Gear — Leave a comment
06
Jan 11

A quiver of Orvis – Hydros and Access Rods Reviewed

While I was down in Mexico casting for… well… whatever would eat a 1/0 Surf Candy/Clouser, I had two loaner rods with me… an 8 wt. Hydros and an 8 wt. Access.  Having cast the Helios down in Belize a few weeks back, I’ve now cast three different Orvis sticks in an 8.

I must say… I’m impressed.

If I were going to buy one of these rods, I’d probably go with the Hydros.  The Hydros gets you a rod as good as the Helios with a substantial discount on the price.  I cast the Hydros most of the time I was down in Mexico.  It was light, crisp and powerful.  I was throwing lead eyes and sinking lines and the thing just played very well.

The Access is on the lower end of the Orvis spectrum, but it is still a good stick.  When you put them side-by-side you notice that the blank is thicker and when you pick it up, you notice the extra weight, even if it does come down to a couple ounces.  The Access is a little slower, so I had to change my casting stroke some, but the rod can still pound the casts out there.  It may not be fair to look at the Access after having cast the Hydros for a few days since the Hydros is just a really slick piece of casting rocketry.

A Note on Rod Selection for Vallarta

Vallarta is a hard place to judge for rod selection.  I would have been fine on most of the fish I caught with a 6 weight.  Still, there are a few fish I hooked that would have put a serious beat-down on a 6.  You just never know what is going to be on the other end.  Could be a 5 ounce fish.  Could be a 25 pound fish.

Conservation / Locations — Leave a comment
05
Jan 11

Turneffe Atoll Trust – Worth Supporting

If you love Belize, show some love to this org.

With 450 cayes and two lagoons spanning 250 square miles, Turneffe Atoll is one of the most productive marine ecosystems on earth and the best preserved portion of the Mesoamerican Reef.

via Turneffe Atoll Trust.

The Turneffe Atoll Trust is doing some good work.  They are trying to figure out a way to preserve the flats and the mangroves in the Turneffe Atoll, a place they see as the next probable target of over-development when the world economy recovers.  They are trying to get all the stakeholders together… the commercial fisherman, the community leaders, the government leaders, the anglers and other interested parties.  Everyone has to be on the same page if this place is going to be spared and that’s exactly what they are trying to do.  Check it out.

Fish Tails / Locations — Leave a comment
04
Jan 11

South Andros trip primer From Salty Shores

A no nonsense, no fluff guide to fishing South Andros Bahamas. (mainly because I’m too lazy to type a novel) 😉

via South Andros bonefishing trip primer, part 3: The fishing.

Well… I’d say this is worth a look.  Sam Root over at Salty Shores is one hell of a photographer too.  Sam put together a few posts about his South Andros experiences and I’d say they are worth reading.  Check them out.

Conservation / Locations — 2 comments
03
Jan 11

Placencia, Belize… the bulldozers and dredgers are there now

So, it seems that over development isn’t just a problem in Ambergris and I guess it shouldn’t come as a surprise.  Placencia, a bit further south from Ambergris in Belize, is also going through the throws of major (and horribly ill-conceived) development. At least for once the US isn’t somehow to blame for the problem.  In this case, it is the Italians.

It is going on now… dredging, bull-dozing, leveling… basically screwing up what makes the place special and what makes the place prime permit habitat (with a mix of bones and poons in there as well).

“The Placencia” is one of the key offenders (although not the only douchebags working there by any stretch).  The website photo below has to be the most egregious use of a fly fishing photograph in recent history (not to mention the most egregious casting).  These guys are actually using fly fishing as a hook to get people interested in their development… the development which will (and is) destroy the habitat where the fish live, grow and feed.

I also like the “Eco-Visionaries” label.  How you could be “Eco” anything but Eco-Destroyer while you are bulldozing and dredging.  Of course, this is “green washing” and rather cleverly done at that.  Fly anglers have a reputation for conservation and you put “Eco” on anything and PRESTO, it must be a good thing… right?

The Placencia Citizens for Sustainable Development has some of the info on this particular project and none of it sounds awesome.

Not good.  Not good at all.

