Tracy&James | Sunday, 29 October 2023
Things have gone from bad to worse on our trip this week. The good news is that we've found a few bonefish, the bad news is that we've not caught many of them. The main reason is the wind, it's been blowing a constant 30 – 35 kmph all week. Now, I like to think I can cope with a strong wind as well as anyone, however if I was back home on my casting field the only outfit I'd consider using would be the T120 as that monstrosity the only thing I could make a backcast with.
Although we're coping as best we can with fly casting in the weather we have, visibility is a big issue. The flats are whipped up to a foam and this is forming into wind lanes which are casting shadows on the bottom. Couple this with the deeper than normal water at this time of year then spotting bonefish becomes very difficult as they merge with the shade from the foam lines. As such, we've been spotting bonefish late i.e. at the point where they are starting to become aware of our presence. Their heads are slightly raised and they are definitely starting to 'eyeball' us looking for any alarming movement, which obviously triggers a full blown spook.
Making any accurate cast to a fish on a heightened sense of alarm is also difficult. For one, I estimate that 90% of my attempts have been straight into the wind, maybe because with what visibility we have that direction offers the best view (parallel to the wind lanes). I've tried going up in fly weight (I have some flies tied with dumbbell eyes rather than chain bead) but these are going in with too much of a 'plop' and spooking the fish immediately. I have an idea for when I get back though – I'm going to fill the cavities of the chain bead with solder in order to produce some slightly heavier flies but with the same profile as my normal ones. As for the plan whilst we're here – well I'm very nearly on the point of giving up and going sunbathing, even that is difficult though as we'd need to find the right shelter to avoid being sand-blasted.
There have also been the usual incidents of lost fish that are part and parcel of the bonefishing experience. The biggest fish that I've hooked (a very nice bone) broke me after the last couple of inches of fly line caught around the handle of my fly reel. It's not as if my Lamson has a huge handle or anything, but if things can go wrong they will. There was also a very strange incident where I made a speculative cast at a fish coming at me, not quite being able to identify it. By the time the fly had sunk my suspicions were confirmed and I could see it was a small lemon shark. As such, I paused retrieving to allow the shark to swim over the fly. Right then I was absolutely smashed by an unseen fish which popped the leader due to me not expecting it at all. I remember seeing the backs of four large bonefish charging in the opposite direction to what the shark was travelling in. I have no idea why I didn't see them while I was paused waiting for the lemon to pass.
On the predator fishing front there is nothing to report, the sharks seemed entirely nonplussed by any fly I put near them and I've only seen one (sizeable) barracuda for the whole trip. I'm losing any sense of optimism that this trend will change whilst we're here. I do remember that last year's trip was not great for predators also, however the bonefishing was epic and we ran up a 'cricket score' of fish. Right now I'd settle for one-tenth of that number, but that's still a long way off.
I hope you have better conditions than we have for your fishing or casting this week.
James.