FIBfest | Bonefish on the Brain

Locations — 6 Comments
17
Jan 11

Harmonic Convergence – Andros 2011

A small miracle has occurred here… I’m not sure who gets the credit for it towards sainthood. I may be my wife and that would make three in her favor… the first was her marrying me, the second was her making it through a sucky pregnancy to give us our beautiful daughter and this third one involves her signing off on me going on a fishing trip, for a week, to South Andros this coming March (that’s like… only TWO MONTHS AWAY). I await word from the Catholic Church on the beatification of my wife, although we are not Catholic.

Fractional miracle credit goes to my parents, who are actually available to come down and watch our their granddaughter in my absence, and to the good folks at Deneki Outdoors, who extended the invite as part of FIBFest 2011.

Everything had to align and it did. Thanks to that, I’ll be headed to Andros Island, fabled land of incredible bonefishing, come late March.

You good folks will get to come along (not literally, of course) and I look forward to the build up. It is so nice to have something out there to look forward to, to plan, to tie for, to experience and then remember.

I’m lucky and I live with a saint.

FIBFest 2010... which I had to miss.

More details will be emerging in the days to come.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cXVjc7Msyc?fs=1&hl=en_US

FIBFest Closes

It has been fun to watch what’s come out of FIBFest 2010 down at Andros South. The week has come to an end, sadly, and now it is all but memories. Looks like some pretty good ones were made.

Here’s a stellar wrap up by Michael Gracie akin to an Oscar acceptance speech.

Fishing Jones had a rather literary take on things.

This whole thing was put together by Andrew from Deneki Outdoors. The idea, of course, was to stir up interest in bonefishing and in Andros South. I think that has been accomplished.

The hunting grounds of Andros South.

Locations — No Comments
20
May 10

FIBFest cont.

The good stuff keeps rolling out of Andros South during FIBFest 2010 and Deneki Outdoors has put them all in one place for your viewing pleasure.

The FIBFest Goodness.

Locations — 2 Comments
19
May 10

Fishing Jones + Andros South + My Flies

I couldn’t make FIBFest, it is true… but I sent some flies to Pete over at Fishing Jones so at least my flies could make it there and hopefully end up in the jaw of an Androsian bonefish or two.

Success!

At least I know my flies would have worked...

That’s one of my ties in that South Andros bonefish, caught by Pete today as he fished with Michael Gracie out of Andros South.

All the other stuff — 7 Comments
19
May 10

FIBFest continues

There is some good stuff trickling out of FIBFest and the place to see it is Michael Gracie’s blog.

Another FIBFest participant is Deeter from the Fly Talk blog over at Field and Stream. In that latest installment he makes the claim that bonefish are the perfect species for a fly rod. Now, that may be overstating somewhat, although the number of folks in the comments section that think carp are actually the finest fly rod species tells me that his readers and I probably don’t share too many rivers together.

Bonefish are a fantastic fly rodding species to be sure. Perfect? I’d think the trout is still the species most suited for fly rods… from a 2 wt. on a mountain stream to a 20 pound steelhead, the trout covers a lot of bases… dries, nymphs, streamers… rivers, lakes, creeks, lagoons.

No, I’d say the bonefish is more of a niche species. It is for folks that like the hunt, the visual search for the fish. It has way more to do with the stalking than the rod, in my totally BS opinion.

I’d still trade 100 trout for a single bonefish and a dozen days on my mountain rivers for a day on the flats. Just say’n.

This is not the perfect species for the fly rod.

Locations — No Comments
17
May 10

Insult to Injury

So, I’m sick… just a nasty cold that came on yesterday. This is the insult part. The injury part is that I had to miss out on FIBFest due to selling our foothills home, moving, child care cover issues.

You can follow the action on the FIBFest twitter feed here.

You can check out Michael Gracie’s blog to see the line-up of folks. You’ll notice gold medalist Johnny Spillane there. Nice.

Nice.

Locations — No Comments
16
May 10

Andros via Field and Stream

I thought I’d talk a little bit about Andros here before the guys from FIBFest start relating their own stories about fishing for bonefish at Andros South.

First let me tell you everything I know about South Andros, all my fishing stories from my time in South Andros and share some pictures of fish I’ve caught on South Andros.

…

OK, now that we have that out of the way, I can relate to you the experiences of folks that have actually been there, fished and caught some of those Andros bones… folks like John Merwin, writing for Field and Stream back in 2005.

You are standing on the flat front deck of a bonefish skiff, hoping to see a fish, while a guide slowly poles over white sand shallows that stretch into forever. Enough fly line for a long cast lies at your feet. A long winter’s worth of anticipation knots the small of your back. The warm sun and soft lapping of water against the hull are hypnotic, leading your mind to wander across the intense pastels of the Bahamian landscape.

Yes… I want to be there… so… badly.

Now, you don’t have to stay at a lodge… there are DIY/self-guided options. I’ve even had one such trip suggested to me. However, it doesn’t sound easy and the guy that recommended the Andros DIY had a really bad trip down there a couple months ago.

If you have the scratch, a lodge/guide is a good deal.

All the other stuff — No Comments
15
May 10

FIBFest 2010

It has begun.

Locations — No Comments
13
May 10

Andros South

Some fishing bloggers you probably read are headed for Andros South next week. I would have been among them were it not for moving/childcare hurdles that could not be overcome. I’m glad that at least some of my flies will be there. I sent Pete from Fishing Jones about 8 patterns to try out down there. Hope they work.

I hope to make it down there some day soon-ish. This recent trip report from Rick Grassett about a hosted trip to Andros South makes it sound like a place I want to be… badly… very, very, very badly.

Andros South... yup... I want to be there.

Bonefish on the Brain Bonefish and all that relates (maybe a bit about tarpon too).

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