Locations

Travel Day

We are on our way. The 6 year old did well with the red eye and now we wait… for hours, in the Charlotte airport for our jump to Grand Bahama. The weather here is wet and rainy, but the forecast for the Bahamas is pretty decent with high 70’s and low 80’s in store. I hope that holds.

My trip that was going to have only one day of fishing has turned into three days, with my partners rotating from my daughter to my wife to my dad.

I am skeptical of the concept of being blessed, but I do feel fortunate.

We will be in the Bahamas by the early afternoon and I figure I could do a little beach patrol in the evening in search of tails. Why not?

Locations — No Comments
30
Mar 13

Water Cay Lodge, added to the mix

I leave tonight… a red-eye to Grand Bahama with the family.

Thanks to Scott at Angling Destinations I’ll get to check out a fairly new operation on Grand Bahama I’ve been wanting to get a look at. Water Cay Lodge. WCL is located on the sparsely populated North side of GBI.

If you’ve flown into Grand Bahama, you’ve likely noticed the juicy looking water on the North side of the island. Truth it, it doesn’t get fished too often because it is a little harder to get at and if you are fishing out of the West End or McCleans Town, other waters make more sense to fish.

Water Cay Lodge

I’m going to get a little tour and a little fishing there on Monday. Very exciting stuff.

Head guide is Sidney Thomas and Scott assures me he is one of the best in the whole of the Bahamas, and that’s saying something.

Locations — 2 Comments
25
Mar 13

Bahamas Spring Break 2013, better and better

Thanks to Scott at Angling Destinations and Chris at Deep Water Cay, it sounds like I’m going to get a chance to visit the fabled Deep Water Cay while I’m in Grand Bahama with the fam for my daughter’s Spring Break (coming up in less than a WEEK!).

I feel like I know the place even though I’ve never stepped foot on the property. My first bonefish was caught just behind DWC in a mangrove cut with an independent guide. I’ve also watched all the episodes of Buccaneers and Bones, as well as Pirates of the Flats, a fair bit of which was filmed at Deep Water Cay. The place has occupied a prominent place in my thoughts for years.

Should a treat to see this lodge as it is one of the places which kicked this whole bonefishing thing into the mainstream of destination fly fishing.

The Buccaneers at DWC

Locations — No Comments
24
Mar 13

A feel for the islands

Scott Heywood brings some images of Out Island life.

I love this sort of authentic look at the people and places we visit.

Been places, seen things. (photo by Scott Heywood)

Conservation / Locations — No Comments
22
Mar 13

Belize Tarpon Tagging Expedition

Adam Marton and El Pescador are teaming up to do something kind of cool. Below is what they are saying about it.

Tarpon Tag

Did you ever want to be a Marine Biologist for a day and play a significant role in the effort to protect and understand global tarpon populations? This is your chance to actually help answer the “$64,000.00 Question” — Are our fish, their fish? Is it possible that the giant tarpon we see late in the summer every year in Belize are the very same fish anglers see in the Florida Keys in May and June… In July of 2013, for the first time in history, join us for a completely unique opportunity to become an elite member of the expedition that will help unlock the answers to the global tarpon migration code.

Join Adam Marton at Belize’s El Pescador Lodge and Villas for this first ever Tarpon Tagging Expedition. Armed with the most technologically advanced PAT & SPOT satellite tags, the goal of the expedition is to land, successfully tag and release two adult tarpon that migrate annually to the world renowned Long Key zone of the Northern Belize Fishery. After tagged tarpon are successfully released, the expedition will be enabling scientists from the University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science to study global movements, habitat and behavior of the fish for up to 6-months. The results of these data sets will ultimately be used to enable fisheries managers, anglers and government officials from around the globe to make even more intelligent decisions about how to properly manage tarpon populations around the world. Our combined efforts to enable intelligent decisions to be made are the cornerstone in ensuring our children’s children will have the opportunity to enjoy the Silver King for generations to come.

This is most probably a once in a life time experience to fish and advance science with an elite group of concerned anglers from all over the world. After very careful consideration of annual migration patterns, optimal moon and tidal phases, the dates for this 7 night expedition are July 10-17, 2013. There are a very limited number of spots available for this expedition.

The 7 night/6 day Tarpon Tagging Expedition package (based on shared standard room and shared guide) is US$3,150.00/per person. To book your spot on the expedition please contact your travel wholesaler, local fly shop or Ali Flota at El Pescador, alissa@elpescador.com – 1-800-242-2017.

Love this place.

Locations — 5 Comments
21
Mar 13

Grand Bahama 2013 Countdown

I don’t know if I have ever written as little about an upcoming trip as I have about this next trip, coming up in 8 days, to Grand Bahama.

