Great little video about the 2010 winter kill in Florida put out by the Snook Foundation (found on Hell’s Bay facebook page).
Archives
21
Feb 10
FWC and Bonefish
I understand that FWC is recommending some further protections for bonefish in Florida. Florida Fly Fishing Magazine recently covered the issue.
Right now, you can’t harvest bonefish in Florida due to the cold snap, the damage that cold snap caused and the temporary protections that were enacted afterwards. If you’d like to see such regulations extended/expanded, check out the Florida Fly Fishing Magazine site for who to contact.
As you might expect, you are encouraged to support the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust.
20
Jan 10
Tag Ends – 1/20/10
There has been a lot out there about the cold temps and Florida… here’s a round up:
- Here’s what the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust has to say.
- The issue was even covered by the Trout Underground.
- Salty Shores shares some video of some cold snook and bones.
- Guilttrip25 sees things dropping back to normal.
- Captian Raul Montoro sees Miami bones recovering.
06
Dec 09
Florida prepared to kick Bones and Permit in the nads
There was a great Op-Ed in Field and Stream about upcoming (and very important) meetings in Florida that will further detail what protections are and are not given to bonefish and permit.
The news isn’t so great. It appears that the good folks in the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission think that “catch and release” means you can’t touch the fish, despite C&R being on the books in lots and lots of states and countries.
From the article…
At the FWC Bonefish Workshops in October 2009, FWC staff stated that the FWC interpretation was that “catch and release” was equivalent to “prohibited species”. Based on FWC’s interpretation, this means that even touching the fish (e.g., holding a bonefish to take a photo, remove a hook, or to measure) constitutes ‘”possession” and a fine/ticket if witnessed by an FWC enforcement officer. This interpretation is counter to responsible fisheries conservation.
Catch and release is used as a fisheries management tool throughout the United States and in many places in the world. In these locations, catch and release is interpreted as releasing the fish alive soon after capture. Responsibly photographing, measuring, and weighing of the fish are permitted in these states.
They also appear set to roll back protections for permit that would include opening the species to spear fishing in federal waters and eliminating spawning season closures.
The comments to Field and Stream bit speak with one voice in opposition to the thrust of the article. In fact, they use very similar wording and recite the same points. Kind of reminds one of the Bush team hitting the political talk shows all reading from the same playbook. Democrats aren’t organized enough to do that. It all smells very organized and that smell stinks.
Midcurrent.com had an op-ed directed at the permit issue.s
You can read the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust’s press release about the issue here. Once again, BTT is the leader on this issue.
Support BTT if you enjoy the tug of a bone, permit or tarpon.
02
Nov 09
This is Bonefish
This is Fly is a great e-mag focused two things… fly fishing and not being all stuffy. They do a great job on both fronts.
While checking out their latest issue (#20), I saw an article from one of my fav’s, Aaron Adams, Executive Director of the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust. In the article, Aaron is hopping from Florida over to the Bahamas for some epic fishing while pondering why more folks aren’t pissed off that Florida bonefishing has declined significantly since the days of Ted Williams.
Those that know (I don’t, by the way) will tell you that there are fewer fish around, all the dumb ones have left and the game is just harder than it used to be and harder than it really should be.
There are remedies, actions that could be taken if enough people raised their voices to be heard by those in the places of power, but nothing will happen if more folks don’t get barking mad.
Where I live, in California, we may be seeing the last of once mighty salmon runs. One of my favorites places on earth, the McCloud River, once had a salmon run estimated at one million fish, but now sits behind Shasta Dam, while the Klamath River is at 20% of it’s historic numbers and they will likely disappear all together by the time the dams are taken out… in, maybe, 2025 or so. Our the concrete symbols of progress have proven to be be destroyer of species, towns, industries and native peoples.
Let’s learn our lessons. Let’s start speaking up and try to at least keep what we have now and maybe even see it improve a bit. Wouldn’t that be nice?
Think about the day when bonefishing in Florida used to be like the video below, get angry about what has been lost, and write a big, fat check to the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust so they can do what needs to be done.
01
Nov 09
Big Florida Bonefish Vid
Happy Sunday all… hope you all had a enjoyable and safe Halloween. If you are nursing your hangover, maybe this little clip of an entirely not little Florida Bonefish. The video quality isn’t so great, but the fish gets its size across.
23
Oct 09
I just swam in from Miami and boy is my tail tired
How long is your commute? I once had to drive 100 miles, but only had to do it twice a month. Mr. Bonefish, it turns out, can put in some serious miles.
