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.
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My first bonefish... not 14 pounds.

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4 comments

  1. Hi, that’s my blog! Thank you. BTW, I’m flying the the Cayman Islands on Thursday and will spend five days casting to bonefish. Have you ever fished there?

  2. Hey Steve, you bet. Great story! Never been to the Cayman Islands. You booked with someone or just going DIY?

  3. It will be DIY. I plan on taking a flight to Little Cayman for a day. Heard bones and permit are fairly plentiful at Little Cayman. Keep in touch!

  4. wow. That sounds fantastic. Can’t wait to hear about it!

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