I am still looking for where exactly I’ll be headed for my 2010 Bonefishing trip.  I had been looking at the Bonefish Whisperer out of Miami (his rates are pretty hard to beat), but in the end, I need to catch fish and the FL bonefish game just seems a bit too iffy for my taste (at least at this stage of my fixation).  I’m going to keep him in mind for the future…  that future being after 2010.

A reader I’ve been exchanging emails with had a list of low-cost options that included an outfitter with several budget bonefish destinations.  The operation is Cattaraugus Creek Outfitter.  They have packages on Acklins and Eleuthera that both sound pretty good.  Acklins takes a little too long to get to, so I was keen on the Eleuthera option.  Eleuthera is known as a DIY island. It’s a long island with lots and lots and lots of flats the self-guided angler can walk out on.  Cattaraugus Creek would get on the phone with you before your trip and Google Earth you onto some promising spots.  Their package includes lodging, meals and rental car with prices from $1,500 to $750 for a 7 day trip.  Shorter stays are possible.  I emailed with Vince at Cattaraugus and he was very willing to work with me on a shorter trip and gave good advice.

I was ready to hit the “go” button but the airfare sitch has tanked that particular effort.  I’m using frequent flier miles and it did not seem that there was a way to get to Eleuthera with my Alaska Airline miles (they have relationships with lots of carriers, like Denta and Continental).  In looked like I was going to have to burn a day in Nassau either coming or going and maybe  both.  That cuts too much into on-the-flats time.  I need to be fishing the day after I depart and I need to be home the same day I start my return.  Why it costs $350 to get from Miami to Eleuthera I have no idea.

Oh Grand Bahama, I think I’m coming back!

Belize… a magical land of lots and lots of bonefish and lodges that are all shiny and wonderful.   Seems the lodge game is the current approved route, as opposed to DIY.  The Ledger.com ran a story about heading down to Belize that was a decent read.  Find it here.  The way the guide and client are not on the same page about the stripping speed made me think  of Shane Kohlbeck‘s article here a couple weeks ago.

Here’s a random guy fishing  in Belize.  His guide is very different from the guide mentioned in the Ledger.com article.  Seems like a cool cat, really.

Yeah… the “catch as many as you want” line got me wondering if A) that were true, and B) if this guy was in the sun too much… or C) A little of column A and a little of column B.  Having not fished Belize, I’ll have to wait until I  make the journey.

DIY may actually be a possibility, upon a little digging.  Bite me Belize offers three different options on a sliding scale from Kayak rental to flats wading to skiff fishing.  Check out Bite me Belize and you may just be thinking Belize-me!  This looks like a really good option and one that I’m certainly going to be checking into.

This could be your Belize Bonefish ride.

• Found this article from www.reel-time.comm that is a few years old, but continental drift probably has not carried off any of these places just yet.

• If you still unsure how to catch bonefish, you can check out this article from a home improvement website about DIY projects… How to catch bonefish in 5 easy steps.

A little video of Long Island, Bahamas bonefishing for you lazy Sunday afternoon…

Vieques, Puerto Rico… yes, the place we used to drop bombs on… turns out, might have some pretty interesting fishing too.  Vieques has several things going for it… first, it’s a US Territory, so travel is a little less complicated.  Second, you can actually camp there (although I’ve read not to leave anything in your tent when you leave for the day).  Third, and most importantly, there are bonefish there.  How many?  How big?  How hard/easy?  I have no frigging idea… but they are there.

There are a couple of guides that work the island… one of them has a blog (The Vieques Angler), which I read.

I found a story (in the NYT, of all places) about bones on Vieques and wrote the author.  He said that there were flats you could walk out on, and that for around $15 a day you could even rent a kayak that would get you to other, more promising flats.  This makes the island a good possible DIY/Self Guided location.

This is another trip that has some real potential to come in under that magical $1,000 threshold that makes it easier to negotiate on the home-front.

There is a wealth of vids on YouTube for the bonefish fan.  I like this one because it was self-guided and the guy drops a bunch of info.

For those of you who don’t know much (or anything) about Providenciales, it’s an island in the Turks and Caicos.

The island has direct flights from some US Carriers (American, Delta, US Airways).  This is important since it means you might be able to get here on frequent flier miles.

Low end digs at Comfort Suites looks to set you back about $138 a night during the Spring, which is general high season for Bones.

As usual, the flight is the budget killer for the Sub-$1,000 Bonefish Trip… from SFO it will cost about $750, from Boston about $550 (that’s why the frequent flier  miles is a good thing to keep in mind).  CheapCaribbean.com thinks they can get you there and get you lodging for about $1,350.

There are guides on the island… first guy who popped up on Google made that self-guided option look really good.  I have no idea what this guy’s or the island’s economics look like, but a full day of bonefishing with Capt. Darin will set you back $800 (pre-tip).  While this may be totally and outrageously unfair, I’m going to call that Nucking Futs.

This was sent to me recently and I thought I’d share.  I’ve been fairly scared off of DIY Florida bones after hearing countless assertions that the FL Bones are smarter than most, less numerous than many and just plain tough to find in the first place.  So, it gives me heart to relay this little tale from Vince Stanley.

This June after years of blown casts, broken leader, and fouled flies I finally landed my first Florida bone at Islamorada, the PHD capital of bonefishing. For several mornings as we prepared to go tarpon fishing a very large school of double digit bones appeared around the condo dock. This little flat is a flats boat magnet. We had a “Captain” fish over us as the jerk stated we didn’t have a chance in this wind.”

After our engine took an unscheduled vacation I had time to really pursue this action. I noticed the bonefish favored one little sandy hole. They would turn on their side and flash as they ate SOMETHING. I had a MOE size #8 in my “possible” fly box. It was tied from junk cluttering up my tying bench. Third cast, 6 pound bone. No guide, no boat, no sweat until it made a run to go under the dock. My host snagged him with a huge net.

The Junk Fly

And so, there you have it… the tale of Vince’s first Florida Bone, caught on a self-tied fly.

I recently stumbled (and by stumbled I mean “found after searching for hours”) upon what sounded like my ideal trip for Bahamas Bonefish.  The island is Mayaguana, toward the tail end of the Bahamas.  The lodge, if it could be called that, doesn’t offer anything fancy.  Fancy would be code for “guide.”  They give you a place to lay your head, food and a canoe and point you toward a likely place.  I like the DIY mentality, mostly because it conforms nicely to my NEM (Not Enough Money) financial philosophy.

I could hardly wait to get to the bit where my dreams of a bonefishing trip for under $1,000 would spring from my overactive imagination and into my future reality.  The pricetag for a week of bed, grub and people propelled floatation… $1,495 a week… airfare not included.

Really?

Thusly, the search goes on.