A Taste of Things To Come

Back at the mothership, we learned of another successful outing by land and it was decided that it would be our turn fishing the the flats by rental car. After cooking up some burgers and hot dogs below deck and downing a few beers, my brother and I climbed into our sleeping quarters. Two ENO hammocks strung up on the masts of the ship where they swayed precariously over the side of the boat. The constant rocking of the boat and howling of 30 mph winds made for difficult sleeping conditions. However, our tired bodies fell asleep easily under a blanket of stars with the milky way galaxy easily visible to the naked eye. Around 3 a.m. the winds increased and a smattering of rain on my face indicated an approaching squall. Soon, Matt, Stephan, Stefan, and I joined the others below deck, where we distributed ourselves on benches and the floor for the remaining dark hours of the night.

Conch Wasteland.

Teamwork.

The rain continued until almost noon before clearing.  It allowed us a few hours on the flats before departing the island. Matt, Adam, Alex Davidson, and I decided to fish a section of beaches where we would sight fish to bones in very skinny water. Our last second decision proved wise when after bushwacking through mangroves and jumping cacti we feasted our eyes on several tailing bones. First on deck, Adam delicately landed an offering of crab in front of two tailers that promptly fought over it. The hookset pulled the fly out of their mouths before they tucked tail in a symphony of flying water. Adam decided to trim the size of crab to allow the hook point to have a greater chance at finding flesh. Batting second, I found a single fish mere feet offshore that pounced on a hybrid kwabbit/kwan with a chenille body. My fly also popped out. Examining the fly revealed a rusted hook underneath the chenille that was not visible to the naked eye. The thick lips of the bonefish broke it in two leaving a hookless fly and an unhappy fishermen left to dwell on a beginner's mistake. Alex hooked up with a nice fish that shook free as he landed it. We were 0-3.

Video Still Of Adam's First Chance.

Bonefishing From The Beach.

With the deadline of 3 o'clock approaching, we started to become nervous. The thought of another boneless day on the flats crept into our minds when something unexpected happened. While nursing a Newport on the bank, a large silouhette crept into the view of Adam's polarized shades. Heading towards shore, the torpedo shaped bone crept ever closely to a freshly shaved crab pattern tucked into the sand. One strip later, he pounced and Adam let out a triumphant scream of joy. Together we gathered to feast our eyes on a very large fish. Little did we know, but this exact scenario would prove to be a taste of things to come on a future adventure on the very same beaches.

Video Still of the Big Boy.