All the other stuff

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26
Nov 09

Vallarta II

Second day from the beach today. Good times were had. Not big fish, but lots of them. This isn’t flats fishing or sight fishing, but it is a lot of fun on a family vacation. Must have landed 25 or so little Jack Crevelle, just myself, out there at the river mouth all by myself. Came back and my daughter wasn’t up from her nap yet. Nice.

Basically, I go to the river mouth here in Vallarta and throw a sly line on my 7 wt. with a clouser and… well… it is fun. Not big fish, but lots of them. Great for a family vacation where the focus is on pool time with my daughter and wife.

I got a Buff for this trip (and for the Bahamas in January). I was worried it would be too hot. It isn’t. It = Totally Ruling. No sunburn on my neck or on my nose or… anywhere. I’m pretty frigging impressed with Buffs.

Lots of these make for a fun time.

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22
Nov 09

Vallarta

About two hours of casting from the shore by the river mouth.
5 fish to hand, 3 Jack Crevelle. Good times on the 7 wt.
Vacation = Ruling

(Slow internet connection)

One of my first day fish

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20
Nov 09

It grows on trees

Once I get this planted, I think I’ll just retire (although I don’t technically have a job now being a stay-at-home dad). I look forward to heading to Andros, Christmas Island, Los Roques, Belize, Acklins, New Caledonia, the Cook Islands, the Keys, and the Seychelles in one big, never-ending loop.

That should do it.

Between $2K Borski Bonefish reels, $4,000 lodge weeks, $25,000 skiffs, multiple $400-1,000 plane rides, it seems sometimes like you’d need an orchard full of money trees to taste the salty spray from your day dreams.

Luckily, daydreams don’t cost a dime.

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19
Nov 09

Tag Ends 11/19/09

Most ridonculous search terms to land people on Bonefish on the Brain in the past two days…

how to cook bonefish (twice)
shooting at pirates pics
are there pirates in los roques

Good grief.

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18
Nov 09

Bonefish on Lower Sac?

It has been so long since I’ve seen a bonefish… I’m almost convinced these might be bonefish… however, I’m pretty sure these were Rainbow Trout, caught on the Lower Sacramento River with my dad and guide Fred Gordon (who also does awesome fish sculptures and spends 2-3 weeks a year in the Bahamas).

Bonefish, er… Rainbows on the Lower Sac.

A day on the water with your dad is hard to beat, be it bonefish, bluegill or bows.

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18
Nov 09

Non-Bonefish Vallarta Tips Accepted

If anyone was wondering, I’d totally take some advice about shore fishing around Vallarta/Punta Mita… ya know, if you know anything about it.

A... um... fish... of some sort... caught from the shore in Vallarta.

All the other stuff / Conservation — 24 Comments
14
Nov 09

How to cook bonefish

A surprising number of searches get directed to this website for the search terms “How to cook bonefish,” or “cooking bonefish.”

Don’t eat bonefish. Really… just don’t do it. I know some cultures have a history of doing it, and for them, I say “I wish you wouldn’t, but understand if you harvest one every once in a while.” If you are not one of those people I just say “DON’T DO IT!”

These are game fish that are way too valuable to be eaten. Go get some Mahi Mahi, go get some carnitas (mmmmm, carnitas) or kalua pig (mmmmmm, other form of pork). Don’t eat bonefish. In Florida, they figure that each bonefish, over its lifetime will contribute about $75,000 to the Florida economy, about $2,500 each year. This is sustainable, catch and release angling. These are good jobs which value local eyes and local color. This isn’t cleaning up the puke from spring breakers… these are good jobs.

If you absolutely MUST cook a bonefish, here is what you need to know….

Take a 6″ bonefish (bonefish over 6″ are poisonous and will kill you with the slightest taste) and set aside.
Get a kettle of oil, fill kettle all the way to the top and heat to 650 degrees.
Call fire department.
Run out of burning building.

If you think you can’t destroy the bonefish stock and that they’ll always be there, just ask the people of Campeche in Mexico. There used to be bonefish there and there aren’t bonefish there anymore. Haven’t been bones there for 20 years or more at this point. Netting is what did it. You can pretty well wipe out a whole population with modern nylon netting.

All the other stuff / Fish Tails — 4 Comments
08
Nov 09

How's this for a first bonefish?

I just had this pop up on my bonefish google alert… a post from Gibby’s Fishing Blog about his favorite flyfishing species.

This was 20 years ago, in a tournament…

I caught my first bonefish on fly about 20 years ago. I was fishing in a tournament. The two days prior to the tournament were calm and clear. On tournament day, the sky was overcast and the wind howled at 25 miles per hour.

But I had a great guide. He not only put me on a ton of bonefish, but also kept the wind at my back and off my casting shoulder. In early afternoon, I hooked a monster bone near Shell Key. The fish departed that flat like it was shot from a cannon.

“If that fish goes deep, you’ll lose it on the coral,” said my guide.

Luckily, the fish didn’t dive and I was able to get it out of the channel and back onto the flat.

If I had known how big that fish was, I’m certain I would have choked. But I didn’t. My guide netted the fish and said, “You might as well quit now because you’ll never catch a bigger bonefish.”

The bone was slightly more than 33 inches long and weighed an estimated 14 pounds.

I won the tournament.

Wow… that = totally ruling.

That was bigger than my first bonefish by about, oh, 12 pounds or so.

My first bonefish... not 14 pounds.

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07
Nov 09

Objectum – Val Atkinson Photos

I’m a lucky man… I have a Val Atkinson print hanging on my wall… about 4 feet from where I’m sitting right now, as a matter of fact. Val donated the print to an event I was organizing and my parents bought it as a housewarming gift for my wife and I (OK, for me, really). It’s a beautiful piece of art.

Val does saltwater photography too… I don’t have any, and I want some.

I met Val while guiding at Clearwater House (now Clearwater Lodge) many years ago. I’ve seen Val’s work all over the place… beautiful books, calendars, catalogs and magazines… pretty much of places I either have known or have wanted to know.

I was therefore excited to see Val as a part of the Pirates of the Flats television program (set for ESPN and airing December 27th).

Val on why he fishes…

You can see Val’s work from Pirates of the Flats here.

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06
Nov 09

Objectum – Bumper Sticker?

I am not sure how I don’t have one of these…

Honestly... how do I not have one of these?

Available at the Reel Pure store.

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