Back home!!!

To my nautical family!!!!! 13 months away - they are the rock stars for having to deal with my being away! I love you all infinity!

Last Day of Fishing (the spot)

Damsel fish caught on a scud fly. Good thing I crimped the barb down... This is the last fish I caught while stationed where I was (don't ask - I won't tell). I did catch a grouper, some darts, some snapper and a few wrasses, but this damsel gets the distinct honor of being the last fish I caught where I was at!

Smallest Trevally

And here is one of the smallest trevally I've caught. At this size, it's hard to tell what species it is, but from the location, it's probably a BFT. I also caught a tiny Two Barred Goatfish (but didn't take a picture. Taking a step back from trying to catch the biggest fish and appreciating what is around you is an often overlooked therapy.

Biggest Sergeant Major

Here is one of the biggest Sergeant Major fish I've caught.

The Other Fish

Besides the mullet and the bones, I also hooked up with a BFT (and missed another - but the strikes were awesome!), several big goat fish, tons of snapper, a bunch of wrasses, some darts and a grouper. Very good day flyfishing! Also - I've just about got my double haul nailed. I can tell when I need to haul to load the rod on both the back cast and the forward cast - feels really good to be able to cast far and strong. If it isn't apparent from all the blogging I've done on flyfishing, I think I'll be sticking with this for a long time to come -

Another one off the list

I caught a mullet on the fly today. Hooked its tail with a Meko Special as the school was passing by - HUGE fight!!! These fish are nearly as hard to land as bonefish (of which I caught a few - almost at will if I could see the school - hooked up and spat - 4, landed - 4). I have been trying to hook a mullet for a year now - felt good to get another one checked off the list!

Good Deed

This is Jason Masculli - he's been trying to catch a fish on the fly for 10.5 months. I've fished with him for several sessions, gave copious advice and watch in my own frustration as time after time he didn't hook into a fish (considering at times I've pulled them in like flies to stink right along side using silly simple flies). Yesterday was different. After fishing with Mike down south, on our way back, we saw Jason's truck. I told Mike to pull over - I'll go fishing with Jason. I saw him at the 'spot' fishing to left bank. I walked up and he said there were bunches of BFTs, but that every time he saw them, he couldn't get off a good cast. I suggested we move to the right bank because of the silly easy fishing I've been having there. As we walked over, I caught the Bonefish I wrote about on the last post (solo bone on the bread fly) and several other fish (darts, pinfish, snapper, etc). With the tide out, we were out past the normal spot and on to a large school of bones. I called out the shots but he was still having trouble getting the fly out. I walked up to him and asked to see his rod. I suggested (and went ahead and did it) to cut his leader down - he had wind knots on the lower part of the leader anyways - but I explained that the long leader requirements from calm freshwater scenarios aren't necessary out here in the salt. While I was fixing his rig, I told him to cast mine so at least one of us was fishing. Well - within a couple of casts, he hooked into a big dart - so FINALLY he caught a fish on the fly. Unfortunately, it was with my gear and to top that off, after retying his rig, I cast out to the school and hooked into a bone (so now his gear works). Eventually the tide started to come in and we had to move back up to the shoreline. I stitched to my tiny flies and started to catch at ludicrous speed. Jason was starting to feel the bites, but not hooking up. He decided to switch flies and after another long wait, he finally got a strike - we both thought it was a small trevally, but when I got a glimpse during the fight, it was a good sized bonefish. Three minutes later, he had landed his first fish on the fly and his first bonefish. The guy was buzzing with adrenaline! So with more patience than even I thought I could muster, some good weather and water conditions and a little gear tweaking, I did my good deed for the year and in the process transformed from novice flyfisherman (I'm getting better at my double hauls and getting the fly way out there) to budding guide (but still have a ways to go).

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.

First Flyfishing Fish on a Boat

Hooked into a 5 pound Bluefin Trevally while fishing off a Mako. I had one of the clouser-ish flies I recently tied on the line and the BFT stopped, looked at it and ate it up. Despite the picture, I didn't land the fish - it broke me off, but the fight felt good. Lesson learned - if fishing off a boat, a heavier fly helps.

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.

Popeye and the Ostrich Tactics

Ghost Crabs on the flats. The one-eyed crab was one bad dude - wasn't scared of me at all (or maybe he couldn't see me...). The other crab was demonstrating a tactic they all seem to use - run to the water and bury yourself if confronted with something bigger than you are. I saw one other situation today that explains the tactic - a moray got hold of a crab and was plucking legs off one at a time. If you can bury yourself, the moray can't get you (moray are good at getting in crevices, but they can't dig).

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.

Just a little one...

Come on baby - just one kiss??? You look soooo sweet... And sooooo pretty!!!! I could just eat you up!!!!