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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