Post by sharky on Oct 11, 2007 10:27:43 GMT 8
Aye Mattseah, they're tons of fun filled bluegills, perch, crappie and stripped bass variants that take small flies pretty aggressively. I'll snap a few pictures the next time round. I usually don't bother because they're easy to catch and kinda tiny in size.
Also, thanks again alberto for your valued input. I might just go for the Bauer. I read that cork disc drags are about as good as it gets.
67er, that video link you sent me was pretty wicked. It reminded me of how my tiny #4 reel spins when a bonefish grabs my crazy charlie. I wish they tested out more reels and gave a more comprehensive review. Still, it was entertaining and insightful.
Oh and An Ren, here are some pics that I took when I went to the Bahamas. First off, Bahamas itself is made out of several hunderd small islands. The island I went to, Andros, is the biggest but also the least inhabited and possibly the least developed.
On Andros, there are quite a number of Bonefishing clubs. I randomly got introduced to the Andros Island Bonefishing Club (AIBC). I was alone, didn't know a thing, so when a lady approached me for a friendly chat, I had her introduce me to one and I'm glad she hooked me up with AIBC.
Apparently, Jim Teeny's wife, Donna Teeny, is the Operations manager of AIBC and they're no stranger to fly angling "legends." Jim and his wife fish there regularly and so does Lefty Kreh. There are several pictures of them hanging on the walls including some taken early this year. The owner of AIBC though, is Captain Rupert Leadon.
The contact numbers you see on the board are accurate. Next is the living quarters, its pretty spacious, clean and can accommodate 2 people.
This is the owner, Captain Rupert Leadon doing his renowned saw scratching music at the bonefish club bar. Here's where we relax and have meals.
This is the view I wake up to every morning for the 3 days I was there. Beautiful, relaxing and peaceful. If you notice, in the background you can already see a tiny portion of Andros island's bonefish flats. Even there, just 100 meters from the club, you can catch bonefish, reef sharks and tarpon.
These flats are the ones close to the bonefish club. You can wade out there by yourself and try for bonefish. I did, and I managed 2 hookups. Although it isn't a "hotspot" where you can see schools of them, the bones occasionally show up early morning.
I only had enough finance to cover 1 glorious day of chasing these ghosts of the flats the next few pictures give you a rough idea of what to expect. This is me, heading out early morning at about 8:30am. Since I was a noob at fly fishing then, the guide, one of Rupert's sons took me out to chase tailing schoolies.
Once you reach a particular flat, you'll get off the boat and start wading. The water on the Bahaman flats are not very deep at all, from ankle to thigh high and they run for hunderds of clicks. (240 miles I heard.) Thats me here and thats the boat.
For the next few hours you're running up and down the flats with your eyes peeled looking for a glimpse of a silvery tail or a subtle splash in the water. My untrained eye, with no polarized sunglasses rarely could see a thing unless the whole school was right in front of me. My guide led the way and told me where to cast, when to strip, when to strip strike, how to walk without alarming the cautious bonefish. Its just a huge open flat...like so.
Like I said, I didn't bring my camera along when I was catching them so I most sadly DON'T HAVE A PICTURE OF MY Bonefish TRIP!!! Arrrghgh! But still, this little gar managed to get foul hooked on my crazy charlie and he's the only proof of catch.
On the other 2 days I didn't fish with a guide, I fished myself. The guys at AIBC were really friendly and even offered to hook me up with this ocean kayak so I could just paddle out for some fun. Thats when I got the 2 hookups but didn't manage to bring them in.
I know you would want to look at fishes and all but sadly I don't have any. Despite the photos looking plain and lacking any identifiable exciting feature, the beauty of the Bahamas flats is the grandeur of the wide open ocean. With you standing in the middle of it. Just miles and miles of beautiful soft sand between your toes as you tread lightly along. Somewhere in that huge space of water is some huge bonefish, lurking. Waiting for you to make that perfect delicate cast before he takes off with it racing through the flats with your reel whizzing away. It was really an experience of a lifetime.
Of course, not all of Bahamas is this "rural". The capital city, Nassau aka Paradise Island is filled with other exciting features such as this really magnificent resort called Atlantis. Casinos, clubs, underwater aquariums etc etc. That's where I had to catch a boat to Andros Island by the way. I'll leave you a rather interesting picture of my snorkeling with the sharks. Yes, with the very ones below, but of course that was when they weren't worked up into a feeding frenzy yet...
An Ren, I'll be headed back to SG this Dec. I had such a good time at AIBC that I'd be glad to pass you a booklet brochure they gave me. It tells you their contact, their exact location, the best times to go, what to bring, pictures of the guides (Rupert's sons), etc. Send me your contact details and I'll contact you when I'm back. Maybe we could even meet up for a fishing session.
