This is a theif in the Denver area.
Catch this guy, who has robbed some Denver area fly shops for about $10K in gear. Read the story on the Hooked Fly Fishing Blog here.
Archives
03
Dec 09
The bad with the good
For two days I went out and turned up zeros. The mud flowing from the river was visible, clearly, from the 4th floor deck. Darn rain. Today I went out anyway… back to the river mouth.
It was EPIC. The gulls and pelicanos were crashing bait and the fishing was amazing. I must have landed 30-40 fish, mostly Jack Crevalle. This was on my 8/9 Albright with a 7 wt. sink tip… trying to improvise. I had my 7 wt. with a clear sink on the shore. I had many fish on back to back casts. It was just a crazy, crazy day of fishing. I was out for three hours, longer than I was supposed to be fishing. I was bringing some fish back for some of the guys working at the resort and when I had “enough” I headed back.
Went to grab that back up rod… missing… stolen, really. Well… the fishing will remain amazing, but my estimation of the local fisherman took a bit of a nosedive. Probably not fair, but, the wound is fresh.
About a 2 pound Jack Crevalle (aka Toro), last fish of a great day of fishing.
I guess the bright side is that I get to do some rod shopping now. This will be my Christmas present from my wife. I’ll probably try to fill the gap I have in my rod selection with a solid and pure 8 weight, since I have another 7, although it is a 2 piece and not a 4.
UPDATE: Went out the next day, my last fishing day of the trip. The fishing was almost as good although the biggest fish was a bit smaller. I have bruises on the right side of my ribcage from the fighting butt. Those are good bruises to have. Caught five species of fish. I had some really good fishing down from the beach with one big fish and lots and lots of smaller fish. I do have a strange rash now on my legs that I’m about 95% certain is from the river water, but hey… again… gotta take the bad with the good.
Fish Species caught on this trip:
17
Oct 09
Catch and Release Florida Bonefish
Some fights should be easier than they end up being. In Florida, the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust is trying to make bonefish a catch and release only species (they are also trying to get permit to be catch and release only). In Hawaii there is a long cultural history of eating bonefish (O’io), but the cultural depths of that practice in Florida are as shallow as the flats where these magnificent fish are found.
We know a few things about bonefish in Florida…
- They are big
- There are about 300k of them in Florida waters
- That number is a fraction of the bonefish population of 30 years ago
- A single bonefish contributes about $3,600 per year to Florida’s economy and about $75,000 over its lifespan.
So, the importance of bonefish minus the cultural weight of the fish should make this pretty easy… right? Maybe, maybe not.
I read in the minutes (page 29) of one meeting of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission where the Coastal Conservation Association Florida took the bold position of opposing any change to size, bag or gear restrictions and also opposed catch & release for both bonefish and permit. They also opposed a tagging program. Ah… with friends like these, Florida’s remaining bonefish may want to slide down to Belize, where both permit and bonefish are protected species and catch and release only.
To help the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust out, check out their page about making bones C&R in Florida and let your voice be heard. Let’s not be out-conserved by Belize. Come on folks.
lease support BTT’s effort to make bonefish catch and release in Florida by contacting the Commissioners and voicing your support. You can contact them by email (link to email not working) or by mail at the address below:Mr. Rodney Barreto
Chairman
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Farris Bryant Building
620 South Meridian Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1600
