Well, this is timely. Just received this great picture and short story from subscriber Craig Dumesnil about his “first cast” while on a DIY trip to Long Island, Bahamas. Timely because I will be at the Long Island Bonefishing Lodge in a little more than a month……and this picture just gets the old bonefish juices flowing. I have removed the actual location on Long Island that Craig caught this beautiful specimen, but lets just say the spot is mentioned in my book. By the way, the second largest bone I have caught was landed at this exact location around six years ago. Rod: “On my most recent trip to Pinky Knowles’ lodge on Long Island, I picked up your book and decided to return in September to do a total DIY exploration of the northern part of the Island. My wife and I made the trek to ____________ on our first day, intrigued by your comments and the incredible beauty of the setting. It was quite calm and after seeing no pushes out on the flat, I decided to move in closer to the mangroves along the shore. After just a few minutes of waiting, a pair of brutes appeared working in and out of the cover. At first, they were getting so close I thought they would spook for sure, but they angled away in a perfect direction for me to make a 40 foot cast with a “silly gotcha”. They both followed and the one took. I am not a trout fisherman, so the strip set is my normal hook set. Lucky for me, the fish headed out to open water rather than back into the mangrove cover. I would say I was 150 yards into the backing, yelling at the top of my lungs for my wife, Sara, to bring the camera. First day, first cast, my biggest bonefish ever. He was very fat…I’m calling it a 10 pounder. Regards and thanks for such a great book. “ Thanks for sharing Craig.
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Long Island Bonefishing – Guest Blog
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The Dry Fly Presentation For Bonefish
I don’t mean this literally, but “The Dry Fly Presentation For Bonefish” is how I describe a particular presentation I make to “picky” tailing bonefish in shallow water. As you all know, I love to target tailing bonefish in shallow water at either first light or in the evening when the sun is going down. When you are on a DIY trip the time table is yours. I’ll often get up early and be on the water at first light, fish for a couple of hours and then back home for breakfast. On the flip side of the day, I fish those last two hours as the sun sets and have dinner once it is dark. The traditional wisdom is to fish when the sun is high and the rays penetrate the waters surface. I can assure you, that tails, fins, dimples and nervous water are clearly visible as the sun is coming up. Most fisherman I talk to have never fished at sunrise or sunset for bonefish, I think that has more to do with the hours guides and lodges operate than the reality of being able to catch fish during those times. However when you are fishing pressured waters, tailing fish can be really difficult to catch. Combine the fact they have seen most flies, are nervous being in shallow water, focused on digging out “critters”, their cone of vision is extremely small,don’t have a travel pattern and doing it all in twelve inches of water, it’s no wonder that hooking up is not that easy. In fact it has become a bit of an art. Through a whole lot of trial an error I have come up with what I whimsically call “The Dry Fly Presentation to Bonefish.” In a nutshell, it is casting the longest leader you can with the lightest tippet possible, ending with a very small non-weighted fly……..and dropping it right on their head. It reminds me of presenting a small dry fly right to a feeding trout. A long fine leader, a delicate presentation, tipped with a small fly placed exactly where they will see it. The long leader and light tippet (I have gone right down to six pounds) are self explanatory. The small light fly (size #8) is so you don’t spook the fish and it must be made of materials that land softly. There is no “plop” and it lands in their very restricted “cone of vision.” In the past one of the problems I faced with nervous tailing fish is using bead chain flies that make noise entering the water. For years the conventional method was to cast away from the fish and hope they went in the direction you had cast. But they are tailing, they don’t have a travel direction. Time and time again I would pick up and cast again because they just didn’t go where you believed they were heading. This method gets away from that. Adjust your leader, fly size, its weight/materials and drop it right on top of their head.
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Turks & Caicos Bonefish Honeymoon
For starters, if you say to your fiance “Honey, I would like to go bonefishing on our honeymoon” that is a pretty good clue as to how the relationship is going to unfold over the next forty years. I get emails every week from subscribers asking for information on the Turks & Caicos, because they are planning a honeymoon there. I’ve always wondered if there soon to be life partner knows that the inquiry regarding their honeymoon destination is really about fishing? “Honey I’m emailing a guy who knows a lot about the T & C beaches, resturants and nightlife, should get some really useful information.” (I know nothing about the beaches, restaurants or nightlife) Of course I jest…..how great is it to enter into marriage with your partner fully aware she is walking down the preverbal fishing aisle. On that note, here is a brief guest blog from Charlie Church after returning from his October honeymoon in the Turks & Cacios. He had asked me for some advice on where to fish……….odd that is the only honeymoon advice he asked for. From Charlie: “As promised, here are the pics from the trip. The bones we ran into down there were HUGE. We spent an hour the last day at the flat you detailed for me and ran into a school of giant bones. Taylor Bay also was really good to us. It was awesome wading the flat barefoot. We would fish there for an hour or two before the sun really got up in the morning. I think each trip there resulted in at least a shot or two at fish, all of which were also huge. Thanks again for the tips” Thanks for sharing Charlie and all the best to you and your wife.
