Archives

Conservation — No Comments
17
Aug 11

Turneffe

Ya know what… the Turneffe Atoll Trust has some real fly fishing cred on their board.  Like… A lot (that was two ellipses, if anyone is counting).

One of those guys is Jim Klug of Yellow Dog.  Another is Craig Matthews of Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone.  That a group.

They are working hard to keep Turneffe as beautiful a place as it seems to be.  A place with bones and permit and tarpon and lots and lots of space for those fish to roam and feed and breed.

This is a bit of what they are up to:

TAT continues to lead the way in instituting a Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve. The process is moving ahead at a rapid pace with half of the required stakeholder meetings completed and a first draft of the Turneffe Atoll Management Plan forthcoming.  This past week, the Belize Minister of Fisheries was presented with a proposal to establish the reserve.  It was warmly received and it is expected to move on to the Belize Cabinet. (read on)


Check them out.

Conservation — 1 Comment
11
Aug 11

Bonefish & Tarpon Trust

On May 31st Mike Berardi, fishing out of the Belize River Lodge with Pedro as his guide, caught a bonefish that I had caught and tagged on March 19th, the first recapture of a tagged bonefish in Belize.

via Bonefish & Tarpon Trust.

Tagged bones are beginning to be recaptured.  This is a good thing. Recaptures tell us all sorts of things about growth rates and fish movements and from there policies can be developed that really help the fish.

Way to go Bonefish and Tarpon Trust!

Support BTT

Locations — 4 Comments
10
Aug 11

GBI… deal

I subscribe to the Cheap Caribbean newsletter/emails mostly because I like to be reminded of the places I won’t be going.

Still, this stood out… 4 nights in GBI, air included, for $339.  That may be the best deal for bonefish out there. The deal may not even be on by the time this runs, but it is fun to think about.

Of course… you get there, you need a car, at the very least.  A guide is also a really good idea, at least for a day.  That tends to push the cost up dramatically (guides there run $450 for a full day). The fantasy of the idea is way, way cheaper, of course.

Grand Bahama

Gear — 3 Comments
09
Aug 11

Rio Bonefish Line – Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

So, I did a poll a couple weeks back asking what line folks used.  The overwhelming winner was the Rio Bonefish line.  Rio, as a company/brand did very well.  27% of anglers reported using the Rio Bonefish line.

I don’t think I have actually fished the Rio Bonefish, but I threw the Rio Tropical Clouser in Andros and kind of loved the line.

Well done Rio. Keep putting the good stuff out.

I’m starting to sound old when I say things like “$80 for a fly line??” Sadly, that is true for the Rio Bonefish line and not really out of line with other offerings from many of the big players.

The SA Bonefish line was second with 15% of the vote and comes in at $70.  I’ve actually fished the SA and it feels a little light to me, but that could be me with the crack smoking again.

One thing is clear… there are a lot of options for the angler today and the lines come at a variety of price points.  One thing to keep in mind when you are selecting a line is how you plan to fish.  Fishing from a flats boat often means longer casts (since you see the fish from further away).  For those trips, a line that is weighted closer to the weight of the rod is usually best.

If you are primarily wading, you may want to have a line that is a little over so your rod can load at short distances (the Rio Redfish is a little heavier than the Bonefish line and is prefered by some for that application).

So… go forth and select a line.  Just do me a favor… get it wet.

 

All the other stuff / Tactics — 7 Comments
07
Aug 11

Backhanded Cast

I saw this post over at Deneki about backhanded casting.  I agree.  It is a great skill to have. I wouldn’t have gotten my Grand Slam in Belize if I didn’t have a backhanded cast.

One thing I noticed in South Andros was that my backhand cast is actually better looking than my forward cast.  The loop is tighter and seems to lay out flatter.  I don’t really know why, but my backhand cast is a thing of real beauty.  I’ve been trying to figure out why and trying to make my forward cast more like it, but I haven’t cracked that code just yet.

Anyone have that answer?

Locations — No Comments
06
Aug 11

Andros South… minus sound

OK, I don’t seem to have any sound on this, but, it is still awesome.

Andros South. I miss this place very, very badly.

 

 

Locations — 3 Comments
04
Aug 11

I could never be mad at you, Google Alerts

If it weren’t for the good folks over at Google, I likely would never have found this story from the Malaysia Star.  The location is the Maldives and, as it turns out, there are indeed bonefish there.

Now… I may disagree with a few things… like:

Known to exist in only a few places in the world, the hunt for this species is simply exclusive.

(They’ve been caught from Long Beach to Hawaii to most of the South Pacific, South Africa, the Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf and there are rumored to be a few in the Caribbean, to name a few places they might be found.  However, there remain none in Kansas.).

I agree with others…

But fishing for bones is not so easy.

A different perspective from a different part of the world.

Conservation — 2 Comments
03
Aug 11

Bonefish Flat interviews Aaron Adams

The Bonefish Flat recently ran an interview with Aaron Adams… one of my favorite guys.  Aaron, of course, is the Director for the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, a fine organization you should all be supporting (yes, I’m looking at YOU… that is… if you don’t already).

You can also read my interview of Aaron here.

Aaron is amazing in that he is a very busy guy, but seems to always make time for questions.  He’s super accessible and easy to talk to… just don’t expect him to divulge any secret places!

Fish Tails — 1 Comment
02
Aug 11

Fishing Jones and the Keys

I made a few blind casts and hooked a nine-inch barracuda. I pulled it in by hand and green shards of bucktail from the abused clouser stuck to its skin and my fingers.

Isn’t that a great image.  Don’t you just see that when you read those words.  Yeah… I do too.

Read this great little piece by Fishing Jones.

Fishing Jones was one of the earliest fishing blogs.  An east coaster with a penchant for stripers and a way with the written word, his is the kind of blog that you wish were updated every day, just so you could have something quality to look forward to.

I feel much the same way about Flatswalker, who also really has the ability to turn a phrase and put you there, out on the water in the middle of no where with a rod in your hand, even when you are stuck in the largely (although not totally) bonefish devoid state of California.

If you like Pete’s writing and want to see more of it… you can check out The Blitz (via Moldy Chum).

 

All the other stuff — 2 Comments
31
Jul 11

Shark Week – The Lemon

So, it is Shark Week.  In honor of Shark Week, I thought I’d post up something about my good friend from South Andros, the Lemon Shark.  I hung out with a lot of Lemons in Andros.  They were everywhere.

Bastard of the flats... the Lemon.

I'm pretty sure this one was a Lemon too, although this was Grand Bahama, a year earlier.

Overview – Lemon sharks may dive up to 1,300 feet when searching for food, but usually they are found near shore areas at depths closer to 295 feet. Their unusual coloration sets them apart from most other sharks. “Lemon” refers to their light brown, yellow-tinged skin. It provides good camouflage for the sharks, which like to rest over the sandy bottoms of shallow water regions. From a distance, it is hard to tell where the sand ends and the shark begins. One clue might be the presence of small reef fishes, such as wrasses, which gather around this shark to pick off parasites from its gills and skin. This species is most commonly found in the Caribbean, but it also exists in the western and eastern Atlantic and eastern Pacific from southern Baja California to Ecuador.

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →