I asked on Facebook who folks would like to see an interview with and someone said “Buddy Pinder in Abaco.”
Ta-DOW. Here ya go.
Sadly, I didn’t have the budget to fly to Abaco and fish with Buddy, but he did manage to get me the answers to my questions through his wife Cindy. Thanks for that!
As a guide in Abaco, what is it that makes Abaco different from other Bahamian islands?
The marls world-class fishing. There is no other fishery quite like it.
When did you get your first fly rod and do you remember what it was?
I got my first fly rod in the early 90’s. It was a 10wt Fenwick. It was given to me by my second client. He brought if for me the second year he came back to fish with me. That rod led to my passion for fly fishing. The first rod I actually bought for myself was a two piece 8wt Sage RPLX that I still have in my rod collection.
Buddy doing the business
When you are on the water a lot you see some interesting things. What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen out on the flats?
A pod of dolphins in less than two feet of water out in the marls about 20 miles from open water. That’s not where you’d expect to see something so big because they are half out of water as they are swimming.
What is something that you think every angler should bring along with them to Abaco that many don’t?
Every angler should have a relatively new fly line on their reel and bring a spare line along with them too. Nothing casts quiet as good or quite as far as a new line! I have one client that fishes with a 20 year old line. He’d be amazed what a new line would do but no matter how many times I tell him that he keeps coming back with the same old line.
Buddy, hiding from the sun
What would you say is the biggest threat to Abaco in terms of bonefishing (netting, development, pollution)?
Because of the popularity of bonefishing and the increased numbers of visitors to Abaco overfishing is probably the biggest threat to bonefishing here.
What is something you really love about Abaco that is non-fishing?
One of the things that I love about Abaco is that it is still sparsley populated so it’s a very peaceful place to live. We only have one traffic light on Abaco so there aren’t any rush hour traffic reports here yet. Plus the water is stunning to see. Just looking at it can raise your spirits and relax you.
What is your favorite rod/reel for bonefishing?
I’ve fished with a lot of great equpiment over the years. My favorite reel is the Tibor Everglades that was given to me by a client many years ago. I have a room full of rods and I still use a lot of them. I even had my own signature rods built a few years ago which are great casting rods. But I’d have to say my favorite rod is the 8 wt Orvis T3 because it is a very stiff fast rod that casts great in strong winds. Interestingly enough that rod was also a gift from a client. You may have realized by now that I have had a lot of pretty special clients over the years.
If an angler were going to bring just one fly with them in different sizes and weights, what would that fly be?
Probably the best all around fly would be a Gotcha tied on a size 4 hook with either lead eyes or bead chain eyes.
Thanks Buddy. Enjoy paradise.
Cindy Pinder
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