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North Andros Bonefishing – Eva’s Bonefish Lodge
I love fishing on North Andros and will be heading back again the first week of December. It’s famous (rightfully so) for it’s large and plentiful bonefish and fisherman are treated to the ultimate experience when working with some world class guides. And is one of my wife’s and my favorite locations for spectacular DIY fishing. Following is a description along with a few pictures of Eva’s Bonefishing Lodge provided to me by their Marketing Manager, Jason Edgecombe. I have seen the lodge and it is beautiful but never stayed there myself. I believe they are mostly a “guide fishing” operation but there are DIY opportunities within the immediate area for those who want to change it up a little. Eva’s Bonefishing Lodge “Eva’s is an intimate bonefishing lodge located in the heart of Staniard Creek, North Andros, and is perfect for small groups. The charming lodge has six air conditioned guestrooms, each featuring two queen beds and a full private bath. The main lodge is appointed with finely crafted wood floors and ceilings to create a feeling of peace and serenity. The lodge’s lounge area is popular with guests that like to enjoy a cocktail, socialize, or simply relax and watch TV or read a book after a long day on the water. The lodge also has a fly tying station set up for those anglers who enjoy the challenge of creating their own variations of the popular bonefish patters, or even creating something new from their own imagination. Each day at Eva’s starts with a full breakfast in the lodge’s dining room before anglers meet their guide to discuss the plan for the day. By 8:00 AM guests are on the water heading to the flats, which are on average located about 20 minutes from the dock. Guests return to the dock by 4:00 PM each day and have some time to freshen up before happy hour, followed by a savory dinner of local cuisine including fresh seafood like conch, lobster, or grouper. Desert usually consists of a homemade treat like Key Lime pie. Andros Island is considered by many to be the bonefishing capital of the world. The lodge owners, management, and guides have a long history of accommodating visiting anglers, and know how to satisfy their guests. Most of the fishing takes place in shallow water averaging 1-2 feet deep, and although fishing from the front of a flats skiff is productive, the area also provides outstanding opportunities for wading. Andros Island bonefish average 4-5 pounds, and are larger than those found in Belize and many other Caribbean nations, but on average are smaller than those found in the Florida Keys. Fortunately, the bonefish in this area are generally a lot more cooperative than those in the Keys, so it’s a good place for a fly angler that wants to chase bonefish for the first time. Although bonefish are available year around, peak season is generally February through June. Fall is also a popular time to visit Andros, and some of the biggest fish of the season are caught in October through early December. Winter can be good, but there is an elevated risk of inclement weather that could result in slower fishing.” Thanks Jason
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Bonefishing Season Is About To Begin
I’m tying fies, constructing leaders and generally getting my gear ready for the upcoming bonefishing season. Here is a link to a video on my YouTube Channel that may help you get in the “mood”. The video is called “A True Professional” and as you might expect shows clearly what twenty years of bonefishing actually looks like…..enjoy.
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Why I DIY ????
I know most people think I only DIY for bonefish, but that isn’t true. In fact this upcoming trip I am staying in three lodges. First the Long Island Bonefishing Lodge, next a new lodge on Great Inagua, then Mt Pleasant Bonefishing Lodge on North Andros. All three offer guided and/or non-guided days allowing the anglers to focus on the type of fishing they prefer. So I go to lodges and fish with independent guides as much as the next guy, but what I “prefer” to do is DIY. Here is a video of what I like about DIY. Most of it has nothing to do with catching fish, rather why I like being “out there” on my own.
