Gear — 14 comments
16
Feb 11

Saltwater Reel Testing – It is ON!

Have you ever wondered how the different reels really stack up?

Sure, I’ve read field testing reports, but that is a very uneven way to really test reels.  Even if you had a great day of fishing, how much of a workout did the reel really get?

What happens when you get the reel wet or drop it in the sand?  Will it still handle the big pulls after you drop it off the table after your 7th Kalik?  All reels work great on the first pull.  How about the 100th?

Well… I figure I’m going to find out and I’m going to tell you all how it goes.

I’ve begun soliciting reels to undergo a battery of tests, all off the water, and I’m going to create a page for those tests and their results.

I’m still working out the kinks, but the initial response from reel makers has been really good.  So far I have positive responses from Sage, Redington (they pulled out, which is a bummer), Orvis, Nautilus, Able, Allen, Tibor, Okuma and Loop (add Ross to the mix) with a flood of other emails and phone calls in to just about every reel maker I could think of with a saltwater reel suitable for an 8 wt. (Hatch Reels became the first to decline today… bummer)

I have zero qualification to be doing this.  I’m just curious and I have this blog as a platform so I’m going for it.

None of the reels will be kept by yours truly, sad to say. I imagined it would be easier to get folks to send me reels if they didn’t know I was just trying to score free gear it didn’t look like I was just trying to score a free gear.

I’m putting the finishing touches on exactly how I’m going to carry these tests out so when the first one gets here I’ll be ready to roll.  I put together the set-up for doing the mechanical pulls and this is the first trial run with my newly acquired Lamson Lightspeed 4 (which is really mine).  I think this is going to work.

In the immortal words of Eric Cantona… “Watch this space”

My wife was quick to point out that not only am I not keeping any of the reels… I won’t be making any money by doing all of this work and I’ll get to foot the shipping to send all the gear back.  Such is life.  I’m still excited

Yeah… I’m going to enjoy this…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JEYM3Lpbg4?rel=0

I should note, for the reel makers – mechanical pulls with the drill will be done in the range you might expect from a big bone or big Jack… 100-200 feet at a time (I won’t run the drag for 10 minutes straight or anything like that).

Fish Tails / Locations — 6 comments
15
Feb 11

The Return of FIBFest – Andros South

I don’t really know how many people have been reading the blog consistently over the past year, but I’d bet not that many of you.  Last year, when FIBFest was going on down at Andros South I was only getting about 90 readers a day.  These days I get about 225 or so.  For new readers all you need to know is that I got the invite to Andros South last year as part of a fly fishing blogger boondoggle and couldn’t do it… life got in the way… a move, a home sale, a 3 year old.  I just couldn’t make it happen, which was kind of crushing.

This year, things have fallen in my favor.  Deneki is announcing today the official line-up for FIBFest II down in South Andros and I’ll be there.

My mug will be in these shots soon.

One aspect I’m particularly excited about is the prospect of tagging some bonefish for the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust.  I asked Andrew if that were a possibility and he said “Hell yeah!”

This is going to be one heck of a trip and I’ll take readers along as much as is possible (which is through the blog, in case anyone was reaching for a passport there).

The hunting grounds of Andros South.

The other FIBers (Fly Industry Bloggers) are chiming in as well…

Like Michael Gracie…

And… Kyle Perkins over at Complete Thought…

Fish Tails / Locations — 1 comment
14
Feb 11

Bonefishing Honeymoon

Happy Valentine’s Day.  Trying to play on that theme I found a story about a bonefishing honeymoon.

The Fall issue of the Times of the Island is now available with a great article “If You Love Me, Let Me Fish….A newley wed’s quest for Provo bonefish.”

via Times of the Island Bonefishing Honeymoon « MyTurksAndCaicosBlog.com.

Now, it turns out my first wife and I honeymooned in a location that also has bonefish.  I didn’t know that at the time and bonefish hadn’t camped out in my waking thoughts back then.  I used to be glad that I didn’t know bones back then, but now… I wish I knew. Could have saved some time.

Cool island.

Conservation — 6 comments
13
Feb 11

Flatswalker and Catch and Release

Flatswalker muses on C&R.  Truth seems to be that most folks aren’t doing it right.  Look around the web and see the number of grip and grin photos.  I have some from my first trip before I knew any better and now I try really hard to make sure the fish I catch have a fighting chance.

For the longest time I’ve lauded fly fishing for it’s low-impact on the species we chase in our silly little obsession. On the face of it there’s something to such a notion: fly fishing is often catch-and-release, the mechanics of it usually prevent gut-hooking fish, and (frankly) we often catch far less fish than other techniques, which limits the impact further.

Read the Flatswalker story here Flatswalker.

