Pointed out by Davin at Flatswalker… Knowledge.
Of course, Tory is a guide at Andros South. I know that beach. The Slack Tide bar is about 40 feet to the right of the camera. Love that place.
Archives
23
Mar 12
Fishing Jones interviews Mr. Deneki
His name actually is Andrew Bennett, but he’s the guy behind Deneki Outdoor. Here’s a cool interview that Fishing Jones did.
Here’s a sample question asked…
You’re Ivy League; shouldn’t you be launching a tech start-up or bundling subprime mortgages?
Check out the interview to see the answer.
Fishing Jones, is, of course, Pete McDonald, who is part of the Pulp Fly writing project. A great number of the writers for the project came out of FIBFest (Bruce Smithhammer, Pete McDonald, Michael Gracie and myself). A lot of good things have happened there at Andros South. Good job Andrew.
19
Mar 12
Tom Goes to Andros South
Last year I had the privilege to be part of FIBFest at Andros South. Along on that trip was Tom Larimer.
Looks like Tom just made it back. He took a hosted trip to Andros South and despite some less-than-ideal weather, they had a good time.
I envy him for getting back there… for hanging out at the Slack Tide Bar and chatting with the guides on the ride out to the West Side. Of course, I can’t complain. I’m headed to Cuba here in about 2.5 weeks with Yellow Dog and that does not suck.
One of the things about fly fishing that I love is that you both get to see new and wonderful places and you also get to develop some “home water.” For trout I have home water on the Upper Sac and McCloud. For Carp I have Calero. For bonefish I don’t have a place that I know well, a place I keep coming back to. I’d love to have South Andros be that place, but that seems financially and logistically out of the question. Glad that Tom is getting a feel for South Andros and maybe beyond swinging for steelhead in Oregon he’s getting a sense of the moods of Andros.
18
Mar 12
Bonefish Flat goes to Long Island
The Bonefish Flat recently went to Long Island to the Long Island Bonefishing Lodge.
The Long Island Bonefish Lodge is a whole new bonefishing experience that I think those who have some experience under their belt would enjoy. The lodge itself is located on what must be a hundred square miles of pristine bonefish flats. It consists of three duplex style cottages that can hold eight anglers. The main lodge is where you eat and stock up on Kalik at the end of the day.
The Bonefish Flat walking a Long Island Flat.
17
Mar 12
Flatswalker does the Double Haul
Davin over at Flatswalker not only has a pretty fantastic blog (one of my consistent favorites), but he also has some knowledge to drop.
Pretty cool.
16
Mar 12
Kirk returns from Long Island
Kirk Deeter just got back from a week in Long Island (the better of the two so named locations).
I just returned from a remarkable bonefishing trip in the Bahamas–Long Island, to be specific. It’s a stripped-down, do-it-yourself deal, involving big bonefish (a 5-pounder won’t bat an eye), unspoiled flats that most people don’t have the stamina to walk across in a week, let alone fully explore (I’m talking miles and miles of knee-deep water), great food and wonderful cultural experiences.
The story can be found at Fly Talk.
Truth told, this opportunity landed in my lap about the same time Cuba did and I had to decide which one to do, not being wealthy or idle. Long Island has long drawn my attention, so I’m fairly jealous I didn’t make the trip. It still stands out as a pretty sweet DIY friendly location.
The place he stayed is the Long Island Bonefishing Lodge, a new place that is focused on the budget and DIY crowd. The cost for a week is about $1,600, which is a fair deal. You don’t get guides, but you get brought out to where the fish are and let loose.
The price is a good one and is probably value for money. If and when I make it to Long Island, I’ll certainly look at this as a real option.
One option I had looked at before was staying at a hotel that was about $100 a night. That didn’t include meals or transportation to the flats, so the $600 rate of lodging would probably easily get close to $1,600 without the certainty or pointing-in-the-right direction that this place would offer.
I love the coming together of cheap and bonefishing and while $1,600 isn’t “cheap,” it does get a bit closer to cheap than something around $4-5K.