Conservation / Locations — Leave a comment
02
Jan 11

Buccaneers and Bones – Episode 1 – El Pescador, Belize

Well, I was happy to see Episode 1 of the Outdoor Channel’s series Buccaneers and Bones on the DVR for my (I’m trying to make it) daily stint on the new treadmill (the show also has a Facebook Page).

It was like a return home as the location for the premier episode was El Pescador Lodge on Ambergris Cay in Belize.  It is a joy to see this show back on the air after ESPN dumped all their fishing and outdoor shows this year.

On the show we get to see Zach Gilford catching bonefish with Lori-Ann Murphy out in the lagoon behind the lodge where my buddy Shane and I fished.  There are tarpon and snook caught as well by other members of the Buccaneers.

This show is aimed to support the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, an organization I support and I urge you all to support too.  Really… if you aren’t a member and you like to fish for bonefish, tarpon or permit… well… you should be.  You can be a better person in 2011 by signing up now.

I really liked the show.  The only criticism I’d have was some outbound clicks put onto the soundtrack in a place where Michael Keaton had about 20 feet of line on the deck while landing a tarpon.  Still… beautiful scenery, some interesting anglers, some magnificent fish and all with a conservation message.

I’m a fan.

A nice place to be.

Gear — 3 comments
01
Jan 11

Fly Fishing Reels: Drag Systems – MidCurrent

This is helpful… a lot of knowledge dropped about drag systems over at MidCurrent.

When manufacturers proclaim the virtues of their drag systems in advertisements and catalogs, they toss around terms such as “startup inertia,” and “cork to Rulon,” and “fully sealed,” often without fully explaining what these things are and why they are beneficial to anglers. If you stop to think about it, these terms raise a lot of questions about how reels are built and how they work. I set out to address these questions and more. What I learned may help you the next time you peer into that glass case at the fly shop — you’ll have a better grip on why objects with such a simple purpose vary so much in complexity … and price.

via Fly Fishing Reels: Drag Systems – MidCurrent.

All the other stuff — Leave a comment
31
Dec 10

Happy NYE and Photos by Jim Klug

Some great images by Jim Klug to wrap up your 2010.  I wish you all a Happy New Years Eve and I hope you all give the keys over to someone sober.  See you in 2011.

Bahamas – Andros Island Bonefishing Photos – Klug Photos – Outdoor and Fly Fishing Photography.

All the other stuff — 5 comments
30
Dec 10

A look ahead to 2011

2010’s days are numbered.  Not much, good or bad, is going to happen in these last few days.  So, I’m thinking about what 2011 will hold.

Bonefishing Prospects

This year I don’t have a big trip on the calendar.  I think this is going to be sort of catch-as-catch can in terms of bonefishing.  I may try to get to Florida in the next few months thanks to either cheap air-fare or frequent flier miles.  Now… I don’t know if I’m going to pull that off, but it is something I’m going to try to pull off.

In July we may get to Hawaii for a wedding and if we do get there, I’m gonna do some fish’n.  Oahu is not a really easy place to be on your own, from what I’ve read and from the folks I’ve talked to.  I am not 100% if we are going to get there or not, but it is in pencil on the calendar.

So… Florida and Hawaii mean that even if I do a couple trips this year it is entirely possible that I might not even catch a bonefish… after all, these are not easy places with complacent and accommodating fish.  Once, when I asked someone about bonefishing in Florida they told me I should fish for barracuda instead. Doesn’t inspire confidence.

The odds of me getting to fish with Chris Goldmark in Puerto Rico are low… as are the odds of me getting to Aitutaki to fish with Butch… both things I really want to do. I have to look at 2012 for one of those two trips, probably, maybe, hopefully.

Writing Project

One potentially interesting project is a writing project that I’m involved in that could spawn something worth reading… but we are probably a couple months away from really having something to announce on that with confidence.

Addition to the Family

For my folks… no, not a child.  I’m almost certainly getting a Galvan Torque 10 for things like Dorado and Tarpon and I look forward to putting that into the mix along with my bonefishing reels.  I loved the Nautilus NV, but I got gift certs to my buddies fly shop… so… I’m getting a Galvan and I’m happy about that.

