12
Apr 13

The Bones of Florida

I’ve hears some talk recently about there being fewer bonefish in Florida these days.

The past is always better, right? But this isn’t 20 years ago past, this is, like, three years ago past.

Back not too long ago things got kind of cold in Florida. Bonefish, tarpon, snook… these fish don’t like cold water. In fact… they die.

The Florida Sportsman recently ran a story about what the guides are seeing on the FL flats.

Captain Lain Goodwin of Key Largo noted that effects of the frontal blasts varied from area to area. “After the cold snaps in 2010 I did notice a major decline,” said Goodwin. “I’d usually see from 20 to even 100 bones on a half-day trip, but now I’m lucky to find 10 to 20 on a good day. And yet on other flats in close proximity to Largo Sound, the bonefish population has remained steady.”

Anyone have first hand experience or insight to share on this?
I’m headed to FL for the first time (since I was 10) at the end of May and I’m very much looking forward to that trip.
Nice fish.

Nice fish.


21
Jul 10

Bibbling Bonefish

Twelve o’clock,” exclaimed Andy, our Bahamian guide. “A hundred feet—school of bibblers.”

I had no idea what a bibbler was, but I could see a school of small bonefish swimming around with their heads just breaking the water, like maybe they were eating something on the surface that I couldn’t see.

via Tropical Bonfish Fishing.

If you missed Joe Gonzalez’s interview (yesterday), he mentioned bibbling bonefish.  This was a word I had never heard of and I wanted to find a supporting reference and find I did.  The above story comes from Florida Sportsman and was written by Harlan Franklin.

The author... I think.

I haven’t been on too many trips, but I think I even saw fish behaving this way while fishing with guide Bernard Bevans out of McLeans Town on Grand Bahama.  I’m not  sure, but I think my dad actually caught one of those fish.