Bonefish on the Brain Bonefish and all that relates (maybe a bit about tarpon too).

8 comments

1. John Blaskovich

   January 29, 2011 at 9:17 am

   Would be nice to check out Cuba someday but Canada can keep their lame Health Care system.
2. bonefishbjorn

   January 29, 2011 at 9:37 am

   Ha. Figured I might get a few comments on that one. I haven’t had need of a Dr. in Canada, so I have no first hand experience. They don’t have bones though… poor Maple Leaves.
3. Henry Will

   January 29, 2011 at 8:09 pm

   Hi B jorn,

   Where I live (north shore of central Lake Ontario) we have loads of Canada Geese. My home gets overflown daily by hundreds of them as they leave their lakeside overnight roosts on the in the morning and migrate to fields of winter wheat. The reverse occurs in the evening as they return with full bellies.

   I like our health care system just fine.

   Oh yeah! we do have bones here…at least reportedly. Google bonefish/Nova Scotia’s bay of Fundy. Apparently they are found there occasionally. The Bay of Fundy fishery would likely compare to San Diego Bay, as San Diego Bay compares to Andros Is. Bahamas.

   Regards,

   Henry Will
   Oshawa, Ontario
   Canada
4. bonefishbjorn

   January 30, 2011 at 7:48 am

   Man, Canada Geese… that’s a bird I do not love.

   I have read that young bonefish are occasionally found there, as they are in New York Harbor. They have a much higher tolerance to colder temps when they are juveniles, if I remember that correctly. That fact would account for the only bonefish I’m aware of that has ever been caught in SF Bay, back in the 1910’s.

   Since you are legally able, have you made it to Cuba?
5. Henry Will

   January 31, 2011 at 2:50 am

   Hi Bjorn,

   I wonder which it is?…do young bones really have higher tolerance to cold water or do large bone deal with it better? If it’s the young ones…well, that sort of flies in the face of the theory that winter-time flats are commonly devoid of small fish while in the same breath we hear that winter time is best for large cruising singles.

   I’ve been to Cuba 3 times now (only fished the last 2 trips). First trip was to Holguin and strictly a family/friend affair. Last two trips were to Cayo Guillermo (Iberostar Daiquiri). What a fun and convenient resort that is for anglers wishing to sneak away for a few casts here and there. Lovely flats directly in front of the resort stretching for a good 1/2 mile east and west and I can usually find a few bones willing to eat. Directly behind the resort…and I mean directly!…there are a series of man-made landlocked channels that are home to a really good number of baby Tarpon from about 5 to 30 pounds (though most from 5 to 10). They’re suckers for a size 4 crease fly and just absolutely hammer them from the surface. It’s nothing to jump a half dozen fish in the very early pre-dawn mornings and again at dusk just before dark. As well, one can book from the resort 1/2 day outings into the tidal backwater channels and flats between the cayo and the mainland for around $70.00 per person (2 per boat) primarily targeting large snappers, tarpon, cuda’s and jacks. The guides don’t want to go to any shallow flats for bones (though plenty are there)…they fear getting their boats stranded as well as the work involved in poling clients around. I’ve talked to Richard a few times about going to Zapata a couple times but the stars haven’t aligned for that trip yet. Nice guy!

   Regards,

   Henry Will
   Oshawa, Ontario
   Canada
6. bonefishbjorn

   January 31, 2011 at 10:47 am

   Cuba sounds… niiiiice.

   I recall reading that very, very young bonefish have a higher tolerance, but that it goes away by the time they get to be around a year old, and then it is the big bones that seem to deal better. I’ll try to find that passage… think it is in Chico’s book (the biology section that was written by Aaron Adams). I could have that wrong too. The winter kill in FL is said to have killed large numbers of 1-3 year old fish and everything I’ve ever read has said cooler weather = big bonefish time.
7. Carole Reichhelm

   February 5, 2011 at 9:29 am

   Hey Bjorn– Thanks for spreading the word on the tagging program. Canada must have something right…cause Richard’s back in Cuba checking out a new tarpon fishery…and yeah, while I’m sitting in 4 ft of snow in CT reading bonefishing stories–what else? he’s bone fishing… The Dog.
8. bonefishbjorn

   February 5, 2011 at 7:56 pm

   You bet Carole, great story. Wish I were fishing right now too, but at least we are having fantastic weather here in CA… 74 today… I wore flip flops so it felt like I was somewhere tropical.