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

My trip is behind me. Abaco was awesome, even with challenging conditions, it was great. I was there, in the skinny water, looking for fish and finding them and listening to the song of my reel. It is the stuff I think about frequently through the day.

And now… now I’m not fishing. I am not even trout fishing. I have no fishing on the books until at least the tail end of August. That may change, but not in any way that will put a bonefish in my path. Maybe there will be some trout, and the stripers will come back at some point and I plan on putting a few of those on my line, but my bonefish are kind of kicked.

There is a family trip to Maui and I’ve seen some indications there are, in fact, bonefish there and I intend on at least trying to find out (those HI bones are tough, aren’t they??). That’s what I’m holding out for.

I don’t have the heart to fully unpack my rod bag from the Bahamas. It is sitting in the garage, hopeful and unknowing and I can’t break its heart to tell it I have no more use of it, not for a while.

Maybe there will be some trout. Maybe I’ll make it up North to my rivers when they drop down into shape and the bugs start moving around, but that means leaving the Dr. on parent duty alone, which doesn’t seem too fair given how hard she works and how little free time she has. Maybe I’d fish a lot more if I were more of an asshole. I guess if I were more of an asshole I’d have a LOT of time to fish, but I’d be missing out on having a wife and being a father and I kind of dig on those two things, so I keep my asshole-ness in check, mostly.

Every glimpse of a river or a fly rod or a picture of a bonefish from Xmas or Andros… it kills me a little bit, a stab in my gut a little bit, especially when I see the lights on, the wind below 15 mph… the kind of conditions you dream of, waking or sleeping.

There will be other trips. There are many more years, I hope, of playing this game, so I’ll try to be patient, only partly succeeding.

Go… go out and fish. Chase, pursue, search. Let me know how it goes.

As I look out at the life and work commitments through the end of 2015 I see no daylight for the long rod.

Fall used to be just about my favorite time to fish. The fish seemed hungry, the rivers were emptying of people as either college football or the NFL took up weekends for people less interested in trout than I was.

The McCloud. Closing. Where I am not.

The threat of cold fronts or hurricanes has mostly kept me from looking to the flats, although I know the fish are still there, still eating and maybe seeing less pressure now than in April or May.

Now, however, now I see no possibilities. I’m back to mostly weekends with my daughter during the school year, so I can’t go wander around my rivers whenever I want. There is also the wife and the boy to think about as well.

Later in November and December it is conference time in my world. Nephrology in San Diego and Hematology in Orlando (let me know if you are going to be there). There is prep for those conferences and then follow-up and the Holidays.

The fishing? I don’t know where it fits in. Not like I live in Miami. Not like I can really just go fishing without preparation and airfare and hotels and gathering of gear and intel.

It seems like there a couple of sweet spots both younger than I am now and older than I am now where the fishing prospects are bright. Now… now I just get to look at the pictures and read the stories and think about where I’m going to go in 2016 when I’ll get back out on the water again.

I’d like to take this time to tell you about my next bonefishing trip.

I’d REALLY like to tell you because that would mean I have one on the books, which I don’t.

That’s cause for depression.

My vacation time is, to put it mildly, exhausted, and I don’t know of a reserve store of days off which would allow me to head somewhere sunny and beautiful to find bonefish.

I get a little bit moody when I don’t have a trip in the pipeline and I fear that could happen again. Luckily, I have some other good things happening, like a pregnant wife, so while that may dim the prospects of my next fishing trip, it is still something to balance the gloom with a fair bit of joy.

So, for the next few months, I’m going to need to hear about YOUR fishing. Don’t be shy.

… thinking about Deep Water Cay from Spring Break and wishing I was there, right now.

The line is flying.