- Large non-bonefish brown trout caught on my home water by a guy I like.
- Flatswalker is back up after being down for a couple days. I like this.
- For those of you worried about what to get me for Christmas, I wear an XL shirt. Cash also is just my size.
- The clock is ticking down toward my 11:30 PM flight on Jan. 13 to Grand Bahama.
- Visors suck. I don’t want to see any more pictures of big, huge bonefish and guys with enough hair to make that kind of head-wear practical.
- www.gofishn.com could be a cool place for the fly fishing community. Join. I did.
All the other stuff
21
Dec 09
Tag Ends – 12-21-09
20
Dec 09
Dreada Dan Dread
Check out some goodness from Flatswalker, one of my favorite salty blogs.
Example…
Dreada dan Dread, [‘dreda dan ‘dred] (slang) adj: badass, amazingly awesome, simply very cool shiznit.
Caribbean slang term. Logic goes something like this: rastas (dudes with dreadlocks) are pretty cool right, they don’t just wear dreads but are pretty “dread” themselves. Not dread as in scary or fear inspiring, but more like someone from Boston may use the term “wicked”, as in that’s a wicked sweet boat/ride/rod/reels/fish/etc. Or, “dat is a dread fly, man; dem bones naw’ a pass dat!”
15
Dec 09
A Tour of Grand Bahama
I found this little written tour through the history and present of Grand Bahama. It makes for an interesting read and I’m really glad I get to absorb all this before I head to GBI for the second time in January because lord knows when I’m there I won’t be looking or thinking of anything but bonefish.
Some interesting cultural, social and political context for what might be your next bonefish adventure.
This is from Bahama Pundit and author Larry Smith.
14
Dec 09
Travel Deal – Seriously Cheap Caribbean
This just popped into my in-box. Had to share. How cheap? How about $229 for 5 days in the Bahamas WITH AIR!?!?! Seriously… WTF?
14
Dec 09
I Love Crack(ed Conch)
Bonefish live in lots of places with lots of interesting things to eat and drink. In the case of the Bahamas, one thing you’ll find in great supply is Conch (pronounced “konk”). Conch is, as you probably know, a really big mollusk with firm, white meat. There are Conch Fritters and Conch Chowder and Cracked Conch and Conch Conch and, well, you get the idea.
On my upcoming trip I don’t plan on eating out too much (think Ritz Crackers and Peanut Butter). One thing I am looking forward to is at least one night of Cracked Conch. Cracked Conch is basically like clam strips, but made with conch. It is super yummy and will be washed down by a nice cold Kalik beer.
Cracked Conch
Ingredients: 1 ½ lb. conch, 1 oz. lemon juice, 2oz. flour, 3 eggs
Method : Cut the conch in half horizontally and tenderize. Marinate the conch in the lemon juice for ½ hour. Beat the eggs and dip the conch in the flour, egg wash and finally dip again into the flour. Deep fry. Serves 4.
Pretty simple… and simply delicious.
Post Cracked
Pre-Cracked... kind of pretty, really.
13
Dec 09
Why I love bonefishing
I was at one of my Grandmother’s 90’th birthday parties today, my daughter’s great grandmother. Not too surprisingly the topic of bonefish arose. My folks sent out their holiday newsletter that talked about my obsession, among other topics. Aunts and other relations would ask “What is it about bonefish that interests you so?”
Here is my reply:
First of all, bonefish live in beautiful places, places you’d like to be… the Bahamas, Hawaii, the Keys, Belize, Mexico, the South Pacific, the Seychells. Beyond that, the bonefish itself is a fish perfectly suited for its environment. It is elusive. It is fast. It is powerful. It is weary. Maybe most importantly for me, it is different from what I know. It is thrilling to be standing in the water with a rod in my hand not knowing what the hell I’m doing. I’m learning about the fish, where they live, what they eat and why. It is a wonderful thing to be learning.
That’s why I love bonefishing. I’d love to hear from others about why they love bonefish or what element you most enjoy. Please, leave a comment.
11
Dec 09
Bonefish True or False
I found this Bonefish quiz on Field and Stream.com. Kind of a fun little bit that includes…
2. Bonefish offspring/juveniles have been located as far north as (or farther than) Long Island, New York…
5. Bonefish can live at least 20 years…
6. A bonefish’s diet changes as it grows; under 16″ fish primarily eat worms and clams; over 16″ fish eat shrimp and crabs; over 24″ fish eat other fish, like toadfish and gobies (choose your fly accordingly!)…
The link at the top will take you to the rest of the quiz.