Florida has a tagging program thanks to the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust and the Florida Keys Fishing Guides Association. One of those tagged fish was caught and tagged near Key Biscane. From there it crossed the Gulf Stream (something researchers didn’t know they did) and was caught off Andros, about 186 miles away. This more than doubled the longest known movement by a bonefish. This has all sorts of implications… it means Florida bonefish may be intermingling, and maybe interbreeding, with Bahamian bonefish.
That’s a long commute, Mr. Bonefish
Here is the news from Science Daily.
22
Oct 09
Fly Fish Chick Loves the Keys
The Fly Fish Chick just got back from three days in the Keys and is considering selling her home to go chase tarpon. Now, she didn’t mention bonefish at all, which leaves me sad, disappointed, weeping tears of regret and sorrow. Sounds like good fishing with so-so catching, but the setting is just amazingly beautiful, if my memories from 1984 are to be trusted (my last trip to the Keys).
Fly Fish Chick chasing Silver Kings
The fact that FFC didn’t chase bonefish and had to settle for tarpon may have something to do with the fact that bonefish are really tough in the Keys (and yes, I am joking about the “had to settle” thing).
I recently posted on a couple of message boards asking for perspectives on Florida bonefishing and here are some of the comments I got:
You can certainly target the bones in the Keys. Lots of tournaments do just that, but combining it with a pursuit of other fish can be more enjoyable and productive. I’d say that bones in most of the Keys are just as tough as permit these days. While you’ll rarely go an entire day without seeing a fish, it certainly is possible to go an entire day or more without seeing an interested fish. I have fished entire days there without a hookup.
I fished the Keys for a week every month for just over 2 years.
I have fished from Biscayne Bay to Key West and have had about 15 different guides. I can’t remember not seeing a bonefish but I have had a good number of days when I have not caught a fish. Having said that, the fish that you do catch can be large. I have caught 6 fish over 12lbs. A good day bonefishing is 2 fish. The fish are very spooky. You need a perfect presentation and even then the fish may not take. There are of course opportunities to catch other fish such as reds, snook, tarpon and permit not to mention Jacks, ladyfish, snapper etc. etc.I have friends(not FF’s) I usually fish with in the Keys. The one time I got a guide I asked about Bonefish, he had one question, “can you put the fly in the ice chest at 40′ in a 15 knot wind?” If the answer is yes “let’s go” if the answer is no “let’s try something else”.
The advice in a nutshell was this… bonefish in FL are tough. They get fished over a lot and are very selective, although they are big. If you go to Florida to fish, you may catch some bonefish, but other species are more available and can provide an excellent experience.
So, I forgive the Fly Fish Chick for not targeting bonefish. When I finally make it to Florida to fish, I may be looking for poons or cuda, although I’m going to have to get beyond this singular fixation on bonefish first. Maybe my trip coming up this weekend to fish the Truckee River will help.
14
Oct 09
Florida Bonefish
(UPDATE – May-June 2013, I fished Biscayne Bay and the Keys… mostly for Tarpon. I did manage to land one small bonefish and got shots at two others on foot. I’m less intimidated and can’t wait to go back.)
As a kid growing up in a small mountain town in Northern California (the State of Jefferson, as it is called by some), I wanted to be Mel Fisher. This seemed a rather dreamy prospect… we had rivers but no oceans, a gold rush past, but no sunken Spanish treasure. My family drove from Dunsmuir to Key West (that’s about 3,500 miles) one summer and I went to the Mel Fisher Museum and got to touch a Spanish gold bar. At the aquarium in Key West I had a horse shoe crab put on my head. I was about 10 and this was simply awesome.
Today, I live in a different small Northern CA town with a history of Gold (Sutter’s Mill is about 20 minutes away). I am still haunted by Florida, but now the object of my desire is the Grey Ghost, the bonefish.
Florida intimidates me when it comes to bonefish. I’ve talked to too many folks who have gone for glory and produced goose eggs. Days without even seeing a bonefish have been recounted. Stories like this one from Florida Fly Fishing Magazine, make it all seem like a pursuit for only the top tier, the elite. I just want to have a good day on the water. I’m devoid of the need to prove myself as some expert bonefish master I know I’m not.
I’m absolutely positive that more than one horrible angler has caught a bonefish in Florida, but it does not sound like a common occurrence. Maybe some day I will have caught enough “dumb” bonefish and I’ll get off the plane in Miami and exit the airport instead of flying on to the Bahamas.
I’d love to hear your words of either encouragement or discouragement. What’s your Florida experience been?
