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Gear — 4 Comments
13
Jan 10

Okuma Helios Review

Today I leave for Grand Bahama.  I don’t know if I’ll be posting reports while I’m there, or if I’ll wait until I get back.  I will, however, schedule some reports to post while I’m gone so that my goal of a post a day is met.

A couple years ago I picked up an Okuma reel at my local fly shop, Off the Hook.  I had never had an Okuma before, but the reel looked good and I needed a new reel for my 7 weight.  The price was right too… about $173.

I recently wrote a review of the Okuma Helios for the Off the Hook fly shop… here is my review, as found on the Off the Hook website.

A couple years back I picked up an Okuma Helios for my 7 wt. I planned to use the Okuma for heavy trout (Lower Sacramento, primarily) as well as whatever other trouble I could get into with my 7 wt… shad, light steelhead, bass and even bonefish.

 

Nice looking bit of gear

My first impression of the Helios was that it was relatively light weight with a good drag system, an attractive design and good durability.  Okuma touts the Helios as “nearly maintenance free,” which is a bonus for me as I am unusually harsh on equipment.  The waterproof drag makes it a good solution for me for saltwater applications like bonefish or jack crevalle.  The weight balances well with both the St. Croix Legend Ultra and Sage RPL that I’ve fished it on.  I’ll be putting it on a TFO Axiom 7  wt. for my upcoming trip.

Before I could take the reel to the Lower Sacramento, it went with me on a trip to catch my first bonefish in Grand Bahama in the winter of 2008.  I was unsure how a reel at this price point would deal with the famously strong fish.  At $173, the Okuma is about $100 less than comparable Ross Reels and well over $300 less than the heavy weights like Tibor or Able.  In bonefishing the reel is a lot more important than the rod, unlike most of the trout fishing I’ve done in my lifetime.

My Helios was put to the ultimate test when I hooked into a 7.5 pound bonefish on the East End of Grand Bahama.  I was in my backing in maybe 2 seconds.  The drag was smooth, no jerking, no hesitation.  The large arbor design helped me pick up line quickly.

Since then the Helios has landed shad on the American River and 20”+ bows on the Lower Sacramento .  The reel is still in mint condition and will be making another trip with me to the Bahamas .  I trust it with the fiercest of gamefish.

** for the record, I purchased this reel at full market value ***

Locations — 2 Comments
10
Jan 10

El Pescador Vid

I saw this vid and had to share.  Thinking of getting my dad out to Ambergris this summer and the likely spot is actually El Pescador.

Fast forward to about 1:30 to get to the fishing.

Flies — 3 Comments
09
Jan 10

Take a Puff… a Mini Puff

I’m trying to round off my fly selection for the upcoming Bahamas trip.  Gotchas are flies I have in spades… with bunny, with rubber legs, with calf tail… have some velcro crabs, have some bone crushers.  So… what else?  How about the Mini Puff… seems a popular pattern and, like a lot of bonefish flies, it doesn’t take a PhD. to tie.

Fly Angler Online has this version.  This seems to be one of those patterns that everyone does in their own style.  On some, the wing lays down flat, others have it angled upward, like this version at The Fly Shop.

I’ve read this fly described as a “good searching pattern” or a fly for fish with lock-jaw.  Another tool in the toolbox.

The Fly Shop version

Gear — 2 Comments
08
Jan 10

My Toolbox for GBI

OK… I have all my rods/reels/lines.  I’m ready… now the weather just has to cooperate.

Rods... not "poles." Never "poles."

The 7 weight
Rod: TFO Axiom
Reel: Okuma Helios
Line: SA Bonefish Line

The 8 weight
Rod: TFO Clouser
Reel: TFO Large Arbor
Line: Teeny Bruce Chard Bonefish

The 8/9 weight
Rod: Albright GP
Reel: Ross CLA 5
Line: Teeny Flip Pallot Bonefish

Fish Tails / Locations — No Comments
08
Jan 10

Belize – November 2009

Five guys, 11 days in Belize.  Sounds like a good time to me.  This report recently surfaced on Kiene’s board and the author allowed me to post it up and share it with you good folk.  The trip wasn’t focused on bonefish, but on their saltwater kin, tarpon and permit.  Bones did make an appearance though.

Belize Bone

The location was the Westwind Hotel in Placencia.  The Westwind is pretty affordable with rates running from $65-95 depending on room and season.  Pretty good.

The Westwind gets good reviews from author, Phil.

We stay at the Westwind because Lisa and George treat us very well. It is located right on the beach and the sidewalk, the guide pick us up there at 4:30 or 5 am, and it is close to some of the nicest restaurants.

So… how was the fishing?  They fished with guides Bruce Leslie, Benji Eiley, and Arthur Vernon, all of whom can be booked through the Westwind (Lisa at the Westwind says the guides run $300-350 a day).  Here is what the fishing looked like.

We missed or jumped approximately 60 to 70 tarpon between the five of us and I think we only landed about 15….

