Today, I’m fishing… doing something I actually know something about… trout fishing. I’ll be on the Truckee River throwing streamers trying to fool some brown trout.
This is more on-topic… some BVI bonefish action.
Locations
22
Oct 09
Fly Fish Chick Loves the Keys
The Fly Fish Chick just got back from three days in the Keys and is considering selling her home to go chase tarpon. Now, she didn’t mention bonefish at all, which leaves me sad, disappointed, weeping tears of regret and sorrow. Sounds like good fishing with so-so catching, but the setting is just amazingly beautiful, if my memories from 1984 are to be trusted (my last trip to the Keys).
Fly Fish Chick chasing Silver Kings
The fact that FFC didn’t chase bonefish and had to settle for tarpon may have something to do with the fact that bonefish are really tough in the Keys (and yes, I am joking about the “had to settle” thing).
I recently posted on a couple of message boards asking for perspectives on Florida bonefishing and here are some of the comments I got:
You can certainly target the bones in the Keys. Lots of tournaments do just that, but combining it with a pursuit of other fish can be more enjoyable and productive. I’d say that bones in most of the Keys are just as tough as permit these days. While you’ll rarely go an entire day without seeing a fish, it certainly is possible to go an entire day or more without seeing an interested fish. I have fished entire days there without a hookup.
I fished the Keys for a week every month for just over 2 years.
I have fished from Biscayne Bay to Key West and have had about 15 different guides. I can’t remember not seeing a bonefish but I have had a good number of days when I have not caught a fish. Having said that, the fish that you do catch can be large. I have caught 6 fish over 12lbs. A good day bonefishing is 2 fish. The fish are very spooky. You need a perfect presentation and even then the fish may not take. There are of course opportunities to catch other fish such as reds, snook, tarpon and permit not to mention Jacks, ladyfish, snapper etc. etc.I have friends(not FF’s) I usually fish with in the Keys. The one time I got a guide I asked about Bonefish, he had one question, “can you put the fly in the ice chest at 40′ in a 15 knot wind?” If the answer is yes “let’s go” if the answer is no “let’s try something else”.
The advice in a nutshell was this… bonefish in FL are tough. They get fished over a lot and are very selective, although they are big. If you go to Florida to fish, you may catch some bonefish, but other species are more available and can provide an excellent experience.
So, I forgive the Fly Fish Chick for not targeting bonefish. When I finally make it to Florida to fish, I may be looking for poons or cuda, although I’m going to have to get beyond this singular fixation on bonefish first. Maybe my trip coming up this weekend to fish the Truckee River will help.
18
Oct 09
Clearly, it is our duty to go to the Bahamas
Financial Times contributor John O’Connor took one for the team and went to the Bahamas in September where he wrote about the decline in tourism, the impact it has had on the local economy of the Bahamas and Nassau, in particular. Amidst talking about unemployment at 20% on Nassau and massive staff cuts at some of those big resort/casino’s, John also found time to go bonefishing with guide Aaron “Big Bone” Bain. John says his skillz leave something to be desired, but that his guide gets him into fish, including an 8 pounder within 1/2 hour. Not bad… not bad at all.
The article is an interesting read for anyone interested in how the Bahamas are weathering the economic storm.
I found the below video from an unrelated bonefishing trip with Aaron Bain.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIp9Tdla5-g&hl=en&fs=1&
It is nice to know that quality bones can be caught in Nassau, as it is the easiest island to get to and there are loads and loads of deals for the interested angler these days with low occupancy and lower air fares that have been seen in recent memory.
I quick scan didn’t reveal Aaron Bain’s guide business details.
15
Oct 09
Fly Fish Chick and the Bones of Exuma
Now, that sounds a little bit like a porn title (although the most porn-like sounding bonefish related item would go to Florida bonefishing guide Captain Ann Houlahan and her website www.boneranger.com). Fly Fish Chick has a great little vid/story about her Exuma trip from April, 2009.
The Fly Fish Chick has a blog full of fishing tales (tails) from all sorts of places you’d like to go to catch fish. Worth a look.
