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Conservation / Locations — No Comments
20
Mar 13

Belize Tagging Challenge

I’ll always be a fan of scientist Michael Larkin. After all, he did send me this:

Dude.

That is a bonefish tongue

Well, Michael is still out there, still doing good things for bonefish and for fish in general and he’s going to be down in Belize at Belize River Lodge, along with the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust and Frontiers Travel, to host the second annual Belize River Lodge Bonefish and Permit Tagging Challenge. This will be from May 18 to May 25.

Sounds like a good time, no?  Here’s how the first one went.

Check it out and go if you can. Good fishing for a good cause.

 

Conservation — No Comments
08
Mar 13

Bonefish study you should read about

A new report just published lays out the status of bonefish and tarpon.

For the first time, all species of tarpons, ladyfishes and bonefishes – marine species found globally in warm-water seas – have been assessed for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. Of the 17 known species, two, Tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) and Roundjaw Bonefish (Albula glossodonta) are classified as Vulnerable. One species, Bonefish (Albula vulpes) is listed as Near Threatened, three species are listed as Least Concern and 11 are classified as Data Deficient.

I’m surprised to see our pal Albula Vulpes listed as Near Threatened. I know there are less of them than there once were and I suppose things like habitat loss and development, as well as pollution and rising acidity and sea levels will take a toll on the Grey Ghost.

Certainly, we, as anglers need to pay attention to what is happening and do what we can.

Support BTT

Support BTT

 

Conservation — 4 Comments
02
Jan 13

Bucaneers and Bones, Season 2

Maybe this got by you, or maybe your DVR is lined up already. The second season of Buccaneers and Bones is out and live and (maybe) coming to a TV/other viewing platform near you.

The location appears to be a return to Deep Water Cay in Grand Bahama.

http://youtu.be/aUg0F7uPg10

Of course, this is done in partnership through the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, a worthy organization doing pretty awesome things for bonefish conservation (and tarpon and permit and the ocean in general).

I wish I could watch this show… but as of riiiiiiight now, I don’t get this channel, which seems nearly impossible given how much we pay a month for this damn cable.

(OK, I just added those channels to my lineup).

 

 

Conservation / Locations — 4 Comments
09
Oct 12

Belize, January, Tournament to benefit BTT

You know where I’d love to be January 23 – 27? I’d love to be back down at El Pescador for a three day tagging tournament, benefiting the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust (ya know, if we put together a group, I probably COULD come down for this… just say’n). This is put on by the good folks at El Pescador and their stable of excellent guides. Here’s the skinny.

Belize, Bonefish… I dig it.

To: 2nd Annual Grand Slam Tagging Invitational to Benefit Bonefish & Tarpon Trust at El Pescador

When: Wednesday, Jan 23 – Sunday, Jan 27, 2013

Where: El Pescador, Ambergris Caye, BelizeWhat: A 3 day tagging event

Why: To raise money for Bonefish and Tarpon Trust whose mission is to support research to help understand, nurture, and enhance healthy bonefish, tarpon, and permit populations.

El Pescador will donate US$250 for every paying angler entering the 2nd Annual Grand Slam Tagging Invitational to benefit BTT. The total sum raised will be donated in the tournament grand champion’s name to BTT. The grand champion with then receive the corresponding benefits associated with that level of membership. The grand champion will also receive one (1) spot, with the entry fee waived, to compete in the 2014 March Merkin invitational permit tournament in the Florida Keys.

El Pescador has worked with BTT and their tagging program since 2009. We tag permit, bonefish and tarpon in order to answer basic questions about population, growth rates and movements.

The tournament requires anglers and guides to not only measure the fish before release, but to tag them and/or genetic test them as well. This is a charity tournament benefitting Bonefish Tarpon Trust. Tournament information is available at
http://www.elpescador.com/fishing/btt-tournament
Information about tagging as well as scientific and conservation issues affecting Bonefish, Tarpon and Permit around the world can be found at www.tarbone.org

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Conservation — No Comments
04
Oct 12

Really. It is time. Join BTT.

