TR-observations of a newbie bonefisher -#1 (intro)

in short, bonefishing is a humbling experience to a newbie sal****er
flyfisherman. every flaw in one's casting and line management and fly
presentation is revealed, quickly and often. i have a lot of flaws.

but, following almost 2-weeks of fly fishing the waters around south
andros, i can now mark bonefish off my bucket list. it was a blast and
an intense learning experience. i hope to return for more lessons.

for me, sal****er flyfishing is very different from the mountain trout
fishing i do, with unique challenges. luckily, both are available to me
in north carolina.

for about 20 years, i've done mainly freshwater trout flyfishing when i
had a vacation. otherwise, i've been doing spinfishing in the freshwater
for bass and shad, and in the sal****er for puppy drum, speckled trout,
flounder, bluefish, spanish mackeral and false albacore. with the
encouragement of a friend, and after seeing his glee at hooking an albie
on a fly, i began brief attempts at flyfishing for them and for my
favorite sal****er fish, the puppy drum.

i'm only a mediocre trout fly fisherman...but secure enough in my
knowledge and ability to do it in most places. i'm a miserable sal****er
flyfisherman.

so naturally, this kindergartner of sal****er flyfishing enrolled at the
m.i.t. for bonefishing...south andros, bahamas. it was a hoot! downright
embarrassing at times... but because i was in the company of good folks,
such times became shared laughter and fun and pleasant tutorials. i was
tolerated, as were my deficiencies. i learned, and now i've a new fish
to yearn after as a possible clue in the pursuit of answers to the great
mystery.

for those who haven't done it, if you're able to make it happen, give
bonefishing a go. i'll try to pass on observations from my initial
adventure in other posts.

jeff (more to come, as time and mood allow)

jeff typed:
in short, bonefishing is a humbling experience to a newbie sal****er
flyfisherman.
snip

Thanks for the report, Jeff.
--
TL,
Tim

"jeff" wrote in message
. ..
in short, bonefishing is a humbling experience to a newbie sal****er
flyfisherman. every flaw in one's casting and line management and fly
presentation is revealed, quickly and often.

the toughest part, for me, was dealing with the damned wind. it blew
uncessantly, 15-25 mph. my right shoulder nearly exploded. casts were
longer than any i had ever attempted, as well.
looking forward to lots of narrative, jeffie.

yfitp
wayno

GETTING THERE...

so....flight left raleigh at 6 a.m. on march 19, connection in atlanta
to nassau. once in nassau, where i was to meet willi & danl, we were to
catch a western air puddle jumper at 4 pm over to congo town
international airport on south andros. western air is a bahamian owned
inter-island transport. it's counter service is unique...just ask willi.
laid back...takes off when they feel like it, schedule be damned. fares
seem to vary as well...mine was 120, willi's was 140 or 150.

the airport terminal in nassau is under construction and there are
delays sitting on the tarmac as well as in the terminal. most folks
flying into nassau are headed for some wasteland called atlantis. i sat
beside a nice guy, married, in his 30s, two kids age 6 and 9. he was
headed to atlantis with the family. when i told him my destination, i
could see the tremble in his spirit and a longing in his eyes...but i
couldn't save him or offer any salvation. it's a rite of passage, and
it was his turn.

i arrived in nassau around 11 am, so after checking all my stuff at
western air's counter (at the far end of the terminal, keep walking), i
found a nice bar, settled in, and watched cnn's libya reporting. jeez,
what a downer...but, the rum punches soon settled that issue and i
struck up a conversation with a couple from british columbia while i
waited for my friends. some hours later, lanky danl ambles by and we get
his western air check-in done. while waiting for willi over a few more
drinks at the bar, we see a mark twain moustache blur go flying by.
willi was running to western air because he was told the flight was
leaving at 3:30 or so and he'd just gotten in at 3:15. ha! 3:30
bahamian time is really about 4:30 or 5. however, once at the counter,
the western representative (reminded me of a not so svelte latifa with a
mike tyson disposition) informed willi he was supposed to be on the 8:30
am morning flight and she didn't know if he'd have a seat on the
afternoon and only remaining flight of the day. not good news... but, we
found latifa's supervisor, and after a few benjamin's were laid on the
counter, willi miraculously was assured a seat and we were off to congo
town.

congo town international airport...hmmm. think about your local
laundromat...it's about that size and configuration. but, an excellent
landing and welcome. the car rental was handled on the hood of the
car...a toyota "little windy". too small to hold our luggage, driver's
steering wheel on the right side, but great on gas ($7 a gallon).

1st stop, congo town beer and liquor. a reasonable and civilized 500
yards from the airport. our rental car agent called ahead and had the
proprietor open the place for our personal private shopping pleasure.
willi bought some local bahamian rotgut rum (rogerson's rum?) for about
$4 and i got a bottle of cruzan aged rum for $10. we also bought the
local brew, kalik (gold) and some heineken. the kalik gold proved tasty
and the favorite fishing drink. then off to our seaside home for the
next 2 weeks...just a right turn a block away, down 300 feet to a dirt
road running parallel to the seashore and then about 3 blocks down that
palm tree-lined seashore road to the coconut house, our residence.
definitely not a fishing shack, but split 3 ways a very good bargain as
compared to lodge or resort living. 3 bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen,
view of the ocean, local bahamians living on either side, three local
dogs to welcome us daily, an american musician (guitarist) married to a
bahamian living several houses down, a beautiful beach...nice and
comfortable. yeah, 2 weeks might not be enough.

