A nice little video of someone’s first bonefish… kind of hard to miss with a school of that size! Sweet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9LsMqSy71Y&hl=en&fs=1&
Archives
06
Nov 09
Hey Santa, this is all I want for Xmas!
OK… I’m ready to write my letter to Santa… know what I want this year. How about my own private Bahamian Island!?!!
A little stroll through the listings at Private Islands Online reveals… well… A LOT of private islands for sale. I had no idea this much of the Bahamas was up for the highest bidder.
You can buy Dinna Cay for only $795,000… in the Exumas, 7 acres…
Seven-acre private island situated in beautiful Exuma Land and Sea Park with deep-water access. The island is undeveloped and is well suited for a single family home plus caretaker’s quarters. Dinna is the only small island like this on the market in Exuma, and in a beautiful location near Halls Pond Cay. Motivated seller.
All this could be yours.
I can’t imagine going and buying an island in the Bahamas… OK, I CAN imagine it… yeah, imagining it right now… yup, still imagining it.
Must be “difficult” to actually build a house on something like that… get a work crew there, get power, water… the logistical nightmares must be plentiful and multifaceted.
For that price you could spend about 200 weeks in Los Roques… although the tip at the end would be a real killer.
02
Nov 09
This is Bonefish
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.
31
Oct 09
Fly Fishing in Salt Wates… well, fishes in salt water
There, in my inbox was a nice little email update from Fly Fishing in Salt Waters’ Mike Mazur about a recent bonefishing adventure in the Bahamas… GBI to Adros. Having just watched Bonefish: A Fishing Odyssey with my father today, this was just what I needed… some great images and fun accounts of Bahamian bonefishing.
Fly Fishing in Salt Waters has a good website with lots and lots of info, forums, tips, gear reviews and more. You can sign up for email updates, like the one I got about the Bahamian bonefishing.
Not only to they fly fish in salt waters, they catch too!
Used with the blessing of Fly Fishing in Salt Waters
26
Oct 09
Bonefish: A Fishing Odyssey – A Review
Ever since I read my first bonefish related article from Charles Rangeley-Wilson and found out he had a movie about bonefish, I’ve been waiting for it to come out in a US-compatible format.
Bonefish: A Fishing Odyssey is now available. I got my copy from Hatches. Today when my daughter went down for nap and my wife went shopping, I popped it in.
I love it. I would probably love just about anything bonefish related, but this is a very human bonefishing experience. Charles is not some ubber angler pounding out impossible casts, full of confidence who catches fish at will. Charles had tough days… he has poor weather… he takes a mail boat from Nassau to Andros… he tries to do it himself. I like his style. He rides a bike (no fancy rental cars here). He doesn’t get hosted by expensive lodges. He does it like I might do it. He’s a fellow bonefish addict and I feel his frustration, his anticipation and his joy.
I like this movie. It brought me to the Bahamas (where I’ll be headed on my own come January). It made me grin from ear to ear.
The price seems a bit high… $25 is more than I’m used to paying for a video, although, with a 2.5 year old, I’m mostly buying animated movies from Pixar or Disney, so maybe I’m out of touch.
If you are a fellow bonefish addict, you may just appreciate what Charles has put together here.
Charles avec bone
18
Oct 09
Clearly, it is our duty to go to the Bahamas
Financial Times contributor John O’Connor took one for the team and went to the Bahamas in September where he wrote about the decline in tourism, the impact it has had on the local economy of the Bahamas and Nassau, in particular. Amidst talking about unemployment at 20% on Nassau and massive staff cuts at some of those big resort/casino’s, John also found time to go bonefishing with guide Aaron “Big Bone” Bain. John says his skillz leave something to be desired, but that his guide gets him into fish, including an 8 pounder within 1/2 hour. Not bad… not bad at all.
The article is an interesting read for anyone interested in how the Bahamas are weathering the economic storm.
I found the below video from an unrelated bonefishing trip with Aaron Bain.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIp9Tdla5-g&hl=en&fs=1&
It is nice to know that quality bones can be caught in Nassau, as it is the easiest island to get to and there are loads and loads of deals for the interested angler these days with low occupancy and lower air fares that have been seen in recent memory.
I quick scan didn’t reveal Aaron Bain’s guide business details.
13
Oct 09
Bonefishing – Brotrip?
I was surprised to see the title “Brotrip in the Islands” of the Bahamas pop up from the Bahamas Media Center yesterday. Not sure if they meant Brocation, but they do seem to be trying really hard to get to a younger American demographic, God bless ’em.
Basically, this is a trip for you and your “bros” to head to the Bahamas and go bonefishing. This is the “Acklins and Crooked Island Bonefishing Adventure” and INCLUDES a case of Kalik per room (not per person!!!!! Booooooo!).
Kalik, the beer of the Bahamas
Of course, there is more…
- Three full days of bonefishing
- Four nights in a air-conditioned, double occupancy room
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily
- Complimentary use of kayaks, bicycles and other non-motorized water sports equipment
- Airport transfers
All this for $500 a day. It’s not a horrible rate, although I wouldn’t call it deal of the century either. All the details can be found here.
This is only good through the end of December, which makes it a bit of a rush job. I guess the Bro’s in question don’t have wive or children to negotiate with. Flyfishing is dominated by males, although there are certainly many women in the sport. It is equally true that flyfishing is not, primarily, a young man’s pursuit. Just walk through a Fly Fishing Show, or ISE and you’ll soon get a feel for the greying of our sport. Visit a fly club and you’ll be convinced no one under 40 owns a fly rod.
I hope they succeed and that hundreds of guys descend on the Bahamas to drink their case of Kalik and catch some bonefish. I’m in that group that think the survival of anything rests in the number of people who care about that thing.
25
Aug 09
Charlie + Bones + Video = Ruling
Flatswalker.com has a great video from a trip to go see Big Charlie Neymour. It’s a good little clip to get your heart racing and get you imagining yourself in a fierce wind casting to massive bones.
Check out the video here… couldn’t get the embed to work.