As for Exuma, that’s one of those “Out Islands” in the Bahamas that looks more beautiful that is reasonable. It appeared as though the Island was served by Air Sunshine direct from Ft. Lauderdale, but their website says this service is not available now. Unclear if this is temporary, or until the end of time.
As an alert reader pointed out, there are DIRECT flights from Fort Lauderdale to Exuma on Continental. Right now that flight is about $250. That is a tad much for a flight that lasts 1:30, but that’s the way it goes.
Fly Fish Chick with an Exuma Bone
The Florida Sportsman website offered this fantastic account of bonefishing Exuma written by Mike Conner. This is worth a read.
Coral Gardens got a mention as a good base for DIY anglers and the $99 a night is a pretty standard budget rate these days.
If you are thinking more “lodge” as opposed to DIY, I’ve heard many times about Peace and Plenty and their rates seem in the ball-park and far from the most expensive I’ve seen.
Yes, I’d like to go there… for the bones, for the beauty. Sign me up.
14
Oct 09
Florida Bonefish
(UPDATE – May-June 2013, I fished Biscayne Bay and the Keys… mostly for Tarpon. I did manage to land one small bonefish and got shots at two others on foot. I’m less intimidated and can’t wait to go back.)
As a kid growing up in a small mountain town in Northern California (the State of Jefferson, as it is called by some), I wanted to be Mel Fisher. This seemed a rather dreamy prospect… we had rivers but no oceans, a gold rush past, but no sunken Spanish treasure. My family drove from Dunsmuir to Key West (that’s about 3,500 miles) one summer and I went to the Mel Fisher Museum and got to touch a Spanish gold bar. At the aquarium in Key West I had a horse shoe crab put on my head. I was about 10 and this was simply awesome.
Today, I live in a different small Northern CA town with a history of Gold (Sutter’s Mill is about 20 minutes away). I am still haunted by Florida, but now the object of my desire is the Grey Ghost, the bonefish.
Florida intimidates me when it comes to bonefish. I’ve talked to too many folks who have gone for glory and produced goose eggs. Days without even seeing a bonefish have been recounted. Stories like this one from Florida Fly Fishing Magazine, make it all seem like a pursuit for only the top tier, the elite. I just want to have a good day on the water. I’m devoid of the need to prove myself as some expert bonefish master I know I’m not.
I’m absolutely positive that more than one horrible angler has caught a bonefish in Florida, but it does not sound like a common occurrence. Maybe some day I will have caught enough “dumb” bonefish and I’ll get off the plane in Miami and exit the airport instead of flying on to the Bahamas.
I’d love to hear your words of either encouragement or discouragement. What’s your Florida experience been?
13
Oct 09
Want to go Bonefishing for FREE??
UPDATE: This promotion is over. I didn’t win… which makes me think it was totally fixed! How could I have not been drawn out of the hundreds or thousands that entered???
That’s a silly question isn’t it? Kind of like “would you like to be happy?” or “would you like a Newcastle?” Silly questions indeed.
Well, Deneki Outdoors has a give away going on and all you have to do is sign up for their blog newsletter. Um… that’s easy.
In the interests of both telling folks about cool bonefishing news and thining out the competition, I should tell you that the blog updates each are 28 MB and clog your in-box and are full of naked pictures of Janet Reno. Yeah, you may not want to sign up… ya know… I’ll take one for the team and let you know if anything interesting is in there. 😉
Their lodge is on South Andros and, sadly, looks fantastic. I say sadly because, sadly, I’m not there and likely won’t win. I know I should be happy for whoever wins… but I won’t be. I’ll be bitter and angry, probably for months/years.
I seem to write a lot about Deneki Outdoors and that is for one simple reason… they (really, he) consistently put out interesting/informative content about bonefish.
13
Oct 09
Bonefishing – Brotrip?
I was surprised to see the title “Brotrip in the Islands” of the Bahamas pop up from the Bahamas Media Center yesterday. Not sure if they meant Brocation, but they do seem to be trying really hard to get to a younger American demographic, God bless ’em.
Basically, this is a trip for you and your “bros” to head to the Bahamas and go bonefishing. This is the “Acklins and Crooked Island Bonefishing Adventure” and INCLUDES a case of Kalik per room (not per person!!!!! Booooooo!).
