If I’ve screwed up in bonefishing, and I have… plenty… I probably have done the most damage with my stripping.  I can get a little too in my head, over thinking the problem and coming up with some modified strip that just scares the hell out of the fish and leaves that fantastic V of a bonefish that has just had enough of your $h*t.

Glad to see a story from Deneki about stripping.

photo credit - Andrew Bennett

For those of you keeping score at home, the final result was Andros South 1, Hurricane Irene 0.

They made it through.

 

Our team on South Andros is safe and sound, and we experienced no damage from the storm.

That from the Captain of the Andros South team.

Good news.

OK, I don’t seem to have any sound on this, but, it is still awesome.

Andros South. I miss this place very, very badly.

You can always count on the Deneki Blog to deliver the goods.

I manage to hook my thumb first thing. A few practice casts, lots of opportunities, lots of failed casts to get to the fish, loads of flailing. “Cast now! Tip down! Strip, strip, strip!!!” again and again and again. Man, Charlie has loads of patience. I’m casting at fish I can’t see, I’m casting half the distance where the fish supposedly is, the wind is totally screwing any chance I have of getting the fly close to the fish. “Strip, strip, strip!!” “Little guy on!!” I’m not skunked, I couldn’t be happier. Got the little guy in the boat, and fumbled around in an attempt for the picture of possibly my only fish.

via Bonefishing Report from a Rookie | Kellsey Perkins at Andros South.

The goodness that was FIBFest continues to give… this time, it gives another post from Michael Gracie on the Deneki Blog where he takes aim at a few bonefishing myths.

More Bonefishing Mythbusting

Last year I conveyed some myths about bonefishing in The Bahamas, and how those tall tales were nothing but. This time around I’m adding to the list, with more myth busting on guides, gear, and getting to the prime fishing spots.

via Bonefishing Myths Busted | Part Two from Michael Gracie.

Photo by Gracie

It just so happens that there’s a great local bar at the put in. It’s commonly know as the ‘Little Creek Bar’ even though its real name is the ‘New Ocean View’. The Sands family runs the bar, and yes, that is indeed the clan of our legendary guide Josie Sands.

via Little Creek Bar | Local Bar at Andros South.

Yeah… it’s a nice place… a very nice place.  It isn’t really too fancy (or fancy in any way, shape or form).  It is right where you want a bar though… right at the put-in/take-out down there in South Andros.

Those beers taste extra good, somehow.

A beer at the end of the day... nice.

Photo by Cameron.

PS – Today is my first day on the new job… Business Development Manager at Whodini.  I’m guessing there will be fewer co-workers walking around in their underpants than in my last job as a stay-at-home dad… I hope, at least.

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I said more details would come out about Day 1 from FIBFest, but I never really put them out there… the Outdooress beat me to it, putting up her version of that first day of fishing… you can read it through the link below, and I’ll give my own account below that.

One single cast, a few panicked strips of my line, one marginal strip set and BAM….I caught a bonefish on my first try. As my line peeled away I distinctly remember Bjorn behind me saying, “clear your line!” followed quickly with, “beginners luck!”

via And Sometimes, A Fly Fisher Must Self Time Out..while Bonefishing | The Outdooress.

On day 1 of FIBFest I was paired with Rebecca (aka the Outdooress). Rebecca had never been saltwater fly fishing before.  It is safe to say that she had some anxiety about the whole business.  I tried (for a solid 20 seconds or so) to give her the deck first, but she insisted she needed a little time to calm her nerves.

Her nerves were not promptly calmed when we stopped the boat only to see a 5 foot lemon shark (she’s not totally on board with the whole “sharks are cool” thing).  I got up on deck, took line off and stood in the place I most enjoy in the world… the bow of a flats boat.  Ahhhhhhh…

My favorite place

Soon, our guide, Ellie, had spotted the first fish.  I got a follow and an eat and missed the fish.  I missed the second fish.  I missed the third fish.  I was apologizing to Ellie a lot at this point.  Number 4 and I missed it.  I think I hooked a couple of these fish, briefly.  My strip set had about 20% tout set in it and it was just enough to botch the job.

Number FIVE stayed on.  I was on the board, the boat had the skunk off it and we were in business.

Staying on... first fish in of the trip.

