March 21, 2011 2:41 p.m. Tide: Slack High… possibly Falling. Wind: NNE, 15 knots. Coconuts no longer amuse us, and the bonefish have stubbornly persisted in their absence. Except for a brief window where the clouds parted and I chase a cruising pair, splashing my way to the leeward as I followed them in [...]
Posts Tagged ‘wading’
Travel Log: Of Slack Tides and Coconuts
March 21, 2011 9 am. High rising tide. Wind: ENE, 20 knots and gusty. Whitecaps foam against the ironshore as we descend into paradise. We’re as full of hope as always, our excitement belied by our brisk efficiency as we load packs, rig rods, make lunches, and slap on a few coats of SPF 50 [...]
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. [...]
BREAKING EVEN: A Month in Bonefishing (Pt. V)
June 27, 2004 Occasionally, just occasionally circumstances and luck align in favor of the angler. Lord knows anglers get enough bad luck, it’s only fair that it swings the other way every once and a while. Call it bad luck for the fish, I guess. Yesterday I was wading the Head of Barkers waiting for [...]
The Old Tackle Bag…
I’ve been inspired by Bjorn over at BonefishOnTheBrain to post on some of the more practical aspects of my obsession. He’s off to a magical gathering called FIBFest (while us more plebian folk are left to freeze our nethers off–metaphorically speaking). That got me thinking about what I’d carry in my pack–other than like a [...]
