Mel Krieger talking about doing the double haul. Pretty hard to get out on the flats without a double-haul. This is not a recent video, of course. Mel passed away back in 2008. Seemed like a really good guy, from what I heard about him. I know I saw him at a couple different shows over the years. Those than knew him still talk warmly about him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcE-9WPuZ04?fs=1&hl=en_US
I’m down in Vallarta for a long anticipated family trip. We love playing in the pools, lounging about and having some good quality time together. I, as you might expect, bring a fly rod or two along (in this case, two loaners from Orvis, the Hydros and their Access in an 8). In years past I’ve come to have some pretty good fishing at the river mouth that separates Puerto Vallarta from Nuevo Vallarta. I’ve caught dinner there a couple of times and really had started to get it dialed.
This year… not so much.
Some storms came though during the summer and my guess is a few million cubic yards of sand got moved around. What I used to know is now a total mystery again. There is a little bay, where once there was open water. The river now has two mouths and I can’t even get to the place where I had had such good luck for the past couple of years.
Amazing how much nature can alter things in the span of a few months.
Now, I can’t find the big fish. The little fish? Oh yeah… I have those DIALED. I’ve caught dozens of little Jacks… little… ounces, not pounds.
After my 25 pound Jack in Belize... this is a little underwhelming.
I repeated an old mistake and asked the concierge if they had any information on fly fishing. No… I could take a party boat, but no… they don’t know anyone who has a panga who could take me out in the bay to cast for some Jacks. However, I also asked one of the doormen, Jorge. He knows. He knows a bunch of folks and he and I, in theory, are going to go fishing with a friend of his on Thursday. I will need to pay for gas, but that’s it. We’ll see how that goes. I’m looking forward to it.
I’ve always heard that the bonefish population in the US Virgin Islands is meager at best. That’s why I was surprised to find the website for Arawak Expeditions, a guiding service in St. John. Arthur Jones agreed to do an interview with me to help me understand exactly what’s on offer on these Yankee bones. Here’s a tip… bring a tarpon rod if you are heading that way.
Arthur, the US Virgin Islands are often held up as an example of what happens when over-netting and over-development collide. You seem to be finding plenty of bonefish. So, what is the state of the fishery?
It may be true that there was netting in the 70’s, but not now. The US Virgin Islands are three distinct islands… there is St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix. St. Thomas and St. John are pretty close to each other and St. Croix is about 40 miles south of St. John, which is where I live. My understanding is that back in the 50’s, St. Croix was a bonefishing destination. Ted Williams and some of those guys that used to bonefish a lot in the 50’s would come down to St. Croix and bonefish there. It is my understanding that a big oil refinery came in on St. Croix and put in a big refinery on the South side of the island. This is all my understanding. When that came in, they had to take out mangroves and dredged a lot and that destroyed a lot of the bonefish’s habitat. I’ve never heard anything about netting. I don’t know anyone who nets, I don’t know anyone that eats bonefish like they do sometimes in the Bahamas or other places where people actually eat bonefish.
As far as over-development, there certainly has been a lot of development here. The island that I live on, St. John, 2/3 of the island is National Park, so it has largely escaped most of the development. Since 2/3rds is National Park, that land isn’t developed and will never be developed. The other third will get developed and is very valuable.
What’s the state of the fishery?
There are not tons of bonefish in the US Virgin Islands and there aren’t tons of bonefish in the British Virgin Islands either. We are not a bonefishing destination and I don’t think we ever will be. Anagata, in BVI is a limestone island and it has miles and miles of reefs and flats. It is a bonefishing destination. These islands are volcanic in origin and we don’t have miles and miles of flats. We have little pocket flats and there are bonefish on those flats, but we are not a destination. We have a lot of bonefish, but not like what you’ll see in the Bahamas or Belize or places with extensive flats. We do have big bonefish here compared to some other places. I have fished in Belize and those fish are fairly small, but the fish here are, on average, quite a bit bigger.
