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

On 4/12/2011 2:41 PM, Wayne Harrison wrote:
wrote in message
. ..
posted some pics on abpf...

jeffie, don't stop now. these reports are the most rewarding reading on
roff in god only knows how long.

and, where the hell are the observations of your sidekicks, dan'l and willi?

yfitp
wayno



thanks wayno, the hyperbole and encouragement are appreciated. there are
so many worthy memories and stories to tell about the trip, but my
ability is inadequate to the task of a proper reporting. i'll keep at it
for a bit more, but nearly done.

i think danl and willi have retained those astute brain cells i lost
years ago that govern any desire to become mired in roff's hidden and
unexpected bogs...though i continue to find sufficient firm and clear
ground, everyone knows i'm short the grey matter those fellers are
blessed to have. it's a shame, because they are a hoot and see/find/talk
about stuff that both amuses and interests. we are the worse here for
their absence. i'm fortunate to be among their audience once or twice a
year.

jeff

I can't match Jeff's excellent TR so I won't even try.

Enough to say that I fished with some very nice and interesting people
at Andros South, caught my share of bonefish, and failed in my quest
to catch a very large one or a shark. I also learned quite a bit from
the guides about casting in the wind and bonefishing tactics.

Took very few photos -- not worth posting.

Planning to go to the Seychelles again in November. Andros was the
second best place I've flats fished. :-)

On 2011-04-13 11:08:05 -0400, " said:


Planning to go to the Seychelles again in November. Andros was the
second best place I've flats fished. :-)

Hmmm. Seychellses, Seychelles. Why does it have to be so far away? d;o(

Hope you at least had a good trip.

Dave

On Apr 12, 4:01*pm, jeff wrote:

blessed to have. it's a shame, because they are a hoot and see/find/talk
about stuff that both amuses and interests. we are the worse here for
their absence. i'm fortunate to be among their audience once or twice a
year.

Having fished and hung out with both (twice, iirc), I'll second that.
Thanks for the TRs, you did something I can only imagine at this point
in my life. Danl and Willi, if you're sneakin' in and reading this,
glad to hear y'all are still alive and kickin'...

Jon.

On 2011-04-13 11:08:05 -0400, " said:

"Planning to go to the Seychelles again in November. Andros was the
second best place I've flats fished. :-)"

Who do you use to book the Seychelles trip, RW?

Dave
(I've got to do it in 2012....can't wait much longer...)

On Apr 13, 3:51*pm, D. LaCourse wrote:
On 2011-04-13 11:08:05 -0400, " said:

"Planning to go to the Seychelles again in November. Andros was the
second best place I've flats fished. :-)"

Who do you use to book the Seychelles trip, RW?

Dave
(I've got to do it in 2012....can't wait much longer...)

Angler Adventures, Alphone Island Resort.

It's a physically easy trip. The worst part, which I also encountered
in Andros, was slamming the skiff at high speed through heavy seas and
rain, but you're an old Navy guy, right?

Funny thing: Andros is just about as hard to get to, for me, as is the
Seychelles. Three hour drive to Boise, stay overnight, next day 7am
flight to Phoenix, connect to Ft. Lauderdale, connect via Bahamas Air
to Nassau, connect via Western Air to Andros. Have to stay over in
either Ft. Lauderdale or Nassau. (I recommend Ft. Lauderdale, but
that's another story.) It takes three days. Sux.

(Apropos of the above comment, check out http://whitewhine.com/)

For the Seychelles I flew to Paris, stayed over a day and enjoyed some
of the many Paris charms, flew direct from Paris to Mahe, and
connected to Alphonse.

On Apr 8, 6:32*am, jeff wrote:
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.


Did you spend your time at one of maybe a dozen lodges there?
My buddy Duke and I had a great time at at the....**** I can't
remember.
Half way down the East side of the South Island.

They had one super good guide. John (Duke) and I caught 19 between
us one day when a video crew from some upstate New York cable TV
station got skunked. They turned out to be a bunch of right wing nut
cases
who got drunk and argued with us all night long. When we smoked them
fishing they began to shut up.

There is a South Island alternative to lodges. Stay with Elliot
Greene and his
lovely wife Pat at the Mangrove Cay Inn. It's like a motel with an
optional
bar and restaurant. Cheap too.

And then work with independent guides. Elliot will help you find
them.
Ornald "Shine" Greene and Marvin Miller are as good as it gets.
They've got
their own boats. Shine is captain of a 110' Crawfish boat during the
crawfish season.
He's smart. Witty. Can cast the whole fly line. And he knows where
the fish are.
Marvin too. The island people are half the fun.

On 4/13/2011 8:56 PM, salmobytes wrote:
On Apr 8, 6:32 am, wrote:
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.


Did you spend your time at one of maybe a dozen lodges there?
My buddy Duke and I had a great time at at the....**** I can't
remember.
Half way down the East side of the South Island.

