bit crazy, no?

Don’t worry though… they aren’t selling the EXT for $1,195. You can get it for the low, low price of $358.50. Yup… 70% off the MSRP.

Here’s the thing… that rod has never sold for a grand. Never.  It never will. It doesn’t mean it’s a bad rod, but it isn’t a thousand dollar rod.

I have an Albright. It is a decent stick. It was very good in terms of price. I think it was about $90 and it casts like a $130 rod. It’s a deal. The question Albright needs to answer is if the rod is money for value at $358.  It might be that.  There is a good chance it is.  They don’t need to say it casts well for $1,000 because there is no 8 wt. that should cost $1,000.

Come on folks. Play it straight.

(I’m not the only one who has noticed, it seems.  Hatch Magazine has as well.)

PS – saw this over at Flatswalker.

On foot you tend to see the fish in closer, making shorter casts… maybe more in the 30-50′ range. Getting your super fast action rod to load at 40′ is sometimes a little difficult and so many anglers up-line for wade fishing.  Typical bonefish lines are .25-.5 weights above the line weight anyway, so some folks move to a redfish line, which is .25-.5 heavier still.

Here’s a thought… what if you used a SLOWER action rod for wade fishing?  Slower rods (I’m talking medium action here, not a dry fly rod) load better at short distances.

Might a medium action rod actually be better on foot???

I found this little tidbit at Orvis by Jim Lepage and Marshall Cutchin…

In the second situation you are looking for a rod to take bonefishing. You know these fish are strong and fast, that they can get up to 10 pounds in weight and can attain speeds up to 30 miles-per-hour, and that you’ll have to contend with wind while you are casting. The flies you will be using range from size 2 to 6, and they may have some weight added to them. All this means you should look at a rod with a butt section stiff enough to quickly land these fish and a flex profile that puts most of the bend in the tip to mid-section. A rod that flexes in the tip is often referred to as a ‘tip flex,’ or ‘tippy,’ or ‘fast action’. These rods flex progressively toward the mid-section as more and more line is cast. You’ll also want a rod that is on the high side of the “load range” — casting better with 20 to 30 feet of line out of the rod tip than your typical “slow” rod will. In this situation an 8- or 9-weight rod is a perfect match.

Softer, or “slower,” rods allow the caster to feel the loading of the rod more quickly, with less line out of the rod tip. Long casts, on the other hand, tend to benefit from having more line out of the rod tip (there’s more weight to throw), and a stiff rod makes holding more line in the air easier.

From Orvis.

Found by Flatswalker… good points here!

Now… I’m sure what he’s said is reasonable.  I’d add, however, that I’d bet there are rods that are much slower that are used for bonefish.  Just because a rod is slower doesn’t mean you can’t cast it in the wind or you can’t hit 70′ with it. We tend to use faster rods because they are easier to use, but it seems to me, that some of the best anglers (and I’m talking about the people here that are much, much better than I am) tend to fish with rods that are a bit slower than “fast.”

Thoughts?

Guess what?  I’m in there.  Page 79 is a piece by me about “Why I love bonefishing.”

Also in this issue are:

• Fishing Jones
• Eat More Brook Trout
• The Caddis Fly
• SwittersB & Fly Fishing

Check it out and I hope you enjoy.