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Backhanded Cast

I saw this post over at Deneki about backhanded casting. I agree. It is a great skill to have. I wouldn’t have gotten my Grand Slam in Belize if I didn’t have a backhanded cast.

One thing I noticed in South Andros was that my backhand cast is actually better looking than my forward cast. The loop is tighter and seems to lay out flatter. I don’t really know why, but my backhand cast is a thing of real beauty. I’ve been trying to figure out why and trying to make my forward cast more like it, but I haven’t cracked that code just yet.

Anyone have that answer?

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05
Aug 11

Prospects

Well, loyal readers… I have to say that it may be a great long time before I make it out on the flats again.

It seems while I have had a great deal of luck and success in my life, it has not extended over to the institution of marriage. It also seems that the big D is a lot less lucrative that it appears to be in movies an on TV. Finances are going to be rather… um… “constrained” for the next while and that makes even airfare to some place that would likely have me come to fish for free still about one plane ticket too expensive.

So, I’m going to need to rely on you… you lucky bastards that are going to be wetting a line in the next 8-12 months. Send me your photos, tell me your stories and let’s pool our collective experiences to keep this blog a bit more personal than just links to and about the elusive and beautiful bonefish.

You can always reach me at bonefishonthebrain@gmail.com.

I look forward to your stories.

I will also accept plane tickets to places that would have me come and fish for free. 😉

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01
Aug 11

Something has to be done

Every year there is a new threat… usually several. They have the potential to obliterate that beautiful flat, flatten that idyllic beach shack and really jack up your vacation.

Yes… I’m talking about Hurricanes. I think this has gone on long enough (since the beginning of time is really, really long time). I hereby call upon the UN, the Trilateral Commission, the Free Masons and Oprah (and maybe Apple) to confront this problem and put the resources needed toward ending this scourge (my money is on Oprah).

Stay safe out there all you island folks. I’ll be thinking of you as we head into the Fall with the swirling bastards coming your way (and hopefully missing by a wide, wide margin).

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31
Jul 11

Shark Week – The Lemon

So, it is Shark Week. In honor of Shark Week, I thought I’d post up something about my good friend from South Andros, the Lemon Shark. I hung out with a lot of Lemons in Andros. They were everywhere.

Bastard of the flats... the Lemon.

I'm pretty sure this one was a Lemon too, although this was Grand Bahama, a year earlier.

Overview – Lemon sharks may dive up to 1,300 feet when searching for food, but usually they are found near shore areas at depths closer to 295 feet. Their unusual coloration sets them apart from most other sharks. “Lemon” refers to their light brown, yellow-tinged skin. It provides good camouflage for the sharks, which like to rest over the sandy bottoms of shallow water regions. From a distance, it is hard to tell where the sand ends and the shark begins. One clue might be the presence of small reef fishes, such as wrasses, which gather around this shark to pick off parasites from its gills and skin. This species is most commonly found in the Caribbean, but it also exists in the western and eastern Atlantic and eastern Pacific from southern Baja California to Ecuador.

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30
Jul 11

A vision of the future

I just had a vision… I hope of the future.

I’m walking very slowly on a flat in the Bahamas. The water is a little below mid-calf. I’m trying not to push the water, trying not to make too much noise or push a wave out to alert the bones that we are stalking.

Just ahead of me and off to my right ever so slightly is another angler. She is shorter than I am with a visor and shades, her long hair in a pony tail down to her mid-back. She’s 12 and kitted out for flats fishing. I spot a pod of fish and before I can even point or say “11:00, 50 feet” she has the line moving through the air. She’s a better caster than I am because she never had any bad habits to unlearn.

50 feet of fly line shoot out silently. One twitch and the lead fish charges and tips down. She strip sets, because she is going to be much better at this than I am. She’s tight to the fish and she smiles broadly as the bonefish streaks away, her reel singing the happy anthem of the flats.

This could happen. I’m going to try and get her (now 4) into some trout again next weekend. We’ll see.

That’s a future I could live with.

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29
Jul 11

Flatswalker’s Rules

You can’t catch bonefish until you can catch bonefish. It’s a lot like the one hand clapping thing.

via Flatswalker: SaltWater Fly Fishing Guide Blog – Flatswalker.

Flatswalker lays down some rules/guidelines he’s developed over the years. Always a good read. Check it out.

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25
Jul 11

Project GTFO, Day 3 – Return Trip

I had my last day on the water, a short session, just a couple of hours. Landed some fish, including a couple out of a little pocket up against the bank that has been producing for me for YEARS. Love that little slot. Made me happy to pull a couple fish out of there.

I fished my favorite spot again today – Prospect Ave. on the Upper Sacramento River. It is a special place. I have a long, long history with Prospect. I remember when there was a bridge at Prospect that got washed away one winter. I’ll bet not even the Trout Underground can claim they remember it when there was a bridge at Prospect, but there was.

The river is undergoing reverse development. There are old, abandoned homes along the river and places where bridges have been wiped out, but there aren’t any new homes being build, nor foundations for future bridges. It does turn the clock back a bit.

I’ve seen this river in high water and low water and in the morning light and in the dark of night. I’ve had good days and bad days at Prospect, but many, many more good days than bad ones.

I learned to fly fish here. It is my home water.

If I’m good and the startup I’m at does really well, I might just get to know some bit of tropical flat in the same way that I know this place. That would be something worth doing.

Home

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24
Jul 11

Project GTFO, Day 2

Today, I went down to the McCloud. This river is sometimes known as the McCrowd and when I got to the end of the road at the Nature Conservancy property it was pretty much spot on. There were 5 cars parked there (which is a good trick in the first place). I turned around and went up river a little to start my day on the water.

The water was a little off color… milky, as the McCloud sometimes is. It took me a while to get on the board, but once I did, I began to find fish more or less regularly. Cast, drift, strike, cast. It is a repetition that helps move clutter from your mind.

The McCloud continues to be one of the most beautiful places I know of.

Luckily, I caught a few of these… (21, but who is counting?)

Nothing big (I did lose one really nice fish), but it was a great day on the water. Finished the day throwing for smallies at Lake Siskiyou, adding another 5 fish to the tally (yes, I count… I just always have).

It has been a good trip… some distance, some perspective. Fishing trips are good for your soul.

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23
Jul 11

Project GTFO, Day 1

I GTFO and headed North. Got there in time to hit the river. It was exactly what I needed.

Not big... but pretty. Love these fish.

And after a few hours of fishing… this…

Beer at the Dunsmuir Brewing Company

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22
Jul 11

Going fishing

About eight years ago I went to the McCloud River having just gotten engaged. It was an exciting time.

A lot of water has passed down that riverbed since then and a lot has happened in my own life. I got married, had a child, changed jobs, was a stay at home, changed fields, moved three times and even discovered bonefish.

I’m heading back to the McCloud this weekend under different circumstances and have to ponder what this next chapter will hold. Water is a big part of my life, be it in celebration or sorrow.

I look forward to listening to the river and hearing what she has to say.

(one potential positive is that my negotiations for taking trips just got much easier)

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