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Bonito + Bluefish Video

It was the first day of the trip and Jeremy and I used a small skiff to look for Bonito and Bluefish. Jeremy once told me that down in Rhode Island it is a completly different salt water world than what I was accustomed to in Maine. Everybody in Rhode Island seems to love Stripers, and Bluefish are kind of under rated and considered a nuisance because there are so many around. But, Jeremy always said that he loves to fly fish for Bluefish. So, when Jeremy and I set out in the skiff, it was not long before we found our first acre of busting bluefish with no other boats on them. It was amazing. Bluefish were crashing bait for as far as the eyes could see. I was able to land my first Bluefish on the fly. Jeremy positioned the skiff ahead of the busting fish and handed me his 9 weight fly rod with a wire leader and some sort of Deceiver pattern. The Bluefish worked their way towards us and when they were in range I hauled out my line. I thought it was a short cast, but I guess not. I started stripping in my line and Immediatly the fly rod was bent and line was pouring off the reel at a good clip, and soon enough I had caught my first Bluefish on the fly. Jeremy and I got started early the next morning and made our way around the Rhode Island coast until the sun came up. At every Bonito spot we checked, we saw tons of bait, Bluefish and Stripers but no Bonito or Albies. So, we hopped on the Block Island Ferry. Our feet hit Block Island and I could almost smell the fish. Jeremy and I stood out on two seperate, slippery rocks. We resisted the undying urge to blind cast and decided to wait for the busting fish to make their way on shore. I was tired, hungry, confused and

soaked to the bone from the previous rain storm and crashing waves. My bunny fly was fouled to no end and my line was twisted and tangled. Just as I start to get myself situated, jeremy spots the Bonito. "There they are!" I look up with excitement but I knew there was no way I was getting a cast into the crashing Bonito. The busts are immediatly reconized to be tuna, because of the fast movement of bait, large sprays instead of the typical bluefish or striper slurp and tail slapping. In an instant Jeremy's fly rod was stressed to the max and his reel was singing! And soon enough Jeremy had landed our first Bonito of the trip and his first ever Bonito from shore. Soon enough, the Bonito were busting up and down the shoreline infront of me. Taunting me and testing all of my patience and skills. The rain was blowing in my face and my glasses were so fogged up I could hardly see, but it surely didn't stop the Bonito from coming through and tearing up the bait infront of me. Everything was moving fast but felt like slow motion. A beautiful Bonito jumped out of the water only a few feet from the beach. I could clearly make out the forked tail, the vibrant stripes and the rocket shaped body. I wanted to catch that fish so badly. Even though I got my fly close. The Bonito did not take my fly. I left without the Bonito but had the experience of a lifetime.