Maybe you have been putting it off. I can understand that. I’ve put one or two things off, sometimes for years. There are things you really should do, but maybe you don’t have all the information, or maybe you just have too much other stuff to do. I get it. It happens.

Here’s something you should make the time for. You should join the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust. They are the folks who are trying to keep us all in bonefish and tarpon and permit for generations to come.

Right now there’s a promotion and you could both join BTT and possibly win a H2 rod (the new Helios, which is pretty much pure sweetness).

Here’s a story in the Florida Sportsman.

Flies — 3 Comments
10
Jul 12

There’s the barb!

Before Cuba I dutifully went through and crimped barbs on my tarpon hooks.  I had heard, I thought, a crimped barb could better enter the tarpon’s notoriously bony mouth.  So, when I got to Cuba and opened up the box of flies I had tied and the guide said “oh… no barb.  No good.” I wondered if I had gotten the whole thing wrong (as I sometimes do).

After I got back and stewed on it a while I decided to ask Dr. Adams from the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust.

Turns out, I wasn’t off the mark. I was spot on.

So… crimp those barbs if you feel like it and fish the patterns you tie and if the guide gives you stick, just put it on when he isn’t looking and have at ’em (and if that doesn’t work, quietly go with the fly the guide wanted).

Simple and Sexy. Barb or not.

All the other stuff / Conservation — No Comments
07
Mar 12

March Madness… Cheeky Style

It’s that time again.  I understand there is something happening with basketball, which I haven’t watched since Jordan retired (the first time). There is another March Madness happening and that is happening over at Cheeky Fly Fishing.

This has the brackets you might expect, but instead of Stanford or Cal or Sonoma State (holla) there are fish.  The first one in the first bracket is… of course… BONEFISH.

This event benefits the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust.

There are a ton of prizes on hand from great sponsors like Patagonia, Yellow Dog Fly Fishing Adventures, The Fly Shop, Fishpond, Teeny and Thomas & Thomas.

It costs you $5 and that goes to help bonefish and tarpon.

Great job Cheeky.  Hope it is a great success.

Conservation — No Comments
23
Jan 12

Just a reminder

Yeah… just a gentle reminder…

http://youtu.be/SfbGI3DuFrI

Let’s keep those fish swiming.

Conservation — 12 Comments
14
Dec 11

Bonefish decline in FL

Well… this is interesting.  Looks like bones have been on the decline in FL for a while now and the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust is going to try and get to the bottom of it.

UPPER KEYS — Bonefish are among the most iconic of Florida Keys sportfish. But with the local population of the legendary “gray ghosts” believed to have declined over the past several decades, a prominent conservation organization is seeking to find out why.

Read the whole story here.

The prey study comes on the heels of a dissertation completed over the summer which concluded that the South Florida bonefish stock has declined 70 percent since anglers descended in large numbers upon the region and began targeting the species as a premier sportfish.

Wow… 70%.  That’s shocking and sobering and maybe a little depressing.

Knowledge is the key here so I’m glad BTT is on the case.

Conservation / Locations — No Comments
03
Nov 11

Frontiers, Belize River Lodge and BTT

The Bonefish and Tarpon Trust (BTT), Belize River Lodge and Frontiers Travel are pleased to announce the inaugural Belize River Lodge Bonefish and Permit Tagging Challenge to be held May 12-18, 2012. Anglers participating in this special research event will spend plenty of quality time fishing and will be rewarded with great memories and the knowledge that they have made a difference in conservation—all while staying at one of the Caribbean’s best fishing lodges. There will also be a number of chances to win new gear donated by top manufacturers for this departure.

Frontiers is offering a trip that I wish I could go on.  They are doing a “Bonefish and Permit Tagging Challenge” in May of next year with BTT at Belize River Lodge.  How frigging cool would it be to be there doing that with those folks?  Damn.

If you have the scratch, do this.

 

 

 

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