15
Mar 12
Important Questions from Kyle
When I was at FIBFest last year, one of the pleasures of being there was meeting Kyle who just happened to do a guest piece over at Deneki. A good read for those heading out to chase bones for the first time.
Kyle, on deck.
07
Mar 12
March Madness… Cheeky Style
It’s that time again. I understand there is something happening with basketball, which I haven’t watched since Jordan retired (the first time). There is another March Madness happening and that is happening over at Cheeky Fly Fishing.
This has the brackets you might expect, but instead of Stanford or Cal or Sonoma State (holla) there are fish. The first one in the first bracket is… of course… BONEFISH.
This event benefits the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust.
There are a ton of prizes on hand from great sponsors like Patagonia, Yellow Dog Fly Fishing Adventures, The Fly Shop, Fishpond, Teeny and Thomas & Thomas.
It costs you $5 and that goes to help bonefish and tarpon.
Great job Cheeky. Hope it is a great success.
06
Mar 12
Cuba Gear List – Sage One
Another rod I’ll be bringing along down to Cuba will be the Sage One. I think I’m getting this in an 8 wt, with an 11 coming from Redington and maybe from Orvis as well.
The Sage One has received a LOT of praise. The Sage One pretty much cleaned up at IFTD show in The Big Easy.
Tom over at the Trout Underground even had some thoughts on a promotional video for the Sage One.
These sorts of products are supposed to be game changers and usually five years later they are just another product release in a long line of product releases. Every once in a while you run into something that really DOES feel different. The Orvis Helios and G. Loomis NRX were kind of like that for me. Super light for big rods, it DID feel like a game changer. I am really looking forward to getting the Sage One out there and seeing if it really is everything that has been promised to us, the masses.
05
Mar 12
25 Things to Make You a Better Angler – F&S
Field and Stream and Kirk Deeter had a piece recently on 25 things to make you a better angler. A good read with lots of suggestions.
Things like…
1. Do it all. Bait fish, spin fish, fly fish… The more you are on the water, the smarter you get for all types of fishing.
2. Find the exotic, wherever you go. You don’t have to go to the end of the world to find adventure. Make something exciting happen on local water.
3. Keep everything in perspective. Fly fishing is only an “extreme” sport on television shows. It’s really a tradition. Respect that tradition.
The list is hit and miss with me. I do some of it, I don’t others. I haven’t really done spin fishing for ages. I don’t use bait and I can see how that could hurt me understanding some species of fish. I still have trouble feeding big fish the fly. Ya know… I’m not perfect (by any stretch).
I have a few things to add to the list though. So, here are 7 tips from BOTB for becoming a better angler:
- Learn more knots. Not every situation calls for a clinch knot. Knowing those other knots helps when you run into something “different.”
- Learn to Double-Haul. You don’t need it most of the time while trout fishing, but you need it almost every cast for flats fishing and once you know how to do it, it becomes just a part of your casting stroke.
- Learn to Spey-Cast. While most people think of spey-casting 14 foot long rods for steelhead, you can also single hand spey a 9 foot rod for trout and that skill can REALLY help you out. Your traditional rollcast will go out the window. It is a really, really good skill to have on pretty much any river or stream… even the little ones.
- Fish with people who are better than you and watch them fish, be open to advice. Fishing with my friends Shane and Drew have proven critical to my development as an angler. Playing with people above your level can be really helpful, if you aren’t busy trying to impress them.
- Share information when it won’t screw up something environmentally sensitive. Some streams or flats can’t handle the pressure, but most can. If you share, others will share with you. Don’t give away a buddy’s secret place, but when you can help someone out, do so.
- Learn to tie. Tying flies teaches you a lot about materials and fly mechanics and makes you a more rounded angler.
- When you can, get a guide and listen to them. Kind of like fishing with your buddies, sometimes guys want to impress the guide. Don’t. Be humble and ask for advice and help where you need it. Guides know a lot and can shave years off your development as an angler, if you are able to take the lessons.
Those are a few keys I have tucked away in the back of my mind. Do you have any keys you’d be willing to share?