Jerry
Also, thanks again alberto for your valued input. I might just go for the Bauer. I read that cork disc drags are about as good as it gets.
67er, that video link you sent me was pretty wicked. It reminded me of how my tiny #4 reel spins when a bonefish grabs my crazy charlie. I wish they tested out more reels and gave a more comprehensive review. Still, it was entertaining and insightful.
Oh and An Ren, here are some pics that I took when I went to the Bahamas. First off, Bahamas itself is made out of several hunderd small islands. The island I went to, Andros, is the biggest but also the least inhabited and possibly the least developed.
On Andros, there are quite a number of Bonefishing clubs. I randomly got introduced to the Andros Island Bonefishing Club (AIBC). I was alone, didn't know a thing, so when a lady approached me for a friendly chat, I had her introduce me to one and I'm glad she hooked me up with AIBC.
Apparently, Jim Teeny's wife, Donna Teeny, is the Operations manager of AIBC and they're no stranger to fly angling "legends." Jim and his wife fish there regularly and so does Lefty Kreh. There are several pictures of them hanging on the walls including some taken early this year. The owner of AIBC though, is Captain Rupert Leadon.
The contact numbers you see on the board are accurate. Next is the living quarters, its pretty spacious, clean and can accommodate 2 people.
This is the owner, Captain Rupert Leadon doing his renowned saw scratching music at the bonefish club bar. Here's where we relax and have meals.
This is the view I wake up to every morning for the 3 days I was there. Beautiful, relaxing and peaceful. If you notice, in the background you can already see a tiny portion of Andros island's bonefish flats. Even there, just 100 meters from the club, you can catch bonefish, reef sharks and tarpon.
These flats are the ones close to the bonefish club. You can wade out there by yourself and try for bonefish. I did, and I managed 2 hookups. Although it isn't a "hotspot" where you can see schools of them, the bones occasionally show up early morning.
I only had enough finance to cover 1 glorious day of chasing these ghosts of the flats the next few pictures give you a rough idea of what to expect. This is me, heading out early morning at about 8:30am. Since I was a noob at fly fishing then, the guide, one of Rupert's sons took me out to chase tailing schoolies.
Once you reach a particular flat, you'll get off the boat and start wading. The water on the Bahaman flats are not very deep at all, from ankle to thigh high and they run for hunderds of clicks. (240 miles I heard.) Thats me here and thats the boat.
For the next few hours you're running up and down the flats with your eyes peeled looking for a glimpse of a silvery tail or a subtle splash in the water. My untrained eye, with no polarized sunglasses rarely could see a thing unless the whole school was right in front of me. My guide led the way and told me where to cast, when to strip, when to strip strike, how to walk without alarming the cautious bonefish. Its just a huge open flat...like so.
Like I said, I didn't bring my camera along when I was catching them so I most sadly DON'T HAVE A PICTURE OF MY Bonefish TRIP!!! Arrrghgh! But still, this little gar managed to get foul hooked on my crazy charlie and he's the only proof of catch.
On the other 2 days I didn't fish with a guide, I fished myself. The guys at AIBC were really friendly and even offered to hook me up with this ocean kayak so I could just paddle out for some fun. Thats when I got the 2 hookups but didn't manage to bring them in.
I know you would want to look at fishes and all but sadly I don't have any. Despite the photos looking plain and lacking any identifiable exciting feature, the beauty of the Bahamas flats is the grandeur of the wide open ocean. With you standing in the middle of it. Just miles and miles of beautiful soft sand between your toes as you tread lightly along. Somewhere in that huge space of water is some huge bonefish, lurking. Waiting for you to make that perfect delicate cast before he takes off with it racing through the flats with your reel whizzing away. It was really an experience of a lifetime.
Of course, not all of Bahamas is this "rural". The capital city, Nassau aka Paradise Island is filled with other exciting features such as this really magnificent resort called Atlantis. Casinos, clubs, underwater aquariums etc etc. That's where I had to catch a boat to Andros Island by the way. I'll leave you a rather interesting picture of my snorkeling with the sharks. Yes, with the very ones below, but of course that was when they weren't worked up into a feeding frenzy yet...
An Ren, I'll be headed back to SG this Dec. I had such a good time at AIBC that I'd be glad to pass you a booklet brochure they gave me. It tells you their contact, their exact location, the best times to go, what to bring, pictures of the guides (Rupert's sons), etc. Send me your contact details and I'll contact you when I'm back. Maybe we could even meet up for a fishing session.
Jerry