Latest Completed Gyotakus

I spent more time at the Fort Belvoir MWR Frame Shop yesterday. Enough time to finish up the big GT I printed over a year ago. The framing was actually easy - easier than the printing. The big GT is hanging in our foyer now. Next up is finishing off some bonefish prints, framing those, then to catch a trophy sized sunnie and print it up (and find a good recipe for bluegill...)

Killed It!

Two spots today - mediocre results at the first spot, a virtual slaughter house at the second. Hooked into schoolie bones, tons of snappers, several darts and several BFTs. Even caught a solitary bone on a bread fly - ridiculous fun!!! I saw a hunting pack of HUGE BFTs and a Black Trevally - by the time I tied on a gummy minnow - they had moved on. I'm going back tomorrow!!! BTW - every fish I caught was safely released - crimping down the barbs on the hook and minimal handling allowed for strong swim aways.

Another Giveaway

It's been a while since I have posted, but lots to do - like making gyotaku from the biggest Dart in the whole world (at least from the one's I've caught). This one went to Bong. I've learned a bunch from him about making gyotaku - I figured leaving one with him was the least I could do.

Second Spot - Second Chance

I picked up and went back to the spot I was casting at yesterday. I tied on a bread fly and on the first cast, I brought up this feisty big eyed trevally. I focused on getting my timing down on my double haul and also tried more to feel the rod loading. Some of my best and longest casting to date! I saw a few needlefish too, but they weren't interested in the bread fly or the green scud I later tied on (although darts, snapper and some small BFTs certainly were). Over six hours flyfishing today -

Southern Exposure

The season is off for this spot, but I wanted to check it out one last time. I did see bonefish and BFTs, but with the rougher water and the wind in my face, I couldn't get any of them to take. I did get some darts and small snapper to take a bread fly so I didn't get skunked.

Saturday Morning Flyfishing

Well - the flies I tied all caught. I pinched the barbs down and releasing the fish was simple as can be. I caught the typical hawkfish, snapper, and small darts, but then found a spot that I saw a bunch of mullet swimming on the surface. I cast various flies over the school and then pulled in a few Big Eyed Trevally and a huge Dart - the biggest one I've caught. I saw a couple of bigger Blue Fin Trevally, changed out to a gummy minnow, but I wasn't stripping the line fast enough for them to take.

Mixed Plate Preparation

Flyfishing a nearby flat. TONS of parrotfish, but they weren't interested in the flies I cast. I might try to "spike" some flies tomorrow with some squid... I did catch this hodge-podge - two Two Barred Goatfish (chunky ones), a bunch of small snappers (I only kept one), a Dart and one of these really colorful wrasses. I saw a bunch of pinfish and some bonefish - but just like most of the fishing right now, the New Moon is in effect (the fish aren't biting...). Check the next post for what I am doing with these fish.

More small fish

Egg fly with the barb crimped down, fast stripping and WHACK!!! Tarpon-like action (just scaled down to micro sized) - this isn't much bigger than the smallest dart I've caught. The biggest approaches dinner plate sized.

Rounding Out

Several Darts, a few more hawkfish and a few bones - two of which took the fly, but spit the hook. I finally landed this guy. This is when my rod broke. Don't ask me how... this fish couldn't have weighed more the 3 pounds. Like I said before, good thing there's a good warranty on the rod! I stuck around and studied the place for while after the rod broke. Next post will show what I found -

Not What It Looks Like

No I was not flyfishing for this Bull, but the thought did cross my mind. There were tons of smaller fish in the water and I was going after them. I landed a dart and was trying for a bonefish, but this Bull was hell bent on staking his claim on the area. Obviously he wins by the gross tonnage rule.

Today's Fishing Report - 22 April

Flyfishing in the morning. Caught three schoolie bones, this huge Dart, a pinfish, a two-bar goatfish, and I hooked (and lost) a big Bluefin Trevally - more on that in a second. I caught most of the fish on an Orvis "Meko Special". I am going to start compressing the barbs on the flies I use to make releasing easier. So about the BFT. It was actually the first fish I hooked - I started off with a gummy minnow on the line. I found the magic spot where I normally fish (it was harder to recognize because the tide was not as low). Within a few seconds of wading out, I saw a blue flash - I cast the fly on a short roll cast and it hit it hard. Learning from the last few times I was in this situation, I let the fish take more line than not. It took me around two rocks and drug me out to water that was deeper. I wrestled that fish for 15 minutes and after another rock wrapping, it finally broke me off. The scream that I let go could probably be heard back stateside. 20# test was what that fish broke off - even though I lost, it was an epic battle and I'm getting closer to winning. That Dart was the biggest I've hooked up - it fought almost as hard a decent sized bonefish. All in all - a great day of fishing - hard, and slow between hits, but still great!

Small Fish Fun

I went after the smallest fish I could find today. Armed with the Tenkara Ito and using squid chunks on a tiny hook, I caught a wrasse, a Sergeant Major and several darts.

Just as much fun as hooking into the big ones!

Balancing...

Went flyfishing down south this morning.

The pictures are what I landed:
Three Darts (this one was pretty big - with all it's surface area, it was a great fighter)
Two Goatfish
One Bonefish (forearm sized)

I let all these guys go on their merry way.

What I don't have pictures of are the three medium sized Bluefin Trevally that took the fly, ran line out, fought a minute then spit the hook -

Not once

Not twice

But three times this happened to me.

After the first one spit, I contemplated using more force on the line during the fight. I figured I did not have enough tension on the line if they could spit the hook. But what I didn't want to do was break off at the tippet.

The small darts I let run, but the rod could easily overpower them (and flung the last one out of the water...).

On the other side of the scale were the three spitting BFTs.

I'm going back down tomorrow to settle a score... and possibly find some balance.

Flying Down South

Flyfishing this morning down at the Southern part of the island.

I hooked into a bonefish that subsequently broke off not only the fly, but the entire tippet.

After that, I thought I hooked into another one, but instead it turned out to be a pinfish. I caught a second (bigger one). These guys have some fight in them - not as intense as a bonefish but good nonetheless. They even look similar to bonefish in the water - olive/electric green backs, narrow profile, travels in schools, etc.

As I was dealing with the second pinfish I hooked, I saw an entire schools of bonefish breeze on by - like they were waiting for me to get distracted. That was the last I saw of them.

I was walking back along the shoreline and I saw some darts schooling within a few feet. I cast the fly and just pulled the rod back - WHACK! The dart went hysterical for the bitter fly! I landed a fish each time I cast - about ten of them by the time I reached the starting point.

All fish were caught and released.

Awesome fishing morning!