Got news last night that Marty passed away.  Marty was a really, really good guy.  He loved fish and the places they are found. He was a real cornerstone of conservation down here in the South Bay. He’ll be missed.

Below is a post about Marty’s bolo from earlier in 2011.

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Marty showed me his new bolo from none other than Louie the Fish in Hawaii (Louie and his son guide for bonefish as well).

Nice... carved from bone, I believe.

Looking good Marty!

Good looking bit of paint on canvas.  $200 bones gets you as many bones as you can count in this painting.  You might have to look closely to see them, which is kind of how that works anyway. The artist is Peter Corbin. Great looking canvas.

This is just cool… skeletal bonefish. This is from the folks at Helter Skeletons.  They have all manner of fish skeletons, delivered to you in a shadowbox (I have no idea how much they cost).

Cool

Here’s a new Bragging Rights Portrait of Eric Rathbun of Moldy Chum who recently had the opportunity for the ethereal experience while chasing Bones in the Bahamas.

via ” Bahama Bonefish ” Tropical Bragging Rights Fish Art portrait -  Mike Savlen.

That is just pure awesome.  Mike does some really, really good work.  This picture was taken at FIBFest… some really good pictures were taken by Cameron and now one of those has been turned into a pretty kick arse painting by Mike.

I want one.

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I found this yesterday on-line… I like it… I like it very much.

Nice Stan... very nice.

The artist is Stan Harmon and you can find more of his art on his site.  The site says you should call for the price of the above bit of artistic awesomeness.  Given the beauty and subject matter, I’m going to guess that it is worth $3B… maybe more.

OK… things…

Looks like things are maybe not so bleak in Aitutaki and I hope that is the conclusion I’ll have when things are all rolled out…

Bjorn hi

There are detailed criteria, weightings and conditions outlined in the regulations. Much of the vetting and decision making will be the responsibility of the bonefish management committee, including what limits to put on the number of guides (the number recommended was 5). Obviously the regulations  weren’t designed to fit around individuals or the bonefish association but if applied properly it can lead to a fair and sustainable industry for the guides.

The core requirements for guides are (1) CI Boat Master Certificate, (2) Red Cross First Aid Certificate and (3) CI Tourism Accreditation. MMR has funded all these courses and others e.g. guide fishing training and small business management, although just 2 persons have completed the requirements so far.

Regards, Ben

There remain some questions about who exactly is on the committee and how they get there… but, this is a start.

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Another thing… I like art… at least when it comes to fishing/fish art.  I’m still wondering how I feel about Bonefish Gyotaku for which, I think, the bonefish likely gave its life.  You can buy this on Etsy.

Bonefish as art

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Another thing… speaking of fishing art… there is a new member to my little family… a Lamson Lightspeed 4… destined to tangle with cuda’s and I hope some tarpon, Dorado and other beeg fish swimming out in the ocean.

Isn't she beautiful? Pretty girl.

I’ve never caught a big cuda.  I hope to change that in March down at Andros South and that is the reel I’ll have on… well… a rod to be named later.

Soon after I had my religious bonefish experience in Hawaii I started looking for shirts with bonefish.  I didn’t find much off the bat.  My t-shirts fall into roughly two categories… short sleeved fish-themed shirts and longed sleeved fish-themed t-shirts.

Then… I found Skinny Water Culture.

That's beautiful

This is some good looking art… that’s right… I said it… “art.”  That bonefish is beautiful and primal and, well, everything I wanted in a fish-themed shirt.

Now, I just managed to give away a pair of Costa Del Mar sunglasses and that was pretty cool… so, I asked the guys at Skinny Water Culture and they said “sure, we’d love to give away some SWC gear.”

So, there… I’m going to give away something (actually, anything they have in stock in whatever size you might be).

So… here’s what I’m thinking.  I’d love to hear about your about your first bonefish.  You can put comments here or you can put a comment on the page created for this purpose.

For the record, I own two Skinny Water Culture shirts.  Both I paid full retail for.  See, I’m giving you a free shirt and I’m paying for them.  I try to do well by all you folks that honor me by actually reading what I write.

$15.00 – On Sale

1st Series Signature Bonefish from Chase Hancock (SICK!)

via Skinny Water Culture — Chase Hancock “Bonefish Ghost” T Shirt (Short Sleeve).

This shirt is on sale… $15.00… I love this shirt.  You should buy this shirt.

The Wild About Glass website has the art of David Oppenheimer.  Included in his portfolio are all sorts of inshore species… tarpon, snook, trout and, of course, bonefish.  The bonefish he has on offer is 32″.  You need to call or email David about pricing.

Nice looking fish.

I like this stuff.  My grandfather used to do stained glass… flowers, birds… good looking pieces of art that have hung in the windows of the various parts of our family for years.  Wouldn’t mind a bonefish in the window.

I like it.

pearl bone by Louie

Check out his work here.