Just how cold was that recent cold snap and what did it mean for the fish?
Well, Aaron Adams was in Abaco trying to work with guides on bonefish tagging as part of his work with the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust. When it’s 57, it turns out even Dr. Adams has a hard time finding fish. He also related that the lack of heating, while normally not an issue in the Bahamas, IS an issue when its 53 at night.
@flatsdoctor: I’m in Abaco, at the film site for Pirates of the Flats – Abaco Lodge. It’s too cold to fish – 57deg, high winds, no fish.
Out looking for dead bonefish for BTT, it turns out, was Captain Dave, the guide who writes the Guilttrip25 blog (of which I just became aware). Turns out it was cold enough to kill bonefish as Captain Dave found a few.
Aaron Adams recently tweeted his favorite bonefish gear. This is the guy who runs the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust. This is the guy who contributed to Chico’s bonefish book and who has written several of his very own.
Good to know what someone like Dr. Adams is throwing and what he’s throwing with. For that insight, you should all become members of the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust.
Aaron Adams and BTT are everywhere, carrying the water for most of us who love, like or otherwise fish for bonefish. Found a story from the Miami Herald. BTT went down and met with Bahamian guides to discuss increasing participation in the tagging and reporting of tagged fish. Read the story here.
Tagged bone. Photo from... MIKE MAZUR / FLY FISHING IN SALT WATERS
This is Fly is a great e-mag focused two things… fly fishing and not being all stuffy. They do a great job on both fronts.
While checking out their latest issue (#20), I saw an article from one of my fav’s, Aaron Adams, Executive Director of the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust. In the article, Aaron is hopping from Florida over to the Bahamas for some epic fishing while pondering why more folks aren’t pissed off that Florida bonefishing has declined significantly since the days of Ted Williams.
Those that know (I don’t, by the way) will tell you that there are fewer fish around, all the dumb ones have left and the game is just harder than it used to be and harder than it really should be.
There are remedies, actions that could be taken if enough people raised their voices to be heard by those in the places of power, but nothing will happen if more folks don’t get barking mad.
Where I live, in California, we may be seeing the last of once mighty salmon runs. One of my favorites places on earth, the McCloud River, once had a salmon run estimated at one million fish, but now sits behind Shasta Dam, while the Klamath River is at 20% of it’s historic numbers and they will likely disappear all together by the time the dams are taken out… in, maybe, 2025 or so. Our the concrete symbols of progress have proven to be be destroyer of species, towns, industries and native peoples.
Let’s learn our lessons. Let’s start speaking up and try to at least keep what we have now and maybe even see it improve a bit. Wouldn’t that be nice?
Think about the day when bonefishing in Florida used to be like the video below, get angry about what has been lost, and write a big, fat check to the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust so they can do what needs to be done.
Now, I’m not at the point in my life where $4,000 fishing trips are within reach. If, however, I were in that position, I can tell you where else I’d be… South Andros from Dec. 5th to the 12th for a week at Deneki Outdoors‘ lodge along with some of the good folks from the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust. BTT does this every so often and it just seems like a pretty amazing experience, if, ya know, you like bonefish. $1,000 from the cost of the trip will go to help BTT on their planned study of the economic value of the Bahamian Bonefish. This is the sort of study that has been done in Florida that put the $75,000 value on each bonefish in the FL fishery. Kind of important and valuable information that can drive all sorts of conservation/land use decisions.
As an example of how that plays out, Deneki Outdoors’ website shared this:
Impact:
Quantifying the economic importance of the recreational bonefish fishery should provide leverage for improving conservation measures toward protecting healthy bonefish populations in The Bahamas. In Belize, for example, a similar study found that the ecotourism-related expenditures for recreational fishing for bonefish, tarpon, and permit exceeded $50 million per year. Based on this study the Belize Legislature passed legislation making bonefish, tarpon, and permit catch and release gamefish. We anticipate that the economic value in The Bahamas to be much greater, and to spur strong conservation measures.
Joining from BTT will be the captain, Aaron Adams (this guy co-wrote Chico Fernandez’s book on flyfishing for bonefish), and Stu Apte.
You do all the normal bonefishing you’d normally do, but you also get to hear about bonefish from a couple guys that have forgotten as much as the rest of us will probably ever know about the phantoms of the flats.
To review… catch bonefish in South Andros, help support the fishery as too few have and learn more about the fish from two anglers who have an incredible depth and breadth of bonefish knowledge.
Hey look… it’s Aaron Adams, from the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, talking about the goodness that is Pirates on the Flats. Seriously… I can’t wait for this show. High expectations have doomed many a fishing trip, restaurant recommendation and blind date, but I hope this won’t be a case of the let-downs. This is an interview from Fish Schtick (an audio pod cast that’s new to me).
Here’s an audio podcast from the Fish Schtick folks that also includes Brian Bennett (Moldy Chum contributor and Patagonia Fly Fishing rep). Bill Klyn is a big Marketing guy at Patagonia, as well as being involved with the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust. He’s on at about 21:05. Give it a listen.