The State of the fishery, here on St. John… it is a small island and we don’t have large numbers of bonefish. We have them and we catch them frequently, but it is small enough that you can feel the pressure just from my going out every day with clients. I know for a fact that if I hit the same areas day after day the fish get skittish. If I go to different spots and rotate around and don’t hit the same spots, the fish don’t get skittish.
Arthur with a USVI bonefish
How many spots do you have to rotate?
I have half a dozen spots on this island and spots on other islands and we also fish for tarpon, so, I have about 15 spots to fish. We also fish for bonefish in the morning and tarpon in the afternoon and that way we can rotate and not put too much pressure on any one flat.
Since you don’t have that bonefish reputation, do you see less pressure, or the fact that it is such a popular vacation destination mean you still see a lot of people on the flats?
You don’t see a lot of people, but you do notice the pressure. I notice pressure just from me being out there. There are only 2-3 spots that the average tourist goes to, if they are fishing on their own. Those spots have more pressure. There is one spot that everyone knows and that gets the most pressure. Everybody knows about the flat at XXXXXX and that is where everyone goes and those fish are kind of skittish.
Do you have a clear remembrance of your first bonefish?
No, I don’t. I wish I did. I do remember the feeling though when that fish first took off. I definitely remember that… that sensation of speed. Being like “Wow… what is this?” I had never experienced anything like that. I don’t remember exactly where it was or when it was, but I do remember that sensation and every time you hook one, you kind of experience that a little bit… that same feeling comes back.
St. John, you have a favorite place to eat, a favorite bar?
My favorite place to eat is probably La Tapa. Great place, Bistro type food. The chef there, Alex, is amazing and she’s also a good person. The food is amazing, the wine is amazing, it is just a great atmosphere. Another is Plum Lines, a little more casual and a great tropical atmosphere.
When you are out on the water, you see things other folks just don’t see. Is there something you’ve seen out there that might surprise folks?
There are always things that you see… this past summer we were fishing this flat and in the summer the sharks come onto the flat to mate and we came upon these sharks doing it. They were getting it on. These were 5-6 foot long sharks and they were flopping around. Stuff like that, you see all the time.
What rod and reel are you throwing?
My favorite rod is my Sage Xi2, but I have a Sage RPLx that I’ve had for almost 20 years and I love that rod and I still use it regularly. Those are two favorites. As far as reels go. I do have a Tibor that I like a lot, but I’m not that big of a gear-head. I have an old Fin Nor that I’ve had for 17-18 years and I still use it every day.
Since you have a different crew than the guys that show up at Andros for a week and might not have their bonefishing game as honed, what is something you see in clients that they need to work on to get more from their experience?
Most of my clients book before they get here and they tell me they are a trout fisherman from where ever and they have never saltwater fished but they don’t realize that trout fishing in their local stream and fishing in the salt with the winds and fishing from a boat and having to cast longer distances fairly accurately, they aren’t prepared. My thing, and I tell people this, is they need to practice, practice, practice before they get here. Once they get here, to spend time practicing here… they are paying me a lot of money and it doesn’t make sense. Take the time at home, practice your double-haul and then come down and you’ll have a much more enjoyable experience.
USVI Tarpon... that could be fun.
You mentioned you have tarpon around. What’s the tarpon fishery like? Do you have babies, migrating adults? What’s it like?
It is more the juveniles. There are some migrating adults, but we don have babies and juveniles year round. I’d say 30-50 pounds is average for what we get around here. That is a great sized fish. For people that have never caught a tarpon… it blows their socks off. I think we have a great tarpon fishery here. It is probably better than our bonefishery and it is, for lack of a better word, untouched. People don’t come here to go tarpon fishing, but we have tons of tarpon.
Thanks Arthur. If I make it to the USVI, I’ll be looking you up and I’ll be packing a rod for tarpon.
Mikey over at Burl Productions is putting together what should be another classic in Soulfish 2. Belize, BC, Egypt, Mongolia, CA… some good looking footage in there. Check it out.
I like this blog… I like this story. Check it out.
