Tracy&James | Sunday, 9 October 2022
This time next week, James and I will be in the Bahamas – for the first time since 2019. We are both so looking forward to this trip and are aiming to catch a range of species, perhaps even ones that we haven’t caught before, maybe like a goliath grouper. James has been putting an outfit together for getting down deep into the blue holes – I’ll let him tell you about this next week. Obviously, we’re hoping to catch some bonefish, though the weather there is very hot at the moment, so they might not be on the flats as the water temperature might be too high. We might have to start the holiday fishing the Atlantic side of the island in the hope that the cooler water will be better for the bones. Regardless it will be great to catch up with friends we made during our previous trips to this island and see how they have fared over the last few years.
We’ll probably start one of the winter virtual casting competitions whilst overseas, however before we go, we have a casting session with a friend who is popping over to see us in North Wales. He wants to practice his #5 and maybe a bit of ST27, whereas I intend to practice my #7 ready for fishing abroad, and perhaps cast the #10 with a large fly. Also, I expect James to pretend to be a bonefish and let me cast at him, obviously with a piece of fluff not a fly…lol… so I get some practice in with quick shots at moving targets.
Packing for the trip is well underway with one of our guest bedrooms strewn with all the gear – flies, rods, reels, clothing, wading boots, sunscreen, etc. We have spent the last few weeks checking everything and buying lines or other items we consider essential to have on the island. Today James went to our local fishing tackle shop for line slick and ended up buying some more big predator flies for the holiday – you can never have enough flies for a saltwater trip! Unfortunately some of the rubber legs on the flies that James tied 3 years ago have perished – it’s frustrating to have flies deteriorate due to lack of use.
With the work commitments also this week, I doubt we’ll get a chance to fish the Welsh Dee however it is probably pretty coloured and high from the recent heavy rainfall. It’ll be December before we fish in Wales again, though by then who knows what we’ll have caught in the Caribbean.
Whatever you are doing this weekend, tight-lines and enjoy,
Cheers, Tracy