Kalik, the beer of the Bahamas
Of course, there is more…
- Three full days of bonefishing
- Four nights in a air-conditioned, double occupancy room
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily
- Complimentary use of kayaks, bicycles and other non-motorized water sports equipment
- Airport transfers
All this for $500 a day. It’s not a horrible rate, although I wouldn’t call it deal of the century either. All the details can be found here.
This is only good through the end of December, which makes it a bit of a rush job. I guess the Bro’s in question don’t have wive or children to negotiate with. Flyfishing is dominated by males, although there are certainly many women in the sport. It is equally true that flyfishing is not, primarily, a young man’s pursuit. Just walk through a Fly Fishing Show, or ISE and you’ll soon get a feel for the greying of our sport. Visit a fly club and you’ll be convinced no one under 40 owns a fly rod.
I hope they succeed and that hundreds of guys descend on the Bahamas to drink their case of Kalik and catch some bonefish. I’m in that group that think the survival of anything rests in the number of people who care about that thing.
08
Oct 09
Los Roques DIY Bonefishing
One of the most common searches I’ve seen landing folks here on Bonefish on the Brain is “Los Roques DIY.” So, I decided to look into it.
Los Roques is hard to get to, that seems clear. I found a great little story from the NYT about Los Roques, complete with a quote from a Maine Game Warden who bonefishes there every year. The article says you can hire a boat, find an island and be alone with your thoughts (and bonefish). The details on how one does that, of course, is where the real questions have to be asked.
Los Roques… looks nice. Wish it cost more like $140 to get there instead of $1,400.
I have read at least one account of folks catching bones in the harbor and also read that flats around the main town get hammered. You need a license, there are prohibited areas… sounds like you can certainly get yourself into trouble.
Oscar Shop, according to the NYT, can take you out to uninhabited islands, that sounds like the best bet to me (but what the hell do I know?).
There are tourist “posada” on Los Roques that range from $45 to $400 a night, I’m sure they very dramatically in quality, as you’d expect.
Now, it’s great to get a room for $45, get a boat to take you to some isolated island for $20-80 a person, but the real problem seems like the transportation there… Kayak puts a flight to Caracas from SFO at about $1,200. The puddle jumper is about $220. The budget angler might need to re-think Los Roques as a DIY location if just getting there will cost you $1,400… you end up at $2,000 pretty fast and if you are going to drop $2,000, you might as well get a guide.
06
Oct 09
Horduras Bonefish
It makes sense from a Google Earth perspective that Honduras would have bonefish. Turns out it does.
One place that seems to be booking for your Honduran Bonefish get away is Mango Creek Lodge, located on the island of Roatan. One thing I found interesting in reading Mango Creek’s list of what to bring were the fly sizes… up to #10. That’s a trout fly! The fish seem to be on the smaller end of the spectrum, that 3-5 pound size that lets you know you’ll probably see schools, but won’t need to break out the 9 weight.
As far as lodges go, Mango Creek is far from the most expensive. A 7 night, 6 fishing-day stay is $2,200 (double occupancy). That’s not too bad, really. Oh, but it will cost about $900 to fly there and back. Details.
Home to your Honduran Bonefish Odyssey
You can also catch bones on the Honduran Island of Guanaja, according to the Fish Guanaja Honduras blog. The author says he fishes for world class bones, but no pictures or sizes are actually mentioned… so, who knows. Emerald Waters offers a trip to Guanaja and talks in glowing terms about the fishery. A week with them will cost you about $3,200 per angler.
It seems Hurricane Mitch did some real damage to the island and the island’s mangroves back in 1998. The island and the fishery are still recovering, but are doing so in relative isolation.
A Honduran Bone from Emerald Waters
See… now that’s a good looking fish right there.
When you’ve done the Bahamas, the Keys and the Seychelles, you may have to check out Honduras at some point too.
05
Oct 09
Say Seychelles! A little vid
For your Monday enjoyment… a little Seychelles fly fishing action.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmHubxZWc9o&hl=en&fs=1&