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Bonefish On Bonaire 2014
Just finished putting together a video on our trip to Bonaire that we took last January. Watching the footage, reminded me of just how windy it is there. Fisherman complain to me everyday about how hard the wind was blowing in…. (fill in the blank) ……and since I am such a soft hearted guy I say “sorry for you”. But really I’m thinking “no @#$%@#ing kidding” you are in the tropics, there’s always wind. But in Bonaire we fished twenty five straight days and the wind never went below 25 m.p.h. and most days varied between 30 – 40 m.p.h. When you are facing those conditions, you better learn to cast into the wind. Anyway I digress… I wouldn’t call Bonaire a bonefishing destination. It is famous for diving, wind surfing and kite boarding. Bonefishing is an after thought. There are good numbers of bonefish there, but the places to fish for them are limited and for whatever reason, they can be tough as heck to catch. My buddy and I ended up having some ten plus fish days but we spent a lot of time figuring out where to fish and how to get the buggers to bite. So if you are taking the family on a diving holiday, Bonaire might be what you are looking for. Throw in your eight weight and a few flies. Make sure your hat can be tied to your head and your loop is no wider than six inches. Enjoy!!!
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First Stop – Long Island, Bahamas
With another bonefishing season upon us I’m scrambling around the house, making sure I have everything ready for the upcoming trip. The fly tying station is a disaster, with hair, beads, hooks and flash everywhere. Tied up a couple dozen Greg’s Flats Flies, a dozen Bonefish Junk Light’s and now will turn my attention to all the variations I have of Charlie’s and Gotcha’s. Trying out a couple of new reels and rods for some manufacturers so anxious to see how those perform and taking the weight off my hips by field testing the Simms Sling Pack. I’m curious to see how I feel after a full day of walking with the weight moved off my waist to my shoulders and back. The first week of the trip I am staying at the Long Island Bonefishing Lodge with the DIY Bonefishing Sweepstakes winner and four other guests. Should be a wonderful time and I look forward once again to the great hospitality of the lodge’s owner, Pinky Knowles. Just to wet the appetite, attached is a video showcasing the Long Island Bonefishing Lodge and their Assisted DIY Bonefishing program.
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Geez I’m getting old….Bonefishing After 60
Man, I remember when I used to be able to walk miles on end through the worst muck and mangrove swamps you can imagine and think nothing of it. A cold beer at the end of the day was all I needed to be rejuvenated and ready for the next adventure. Now….not so much. To that end I have always used a Fish Pond pack of some kind that strapped around my waist and the last variation also included a shoulder strap. The one I have used exclusively for the last five years is the three zipper style seen in the photo. It has served me we’ll and held everything required for a full day on the flat. And remember when I say a full day, I’m not talking about walking back to a boat for water and lunch. I mean leaving the car at 8:00 a.m. and back when the sun sets……..so you need to carry everything. Now that I am in my “Golden Years” I find the weight on my hips to be bothersome. I can still walk all day, but find the recovery period has stretched to three beers. So this trip I am going to test the Sling Pack from Simms to see if distributing the weight off my hips and on to my shoulders and back will work better for me. I will let you know what I think.
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Long Island Bonefishing Lodge Sweepstakes Week
What a great week this is going to be thanks to Nevin (Pinky) Knowles of the Long Island Bonefishing Lodge who generously donated a week of fishing as the Grand Prize for the Do It Yourself Bonefishing Sweepstakes. The Grand Prize winner, Noel Villard, myself and six other fisherman finished our first day under beautiful Bahamian skies and a manageable wind. But it was looking a little doubtful when we arrived yesterday. Here is a shot of Barry Morse from the U.K. finishing yesterday in a monsoon. But as so often happens in the Bahamas we woke to a brilliantly sunny bonefishing day. For the first day, fishing was reasonable as everyone got adjusted to the Assisted DIY concept offered at the lodge. With most of the anglers landing fish including yours truly who hooked seven and landed five. So a good start to what will no doubt be a fantastic week. Had to include this shot of Sonny Culp who joined us from Birmingham, Alabama holding his first ever Bahamian bonefish.
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Things Are Heating Up On Long Island
“Rise and Shine, time to go fishing” (if only you could pick your roommates). But he was right, 6:00 a.m. and it was time to hit the shower and get the show on the road. And what was waiting for us outside was a beautiful blue sky and a five mile an hour wind. A perfect Bahamian bonefishing day. It proved to be exactly that, with the bonefish cooperating and everyone returning to the Long Island Bonefishing Lodge with a smile on their face. Back at the lodge it was a two beer day. The first to wash away the sore bones and muscles after walking seven hours and the second to celebrate a terrific day with a great group of anglers.
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Long Island Bonefishing – Assisted DIY Bonefishing
Long Island Bonefishing Lodge prides itself on being one of the few lodges in the Bahamas that offers “Assisted” DIY bonefishing. The day starts with a hearty breakfast at the lodge, then everyone is loaded in the boats by 7:45 and ready to hit the flats of Deadman’s Cay. On this trip there are four anglers in each of the two flats boats. Once we reach the destination picked out by the guide, the anglers are instructed on how to fish the particular flat and where to meet the boat for lunch. Armed with VHF radios if the fishing is good, the plan for the morning stays in effect. If the fishing is a little slow, than a quick call on the radio and you move to another flat. Assisted DIY offers the freedom to fish on your own and the versatility of moving around with a boat. The best of both worlds.
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Bonefishing – Sometimes It Just Goes That Way
I’ve been on both ends of a bonefish day. They are all good but some days are just a little better than others. Today was one of the really good ones. Trip winner, Noel Villard got to experience what a great afternoon of bonefishing on Long Island can be like. Three hours of uninterrupted casting to fish ranging from 3 – 7 pounds. Sometimes It Just Goes that Way. Congratulations to Barry Morse for winning the draw at the Long Island Bonefishing Lodge Thursday night for three dozen Long Island bonefishing flies, including a nice waterproof box, all donated by lodge owner Pinky Knowles. It’s hard to believe that it is Friday. Is it possible that a week goes faster when you’re bonefishing, than when you are at the office?
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DIY Bonefishing On North Andros
Back home after a wonderful three weeks in the Bahamas , culminating in a week on North Andros. (I can just now see the top of my computer as I wade my way through weeks of mail. Where does all this “crap” come from?) This trip we concentrated on fishing from Fresh Creek south to Behring Point and most of the days the fishing varied from “good” to “great”. For those of you who have not thought of North Andros as a DIY destination, it might be time to consider it. Our group of four stayed at The Mt. Pleasant Fishing Lodge, managed by Stacy Taylor. The two bed, two bedroom accommodations were great, the food was good and best of all it is located on a superb bonefish flat. I mean casting to fish within 200 feet of their beach, not many places where you can do that. The more experienced of the group had several twenty fish days and we caught and saw fish to drool over. The kind that Andros is famous for. All of the flats were reached by either car or foot with the exception of one day we hired a boat to run us out to Wood Cay. So it was a true DIY week. I’ll put out a few more details next week on North Andros, for now I have some bills that need to be “stared” at.
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Fishing The Outback of Great Inagua
At heart I’m an explorer and adventure seeker. Catching one more bonefish is just not where I am at any more. Doing something different, going somewhere unique, finding new waters, that’s what gets me fired up these days. Soft beds, smooth boat rides and lobster for dinner can wait until I’m seventy. So, I’m throwing it out there, I love Great Inagua. Nothing about it is easy, but it’s beautiful, untouched and oozes with the potential of being the best fishing trip you have ever been on. Like everywhere the fishing can be great or fickle, but I know of very few places where the wading DIY angler has a legitimate chance at catching large bonefish, tarpon to sixty pounds and permit. And I mean walking and wading on your own. Myself and three fishing buddies were booked into the brand new Great Inagua Outback Lodge owned and operated by Henry Hugh. Bookings for the lodge are exclusively handled by Vince Tobia of Cattaraugus Creek Outfitters who provides well in advance, a comprehensive package on the lodge, fishing maps and what to bring. Henry picks you up at the airport, loads you and your gear into the truck and sets out for the 40 minute ride to the lodge. It’s not long before you realize “you’re not in Kansas” any more. In fact, you are in the middle of no where, holding on to the seat as you navigate what can losely be described as a road. All the time drooling over the beautiful ocean flats 100 feet away, that are going to be fished the minute you unpack. The one week package includes accommodation, three meals per day, a vehicle along with one day of guiding. The guided day is typically the Inagua National Park warden showing you the 183,000 acre park with its “tarpon” holes, flamingo’s and hidden treasures. The fishing varies from wading one of the greatest creek systems I have ever seen, to sight fishing over magnificent pure white ocean side flats, to exploring the nooks and crannies of the old salt ponds where you would swear the bones have never seen a Crazy Charlie before. The next couple of days the Blog will focus on the fishing of Great Inagua, in the mean time check out the link above for more information on the lodge.
