Florida Fly Fishing Magazine has some thoughts about the Florida Fish & Wildlife Comission’s decision to grant “Saltwater Game Fish” status to the Bonefish.
Half-way Measures are a Disservice to Bonefish, Sports Anglers
That should give you some idea about how they feel. Read their opinion piece here.
For those of you who don’t know, Buff’s are fantastic… forget the floppy hats that can’t stand up to a breeze, now you can wear your favorite baseball cap out on the flat with your Buff to keep you sunburn and skin cancer free.
Buff now has a Bonefish & Tarpon Trust Buff so you can fish for bonefish and support bonefish conservation all at the same time… and let’s face it… you probably need a little good Karma boost for all that bad stuff you did when you were young and obnoxious.
Just don't wear this into your local bank.
Just how cold was that recent cold snap and what did it mean for the fish?
Well, Aaron Adams was in Abaco trying to work with guides on bonefish tagging as part of his work with the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust. When it’s 57, it turns out even Dr. Adams has a hard time finding fish. He also related that the lack of heating, while normally not an issue in the Bahamas, IS an issue when its 53 at night.
@flatsdoctor: I’m in Abaco, at the film site for Pirates of the Flats – Abaco Lodge. It’s too cold to fish – 57deg, high winds, no fish.
Out looking for dead bonefish for BTT, it turns out, was Captain Dave, the guide who writes the Guilttrip25 blog (of which I just became aware). Turns out it was cold enough to kill bonefish as Captain Dave found a few.
Did you know that Puerto Rico once boasted some of the best bonefish flats in the Caribbean? Ted Williams used to fish there and one flat in particular, La Parguera, was renowned for its gray ghosts.
Times have changed. Puerto Rico is no longer looking after its natural resources as it should… as California, Florida, South Carolina, Texas and Georgia do, as the Bahamas does and as Belize has recently done.
The culprit is the gill net. Unattended, indiscriminate killers of sea life.
Illegal net in Texas
In Florida the gill net ban has been credited with the revival of the snook fishery. In California a gill net ban has been hailed as the key step to restoring White Sea Bass and Halibut. Pretty much every place a ban has been put in place and enforced good things have happened for fisheries and anglers.
As long as the gill nets stay, the bonefish will suffer and the tourist dollars that should go to Puerto Rico will be spread around the Caribbean to other countries.
Darn shame. Some lessons are harder to learn than others. I’m hoping that Puerto Rico can let go of the gill net habit, which would only be a positive for the Puerto Rican fishery and economy.
There has been a lot out there about the cold temps and Florida… here’s a round up:
Today was a good day. The weatherman dropped the ball on this one though. Partly Cloudy would imply some clouds… not all clouds. That’s what I had today with Captain Perry out of McLeans Town on the East End of Grand Bahama (now guiding out of East End Lodge).
Captain Perry
Captain Perry was great. He knew where the fish were, he knew what to throw and how it should be retrieved. He didn’t get (too) frustrated when I cast on top of the fish for the 6th time or lead the fish by 10′ for the 7th time.
I was/am impressed with Captain Perry’s conservation ethic. He knows how bad air exposure/handling are for the fish and whenever possible he avoided taking them out of the water or handling them. He’s a good steward of the natural wonderland that is Grand Bahama. You should be glad he’s out there.
That bone is going to be just fine.
Conditions were not ideal. The clouds made it really tough to spot fish. Capt. Perry had it dialed though, and was routinely putting me on fish. I botched a fair number of those opportunities and it took us a while to get the skunk off the boat, but once that happened, the fun began.
Day 2 Skunk Breaker
A good time was had, despite the weather. We used a magic/secret fly that Perry uses to get the skunk off and for the first several fish. We then switched over to a pink #4 Gotcha and again, it was money. I fished almost the entire time with the TFO Clouser 8 wt. and TFO Large Arbor Reel. I’m in love with both of them.
With Perry you fish hard, 8-3:30. So, after being dropped back at the dock (he’ll pick you up in Freeport if you want, I wanted to drive out there) I hit a small flat I had remembered from my last trip. The light was fading when I got there, but there were a few tailing fish. I spooked a couple, but didn’t rush things. A while later the tails popped up again. I made a good cast and quickly came tight on a bonefish. Then, as it started it’s run, it just came off. Bummer.
Still, 12 fish to hand on a cloudy, windy, cool day is good fishing in my book. I highly recommend Captain Perry. He’s a good guide and a good guy.