It was Rebecca’s turn.  She got up and started getting some line out and doing a little practice casting.  It was not going well… I couldn’t tell what exactly wasn’t going well, but it, in general, wasn’t going well. I could see Rebecca getting really frustrated.  After a few minutes she realized that the help she had received the night before from someone around the Slack Tide Bar in setting up her rig had backfired.  In a Kalik haze, someone had missed one of the guides.  Rebecca was going to have to re-rig.  I was up again.

It didn’t take me that long on the second fish, as I recall, but soon, Rebecca was up on deck again.  I told her that I was sure she was going to stick the very first fish she cast to.  That’s the way these things work.  Beginners Luck is real and I was sure she was going to be dipped in that magical pixie dust to get her first bonefish.

Oddly, I was pretty much spot on.  The first fish she had to cast to she stuck.  That was a very nice thing.

CONGRATS!

I was back up and whacked #3 and it was Rebecca’s turn again.  This is where things started to kind of come unraveled a bit for the Outdooress.  There was some wind and when it came time to make that 40′ cast into the wind the Outdooress hit a wall of frustration and I could see the downward spiral that would take her off the casting deck and install me back up there.  Now, it should be noted that I tried to have her keep the deck, to get through it and stick with it, but it was clear to both of us she really needed a little breather to get her head right.

I’m a pretty good cheerleader and reminded her this was her first day in the salt, that casting like this is not a skill set that most trout anglers can really claim and that it takes time and that she needed to be more gentle with herself.  Bits and pieces of this made it through, but she was having a tough time.

Confidence is a tricky thing.  We build our confidence as anglers by putting in the time and and seeing results.  Most of us do that on rivers and lakes before we try to take it to the salt and when we get there, we often find our skills are related, but not totally what is called for.  We have defined ourselves as anglers and here is something we can’t do.  It is a real “wtf” moment.

The day progressed… Rebecca started cutting herself a little slack and spent more time up on the deck.  She landed three bonefish on her first day fishing in the salt.  I’d call that a good day.

I managed to get some good follows from some lemon sharks on a gurgler, but no eats.  The fish would accelerate on the fly, raise their nose right to it and by that time they would be about 15 feet from the boat and they’d peel off.

One unlucky bonefish became a snack for some of the lemons post release.  Poor bastard.  We were shadowed by lemons with three sharks visible at one time on occasion.

I had one fly we named the 50/50.  I’d cast to one little pod of fish and they’d follow and then bolt.  Ellie would say “Maybe we should change that fly… wait… bonefish, 11:00, 40′!”  I’d cast and this other group of fish would crush the fly.  The fish either loved it or hated it in equal measure. Go figure.

The 50/50, retired.

So… that’s the tale of the first day of FIBFest.

Another FIBFest related post from the good folks at Deneki.

Photo by Cameron Miller

Chasing bonefish had never held huge appeal to me… after all, I’m a steelhead angler that thrives on punishment. Give me a river full of fish and I start losing interest – the hunt is what captivates me.

via Hunting for Bonefish and Steelhead | Tom Larimer Guest Post.

Tom Larimer wrote another good piece for the Deneki Blog about the hunting aspects of bonefishing compared to steelheading.  I have to say, the hunting aspect of bonefishing is something that really grabs me.  That you have to see the fish before you catch it… you have to know where to expect it and when it will be there, then you have to make the cast and get the retrieve right… I love it.

I imagine that it has a lot of parallels to hunting, although I’m not a hunter myself.  You have to know where the elk or deer or grouse are going to be.  You have to get in the right position.  You have to see your target and you have to make the shot.

Of course, you get to let your bonefish go.

This is my guest post for Deneki Outdoors, the owners of Andros South.  Love that place.

Photo by Andrew Bennett, fish catching by me.

While out stalking the phantom of the flats, it turns out you can do more than just catch and release. You can fish for science!

via Bonefish Science | Tagging and Fin Clipping Bonefish.

Tagging and fin clips… two great ways to help the folks at the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust.

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On day 1 of Deneki FIBFest at Andros South last month, your fearless editor decided to sport a nice new red shirt that was really going to look good in hero shots. The problem? You have to catch a fish before you can take a hero shot.

via Fly Fishing Lodges | Deneki Outdoors — Blog | Bahamas | Chile | BC | Alaska.

I saw that shirt in the morning and thought to myself “Interesting choice.”  Red is supposed to pop in pictures though… you go through some fly fishing photos and you’ll find some strangely bright colors.

I sometimes wonder if it is a bad thing being tall… 6’3″.  Do the fish see me more?  Do I see the fish more?  There are so many factors to consider… but do yourself a favor… leave the red shirt at home!