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Bonefishing On Great Inagua
I’ve been to Great Inagua twice. Once the fishing was outstanding, in the category of “as good as it gets.” The second time, there were days we struggled. But even that trip a couple of us had 15 – 20 fish days. The problem is that expectations are so high you begin to think every day should be fantastic. Inagua is a DIYer’s paradise with all of the locations reached by car, foot or kayak. There’s not much guess work required to find the fish, and if staying at the lodge, Henry arms you with a map…..bonefish located here…X. To my mind the fishing can be broken down into the south shore, the old salt ponds, creek systems and Lake Windsor. South Shore: Blessed with beautiful white sand and turtle grass flats, protected by a barrier reef, the south shore of Inagua offers some of the best fishing I have ever had for bonefish, triggers, cudas, snook and yes even permit. Mile after mile of ocean side flats that are all accessible by a road parrelling the shoreline. From the Lighthouse east, for 13 miles, you’ll find enough fishable water to keep you busy for a week. Old Salt Ponds: The salt ponds south of Matthews Town are no longer an integral part of the salt making operation but still have major canals, dikes and locks. The lagoons are easy to walk and you better believe there are bones there. It’s important to understand they are not everywhere and you need to find the “spots”. But here is a great place to focus on when the wind or the tides make the South Shore un-fishable. One morning the south shore tides were not in our favour so we set out for the ponds. In the first fifteen minutes I caught a couple, then started to see a few more and finally just stopped as fish after fish swam by. More than happy to eat a Bonefish Junk Light it turned out to be the start of pretty spectacular day. The first ten fish were fun but they were only the tip of the “bonefish party”. I walked another 100 yards and came across a school of what had to be 1,000’s. Let the games begin. Creek Systems: There are not many creek systems on Inagua, but what is there can be fantastic. Driving for 40 minutes north out of Matthews Town the road ends at a point where it was washed out by a hurricane. Here you will find a creek system that runs both east and west, take your pick. Both hold plenty of fish but the system to the east is a little nicer to walk. But the Mother Of All Creeks is east of Henry Hugh’s lodge (Great Inagua Outback Lodge) and is a must see. It goes on for miles and miles, can be fished on foot, kayak or boat and is one of those places where you can experience a twenty fish day on your own. I have literally hours of video of my buddy and I catching fish after fish on a cloudy, rainy day. Not normally great conditions for bonefishing but what can I say. “You just had to be there.” Lake Windsor: Massive Lake Windsor is within the 183,000 acre Inagua National Park. It’s unique for many reasons and should best be seen and fished with either the Park Warden Henry Nixon or lodge owner Henry Hugh. There are bones and some snook in the lake but you fish Lake Windsor for tarpon. No boat required. It’s the wildness that makes Inagua so inviting. From the wild donkeys to the great flocks of West Indian Flamingo’s you will never feel farther away from the stresses of home then here. No footprints on the beach, no competing fisherman, no passing guide boats, just you. And bonefish that act like bonefish, if it moves they eat it. You mess up your strip strike, they may give you another shot. And they are big. So flies in my box for the South Shore are bigger than my normal DIY box. No problem using #4’s with lots of flash and a large meaty profile. In the creek systems and lagoons you probably should lean toward #6’s and long leaders just are not necessary. Great Inagua, put it on your list.
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The Simm’s Sling Pack
I seldom do equipment reviews and I have never done one for a piece of equipment I have not paid for. When I do a review, I don’t want to be influenced, subtle or not. For the last six or seven years (whenever they first came out) I have used the Fish Pond three zipper lumbar pack, similar to today’s Yampa Guide Pack. It has been a great pack and I can assure you it has been field tested on the flats. In fact I doubt if anyone else in the entire world has walked more miles on the flats than I have with that pack. So by default, you know I unabashidly endorse it as a flats pack for the DIY walk and wade salt water fisherman. So why try the Sling Pack from Simm’s? In a word…….. Old Age…….oh that’s two words, told you I was getting old. Many days I’m walking for six to eight hours and covering a whole bunch of miles. As the years went by I realized my hips were getting “Advil” sore by the end of the day. I wanted to try and get the weight off my hips. Hence the Sling Pack trial this last trip. I wore it for 21 days straight. In all kinds of conditions, logging tons of miles and over more hours than the average guy gets in a year. I’m sold. It solved my weight distribution problem for sure, no problem with my hips. It is super easy to swing around for access, in fact probably simpler than my old Lumbar Pack. Positioned in the middle of my back, it is completely out of the way for casting, a very big plus. The one large zippered pouch holds more “stuff” then the Lumbar Pack . I should be downsizing I know, but by the time you add fly paraphernalia, camera gear (I carry a lot), rain jacket (never leave home without it), radio, lunch and water I’m carrying enough to conquer Everest. The fly box section on the outside is ample size and easy to access. The small zippered outside pocket is a little small for my taste. It wouldn’t hold my fly box for instance and never really figured out what did fit in there. The water bottle compartment works great and the the sling setup is comfortable allowing me to carry the pack all day. So there you go. I’ve switched from a Lumbar Pack to a Sling Pack. There are a number of Sling Packs on the market today, so I look forward to hearing from those of you who are using one from another manufacturer.