Another Grand Bahama Bone
A great day.
Being on the water also meant I got to miss continuing coverage of the disaster in Haiti. The little bit of the news I did catch nearly brought me to tears. The CNN anchorwoman actually started crying. Luckily, the answer to global calamities is to go fishing.
A note on fuel… gas was about $4.50 when I was there, meaning a little over $100 of the day’s guide fee went to gas to get us out to the dumb fish. It was painful for me to pay as much as I did, but the Captain is worth it and, just so you know, I paid full price for the trip and am not getting anything in return for the positive report.
Hell’s Bay makes some good looking boats. I’m sure they are impressive. What if you could get a Waterman (a $33,000 boat) for $100? That would be kind of kick ass, no?
Well… you can… if you are the lucky winner of the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust’s Sweepstakes. Basically, if you are a first-time member and join at the $100 level, you get put in the drawing. If you are a renewing member and come in at $250 or higher, you are in the drawing.
In addition to the big prize, there are a monthly drawings for gear from companies like Sage, Orvis, Tibor, Redington, Penn and Temple Fork Outfitters.
So… join, now. That’s some mighty good shwag and if you are reading this, BTT is probably an organization that should be getting your support.
OK… you have a tagged bonefish. Congrats. Now what?
The good folk at the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust are likely working with the folks that put those tags there and this is what they say:
If you catch a tagged bonefish, we encourage you to report the catch along with the following helpful information:
Location: as specifically as possible
Fish Size: (length – nose to tail fork)
Date Caught:
Tag removed or still in place:
Please contact us either by phone or email to report a catch – 239-283-1622 or info@tarbone.org
There ya go. Now you know.
tagged bonefish from Aaron Adams
Photo courtesy of Aaron Adams.
Update #1: Pirates are HERE. Just watched the first episode. Love it. Wish it were longer. Wish I was there. Still, love it. Great to see Lefty out there showing Brokaw the ropes. Neat to see a bonefish being tagged. Loved to see Abaco and tails… love the tails. Looking forward to #2.
Original Post
No, not the Seychelles pirates (well, I guess they could be, but that’s not what we’re talking about here). Pirates of the Flats is set to launch on Dec. 27th.
Pirates of the Flats – You Will Be Impressed!
Check out the newest – a slide show and narrative about what the Pirates series is all about. Photos by Val Atkinson, narration by Bill Klyn. Enter the Tin Shed (click on the door) and move over to the box of flies to see the Fishing films. Click on Pirates of the Flats. Here you will find the promotional trailer and the new narrated slide show: http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/tinshed/index.jsp?ln=240
Go straight to the trailer on YouTube: See the new trailer!
A bonefishing show on ESPN2. Love it.
Modern day Pirates, with graphite and camera gear.
There was a great Op-Ed in Field and Stream about upcoming (and very important) meetings in Florida that will further detail what protections are and are not given to bonefish and permit.
The news isn’t so great. It appears that the good folks in the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission think that “catch and release” means you can’t touch the fish, despite C&R being on the books in lots and lots of states and countries.
From the article…
At the FWC Bonefish Workshops in October 2009, FWC staff stated that the FWC interpretation was that “catch and release” was equivalent to “prohibited species”. Based on FWC’s interpretation, this means that even touching the fish (e.g., holding a bonefish to take a photo, remove a hook, or to measure) constitutes ‘”possession” and a fine/ticket if witnessed by an FWC enforcement officer. This interpretation is counter to responsible fisheries conservation.
Catch and release is used as a fisheries management tool throughout the United States and in many places in the world. In these locations, catch and release is interpreted as releasing the fish alive soon after capture. Responsibly photographing, measuring, and weighing of the fish are permitted in these states.
They also appear set to roll back protections for permit that would include opening the species to spear fishing in federal waters and eliminating spawning season closures.
The comments to Field and Stream bit speak with one voice in opposition to the thrust of the article. In fact, they use very similar wording and recite the same points. Kind of reminds one of the Bush team hitting the political talk shows all reading from the same playbook. Democrats aren’t organized enough to do that. It all smells very organized and that smell stinks.
Midcurrent.com had an op-ed directed at the permit issue.s
You can read the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust’s press release about the issue here. Once again, BTT is the leader on this issue.
Support BTT if you enjoy the tug of a bone, permit or tarpon.
