Nothing brings insecurities to fore like standing on the bow of a flats skiff, especially with a head made weak from dehydration. Bonefish T found a school and turned his skiff and called out instruction. I lay down a cast and missed and awaited castigation.

A piece over at Fishing Jones, which is always a good read, even when he’s going after fish that I don’t target in places I’ll probably never fish.

Go… read it.  Enjoy.

I made a few blind casts and hooked a nine-inch barracuda. I pulled it in by hand and green shards of bucktail from the abused clouser stuck to its skin and my fingers.

Isn’t that a great image.  Don’t you just see that when you read those words.  Yeah… I do too.

Read this great little piece by Fishing Jones.

Fishing Jones was one of the earliest fishing blogs.  An east coaster with a penchant for stripers and a way with the written word, his is the kind of blog that you wish were updated every day, just so you could have something quality to look forward to.

I feel much the same way about Flatswalker, who also really has the ability to turn a phrase and put you there, out on the water in the middle of no where with a rod in your hand, even when you are stuck in the largely (although not totally) bonefish devoid state of California.

If you like Pete’s writing and want to see more of it… you can check out The Blitz (via Moldy Chum).

I too, read Alex C‘s bit on why you suck at fly fishing, and then I read Pete’s counter and MG‘s announcement… and it got me to thinking… how do I feel about sucking? (A Perfect Fish got in on the discussion too)

I like Pete’s “Don’t be an asshole” rule.  I think I can pretty much live by that one.  I’ve had a few things said about me over the years and I’ll generally admit to being a bit naive, but certainly well intentioned.  I’m maybe a bit too quick to get defensive and a little slow to let an insult go, but I’m working on both of those things.  Don’t say I’m not, damnit!  Well… more work to do, I guess.

There are a lot of really good anglers out there and there are a lot of really sucky anglers out there and I’d bet the a-hole split is fairly even between the two groups.  However, there is something particularly egregious about the guy who is an a-hole about being a good angler.  I kind of hate those guys.  There seems to be something about this sport/hobby/pastime that generates the “I’ve been there, done that, and probably better than you did/will/can.”

These guys are first against the wall when the revolution comes. Just say’n.

We all start somewhere and usually, almost always, suck at the beginning.  Some kids get lucky and fish from birth.  I took up fly fishing when I was 20 or 21 despite living in trout country and gear fishing from an early age.  Others come to it later…. sometimes not until middle age or retirement.  When you start and how much time you put into it determines a lot.  For most folks, sucking isn’t a way of life, it is merely the scenic route to becoming a better angler.

I’m not good at math, but I think you could nearly come up with an equation to determine flyfishing suckiness… I’ll call it the Fly Fishing Suckiness Index (FFSI).

TW (Time on the Water – 1-10) x HLP (Amount and quality of help you have received – 1-8) x A (Athleticism – 1-2) x AG (Age you picked up fly fishing – 1 older, 2 young man, 3 birth) x FND (How fishy your group of friends is – 3-very, 1-not at all) x AW (Awareness – 1-2) x FS (Quality of your local fly shop – 1-2) x FT (Fly Tier 1 = no, 1.5 = yes) x JOB (Job, is it your job? 1 = no, 3 = yes) = FFSI

Nowhere in the equation is there mention of how expensive your gear is or how many miles you’ve traveled after fish.  Those things don’t make the angler, really.  One key factor is the help your receive along the way.  Guides, friends, parents… there is a world of advice and knowledge and if you ask, you will generally receive… if you do, remember to give it back to some other sucky angler at some point down the road.

There are exceptions… there are people born to fish, just like there are people born to paint or sculpt.  The engineers I know seem fairly unable/unwilling/uninterested to do anything else.  I heard one computer/electrical engineer explaining how a quantum computer would work (which blew my mind) and it was not lost on me that this same person has sever phobias involving toothpicks, needles, contractors, ticks and many, many other things that makes it nearly impossible to operate in the world.  He was born with numbers in his head and some people are born with fish floating in theirs.

There are probably also people who cannot overcome their own ineptness, but who love it anyway.  If it doesn’t bother them, I ask that it not bother you either and we should all get along famously.

PS – I’m still, pretty much, a sucky saltwater angler… but I’m working on it.

a good read about an awesome looking flats boat… although I won’t be buying one… probably not great for the SF Bay… despite the bonefish caught there in 1914.

The cult of flats fishing has many commandments, two of the most important being “float shallow” and “don’t spook the fish.” The Chittum Islamorada 18 looks to do that like no other skiff around.

via Chittum Skiffs Islamorada 18 | features.boats.com.

This story was authored by Pete McDonald, who also  happens to write the Fishing Jones blog.

Courtesy of Blood Knot Magazine and Fishing Jones… a little recap.

The first one, an eight pounder, broke off my tippet. Or, more accurately, I did on the strip set.

via Parrot Cay Bonefish by the Numbers | Blood Knot Magazine.

First, I thought the blog post by Fishing Jones about his most recent foray into the land of bonefish.  As Michael Gracie says in the comments… this is the standard by which future fishing reports will be judged.

We’re the People’s Front of Bud’s Lounge.

It is a great report and I like the Life of Brian reference.  I had an indoor soccer team at one point named The People’s Front of Judea.

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On another front, I’ve been sitting down to tie again with Belize on my mind… 55 days, I believe at this point.  I got some advice to tie up some Legless Merkins… I like the look of these guys… wish my Un-Legless Merkins looked as good.

Sans Legs, the Merk looks yummy.

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I dug the most recent Deneki post about Andros South that highlighted some local color of a Junkanoo band.  When I was in Grand Bahama last, someone mentioned that the traffic was for a Junkanoo festival and they nearly fell down when I told them I didn’t know what that was.

A great guest post on the Deneki blog by FIBFester Pete McDonald, who writes the Fishing Jones blog.

The drink is called sky juice and it’s a mixture of condensed milk, coconut rum, gin, and whatever other bottles are open at the time. Torrie Bevans mixed it up at the Slack Tide on what happened to be my last night at Andros South and it made the start proper.

via Lessons Learned on South Andros by Pete McDonald.

Thanks go to Deneki Outdoors for putting on FIBFest 2010. There was a lovely flow of bonefishy goodness riding the tide from Andros South.

Michael Gracie took pity on me for my inability to escape the gravitational pull of domestic bliss (really a move, house sale and all that goes with it) and sent me an Andros South hat.

My life in a picture... fantasy and reality all there together.

Between all the great writing emanating from Andros South, Michael’s hat charity and my flies keeping Fishing Jones company, FIBFest was a blast, even from the stands.

Thanks Deneki!

It has been fun to watch what’s come out of FIBFest 2010 down at Andros South.  The week has come to an end, sadly, and now it is all  but memories.  Looks like some pretty good ones were made.

Here’s a stellar wrap up by Michael Gracie akin to an Oscar acceptance speech.

Fishing Jones had a rather literary take on things.

This whole thing was put together by Andrew from Deneki Outdoors.  The idea, of course, was to stir up interest in bonefishing and in Andros South.  I think that has been accomplished.

The hunting grounds of Andros South.

I couldn’t make  FIBFest, it is true… but I sent some flies to Pete over  at Fishing Jones so at least my flies could make it there and hopefully end up in the jaw of an Androsian bonefish or two.

Success!

At least I know my flies would have worked...

That’s one of my ties in that South Andros bonefish, caught by Pete today as he fished with Michael Gracie out of Andros South.