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DIY Bonefishing – All About The Short Game
Whether you are wading in eighteen inches of water, weaving through the mangroves or doing the Flamingo Slide over a mucky flat, there is no such thing as a seventy-foot cast. For DIY fisherman, it‘s all about the Short Game. Leave your driver, fairway woods and long irons in the bag. DIY success is about accuracy with your wedges and putter. It calls for short precise shots, minimal false casting and one chance to make a pinpoint presentation. There are no Gimmies at thirty feet. I have had the good fortune to fish with some great anglers and casters this year. I’m still awestruck by the elegance of them laying out an eighty-foot line. But I’ve come to realize that the skills required to be successfull from the front of a skiff don’t necessarily translate to being successful in the “hand to hand” combat experienced by the DIY guy. I’m talking about soft presentations at 20 – 40 feet in 25 m.p.h. winds with one false cast. Then dropping the fly not in a Hula Hoop, but on a frisbee. Let me tell you I have seen more than one FFF Certified Casting Instructor brought to tears after his 15th blown shot at under forty feet. It’s the difference between being a great driver of a golf ball and a great putter, both are wonderful skills to posses, but different. Setting the stage for a DIY day; you just got out of your car or off your bicycle. The fish you will be encountering have seen a “Charlie” before, in fact they probably bolted from one yesterday. And the direction you walk has more to do with “where can I go” then the sun, wind and tide. And, 90% of your casts will be forty feet or less. Skills required for the Short Game: Spotting fish: Might as well say it, the number one skill is (drum roll please), spotting a fish before it spots you. There’s no buddy on a raised platform to help, you are now all alone immersed in “Mr. Bones” world. Most wading anglers Personal Spotting Zone is between 30 – 50 feet. This comes as a shock to those who are used to a guided boat experience, but it means that the majority of the fish you see are less than 50 feet away. Casting: The second most important skill is casting. Being able to get the fly close enough to the fish so that it sees the fly without spooking. Chances are he is coming right toward you and dropping the fly on a dinner plate in a 25 m.p.h. cross wind is a whole lot harder than it sounds. You get one shot and the adrenaline is off the charts. This is where it all goes to pot, and even the best long casters get flustered. I mean who practices a side arm thirty-foot cast to a dinner plate in a crossing wind? Welcome to the Short Game, no matter the situation or conditions the fly needs to be placed on the “pointy” end of the fish, quietly with one false cast. Period. Walking: I could write an entire book on this. How fast do you really think you should walk when your Personal Spotting Zone is 40 feet? I’m here to tell you it is about 1/4 the speed you currently think. Walk slow and sliiiiiiiide your feet (the Flamingo Slide). If you can see like a guide, fine you can walk at a guides speed……but really, can you see like a guide? In the Short Game you are not walking leisurely down the fairway but rather stalking a ten foot putt, barely moving and aware of every little deviation and nuance in front of you. Line management: I wish I had talked to “me” twenty years ago when my line management techniques were mirroring what I saw in all the books and magazines. Fifty-feet of line, delicately gliding behind me, resting comfortably on the waters surface, in a perfect loop ready to cast to the happy school of bonefish, clearly visible 70 feet away. Well let me tell you that picture of the beautifully trailing fly line on a expansive white flat happens about as often as Kate Upton knocking on my front door to see if she can use my phone. After tangling my feet in the line 7,000,000 times and trying to cast only to find my line wrapped around a mangrove shoot I decided to forget everything I had read and develop my own line management techniques for the Short Game.The basic concept couldn’t be simpler; outside the tip of the rod is ten feet of leader and ten feet of fly line. Dangling below the reel is a five foot loop (total of ten feet). This setup gives me thirty feet of line ready to go and if the fish is forty feet away I take the three seconds required to strip off another ten feet. Trust me on this one. It’s always faster to strip off line then unwrap it from around your feet. Fly selection: The simplest rule of all for the Short Game is use smaller, lighter, wiggly flies. The water is shallow, the fish are close, and it’s not their first rodeo. This is not the place for your “guide boat” box stuffed with heavily weighted, large profile #0’s, #2’s & #4″s. The DIY box is filled with #4’s, #6’s & #8’s lightly weighted with just a little flash, lots of wiggly parts and a small profile. I now carry fifty-eight flies, including Greg Flats Fly’s, Bonefish Junk Light, Ververka’s Mantis Shrimp, Tailer Beware , Pops Bitter and a small Raghead crab. Add to those a row of unweighted flies for tailers and three with weed guards. I’ve tied flies for forty-eight years, own thousands, tied all the newest and greatest,and travelled with bags full and now am down to fifty-eight flies when I’m fishing. So there you go, DIY bonefishing is all about being a master of the Short Game. Forget about the long ball, concentrate on sticking your […]