Lately, things have clicked for me, at least. I’ve had a few unforgettable days on the water when Zach couldn’t make it and I felt more than a little bad at rubbing in my good luck, knowing that he had yet to land a bone of his own. My success, I think, is more a case of being able to be in the right places at the right times than any major increase in skill. Although, I know my eyes are much more attuned at spotting fish than ever before.
via This River Is Wild.: 14 Months in the Making..
The follow up to Pirates of the Flats, Buccaneers and Bones moves channels and locations and looks to be every bit as interesting. One of the sites this year is… you guessed it, El Pescador Lodge.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agNKykgJFpM?fs=1&hl=en_US
The new show starts DECEMBER 26! Set your DVR!
First of all, my wife hates just about anything musically that I like. Somehow we can both agree on James Taylor. Another reason I like James Taylor is the song he sings below… Oh Mexico.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hElWn6UHOfg?fs=1&hl=en_US
We are headed back to Mexico this coming weekend for a week in the mostly sun. While there there will be a lot of playing in the pools with my daughter, some good meals cooked by my mother-in-law and, if things hold true to past trips, I should get a couple hours every day to go cast in the surf and river mouth for some Jacks, ladyfish and whatever else passes by.
For the trip I got a couple of loaner rods from Orvis. After having cast the Helios a bit in Belize, I got to wondering how the feels. The Hydros is step down from the Helios, but it is the same blank, just with less premium and slightly heavier components. Also making the trip South is one of Orvis’s new Access Rods, which is on the lower price range for Orvis saltwater-ready sticks.
I very much look forward to some time in the pool with my little girl, and some time casting clousers to anything that will eat.
While looking for reel reviews I ran across this piece from the New York Times featuring Tom Bie, publisher of The Drake.
Tom Bie, left, publisher of The Drake Magazine, a quarterly journal for flyfishing enthusiasts, took five saltwater reels on a three-day fishing trip through the shallow waters of Ascensión Bay, Mexico, to discover that, when casting for midsize marine life, options are good, having to perform maintenance is bad, but making sure the big one doesn’t get away is the absolutely the most essential asset of a good spool.
Check out the Tom’s thoughts on the reels he took along by going to this link: Physical Culture | Gear Test, Saltwater Fly-Fishing Reels – The New York Times.
Tom… well… he isn’t a fan of my little blog, but I’m still rooting for the Drake. The Drake has appeal beyond normal fly fishing magazines and that can only be good as time keeps thinning the fly fishing herd.
The comments are not terribly substantive, but you wouldn’t expect the NYT to really nail this in their Fashion & Style section…
The tested reels were:
Hatch 7 Plus, Able Super (Tarpon finish), Nautilus NV, Sage 6080, Tibor Everglades
Not a bad stable to choose from. There isn’t a bad word uttered in the very limited reviews, but you really wouldn’t expect anything to go wrong with one of these reels on a week long trip to Mexico. That’s the limit of field testing and life… never enough time.
Some great stuff from Deneki’s Bonefish School, run by Bruce Chard.
A conversation with Bruce Chard at Andros South a couple weeks back got us thinking that there’s a really a lot to saltwater leader design and construction, so we asked Bruce to sit down and talk us through how and why he makes the leaders that he uses for bonefish.
via Bonefish Leaders | Design and Construction by Bruce Chard.
I was on Blanton’s Board, looking around and I saw “Belize Report” from Lee Haskin. Good stuff about permit and tarpon and a little about bones. The pictures though… well… the “Shrimp Neutralizer” pattern… well… what?!?! FOAM?! I certainly hadn’t seen that before. Really creative and it looks as if it caught fish. Now that would have been handy to see before my Belize trip.
The Shrimp Neutralizer was very effective on bonefish and even had an “eat” from a big permit!
Great to use a fly that suspends and doesn’t hang up in the grass or coral!
via Trips, Flies and Fish: Belize-Rumble in the Jungle!.
Lee's bone and FOAM fly. Cool.
Lee... that's innovation. Well done.
Check out the trip report… you’ll see that Lee’s permit and tarpon were a littttttle bit bigger than mine… like… A LOT bigger. That’s what Belize has to offer.