The Blog Itself

It has been fun watching the blog grow over the last year and I look forward to seeing what happens in 2011.  This still isn’t a job, it’s a hobby I do in addition to my duties as a stay-at-home dad.  At some point, maybe even a point this coming year, I’m going to have to get some sort of j-o-b again, a thought that inspires something akin to a slightly premature mid-life crisis… which is nice.

Basically, I’m going to stick with it with the whole “post-a-day” thing I’ve been doing for the last while.  We’ll see where we end up and where the year takes us.

Thanks for reading.

Fish Tails / Gear / Locations — Leave a comment
29
Dec 10

Top Posts from 2010

I can’t actually tell you which pages were viewed most over the year, since I’ve only been able to really track viewership since March of 2010… but, I’d bet it is pretty accurate, since about three times as many people read this little project now as did back in March.

1. My review of the Helios reel by Okuma – I wouldn’t have guessed that one would rise to the surface… but it did.

2. Costa Del Mar review – Another gear review was the second most viewed individual post.

3. Interview with Kristen Mustad, Nautilus Reels – What can I say… the guy makes awesome reels.

4. Interview with Chris Goldmark from Puerto Rico – Not a place most folks think about in terms of bonefish, but Chris catches them there.

5. Interview with Joe Gonzalez – Joe was an interview I was tracking down for months.  Glad it finally happened.

6. My review of the TFO LA 375 – Ya love the gear reviews. This one had some fun in the comments section too.

7. News about Buccaneers and Bones – Just a new item I found from the San Pedro Sun.

8. Interview with Scott Heywood, Angling Destinations – One of the first phone interviews I did and a good conversation.

9. Interview with Bruce Chard – Saltwater guru and instructor at Andros South’s Bonefish School

10. Upper Sacramento – A post about my home river, my home water and one cool picture.

I love this picture… not because it is particularly beautiful, but because it shows some of the most important water in my life…. this is from #10.

Upper Sac... Prospect

All the other stuff — 4 comments
28
Dec 10

2010 – The year in review

2010 was an interesting year and marked the first full year of this little blog being around. Thanks for sticking with me.

I managed two trips in 2010, bookending the year.  My first trip was in January to Grand Bahama and the last was a trip to Belize in November.  The two trips were very different from one another with the GBI trip being a solo trip with lots of DIY, a day of guiding, a cheap hotel and meals mostly comprised of peanuts and gummy worms.  The Belize trip was with a good friend and saw a grand slam, a first rate lodge with wonderful meals (think lobster) and camaraderie.  Both were fantastic experiences.

GBI Self Portrait. Almost no fish were harmed in the making of my DIY fishing.

Fish, meet stick, stick, meet fish. Belize Jack - 25 pounds.

I tied a lot over the past year and generally improved my saltwater tying a great deal.

I got to cast some loaner rods… from Sage, the Xi3 in a 7 and 10 and from Orvis the Helios, Hydros and Access. I also got to play with a Mirage reel from Orvis and the lovely NV from Nautilus.  They all pretty much rocked.

I did A LOT of interviews.  In fact, all 31 interviews I’ve done were done this year.  The interviews, I think, are my best contribution to the wider world of bonefishing since all the interviews are original content.  So much of what I do is finding the gems and nuggets from around the web, but the interviews are my own products thanks to the generosity of those interviewed.  There are some great stories in there… I hope you enjoy them.

Fish I caught for the first time this year… carp, striper, permit, tarpon.

I had some good freshwater trips this year, including a nice few days on the Metolius up in Oregon.  The Metolius is just more beautiful than is reasonable.  Fishing with my dad was a special bonus.

Dad and I walking through paradise.

I also had some days on the Upper Sacramento, some Sierra creeks, the CA Surf, South Bay reservoirs and other ponds.  Oddly, I probably fished less this year than in just about any year for the past decade.  Having a 3 year old does that to ya.

On the personal front I moved from the Sierra Foothills back to Silicon Valley.  My little girl started pre-school and landed her first trout.  I continue to be a stay-at-home dad, although that is a limited time contract with about a year left to go… after that… I’m going to have to find a regular job again.  Should be interesting.

Thanks for being a reader and sharing your comments and stories over the last year.

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