Um… you are doing it wrong…

Before I knew better

You are doing it right…

Good on ya.

What info do you need?  Bonefish & Tarpon Trust has it all.  Check out their C&R page.

Fish Tails / Locations — 1 comment
12
Feb 11

Fly Fish Chick – Seeing is Beliezing

All sight casting, tails tails tails tails. Thousands and gazillions of bonefish tails. Saw a massive snook, no shot. Spooky spooky spooky bones. Shallow water. Damn wind. But managed to catch 3 on first day, 8 on the second day. Loved it.

via Fly Fish Chick » Blog Archive » Don’t Stop Beliezing.

The Fly Fish Chick went to Belize (hey, I’ve been there!) and fish were caught. She has a slide show on her site.  Get ye there and commence viewing.

Conservation / Locations — 3 comments
11
Feb 11

The Freeport News – Gill nets concern West End fishermen

If it isn’t guides getting fired, it is gill nets wiping out fish populations… Grand Bahama seems to have a number of things working against it these days.  Thomas Rolle is quoted below.

“I know that one time ago there were maybe one or two guys netting but now it’s out of control now. We have about 15, 16 or 17 boats – they’re netting the same areas every day and we’re in trouble now but before long there isn’t going to be anything there,” he lamented.

via The Freeport News – Gill nets concern West End fishermen.

Nets are bad for bonefish, and, oddly enough, bad for fisherman since they wipe out damn near everything they come into contact with.

Gear — 3 comments
10
Feb 11

Essential Saltwater Items by Orvis

[Editor’s Note: Our friend Conway Bowman has a new book out, The Orvis Guide to Beginning Saltwater Fly Fishing, which is full of great information, tips, and tactics. Here’s an excerpt, in which he discusses the essential gear for any saltwater fly-fishing trip. The man spends hundreds of days on the water every year, and a few of his suggestions may surprise you.]

via Essential-Saltwater-Items.

I thought this was an interesting list of stuff and since, really, I’m at the bottom part of the learning curve, it is always interesting to hear from the pro’s about what they choose to take with them on the water.

There might be a few tweaks for bonefish anglers, primarily, you shouldn’t take the Boga grip out on the water with you.  Bogas and Bones don’t mix.   Maybe they are for cuda’s and that I can certainly understand.

The list would certainly be different if you were wading all day.  Not enough room for all that stuff when you are on foot all day and there wasn’t mention of anything to put on your inner thighs when they start to chafe (what, am I the only one who has had that happen?).

Fish Tails / Locations — 1 comment
09
Feb 11

TheFin.com: Andros

The Fin just got back from a few days in Andros… yeah… Andros.  He put up one heck of a report about it with lots of nuggets of information.  Check it out.

Day 2: On day 2 we all agreed that we would try the famous West side of Andros in hopes of not only finding lots of bonefish, but big ones.

via TheFin.com: Andros Island Fishing & Trip Report – Andros Island Bonefish Club.

Conservation — Leave a comment
08
Feb 11

This post is not about Sara Palin

No, really… it isn’t.  Bonefishing isn’t a political thing and conservation isn’t a political thing.  I hope you all send a little bit of that little bit of money you have floating around at the end of the month to help the folks who are working to make sure there are bonefish left for us to play with.

These days, for the 2/3 of readers who are from the US, conservation is a political hot button issue… which, I’m going to say, is stupid.  The fish aren’t red or blue (ya know, unless they are actually red or blue).  The Endangers Species Act and the Clean Water Act were signed by… get ready for it… Richard Nixon.  Yeah… that Richard Nixon.  Tricky Dick could see the value of conservation.  So, be a Dick and embrace conservation.

The best way you can do that, if you want to protect Bonefish, is to give to the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust.

There are other groups… the Turneffe Atoll Trust is new and promising.  Down there in Belize is also Green Reef.

yeah... what he said.

All the other stuff / Flies — 12 comments
07
Feb 11

Let’s see some feesh, bonefeesh that is.

OK, so, back in December I had several dozen flies land in my lap… well, they came in a box really, probably best they didn’t actually land IN my lap… barbs and all.

Anyway, I got a bunch of flies and I’ve been pondering a good way to distribute them to folks… good folks like you… you are good folk, aren’t you?  Sure you are.

I’m figuring I’ll do a photo contest and that contest will be done on Facebook, as it’s the easiest way to get folks to upload their own photos.  Upload a photo and whoever has the most “likes” at the end of February will get four dozen flies.

Go here to the FB page.

That there is a lot of flies... a LOT of flies.

So, put up some fish and let’s have some fun.

If you are not on Facebook… wow… how are you not on Facebook!?  Send me a pic and I’ll try and get it up in there.

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