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Great Inagua Video
As I wrote about previously, three of my buddies and I had a great time fishing on Great Inagua while staying with Henry Hugh’s at the Great Inagua Outback Lodge. The holidays got in the way but I have finally started to organize my pictures and video from the trip. It’s amazing how many hours of video and thousands of photos are amassed over 21 days of fishing. However, in the comfort of my office and with a critical eye, most of the video and still shots have ended up on the cutting room floor, but is it ever fun to relive those moments. Follow this link to my latest video showing some of the highlights of our Inagua trip.
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Half Moon Cay – Bahamas Bonefishing
Thanks to Justin Ehle for writing a Guest Blog on his recent trip to Half Moon Cay, Bahamas. For those of you who do not know, Half Moon Cay was formerly known as Little San Salvador prior to being purchased by Holland America in 1997. A quick look on Google Earth shows that there is a wonderful flat on Half Moon Cay, which obviously is what attracted Justin’s attention. Here is a link to the video he shot on. “My first DIY bonefishing adventure was in October at Grand Cayman. It was a wonderful time and great learning experience that resulted in zero fish but a taste for walking the flats and only imagining what landing a bonefish would be like. As I was preparing for our family Christmas vacation in the Caribbean I began to look into the islands determining if bringing the fly rod should be a consideration. The limited time on each island made things a bit tricky and prevented any early morning first bite opportunities. My best option was the Holland America private Island Half Moon Cay which happens to be in the Bahamas. Digging a little deeper and checking google maps revealed a lagoon called Bonefish lagoon. Needless to say that was the only convincing I needed for packing the gear which consisted of my 7wt TFO rod with 8 wt line, Orvis reel, a 10′ saltwater leader, and a couple of white crazy Charlie and gotcha flies (naturally i brought a lot more but these were the important things). Half Moon Cay was the last island stop on the cruise and we were only there from 8-2:30 so I made sure to get on the first tender headed to shore. The lagoon was a 15 minute walk and my plan was to walk the southern shoreline hoping to find some fish. As I reached the water I ran into a local and asked about the bonefish. Sadly I hear that it’s best on the other side and almost impossible to get there by foot. I continue on my original plan waiting for my Father to catch up with me and head down the shore 100 yards and get a line wet. At about the same time the jet ski tours begin…making the area less than ideal. Rethinking my strategy i ask if they would be willing to take us on the next tour out and drop us off where the fishing is good. To my surprise they agree and were very helpful and knowledgeable about where the bonefish were. When we arrived (now about 10am) on the sand bar I instantly understood why the Bahama flats were so highly regarded. The ground was a hilly, hard sand bottom that never got deeper than 3′. Water was crystal clear with slight chop from the breeze. I began to slowly walk the flat stepping on hilltops so that I could see any movement underwater. It took some training of the eye to see the ghost like fish but once I saw one the hunt was on and my confidence was high. I hooked up and landed 3 fish that morning (1 durgeon and 2 bones). I saw probably 8-10 other bonefish, and a couple of lemon sharks. I caught them all on the crazy charlie using only 2-3 inch strips only fast enough to get their attention. The ones that saw the well placed flies seemed to pick it up pretty quick and I was down to the backing before I knew what hit me! Unfortunately I only had 2 hours out there before I had to get back to the family, but it was enough to get me hooked and waiting for the next opportunity to bonefish!” Thanks Justin
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