UPPER KEYS — Bonefish are among the most iconic of Florida Keys sportfish. But with the local population of the legendary “gray ghosts” believed to have declined over the past several decades, a prominent conservation organization is seeking to find out why.

Read the whole story here.

The prey study comes on the heels of a dissertation completed over the summer which concluded that the South Florida bonefish stock has declined 70 percent since anglers descended in large numbers upon the region and began targeting the species as a premier sportfish.

Wow… 70%.  That’s shocking and sobering and maybe a little depressing.

Knowledge is the key here so I’m glad BTT is on the case.

The dream looks something like this…

That first shot… the glass flat water and the fish coming on… man… nearly stroked out there.

Totally ripped this picture off from the Saltwater Experience.

Florida… maybe I’ll head to FL for a little fly-meets-fish action if and when I can scrape enough loose change together.  That doesn’t sound like the worst plan of action. The above is from the folks at Saltwater Experience.

Who has been and how was your experience?

The pull….Permit,Tarpon and Bonefish!  It was an easy decision.  I was lucky enough to get an opportunity of a lifetime to work in the Keys as a guide, and since I was spending all of my free time and $ to go to the Keys to fish, it was a no brainer.  I love Tahoe, but guiding there was part time at best.  Florida offered a year round job on the water, and the opportunity to fish all I want on my days off

Nice bonefish there Derek

I think a lot of folks have part of them with a bit of a dream to go be a flats guide. What is one of the highlights and lowlights from your journey?

I guess some of the highlights so far would be catching my first Permit and first double digit Bone on fly, guiding people into the fish of a lifetime, meeting new people, exploring new water all over Southern Florida, and getting to fish just about every day!  I am lucky to say that the highlights are still coming.  The lowlights…..hmm.  I guess the biggest one was leaving Tahoe itself and all of the incredible people I spent so much time with.  I miss the guys I use to guide with out there, and I also miss the beautiful Northern Sierras, the pristine water, the evening Caddis hatches and Steelhead, and summer time sight fishing for Carp.

I’ve heard a lot about how rough the guide culture in Florida can be. What’s your experience with that?

The guide culture in FL….wow.  That is a tough one.  It can be extremely rough down here fitting in.  I am the new guy in a place that is full of guides.  Newcomers are not always welcome.  I have taken a few licks from some of the older salty Captains down here,but, it is all part of being accepted.  I never knew that fishing had so much politics! Tarpon season is the worst.  Learning what is acceptable, and what is not takes a bit of time.  But, it seems like courtesy will get you a long way down here.

Poonage... nice.

Favorite rod and reel?

My favorite rod and reel down here would have to go to my Scott S4S 9 wt with a Galvan Torque T-10 on it.  It is a versatile rod and can get the job done.

Have you hopped over to the Bahamas? Some cheap flights that way.

I can sadly say that I have not made it to the Bahamas yet.  Hopefully I can get over there really soon.  BUt, you know how it is, too many fish to chase, too little time and $ to do it.

What advice would you give to an angler heading to Florida for the first time?

My best advice I can give to someone heading down here for the first time is practice your casting.  Accuracy is key on the flats. A guy who can cast 100 feet of line and is wild as hell will not do as good as a guy who can only cast 50 feet and can put it on a dinner plate almost all of the time.  It is almost always windy down here, so you MUST learn to cast into the wind.  It can make or break a day on the water.  Learn to cast straight into the wind, with the wind over each of your shoulders, with it at your back and from left to right. If you can do this it will greatly improve your odds of hooking up.   Another thing to practice is shooting line.  Minimalizing false casts is crucial.  The water is clear down here, and waving a fly line around 25 times to deliver is cast of 40 feet is no good and will scare the hell out of these fish.    Learn to shoot line on your backcast as well as your forward cast will give you better shots and getting a spooky fish to eat a fly.  And lastly, I would highly recommend learning how to backcast, and, learning how to do it with accuracy.  Not every shot down here is head on, and these fish can appear out of nowhere sometimes making turning the boat impossible.  You will get more shots if you can backcast because frequently you just don’t have time to adjust the skiff for a perfect shot every time.

Glad to say that he’s done that.  He now works at Saltwater Exerience in the Keys and just a couple days ago he ran into a big, big bone.  Good on ya Derek.

Nice!

Day I: Late start, low tide, breezy. Oceanside: small groups, singles, and doubles. Second cast: hooked up! Jump, jump. Sweeeet. Drag singing. Fish off. “Uhhhh… popped ‘im off.” Nope: reel in to find the backing broke! Motored around searching for a #10 yellow line zipping through the water but was forced to admit both the fish, line, leader and fly were gone forever.

via Flatswalker: SaltWater Fly Fishing Guide Blog – Flatswalker.

via IGFA | The IGFA Remembers Fly Fishing Legend Billy Pate.

Billy Pate was a founding member of the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust.  Never met him.  Never even talked to him, but he sounds like a pretty fascinating guy.

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Then he guns the engine. As the boat planes quickly and easily, Huff lifts up his bandanna, revealing a wide smile. “Do you feel that?” he yells to me over the engine’s whine. “We’re free.”

via The Best Fishing Guide Alive.

A little piece in Garden & Gun about uber guide, Steve Huff.

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At their April 6 meeting, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted unanimously to put in place new regulations that will make bonefish a catch and release species in Florida. The new regulations take effect July 1, 2011.

via Bonefish & Tarpon Trust.

Yeah, I didn’t miss this, but I didn’t really post about it either.  This is good news and the folks at the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust are the folks who you should thank.

Awesome.

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The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission decided Wednesday to move forward on a new rule that would declare bonefish a catch-and-release species, with no harvest of them allowed.

via Bonefish getting permanent protection.

Love it.  Gotta get over there… have not fished in Florida, which seems a little silly now.  Well, thinking about it, I actually did fish Florida… but it was a long, long, long time ago.  I was 10.  There was spin fishing off some beach… I caught a crab.

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