We caught lots, and lots, and lots of 3 to 4 pound bonefish. I did see some much bigger in the 7 to 8 pound range (according to Bruce) but these were usually when we were sight fishing for tarpon. We also had the usually range of Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, snappers, barracuda, bonito, and jacks. Al got into some 15 pound jacks one morning and we also had some nice horse-eye jacks. I hooked two large cuda when they inhaled jacks I had on and another time, I cast to rolling tarpon, hooked a very small Spanish mackerel, brought it to the boat, and it was promptly inhaled by an amberjack of about 40 pounds. Bruce says that is the first amberjack he has ever seen in shallow water. I lost it when it took out 200 yards of line in 9.7 seconds and wrapped around an anchor line on one of the other boats.

One day Mike and Mack were with Bruce, and they each had a slam, starting with 50 pound tarpon, then with 15 pound permit and then the boners. Bruce said that was the first time in 17 years of guiding that he had 2 slams by 2 different anglers on the same day. Mack got his on his birthday and he did not realize just how amazing this was until the end of the trip. Two days later Mike Scott had a super slam fishing with Arthur Vernon. They had the small tarpon and snook by 8am, and the permit by 9, but they did not find the bonefish until noon. I thought this left plenty of time for another super slam but they went to Ranguana Caye for a beer instead.

Sounds like a good time… a very good time and pretty affordable, considering.

I don’t know what the DIY opportunities or lack thereof look like, but the math seems to add in favor of piecing together your own trip there.  Seems like you should be able to do 4 nights, thee days of guided fishing for two anglers for  under $1,000 each.  That sounds pretty good.

Locations — 5 Comments
07
Jan 10

Belize – 2010… maybe

I’m on the hunt for a trip that my dad and I can take to find some bones.  My dad has been going to the Babine for the past several years, but he’s not headed back in 2010.  The Babine is a beautiful place and the steelhead are amazing… last year my dad got a 25 pounder… the fish of several lifetimes.  His decision not to return, at least for now, means that he has some fly fishing capital freed up.

Yeah, the Babine is pretty sweet... and cold.

A father-son trip means this can’t be a DIY experience.  My dad has a lifetime of fishing experience, but only about 12-13 years of fly fishing, so I need a place where a double-haul isn’t mandatory, where the fish are 50 feet away, not 90 and where you find schools, not singles or doubles.

Enter Belize.  It seems like Belize and the Mexican Yucatan both provide the kind of fishing I’m looking for.

Looking at possible places to fish and outfits to book through, one has quickly risen to the fore… Ed Blank’s Adventures on the Fly.  Ed’s been very responsive on email as I’ve been asking questions and getting clarifications.  He’s let me know when the lowest cost dates are, what I can expect, what the options will be.

The option that is top of the list right now is El Pescador on Ambergris.  There are deals if you go slightly off-season that drop this lodge way down into the affordable range… below $2K.

Look for me and my dad on a flat in Belize in the summer of 2010 (if we can line up grandma to watch my daughter!).

El Pescador - Belize

Fish Tails / Locations — No Comments
06
Jan 10

Long Island Bonefish Montage

A nice little video/photo montage to get you thinking about warmer climes.

Gear — 3 Comments
03
Jan 10

Sweet Tweet From the Flats Doctor

Aaron Adams recently tweeted his favorite bonefish gear.  This is the guy who runs  the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust.  This is the guy who contributed to Chico’s bonefish book and who has written several of his very own.

The skinny…

@flatsdoctor: Favorite bonefish gear: St. Croix Legend Elite, 8wt; Lamson 3.0 reel; Cortland bonefish floating line; flies-big ugly, bastard crab, gotcha

Good to know what someone like Dr. Adams is throwing and what he’s throwing with.  For that insight, you should all become members of the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust.

Gear — No Comments
30
Dec 09

Rods for the Bahamas from Deneki

Once again, Deneki Outdoors is dealing the goods.  This time, they dish advice about rod selection.  While I was surprised at the suggestion of a 5 weight, the others sound like the advice offered by the luminaries.  Check out their  suggestions here.

My upcoming Bahamas trip just increased in rod count by +1.  I’ll have an 8.  I’ll have an 8/9.  Now, I’ll have a 7.  I just put the order in for a TFO Axiom 7 weight.  I have a good reel already, I have the line… all I needed was the rod (my 4 pc. 7 wt. was stolen in Mexico and my other 7 wt. is a 2 pc.).  So… now I’ll have the Axiom too.

Hey you, Axiom... want to come to the Bahamas with me?

PS… no, Deneki Outdoors didn’t really suggest a 5 wt., but check out their post to see what they did recommend and why.

Tactics — No Comments
27
Dec 09

Tips from Fly Fishing in Salt Waters

There is a lot of wisdom out there about bonefishing (and a few other less important topics).  I was glad to find a few tid-bits in the e-pages of Fly Fishing in Salt Waters from some of the greats… Lefty, Al Pflueger and Richard Stanczky.

Lefty:

With spooky fish, cast at an object such as a clump of grass, mound or mangrove sprig 30 to 40 feet away from them. Bones often meander toward such structure, plus you have a reference point as to the location of your fly.

See… pearls of wisdom that I wouldn’t have picked up on for years.

Read all the bits of knowledge here.

Lefty

Text used with the blessing of Fly Fishing in Salt Waters

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