Just got back from a week in Exuma. A great time was had by all.
The weather was great the entire week, mid 80 + each day. A few days of stronger winds, but nothing to bad. I didn't fish as much as I had expected to, but I got my bonefish fix, which is what I needed. I spent more time swimming and drinking then expected. Go figure!
We had a difficult time finding fish on the flats on our own. Spotting fish wasn't the problem, there just weren't alot of fish on the flats. We'd see a few fish, mostly singles and doubles each day. No schools of fish. Our guide said he felt the hot weather was driving the fish of the flats to deeper water.
I did manager to catch my personal best bonefish, which measured 31". This fish dwarfed my previous best of 7 lbs. Based on it's length, I would guess 11-12 lbs in weight. It had a gut and hadn't missed many meals.
My partner for the week was new to saltwater flyfishing. He was having some difficulting casting into the wind when fish were spotted. I was excited to get him out with a guide to help him get more shots. We had two days lined up with guides. The only sour note of the trip was our first day of planned guided fishing. The guide never showed. No call, message, anything. I was bummed for my friend, but we made the best of it and fished the flats on our own that day.
Our guide for the second day was Garth Thompson. Garth called to confirm the pick-up time. He showed up promply at 8:00 am and off we went to get my friend his first bonefish. Garth did a great job of coaching my partner and helping him with his casting. I'd highly recommend Garth to others who fish Exuma.
At days end, my partner had caught his first bonefish, actually more like a dozen or so. I caught around the same amount. Nothing huge, with the largest at around five lbs. We lost a few larger fish and lost a few in the mangroves. My friend was stoked about how bones fight compared to the trout he is used to catching. Now that he has moved to Florida, I think he is hooked on saltwater flyfishing.
We did see one thing that I've never seen before. We were fish a creek just as the tide switched to incoming. Bonefish were lined up two deep in a near perfect line all the way across the creek, sort of like a bonefish gillnet. They were just waiting for dinner to be sweep in with the tide.
I did manage to hook up the only cuda I threw at while fishing with Garth. It was around 15 lbs. It hit a green needlefish fish pattern. One scorching run, a great leap and the fish dropped the fly. My friend really enjoyed watching that 15 seconds of action.
We stayed at the Palm Bay Resort. Very nice accomidations. The people of Exuma were very friendly and helpful. Driving on the left side of the road with the steering wheel on the right was eventful. Our poor Honda wagon rental took a beating. The roads there are in bad shape, but an Accord really wasn't ment for four wheeling. I enjoyed eating at the small fish stands along the Island. The gal named Dee who runs the stand in William's Town was great at giving direction. If you ever make it there, check out the Tropic of Cancer beach. The water there was a brilliant torquise color. Dee also makes some killer conch.
I really enjoyed my time in Exuma. Good food, drinks, fishing and friends. Hard to beat that combination.
Brian
The weather was great the entire week, mid 80 + each day. A few days of stronger winds, but nothing to bad. I didn't fish as much as I had expected to, but I got my bonefish fix, which is what I needed. I spent more time swimming and drinking then expected. Go figure!
We had a difficult time finding fish on the flats on our own. Spotting fish wasn't the problem, there just weren't alot of fish on the flats. We'd see a few fish, mostly singles and doubles each day. No schools of fish. Our guide said he felt the hot weather was driving the fish of the flats to deeper water.
I did manager to catch my personal best bonefish, which measured 31". This fish dwarfed my previous best of 7 lbs. Based on it's length, I would guess 11-12 lbs in weight. It had a gut and hadn't missed many meals.
My partner for the week was new to saltwater flyfishing. He was having some difficulting casting into the wind when fish were spotted. I was excited to get him out with a guide to help him get more shots. We had two days lined up with guides. The only sour note of the trip was our first day of planned guided fishing. The guide never showed. No call, message, anything. I was bummed for my friend, but we made the best of it and fished the flats on our own that day.
Our guide for the second day was Garth Thompson. Garth called to confirm the pick-up time. He showed up promply at 8:00 am and off we went to get my friend his first bonefish. Garth did a great job of coaching my partner and helping him with his casting. I'd highly recommend Garth to others who fish Exuma.
At days end, my partner had caught his first bonefish, actually more like a dozen or so. I caught around the same amount. Nothing huge, with the largest at around five lbs. We lost a few larger fish and lost a few in the mangroves. My friend was stoked about how bones fight compared to the trout he is used to catching. Now that he has moved to Florida, I think he is hooked on saltwater flyfishing.
We did see one thing that I've never seen before. We were fish a creek just as the tide switched to incoming. Bonefish were lined up two deep in a near perfect line all the way across the creek, sort of like a bonefish gillnet. They were just waiting for dinner to be sweep in with the tide.
I did manage to hook up the only cuda I threw at while fishing with Garth. It was around 15 lbs. It hit a green needlefish fish pattern. One scorching run, a great leap and the fish dropped the fly. My friend really enjoyed watching that 15 seconds of action.
We stayed at the Palm Bay Resort. Very nice accomidations. The people of Exuma were very friendly and helpful. Driving on the left side of the road with the steering wheel on the right was eventful. Our poor Honda wagon rental took a beating. The roads there are in bad shape, but an Accord really wasn't ment for four wheeling. I enjoyed eating at the small fish stands along the Island. The gal named Dee who runs the stand in William's Town was great at giving direction. If you ever make it there, check out the Tropic of Cancer beach. The water there was a brilliant torquise color. Dee also makes some killer conch.
I really enjoyed my time in Exuma. Good food, drinks, fishing and friends. Hard to beat that combination.
Brian