Not the band. The other Smiths.
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Archives
22
Jan 14
Bonefishing noobs
The look is priceless
Kind of fun to see bonefishing through the eyes of a beginner. I found this article about some folks fishing with the Pinder brothers.
All across the web, fisherman talk about this fish and how addicting it is to hunt the fish. Jeffrey Pinder told us, “My favorite thing about Bonefishing is that it is a combination of hunting and fishing, so there is never a dull moment all day.” This is the truth.The whole experience is nothing short of a meditation on the water. So if it is a peaceful break from the busy hustle bustle that is calling, this may be the ticket whether you are an avid angler or a city boy who has never touched a fishing pole. Whatever way you look at it, a day with the Pinder brothers will leave you with a Bahamian history lesson, new found fishing skills, enough laughs to give your abs a workout, and a zen meditation that would make a monk brew envy.
27
Sep 13
The Romantic View
I’m pretty content with my life. I’m happily married (took a second go to get that right) and I have a wonderful daughter and a boy on the way. Life is good.
However, in my “parallel life” daydreams I’m pretty much taking a mail boat around the Bahamas living a frugal, sun drenched and bonefishful existence.
It sounds kind of fun.
I had vacationed in the islands several times before, usually cooped up in a resort with every amenity a guest could dream up, and I’d long wanted to get beyond the more touristed areas. Mail boats have been the primary means of interisland travel for locals for more than a century and seemed the perfect way to do it. There are no tour guides or lido deck, and the nighttime entertainment consists largely of gazing at a starry sky over the drone of a diesel engine. But for a shockingly cheap ticket (from $45), passengers can get a meal, a bed and one thing that eludes even the most dogged Caribbean traveler: immersion in authentic Bahamian culture.
New York Times – Sara Mayti
07
Aug 13
The DIY Debate
The most recent issue of This is Fly includes a debate about DIY bonefishing in the Bahamas. There are some interesting voices… Aaron Adams from the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, Oliver White from Nervous Waters, Vince Stegura from Skinny Water Culture, Scott Heywood from Angling Destinations and, well… me.
It’s worth reading. (page 101)
I’ve done some DIY, I’ve done some indie guides and I’ve done lodges. They each have something to offer. They each have up-sides and down-sides. The debate is worth having.
A special fish. My first DIY fish. Not big, but my own.
24
Jul 13
News from BTT
Two bits of news from the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust. First… the good news.
An 11 pound bonefish was tagged in Grand Bahama. Pretty cool.
A total of 102 fish were captured, three of which had been previously tagged. Included in the 99 newly tagged individuals was a whopping 67.2 cm (26.5 in) fish estimated at 11 pounds – the second largest bonefish tagged to date in The Bahamas! In addition to bonefish, several juvenile and adult lemon sharks and bonnethead sharks were also tagged along the northern shore of the island with the assistance of guides from H2O Bonefishing, Freeport.
Yup… damn fine fish.
Now… the less awesome news.
There’s a huge algae bloom in Biscayne Bay. There haven’t been any noticeable fish kills yet, but algae blooms are almost certainly not awesome for bonefish or their habitat.
Bob Branham, a top fishing guide who has spent more than 30 years poling fly-fishing clients across Biscayne Bay’s shallows, said he’s never seen the bay as foul as the patches he crossed inside of Elliott Key last weekend. Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/19/v-fullstory/3508412/big-algae-bloom-fouls-biscayne.html#storylink=cpy
20
May 13
SWC doing it right
Love the stuff coming out of Skinny Water Culture. This sees Chase out in the Bahamas, not in the SWC home waters of Florida, which I’ll be visiting really, really soon, but I love this place too. Hard to argue.
Chase and I do have different musical tastes though.
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30
Apr 13
Bonefishing with the Fam
About a month ago I got to go to the Bahamas with my family. It was fantastic. We opted for Grand Bahama since it had some things for the grandparents and was really easy to get to. The math made it work in terms of finding good accommodations, decent flights and me knowing where to find at least a few bonefish.
Gink and Gasoline recently went to the Bahamas on a family trip too. They went more off the beaten path, DIY and to Cat Island.
They have a really good write up about their trip. If you have kids and are thinking about including them in your next trip instead of leaving them at home, you should check it out.
A favorite flat, even if I’ve never hooked a fish there.
01
Apr 13
Water Cay Lodge and the Girl Gets Some Fish
I can see why people come back to Water Cay Lodge. Talking to Sidney, the head guide and owner of Water Cay Lodge, he says 90% of his guest are return visitors. You get the feeling of one of the “Family Islands,” but you get the convenience of flying into Freeport.
Sindey and his wife met us in Freeport and we followed them out to the boat launch. He was ferrying supplies out to the lodge in preparation for some guest who were arriving that day. My daughter Anna and I got on the skiff and headed out in some wildly blowing winds. We may have actually hit a shark on the way out. With the visibility poor from the wind Sidney couldn’t avoid it in time. We didn’t see it, but we did feel it.
The ride isn’t long, but you do feel like you are out in the bights of Andros or some other remote Bahamian place. There just isn’t much out there. I don’t think we encountered water deeper than 3 feet the whole run to the lodge, which may have been 20-30 minutes.
A good sign.
Simple comfort for people who come to fish.
Once there Anna and I got to poke around a bit while Sidney unloaded supplies and then we headed back out. The Lodge only fishes 6 people at a time, so it is a rather intimate kind of place. There are only 25 people living on Water Cay, so you won’t run into any Spring Breakers on the flats although there are other outfits that put in on the North Side and fish those same waters.
In terms of what the day was from a fishing perspective, Sidney fished us a little bit on his way back to pick up guests, so there wasn’t much fishing. It was more an adventure with my girl, and it felt like an adventure. When we left the lodge to go find some fish, it was my daughter who was up first. We headed to a blue-hole about 300 yards from the lodge and got my daughter into some jacks, quickly. First cast, first fish. That was pretty much the highlight of the short trip.
The spinning rig was a really good call and the little Albright travel rod I picked up just before we left has left a favorable impression on me thus far.
After three fish from the bluehole we headed back towards the boat launch with the idea being we would look for some fish on the way in.
Did I mention how windy it was? It was howling. The wind was pushing the water off the flats and at one point Sidney had to get down and push the boat. We were scraping.
Sidney saw one bone about 15 feet from the boat. I never saw it. later, while he was out pushing we both saw a bone about 50 feet away pop a tail up, but it seemed to see us at the moment and took off before a cast was made.
There just wasn’t time to really get after the bones as we could see the clients waiting to be picked up. I reeled in and we went back to the launch. It was really good to see WCL and I really hope to get back out there. Out Island remoteness, Grand Bahama convenience. I can understand why people who go there, go back. I don’t know if my next trip there would count as return business or not, but Water Cay Lodge is on my list of places I’d like to spend some time.
And all is well with the world.
Dinner was in Lucaya with my folks, wife, daughter and brother. I was happy to have my first (and second) Kaliks of the trip.
24
Mar 13
A feel for the islands
Scott Heywood brings some images of Out Island life.
I love this sort of authentic look at the people and places we visit.
Been places, seen things. (photo by Scott Heywood)
