Neal Osborn
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The above picture is a fish’s head half in and out of the water—definitely one of my favorite shots that I took over the past few weeks.
That is probably one of the better pictures a guy could take anytime let alone in the past few weeks, cheers. Welcome to the board. With an introduction like that you have raised your own expectations and we will expect pictures like that every week to feed our addiction ;D I think that your photography skills with a point-and-shoot are great. Great story line also. I enjoy seeing posts with a story/picture/narrative of fishing trips.
Jay, I have the same setup (MacBook Pro 17″ and a DSL connection – and my DSL is pretty crappy slow). The video is quite clear on my computer. For example, I can even see the flies they hold up with detail enough to see individual fibers. The Croc is also clear and the fish jumping in the water – each individual splash is noticeable. I have recently made a webpage for a friend and guide http://www.gregpoland.com and we linked a few youtube videos on the site and they also play clearly on both my computer and his older Mac. I am using Safari just like you.
Jay, I am curious about your internet connection because youtube videos on my Macbook and on my office computer are generally very clear and of good quality.
I think that you need to first set a SOLID price point and a maximum spending ceiling for the trip if you are going to do a DIY saltwater trip. In my experience, for a full 3 to 4 day trip (minimum time mind you, the more the better) one would be hard pressed to get in under $2,000; and that would be packing your own food, not eating out, staying in very cheap lodging, and not hiring a guide. Then factor in your destination and the tourism taxes/fees (add about 10%) and tip money (nobody is going to tell you the hot flats without a few bucks extra). If you have contacts then use them otherwise a travel agency will work with you but at a price. Also, you need to know and understand the moon phases and tide reports, aagghh. Remember that most of the great DIY bonefishing spots are in the Caribbean and also Mexico, especially Belize, but airfare is costly during peak times and cheap lodging is hard to come by. No matter how you look at it, bonefishing is expensive!
Furthermore, you need to have the right equipment, rods, reels, flies, etc. – we all know how expensive that stuff is if you have to start from scratch.
It is actually quite difficult to organize a “first-time” DIY bonefishing self-wading trip but it can be done. There are a few webpages and podcasts out there that discuss the potential sites, google it and do your homework.
I saw him again today while fishing, his name is “K”. Turns out I’m a bad judge of age; he is actually 15 years old :-[, sorry man. He was fishing with the bamboo pole, a nice 7 1/2 ft stick (I didn’t see the make/model). I talked to him for a while and he said that he has a strong interest in being either a “fishing guide” or an engineer; oh to be a teenager again with all the decisions ahead. I must say that he certainly has a great knowledge of the sport and it is great to see young people who have read so many books (he said he has about “50” fishing books).
(K, if you are reading this thread then feel free to join the site and post).
Brett, hang in there man, the sun will come out tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar . . .
If nothing else, you can always post pictures of your trip like these. Maybe not of you holding a fish but hey, they still remind you that you were in the Keys darn-it.
Pretty Tarpin! Too bad they were 10 feet from a no fishing sign. UV filter helps to capture these shots.
Me sitting on my butt after a bonefish blowout
Leaving Las Vegas (I mean Islamorada)
Nice pics Brett. Good to see your girl is enjoying the fishing. Hopefully she won’t mind hand-me-downs from Dad (I have a general idea of your fishing worth, hahaha). Good luck in the Keys, post some pictures of your trip.
Morsie,
Just so I get a feel for the bird’s movement that day . . . is he “dancing” around in the water with his plumes up?
Kris, what didn’t you like in particular? Was the line casted on grass or used on water? I practiced with an instructor with my 6-wt Zed and Rio Gold line and found out that I wasn’t starting the cast with enough of the head out from the rod tip; it has a longer taper than other lines. Once I let out about 10ft more my rod loaded much better and this line seems to be made for the fast action Z-axis or other type rods. Also, it does not necessarily perform better in short casts such as the 10-30 ft range which is typically used for dry fly fishing.
By the way, I used the 6wt Zed/Rio Gold setup this past week while fishing woolly buggers and Zuddlers and it was an absolute beauty of a setup. I was targeting longer casts at pocket water; about 40-50ft range up-river with quick strips back. I then switched to nymphing with size 18-20 flies within the riffles and noticed that the Rio Gold line was not as effective because most of my line was on the spool and I was not open casting. I too noticed that the tip tended to sink (others have noted this as well) but it was not a major problem since I was nymphing. I will probably prefer this line when using the heavy stuff in the future.