SOUTH ANDROS...

andros island is the largest island in the bahamas chain and it sits
between florida and nassau. it's actually 3 (or 4) separate and
unconnected islands - north andros, mangrove cay, and south andros. most
(as in over 90%) of the island is uninhabited or uninhabitable. north
andros is the most developed and populated; south andros, the least. the
andros islands are separated by "bights", waterways that go completely
across the island width, east/west. lots of smaller creeks/bights within
and shooting off from the main bights too. i didn't visit mangrove cay
or north andros. the topogrophy of south andros includes sandy beaches,
rocky coral bluffs and beachfronts, sal****er flats, marshes, canals,
swampy areas, mangrove swamps, low scrub coral rock scrabble land with
some vegetation, areas with bushy bluffs and palm trees, and immense
pine forests off the inland waterways that reminded me of west bluff bay
in hyde county, nc. the only road on south andros runs from driggs hill
south to mars bay, with one short trib road at deep creek that runs west
about 2 miles. the south island width is about 26 miles +/-.

the third largest coral reef in the world lies just a mile off the
eastern shore of the island. divers and fishermen comprise the majority
of the tourists to south andros. it has miles of beautiful beaches on
the eastern coast that rarely see a human footprint. the west coast is
unpopulated and accessible only by boat or seaplane. there is a small
fishing lodge for the wealthy on the west coast that accommodates 6 or 8
people. the west side is the valhalla of fishing...

there are 2 upscale, small resort type lodges on south andros suitable
for the non-fishing spouse who requires the finer things...tiamo, and
emerald palms. tiamo is only accessible by boat. those requiring pricey
luxury can find it at either place...my choice and recommendation would
be tiamo. throw your wallet on the dock and don't look back. but...a
very, very pleasant spot. (more on how i got there later...it wasn't by
boat).

in short, south andros is not a tourist or a comfy resort stop. it
really is one of those places still in discovery for the american
visitor, and fishing for a bonefish is probably among the best reason to
go there. once there, you'll find many other unique and special things
about the place if you work at it. there are a number of bonefishing
lodges. none look in reality like they do on the internet (except
tiamo). if you want an all-inclusive trip, andros south run by deneki is
probably the best deal. rw is there now, and i reckon he'll let us know
about his experience.

lots of fishable waters. lots of bonefish (and sharks and barracuda),
and a few tarpon. very few fishermen. ideal!

south andros is economically depressed...severely depressed. but, it is
populated with generous, happy, and gregarious folk that make strangers
(and their dollars) feel welcome. i particularly liked our grand lady
hostess for our rental in congo town, ms. rosalita davis. her husband
died a few weeks before our arrival. they had been married 65 years. she
couldn't bring herself to visit his grave that was in a small cemetery
about 1/4 down the road. still, she always had a smile for us, happy
words, and an "amen" to share. in addition, she cooked and gave to us
conch fritters and bread. a beautiful lady. her son jerry lived next
door. he is a talented wood carver. danl and i bought some of his works
for our spouses... very handy. he was an interesting guy to talk with as
well.

settled in the first night. willi and i had been up for almost 20 hours
getting to south andros, with little sleep the night before. next day
we did a bit of grocery shopping and looked around, then first day of
fishing with our guide...marvin J. MILLER!! (to be continued)

jeff

On 4/8/2011 7:20 PM, jeff wrote:

wonderful report snipped

I'm enjoying every bit of these reports. Will look forward to hearing
from the other two reprobates, as well. Thanks for sharing!!

Tom

On Apr 8, 7:20*pm, jeff wrote:
GETTING THERE...

so....flight left (((snipped for unknown latitudes of hoppiness ;-))))))))))))))))))))))))

so hoppy for you mon and your mates wow.

On 4/9/2011 8:40 AM, ezflyfishin' wrote:
On Apr 8, 7:20 pm, wrote:
GETTING THERE...

so....flight left (((snipped for unknown latitudes of hoppiness ;-))))))))))))))))))))))))

so hoppy for you mon and your mates wow.


a few more photos from danl's camera posted on abpf... tim, if you can
capture, feel free to do so for posting on your pages...

jeff typed:
On 4/9/2011 8:40 AM, ezflyfishin' wrote:
On Apr 8, 7:20 pm, wrote:
GETTING THERE...

so....flight left (((snipped for unknown latitudes of hoppiness
;-))))))))))))))))))))))))

so hoppy for you mon and your mates wow.


a few more photos from danl's camera posted on abpf... tim, if you can
capture, feel free to do so for posting on your pages...

No abpf access any longer. However, email would work. tim at sbcma dot com.
--
TL,
Tim

On Apr 19, 6:44*am, jeff wrote:
On 4/9/2011 8:40 AM, ezflyfishin' wrote:

On Apr 8, 7:20 pm, *wrote:
GETTING THERE...

so....flight left (((snipped for unknown latitudes of hoppiness ;-))))))))))))))))))))))))

so hoppy for you mon and your mates wow.

a few more photos from danl's camera posted on abpf... tim, if you can
capture, feel free to do so for posting on your pages...

The ROFF facebook group is a good place to put pics.
Frank Reid

On 4/19/2011 9:02 PM, Frank Reid © 2010 wrote:
On Apr 19, 6:44 am, wrote:
On 4/9/2011 8:40 AM, ezflyfishin' wrote:

On Apr 8, 7:20 pm, wrote:
GETTING THERE...

so....flight left (((snipped for unknown latitudes of hoppiness ;-))))))))))))))))))))))))

so hoppy for you mon and your mates wow.

a few more photos from danl's camera posted on abpf... tim, if you can
capture, feel free to do so for posting on your pages...

The ROFF facebook group is a good place to put pics.
Frank Reid

posted photos on roff facebook group page...