 Andros Island Bahamas Bonefishing: Long Strip, Wait, Slowly, Hard Strip!
Posted by bonefisher on December 15, 2006
When we arrived at the Andros Island Bonefish Club the people there were happy to see us seeing it was mid august. The lodge was empty, no one fishes for bonefish in mid august. "To damn hot man," said my guide Willy, or Bonefish Willy as I soon named him. Anyways, we were there almost all of our luggage was lost but, the thought of that soon disappeared when the cool breeze blew my hair back as I sat at the Tiki bar. I was promptly brought dinner of conch chowder and fresh grouper. Watching the sunset there was the most remarkable thing. I could barely sleep that night in anticipation of the next day. 6 AM hit me like a ton of bricks, but i was soon dressed and at breakfast. We met our guides Rombo and Bonefish Willy. Willy, I soon learned as we raced off the dock dodging jagged rocks, had been guiding for 40 years. He was 62 years old, he could not read or write, but he knew his bonies. I was carrying with me my $50 White River piece of junk reel, matched with my good friend Paul's $600 Scott 4 piece rod. Ok, it was my first time really fly fishing for bonefish, or anything on the flats, so give me a break. Willy stopped the boat on a beautiful sand flat. I hopped
in the water with my rod, and my dad followed. After we walked 50 yards he said, "OK mahn let's see what you cahn do." "OK," I replied, i knew i could cast an 8 wt over 60 ft, I had done it not 2 months earlier. My first cast was horrible. I felt embarrassed being in front of "Mr. Bonefish Willy" who has been guiding professional fisherman for a billion years. Anyway I picked up and threw a good one. We saw hundreds of bones and I either scared them or there was a shark chasing them and they wouldnt eat. After we would walk several hundred yards Willy would say to me,"Keep going, I'm going to get the boat." I thought to myself are you joking me, I'll go back with you and you can motor us back up. Sure enough he would walk back to me with the boat. Neither I nor my dad could hook up with a fish that morning. After we walked the most gorgeous flats i had ever seen we came to a patchy bottom and 30 MPH winds. Suddenly a large school of bonefish came over a patch of sand. "Cast your line!" Bonefish Willy exclaimed. I throw a mediocre cast to the school. "Long strip. Wait! slowly..." then the line came tought in my hand. "Hard strip, strip hard hard!" Willy yelled to me, and I stripped my line hard. I had my first Bonefish on the line. The school was moving to my left and my fish was staying with it. I was still stripping him in steadily and i thought "Oh, these aren't that special, I probably have a small one." then I pulled him out of the school a little bit and he took off so fast words can't describe. My reel slapped my fingers as i tried to stop him. My $50 Whiter River reel gave me a $50 drag. A patch of mangroves was about 100 yards out and he ran right into them. Bonefish Willy grabbed my line and went running in trying to get the fish out of the mangroves. Too late, I had brought a knife to a gun fight. Bonefish Willy came back with my shredded leader in hand and put his weathered hand on my shoulder and said," ooo you will get'em again son, that was ONLY a 9-10 pounder." "9-10 are you sure, did you see him?!" I said. he nodded. I then turned and looked around at the beautiful Bahamian flat and sighed, "I guess thats bonefishing." Soon after I got another chance and landed a little guy, but still alot of fun.
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Re: Andros Island Bahamas Bonefishing: Long Strip, Wait, Slowly, Hard Strip!
by AlexisMT555 on December 15, 2006 http://www.ekwatafly.com/en/ | Congrats for your first bone.
You'll have the bigger next time. |
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Re: Andros Island Bahamas Bonefishing: Long Strip, Wait, Slowly, Hard Strip!
by hedrush999 on December 15, 2006 http://www.fliesandfinssouth.com | | awesome read bonefisher! This is the stuff I live for. |
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Re: Andros Island Bahamas Bonefishing: Long Strip, Wait, Slowly, Hard Strip!
by jeremy on December 18, 2006 http://www.ineedasimplesolution.com | | great read .. would love to meet up with bonefish willy someday ... hopefully sooner than later ... when i do make my pilgramage for bonefish .. it will certainly be in the bahamas ... thanks for the info .. maybe i will see you on the flats someday .. |
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Re: Andros Island Bahamas Bonefishing: Long Strip, Wait, Slowly, Hard Strip!
by Redhawker on January 10, 2007 | Great article, Bonefisher! It brought back memeories of a great trip as I was there with you !
Dad |
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Re: Andros Island Bahamas Bonefishing: Long Strip, Wait, Slowly, Hard Strip!
by Redhawker on January 10, 2007 | | Great story Bonefisher! It was like I was there with you! |
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