Over at EpicWinderness they put together a bazillion bits of fly fishing advice. Yes… even a few nuggets from yours truly in there.
Soooo many folks dishing on the advice. Could take you a while to get through it all.
Me, casting, in Belize.
31
Jan 17
What to do about the Bahamas
stormy times for the Bahamas
I’m conflicted. I love the Bahamas, but the government of the Bahamas doesn’t love me back and some of its people are downright hostile to how I want to vacation and spend my time and money. So… what am I to do?
The new law has been rolled out and it has been a bit bumpy from what I’ve heard. Have not heard about people being denied, just that some folks who are supposed to issue the licenses don’t seem to have a firm grip on what is going on and you may have to wait a full day or two to actually get the license. I have not heard about enforcement issues yet, but then, I don’t hear everything so I wouldn’t rule it out.
What I do know is the trip I took last February is a trip I can’t take in 2017. I rented a boat and a friend and I fished together, without a guide, for the last three days of the trip. That would be illegal to do now. This fact bums me out.
I’d still be able to go around on foot, or use a kayak or canoe to get around, but that boat is no longer an option. I’d still be able to go and use a guide, either through a lodge or on my own, which does change the price dynamics a bit, but, you still get the Bahamas that way, but I won’t spend a dime on those who fought against us.
There are plenty of operations who have fought the good fight, on behalf of all anglers and for the Bahamian people, and they stand to lose if we just all stay away. Folks like Abaco Lodge, Bairs Lodge, Delphi, East End Lodge, Swain’s Cay and Black Fly, just to name a very few, all fought hard for us and I don’t want them to be hurt for doing what was right.
If you want to go to the Bahamas, there are two places to check out:
- Yellow Dog Fly Fishing Adventures – They aren’t booking the anti lodges. They’ve been in the game for a long time. They know Prescott, have known him for years, and they were very involved in the fight. If they have a destination in the Bahamas, you can feel better knowing they are on the right side of this thing.
- Abaco Fly Fishing Guide’s Association – If you want to know if a guide or lodge is pro-angler, ask if they support the AFFGA or the BFFIA. If they support the former, you are golden. If they support the later, well… I won’t fish with them, I know that much.
It isn’t good in the Bahamas right now. I was just reading one lodge owner saying his business was off 70%. People are hurting.
So, don’t stay away if you are going on a lodge trip. But please, spend your dollars wisely.
24
Jan 17
Tutorial on how to ruin a good thing – Belize edition
Honeymooners, Belize, 2012.
Belize is not a big country. It’s 330,000 people, plus or minus, makes it smaller in population than the city I work in, Oakland, which has some 400,000 residents. In terms of economics, the city of Oakland has an income per capita of about $32K, give or take, while the income per capita for the whole nation of Belize is just over $7,000.
So, it is easy to guess some of the things Belize does not have. There are some things Belize has in spades, however. Belize has in Mayan ruins what it lacks in Walmarts. The one big, big thing Belize has is a barrier reef. In fact, the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. It is massive. It is a treasure. It is probably the lifeblood of the Belizian economy, accounting for about 12% of GDP.
If you were to make of list of activities which could really mess up a barrier reef system, you might put offshore oil drilling high on that list. Cynics would be unsurprised to hear the government of Belize has moved in that direction, giving the green light to start oil exploration off the coast of Belize.
I mean… why would you do that? That’s not a real question. We all know why. It is money and greed and the power someone(s) might be able to accumulate in a country with a population smaller than the city of Oakland.
Belize… I hope you don’t do it. I hope you build on your assets and don’t lose them under a slick of oily greed and shortsightedness.
Belize… I need you to be Belize.
17
Jan 17
Flies (and gear) for Belize
Belize… smallest fish of my 2010 trip.
Belize, 88 days away, means I need to get back at the vice and it means different flies than I’d have in my box otherwise.
On the bonefish front, it means small flies. #6’s and #8’s… yes… #8’s. Not only smaller flies than you are likely to fish in the Bahamas, but also adding a weed-guard is a good idea.
For tarpon… well… I do dig on the bunny flies and I could stand a few more lighter colored tarpon bunnies. I’ll likely ties some #1’s for any tarpon I might come across.
Now… this is a trip with my daughter and while our goal is for her to catch a bonefish on a fly (if we end up at a mud, don’t judge me), it is possible we need to throw some gear for fish as well. I’m never really too sure what spinning gear to bring along for maybe catching a bonefish. That isn’t what I’ve been doing. So, might need to seek out some consultation on that front.
How much fly fishing I get to do is really a great unknown. The #1 priority is to keep the girl happy and have a good vacation. That certainly means I’ll fish less than I would like to fish, but there WILL be some fishing.
15
Jan 17
Let’s look at Florida
I like Florida… but Florida is in trouble. Captains for Clean Water is trying to help.
