December 25, 2000 After the holiday festivities we went down to the sea, my father and I. We loaded up flies, rods, flashlights, knives, casting buckets, and leader fixings, piled it all in his truck and went in search of tarpon. It seemed the thing to do. Around here tarpon hunting doesn’t necessarily mean big [...]
Posts from ‘February, 2011’
The Midnight Special
Let the midnight special, shine her light on me. Let the midnight special, shine her ever-lovin’ light on me. ~Leadbelly August 30, 2000 I’ve finally caught the fish that originally inspired me to take up fly fishing and here is how it happened. A few days ago I came down with a case of that [...]
“23° South” … a Bonefishing is Beautiful Film
This is what I should be, I need to be doing right now… traveling to new destinations with a camera and fly rod in my hand. Having run across several very good films recently—including this one by J.L. Powell—I feel the need to revisit my own footage of my adventures. (I also feel the unaccountable [...]
In Time
August, 2005 We fished until dark, but none would take. We marked their progress by the flashing tails and cast long leads to them with light flies. When they approached we’d strip the fly and they’d disappear in an explosion of water, perhaps to bide their time off the edge until the flats were peaceful [...]
Does “Catch & Release” = “Probably Dead”? (Pt. II)
May 20, 2002 We drove north to investigate a rumor of bones and arrived at a place I would never have imagined we would find. In fact, I would never have thought there was a way to fish this flat from the shore in the first place. Thank goodness for strangers and their generosity. Within [...]
Does “Catch & Release” = “Probably Dead”? (Pt. I)
It may be comforting in some circles to claim that modern catch-and-release fishing isn’t truly a bloodsport, but the facts don’t follow. Studies of release mortality range from around 4 percent to well past 40 percent. At the lower end are fish caught in cold water and properly released by experienced anglers using barbless hooks. [...]