I think part of this lack of written tonnage comes from my expectations for the trip. It is a family trip, not a fishing trip. Sure, I’ll get to do a little bit of fishing, but but fishing isn’t the point. This trip is about exposing my wife and my child to a place I love. The Mrs. already got to take a look at Belize (and she says we can go back) and now I will show her the Bahamas. My daughter, at 6, has been to the Pacific coast of Mexico maybe a dozen times, but she has never been to the Bahamas and has never walked through the liquid light waters of the Caribbean with me. I’m hoping she likes it as much as she likes the resort style vacations she goes on with the other half of joint custody. This is a girl who has shark teeth and shark posters up in her room, owns a snake and has a real alligator head on her “nature table” along with assorted bones, rocks, leaves and even the ear bone of a whale. I think she might like seeing the sharks, crabs, rays and, if I’m lucky, bonefish of the flats.

This will be my third trip to Grand Bahama. Of all the places one can go to chase bonefish, I know this place the best, which is still not deeply. I aspire to a deep knowledge of the place, but such knowledge comes from years I have yet to invest.

I really can’t wait. I’ve tied and tied and tied and run out of space in the boxes which fit in my pack. I will be sporting a loaner reel from Abel with a RIO line, attached to my inexpensive TFO Clouser 8 wt. rod. I’ll be sporting a new pair of Revo shades, technical clothes from Redington and casual clothes from Skinny Water Culture. I’m pumped (and pimped) for the trip. I’m ready.

Usually on a trip I try to soak up every last ray of Caribbean sun and use it to peer into the water in search of fish. This trip, I’m going to try and soak up every moment I can with my girls, my folks and my brother in a place I have come to love more than makes sense and more than I can really explain.

It will be a great trip and it can’t get here soon enough.

Journey proud.

Prep central.

Conservation / Locations — No Comments
20
Mar 13

Belize Tagging Challenge

I’ll always be a fan of scientist Michael Larkin. After all, he did send me this:

That is a bonefish tongue

Well, Michael is still out there, still doing good things for bonefish and for fish in general and he’s going to be down in Belize at Belize River Lodge, along with the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust and Frontiers Travel, to host the second annual Belize River Lodge Bonefish and Permit Tagging Challenge. This will be from May 18 to May 25.

Sounds like a good time, no? Here’s how the first one went.

Check it out and go if you can. Good fishing for a good cause.

Locations — 2 Comments
08
Mar 13

Fish with Andrew

I’ve done it and I enjoyed the experience. You can do it to.

I’m talking about fishing with Andrew Bennett, owner of Deneki Outdoors. He is going to be down there at Andros South and you can head down to be there, in that special place, along with Andrew.

I got to do this very thing, and it was a great day with two perfect moments.

One thing that will be special about this trip is that they are going to do some Permit Recon work. Permit are in the Bahamas, as I heard and saw from Prescott Smith. But if you are looking for bonefish, you go to flats with bonefish and most Androsian (and Bahamian guides) are looking for bonefish. It will be very interesting to see if Andros South can crack the Permit riddle down there.

Andros is a trip of a lifetime, FYI. If you are on the fence, you should get off the fence, and on a plane to Andros to fish with Andrew.

South Andros Bonefish. Photo by Andrew Bennett

Locations — 4 Comments
07
Mar 13

Florida is Coming

I’m going to be part of a really great project in late May, early June. I’ll be headed to the Florida and the Keys.

The group is kind of amazing… Matt, Jason and Davin. Yeah. That’s some crew. We are going to mostly be fishing out of Islamorada and we’ll be connecting with some really fantastic FL folks, including guides Derek Rust and Martin Carranza, artist Eric Estrada and author Bill Horn.

I have a ton of Florida fishing experience. When I was about 10 I caught a crab from a beach somewhere in Florida. So, I’m pretty much an expert on all things Florida.

I haven’t fished Florida since then… the birthplace of saltwater sport fishing. I think part of me has been a bit intimidated by Florida. Maybe I haven’t been ready for it. I’ve been warned off Florida, but I’ve also heard so many wonderful things about the place. I have wanted to make it there and yet, somehow, I haven’t… until now.

So, I’ll be going to Florida and I’ll be going in a huge way with people I have wanted to fish with for years.

In the spirit of all things digital, we will be capturing as much of this whole process as possible. The prep, the tying, the gear and the thoughts that go into organizing a trip like this. Life is about telling stories and we’ll bring you plenty of stories… those we create ourselves, and the stories from the folks we find there.

Sounds like a good time, doesn’t it?

My one previous FL trip

Locations — 4 Comments
06
Mar 13

A LR Grand Slam

My world view is a little off, I suppose. I hear that Hugo Chavez has died and the first thing that comes to mind is Los Roques.

I’ve never been, but I know plenty of people who have and it sounds like a pretty cool place. Pelicans crashing schools of baitfish and the bones slurping up the stunned fish… yeah, I might be up for that.

Saw a story about a grand slam in the LR over at Fly Paper, Scott Heywood’s blog. One fish stood out… that is one big trigger.

Damn big fish there.

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