14
Jan 17
Five things that make Belize Awesome
91 days until Belize (I’ll be on Caye Caulker, if booking through Yellow Dog, ask for Cameron, he knows his stuff)… and I’m sitting here thinking about the appeal of Belize.
Here are five things that make Belize awesome.
Belizean Bone
- Bonefish. They have bonefish. They have lots and lots of bonefish. They are not big bonefish, mostly, but what they lack in size they make up for in numbers. It reminds me of that creek you go to when you want to do a bit of catching. In Belize you can, more or less, count on doing a bit of bonefish catching.
- Tarpon. They have them and in greater numbers and more predictably than you would find in many other Caribbean locations. There are babies and adults and the fish in-between.
- English. They speak English in Belize which makes it a great option for those of us who are Spanish-challenged.
- Ruins. You can check out the Mayan ruins in Belize, and the ruins are often pretty spectacular. Amazing to think what that culture accomplished without steel tools or Home Depot.
- Grand Slam. This is a place where it can happen. It happened for me on my first ever tarpon and my first ever permit. The folks at El Pescador seem to rack up Grand Slams on a fairly regular basis, which is pretty amazing as a routine happening.
Now… the thing I’m leaving off the list, mostly, is a fish many anglers go to Belize specifically to find and that is the permit. Why do I not consider the permit one of the top five bits of awesome? Because permit are jerks, that’s why.
The guides who are well known in Belize are the permit guides and they can find them and they know how to fish them and they have brought much joy to that unique group of black tailed seekers, permit anglers. However, that game is just not my game. Maybe it will happen at some point, but for now I’m happy to leave it to you masochists.
I also didn’t mention the national beer, the Belekin, even if I tend to drink a lot of them when I’m in Belize. There is very little weight difference between a full Belekin and an empty one. The beer itself is one of those warm climate lagers that suits its climate perfectly, even if there is less actual beer in one of those thick, heavy bottles than you might wish there was.
One of the best beers I’ve ever had. A Grand Slam Beer.
13
Jan 17
Comments from Yellow Dog on the Bahamian Regulations
Yellow Dog knows a thing or two about the Bahamas and Ian Davis has been going there longer than I’ve been fly fishing. He knows the lodges and the people and he wrote his thoughts up about the regs and what they will mean for the Bahamas going forward.
You can read these thoughts here.
The regulations are in place now and it looks like licenses are being issued. Don’t know how it is working on some of the smaller islands. If you have experiences, please let me know.
Another DIY GBI bonefish
09
Jan 17
New Fly Fisher in Belize
Ah, Belize…
In this episode of The New Fly Fisher they are down in Belize at El Pescador with Orvis guru Tom Rosenbauer.
El Pescador has a special place in my heart/soul.
A nice place to be.
I first went to El Pescador in 2010 with my buddy Shane. We had some less than ideal weather, but we had a couple good days on the water, culminating with my first ever permit and my first ever tarpon and my first ever grand slam (still my only grand slam).
The permit. Not a big permit, but a permit.
Loved the place so much I conned convinced my wife to head down there for our honeymoon.
Honeymoon Bonefish
We are going to try to get back there somewhere close to our 5th anniversary, but also when our son might be a little easier to deal with (he’s 3). So, thanks Tom and company for getting me a glimpse of that land I enjoy so much.
Spring Break will see me just a short hop from El Pescador and Ambergris over on Caye Caulker. Can’t wait to get back to Belize.
08
Jan 17
The Skink Files – Foreign Sand
I have no doubt Skink would disapprove.
In fact, a foreign sand scheme was in a recent Carl Hiaasen book.
I would say “I can’t imagine a country in the Caribbean that would sell out like that.” but then… the Bahamas recently considered taking Chinese money to pimp their fishery and there was the one time a politician tried to sell off a graveyard in San Pedro… so, ya know… the intersection of soulless-greed and soul-destroying economic opportunity is nothing new and not exactly something confined to the island nations.
I would like to consider how Skink might respond.
07
Jan 17
All the news that’s fit to print, and some that isn’t. Reaction to new regs.
I’m just going to leave this here for y’all to peruse at your leisure. Here are a few of the stories about the new regulations in the Bahamas, set to go into effect on Jan. 9, despite the whole nation being woefully unprepared for the mechanism the law lays out.
Abaco Guides Fear ‘Irreparable Harm’ Via New Regulation
New Regulations a “Slap in the Face” says, Abaco Fly Fishing Guides Association
Fly Fishing Penalties ‘Draconian, Hostile’
Bahamas Moves to Protect Fly Fishing Industry
Fly Fishing Rules ‘One Of Most Important Laws Since Majority Rule’
Abaco Fly Fishing Guides Association Blasts New Bahamas Flats Fishing Regulations
Just an aside… the Bahamian government websites (like this) where people would actually go to see what the regulations are do not, in fact, have any of that information up yet… and it is supposed to all start on Monday.