They had one super good guide. John (Duke) and I caught 19 between
us one day when a video crew from some upstate New York cable TV
station got skunked. They turned out to be a bunch of right wing nut
cases
who got drunk and argued with us all night long. When we smoked them
fishing they began to shut up.

There is a South Island alternative to lodges. Stay with Elliot
Greene and his
lovely wife Pat at the Mangrove Cay Inn. It's like a motel with an
optional
bar and restaurant. Cheap too.

And then work with independent guides. Elliot will help you find
them.
Ornald "Shine" Greene and Marvin Miller are as good as it gets.
They've got
their own boats. Shine is captain of a 110' Crawfish boat during the
crawfish season.
He's smart. Witty. Can cast the whole fly line. And he knows where
the fish are.
Marvin too. The island people are half the fun.




we rented a 3 bedroom home amid the locals in congo town, rented a car,
and arranged our guide...marvin miller. except for the first day when it
was rough and windy, we always caught in excess of 12 fish a day with
marvin and missed triple that number. lots of shots at good size fish,
and a few monsters. marvin and shine (marvin's uncle, i think) work
together...and handle tiamo's business too. a great time...

On 2011-04-13 18:56:27 -0400, " said:

On Apr 13, 3:51*pm, D. LaCourse wrote:
On 2011-04-13 11:08:05 -0400, " s
aid:

"Planning to go to the Seychelles again in November. Andros was the
second best place I've flats fished. :-)"

Who do you use to book the Seychelles trip, RW?

Dave
(I've got to do it in 2012....can't wait much longer...)

Angler Adventures, Alphone Island Resort.

It's a physically easy trip. The worst part, which I also encountered
in Andros, was slamming the skiff at high speed through heavy seas and
rain, but you're an old Navy guy, right?

What's this "old" ****, Kimosabe. d;o) No heavy seas on a submarine,
*unless* you are running picket on the surface in the North Atlantic in
December. o'roark

Funny thing: Andros is just about as hard to get to, for me, as is the
Seychelles. Three hour drive to Boise, stay overnight, next day 7am
flight to Phoenix, connect to Ft. Lauderdale, connect via Bahamas Air
to Nassau, connect via Western Air to Andros. Have to stay over in
either Ft. Lauderdale or Nassau. (I recommend Ft. Lauderdale, but
that's another story.) It takes three days. Sux.

(Apropos of the above comment, check out http://whitewhine.com/)

For the Seychelles I flew to Paris, stayed over a day and enjoyed some
of the many Paris charms, flew direct from Paris to Mahe, and
connected to Alphonse.

If I go, I would overnight in a Euro city *and* Mahe.

Did you see my post about my booking a trip to Labrador? Seems I get a
new free Helios rod from my local Orvis store. What one would you
select for the Seychelles? I will probably put a Hatch reel on it
(local Orvis dealer pushing Hatches). I can also take a Sage XP 10 ft
7W as a back-up rod. Jeff recommends the 8 weight Helios.

Dave

On Apr 13, 8:47*pm, D. LaCourse wrote:
On 2011-04-13 18:56:27 -0400, " said:





On Apr 13, 3:51*pm, D. LaCourse wrote:
On 2011-04-13 11:08:05 -0400, " s
aid:

"Planning to go to the Seychelles again in November. Andros was the
second best place I've flats fished. :-)"

Who do you use to book the Seychelles trip, RW?

Dave
(I've got to do it in 2012....can't wait much longer...)

Angler Adventures, Alphone Island Resort.

It's a physically easy trip. The worst part, which I also encountered
in Andros, was slamming the skiff at high speed through heavy seas and
rain, but you're an old Navy guy, right?

What's this "old" ****, Kimosabe. *d;o) *No heavy seas on a submarine,
*unless* you are running picket on the surface in the North Atlantic in
December. *o'roark

Funny thing: Andros is just about as hard to get to, for me, as is the
Seychelles. Three hour drive to Boise, stay overnight, next day 7am
flight to Phoenix, connect to Ft. Lauderdale, connect via Bahamas Air
to Nassau, connect via Western Air to Andros. Have to stay over in
either Ft. Lauderdale or Nassau. (I recommend Ft. Lauderdale, but
that's another story.) It takes three days. Sux.

(Apropos of the above comment, check outhttp://whitewhine.com/)

For the Seychelles I flew to Paris, stayed over a day and enjoyed some
of the many Paris charms, flew direct from Paris to Mahe, and
connected to Alphonse.

If I go, I would overnight in a Euro city *and* Mahe.

Did you see my post about my booking a trip to Labrador? *Seems I get a
new free Helios rod from my local Orvis store. *What one would you
select for the Seychelles? *I will probably put a Hatch reel on it
(local Orvis dealer pushing Hatches). *I can also take a Sage XP 10 ft
7W as a back-up rod. *Jeff recommends the 8 weight Helios.

Dave

I bought a 12wt Helios for the Giant Trevally. Like it. For bonefish
an 8wt is ideal. They recommend a 10wt for milkfish.