I kind of forget about Field and Stream since I’m not too interested in the “Field” part of the magazine. I recall my dad subscribing during my childhood (100% for anything about steelhead).
A search for “bonefish” turns up 210 entries at F&S… whoa. Who knew. Might be mining some more gems from them down the road.
Other Updates:
- I now have water again at the Sierra Bonefish Headquaters and have used that water to wash myself in all the important places (and unimportant ones)…
- I discovered that I cannot make it up my street in 4×4 High, but can in Low…
- This guy went to GBI just recently and caught some fish… promising, since I’m going to GBI in just over a month…
- Coach Duff sent a couple pics of a NOICE bonefish (11.5 pounder) caught by client Luke on Coach’s 1/0 “Plate Lunch” crab pattern… one of those pics is below.
That is some nice HI bonefish that in no way would make a good fish cake
Also, I’ve just hit 7,000 views on this little endeavor of mine (up since August). Thanks for reading, thanks for sharing and I hope we meet on the water some day (unless you are a total a-hole).
(Field and Stream quote used with permission from F&S)
10
Dec 09
Another Night at the Tying/Dining Table
Now that I have water and power (the electricity kind), I can finally move ahead with other elements of my life… like showering, Xmas shopping and fly tying for my Bahamas trip coming up in January (fly out the 13th, fly back the 18th).
Of course, my tying desk is made of the finest materials. I paid a guy $5,343 for this fine piece of craftsmanship. I was assured it was one of a kind.
The best money can buy.
Some day I’ll have a tying room, a roll top desk… something that invites me to tie flies, makes me comfortable, has little nooks for all my various bits of this and that. Until then I have to go out to the garage and carry this thing in and when I’m done I have to carry it back. My almost 3 year old doesn’t know this exists.
One thing that seems clear about my fly tying is that I am physically unable to tie more than one fly exactly the same. I’m swapping eyes, wing, body color… I don’t know why I do that. It doesn’t seem wise of me, but then, there is a real possibility I’m not wise (if my wife were to read this, she’d probably grin a little, knowing that she doesn’t need to actually point out what I’ve come to realize).
So, I tied some #2 Gotcha’s… light colored, each unique… like a snowflake… but a really, really sharp snowflake that could land a 10 pound bonefish.
A Gaggle of Gotchas (does that work?)
OK… Colbert is on, meaning bed time is fast approaching. The cries of “DADA!” always come earlier than is really convenient.
10
Dec 09
Simms + Mexico + Bonefish
As I sit here in my own stink, I just don’t have much energy to put into a blog post tonight… this storm and accompanying freezing temps have drained me just as sure as they busted the water line to our house, depriving me of hot water (or cold water, for that matter) and that clean-as-a-whistle feeling.
I also have the great comfort in knowing that I am not alone tonight… seems I picked up some sort of mite from the dirty river water there in Vallarta. Of course the cream I’m supposed to use does require me to shower it off after 12-14 hours… a feat that is currently impossible at my present location.
So, I give you some Simms fish porn that does include bonefish, as well as a permit. I know Simms is a good company, I own two pairs of their boots and a pair of their sandals. I don’t own their waders or, well, any of their other stuff. You can only wear one set of clothes/gear out there, as it turns out.
07
Dec 09
Crazy Life
Two days ago I was in Nuevo Vallarta and swim trunks. Today, I’m at a hotel because our power went out, we have over a foot of snow on the ground and a pellet stove with no battery back-up (no power = no heat). So now my daughter, dog and mother-in-law get to spend the night at the lovely Larkspur Landing in Folsom, CA.
This, as most things, makes me think about bonefish. Most things make me think about bonefish, if I were being honest. Except bacon… bacon makes me think of bacon… oh, I love bacon.
It is just over a month from when I’ll be boarding a plane bound for Grand Bahama (via Miami). My recent trip to Vallarta has underscored just how much work I have to do at the vice. I ran out of the flies I wanted to throw there in Vallarta, can’t let that happen in GBI. Once the power is back on and we make it back home, the vice is getting broken out for some serious tying.
What a change a couple of days can make!
