The tree is out and the ornaments are up.
Of course.
Archives
28
Nov 12
Science Wednesday – Tagging in Abaco
Well… this is cool. A blog called “The Abaco Scientist.” Ruling.
They are tagging fish to track their movements and pinpoint spawning locations. If we know where they spawn, we can protect those places.
From the blog:
Today brought less-than-ideal weather for catching bonefish to tag – 25 mph winds and rain showers. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of Buddy and Cindy Pinder, Justin Sands, and Paul Pinder of the Abaco Fly Fishing Guides Association, we were able to find large schools of bonefish on the move in The Marls. By the end of the day, we had surgically implanted tags into 12 bonefish (6 males and 6 females). All 12 fish were sexually mature and “running ripe”
Tagging fish in Abaco.
Good stuff. Keep up the good work!
08
Nov 12
Trouble in Paradise
Islamorada is the Bonefishing Capital of the US. That makes the story I found by Sue Cocking about diminishing numbers of bonefish around Islamorada even more troubling.
“A lot of places where we used to find them, they’ve left,” Brewer said. “They’re just not around anymore. I lost a lot of days because of that. The ‘sportfishing capital of the world’ is not here as far as bonefish are concerned.”
A study published early this year by University of Miami bonefish researcher Mike Larkin and colleagues found the bonefish stock from Biscayne Bay through Key West is “bordering on an overfished status.” The last bonefish census in the region conducted in the fall of 2010 by UM and the non-profit Bonefish Tarpon Trust found a “substantial decrease” since guides and anglers began the annual count in 2003.
Well… this is not good.
The story goes on to talk about how researchers are going about trying to figure out what is happening so corrective action can be taken. It all starts with Science. An interesting player, beyond the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust (who are involved, as you might expect) is Audubon.
An interesting read if you fish there now, or plan to in the future.
Support BTT
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01
Nov 12
Bonefish by Dan Sharley
I dig on bonefish art. I have some art up in my house. Really, my new wife had no idea that I would want to put so much fish-related art up and she’s been a very good sport about it all.
I have no found artistic abilities and maybe that is why I gravitate toward the artistic. There is some school of psychology that says we are drawn toward those traits we lack in ourselves. I tend to subscribe to that idea and I can see how that may have played out in my own life.
I saw the art of Dan Sharley over at Midcurrent and I got in touch with Dan to see if I could post up one of his paintings. He responded and consented, which was very nice of him. One of these might make a very nice Christmas gift, don’t you think?
I’d like to drop a gotcha right in there.
I asked Dan what he used as a model for these bonefish and here is what he said:
The Bonefish painting, like most of my work, is based on an imagined scene or composition. It’s probably a result of watching way too many fishing shows and reading way too many fishing magazines. Basically, I suffer from fish on the brain. I’ll use photos simply for reference (i.e., fins in the right places, scale shapes, eye color, etc.). The rest is pretty much my imagination at work.
Great stuff Dan.
28
Oct 12
Hand Feeding Bonefish
OK, the overall show might not be my thing, but how cool would it be to hand feed some bonefish? Fast forward to about 13:15 for that. This is in Exuma (bonus is the swimming pigs).
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11
Oct 12
The Tying Season
Once the skies turn grey and the temps start to fall, many anglers start to think about re-stocking their fly boxes. Tis the season for fly tying (or steelheading, but let’s focus on fly tying).
Do you have a number in mind of flies you’d like to tie this winter? What is on your list?
I need to restock the following:
- #6-#4 Peterson Spawning Shrimp
- #6-#4 Tan Gotcha
- #2-#6 Glass Back Reverse Gotcha
- #3/0 Cuda Flies
- #2/0 light/tan Bunny Tarpon Flies
What do you need to resupply?
The desk.
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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.
28
Sep 12
My big Belize fish
Belize is not known for big bones. A 7 pounder is a monster, a 5 pounder is a pretty big fish and the fish you mostly catch are around 2 pounds… schoolies, fun, fun fish and lots of them (like, a whole lot).
While I was out back in the lagoon I managed to catch my biggest Belizean bone to date. I’m going to call this fish around 4 pounds (maybe 3.5?).
Good times.
Not huge, but big enough to be fun.
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05
Sep 12
Interview with Andy Danylchuk
Andy Danylchuk, Ph.D. is one of the foremost researchers when it comes to bonefish. He’s a pretty interesting guy and his work is critical to those of us who like to chase silver on the flats.
I recently got to meet Andy at the IFTD show in Reno. I pumped him for good info and asked him to do an interview for the blog, which he agreed to. Here it is.
A friend of Andy’s with a good release photo. (photos from Core Angling).
Andy, what has you particularly excited when it comes to bonefish, tarpon or permit research right now?
Still so much more to discover. Although anglers focus so much on these icons, we still know relatively little about them. Every piece of research about their ecology, movement patterns, and best way to handle them once caught can contribute greatly to the conservation and management of this trio.
Photo from Core Angling.
What has you most concerned when it comes to bonefish right now?
Not learning enough about them in time to make the best decisions related to their conservation and management. For instance, it wasn’t until a few years ago when we finally had some stats related to how air exposure can influence the susceptibility of bonefish to predation following release. Many have seen bonefish getting attacked by sharks and cudas after letting them go, but one of our studies showed that for every minute of air exposure, the chances of a predation increases by six times. Even if half of the anglers targeting bonefish work to eliminate air exposure for the fish they catch, that increases the chances of survival for a good number of fish. Same is true for learning about their essential habitats, like where the juveniles live or where bonefish spawn. It wasn’t until recently did we discover that bonefish in The Bahamas form large aggregations and move to deeper offshore waters to spawn. Finding and protecting these spawning aggregation sites might prove to be a critical piece of the ‘conservation’ puzzle.
What is one of the weirdest things you’ve seen out on the flats?
First on my list would be golf balls – I have a collection of them from various flats. It is amazing how startling it is to come across a golf ball when you are in a search pattern for bonefish or permit. The second oddest was a computer monitor that got caught up in the mangroves.
Every once in a while someone comes up with a claim of a 20 pound bonefish. Hawaii, New Caledonia, South Africa. Do you think there is a 20 pounder out there and if so, do you think it could be caught?
Anything is possible
What should the individual angler be doing to help preserve bonefish populations?
Learn and apply best practices for catch-and-release. Minimize or better yet, eliminate air exposure; reduce handling time by using barbless hooks and simply being prepared; stay tuned for updates from groups such as Bonefish & Tarpon Trust as these best practices become more detailed/refined. Also, just recognizing that one person – the angler – can make a difference when it comes to each fish they interact with.
Another good release. Photo from Core Angling.
What more should the industry be doing to preserve bonefish populations?
Promote a general conservation ethic – having advertisements and magazine articles describing and showing images that reflect known best practices; showing support, even in a non-monetary way, for conservation efforts.
Thanks Andy. Keep up the good work.
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01
May 12
Bonefish Shirt Week – Black Fly Outfitters
OK… bonefish AND Kalik? Yeah… a winner from Black Fly Outfitter and Vaughn Cochran.
You can find this shirt here.
Well done Vaughn... I own this one, FYI.
