Bonefish on the Brain Bonefish and all that relates (maybe a bit about tarpon too).

Over on my Facebook page I asked people where they caught their first bonefish.  I got a fair number of responses.  Here’s what came out of that.

The winner was the Bahamas, with 17 people. Second was Belize, with 8. If you count the islands of the Bahamas separately, Belize edges out Andros, 8-7.

The numbers

Here is what I found surprising about the responses. I always thought that a trip like Andros or Christmas Island was the trip you took after you got your feet wet somewhere else. However, it appears a great number of people actually start off their bonefish addictions at the top-of-the heap locations. With so much of my readership from the States, I thought there would be more of a Florida contingent, but that was only 13% of replies.

One thing is clear, you guys really do get after it.

Bahamas – 17

Belize – 8

Mexico – 6

Florida – 6

Christmas Island – 3

Los Roques – 1

BVI – 1

Bonaire – 1

Puerto Rico – 1

Roatan – 1

Tobago – 1

Hawaii – 1

The tarpon game is different from bonefishing. It isn’t just that the fish are bigger or that they are often harder to find, it is that they are just more difficult. That is why you actually talk about the fractions of success you have. How many fish you fed, how many you jumped, statistics that would be ridiculous in most other settings.

While you count the fractions, all those fractions, no matter how many there are, they never add up to one. Only landed fish count as One.

I fed a few tarpon down in Belize while on the honeymoon at El Pescador. I had two days that I got to cast at those magnificent fish.

That said, sometimes feeding tarpon is really just about as good as it gets… like hand feeding the tarpon at the Sunset Grill in San Pedro.

The Mrs. and I headed into town for lunch and to seek out the tarpon.  We found them. They request that you actually pay for a meal to feed the tarpon. We would have done, but we had just eaten. They were kind enough to let us do it anyway, but I’d suggest you do try to give them some business if you head there.

They got out some false sardines and I got to hand feed tarpon… big tarpon… it was simply awesome.

Right. From. Your. Hand.

OK, I would like to get a black death on one of these, but this was still awesome.

Happy Camper

—

Done. Fish scale ring too. Off to Belize.

Well done, I’d say. This is a great way to capture that bonefish for posterity. Corsetti bonefish art.

http://youtu.be/vPxzzYes1go

I love boats. I love flats boats most of all. I also love drift boats and jet sleds and all the magical boats where I stand up, cast a fly and am rewarded with a fish.

If I had one, I’d probably die.

I don’t live in Florida, so I don’t have need of a flats skiff, but I like to fantasize (when the Mrs. is out) about having a flats boat of my very own that I could take out to explore the back country in search of tarpon or redfish or bones or cudas.  I’m pretty sure if I took this nice, certified pre-owend Hell’s Bay Marquesa out that I would, likely as not, run into some sandbar or get so lost and turned around I’d never find civilization again.

It does look really, really nice though.

I really love the local knowledge that a good guide has, how they know where the fish are going to be on what tide over hundreds of square miles. How they know just when to turn where, running at speed and never once killing me. I really value that, the whole not dying part.

That’s why I’m glad I don’t live in Florida and don’t have a boat of my own. It helps keep me alive, which is an activity I’m partial to, even more so than bonefishing.

Chris over at Eat More Brook Trout asked me to do “20 Questions” and I did. Kind of fun to do and I was flattered to be asked.

A taste…

What is the trait you most deplore in others? 

Arrogance.

What is your favorite journey? 

Probably fishing Cuba this last year. Amazing trip.

On what occasion do you lie? 

I try very hard not to lie. If you lie and get caught you never have any credibility again.