Dave and I arrived on Grand Bahama Island (GBI) and within 20 minutes we were in a cottage 50 feet from the ocean. Dave had told me this would be a great trip and I thought if nothing else we would at least be on the water. We were picked up at 7:30 am and headed for the docks.
The dock was busy with guides and people taking water taxis to other islands. Small stores hidden amongst houses sold soda, candy bars and snacks to the arriving fly fisherman. No angry words or the usual impatience one might experience in similar situations almost anywhere else in the world. All problems or questions got a quick reply by the guides, ” no problem maaaan.”
The first day was overcast with lots of rain and wind. Again, “no problem maaaan” We caught and landed 2 bonefish each in bad weather! I probably cast to 20 plus bonefish and was very happy to get the 2 I got.
The next day was sunny and warm and with the clear water the guide was able to spot feeding bonefish with ease. This was to be a 10 bonefish day for me and Dave, in another boat, caught 10 or 12 bonefish. Dave and I were discussing where to eat dinner and once again the guide said “no problem maaaan.” We pulled into the Mangroves, he disappeared into the brush and returned with 6 or 7 lobsters. We then watched him pick up conch off the bottom of the flats. Lobster and conch for dinner and it was great! I hated to leave the next day, but we had to get to the Florida Everglades for some Snook fly fishing the next day. Stay tuned for the “Snook Tale”, it was certainly a fly fishing experience I will never forget.
Greg,
WOW! How glad I truly am to see you down there catching the Bones and Snook and now in Key West looking out over Mallorey dock. I know how much you love fly fishing and I also know how the Maine winters provide very few options for the fly fisherman when our rivers and streams are frozen over.
I MUST SAY – CONGRATULATION ON THE BEST PHOTO YOU HAVE EVER TAKEN. I know you have been practicing this winter taking photos of of everything in the house and reading the camera manual and actually coming to understand what all the little buttons and icons on the camera actually do. The results of your labor, learning and practice are obvious in that stunning underwater photo of that bonefish. Perfect. Not too close … not too far..not too little or too much flash…no excessive digital zoom..perfect white balance…good ISO….multi metering…and above all esle a good eye for a good shot. Very, very well done. You should print out the high res version of that shot, frame it and put it above your fly tying bench.
Anyway, there is something really cool for me whenever Greg posts a “Fish Tale”. Outside of the fact that he is a great down to earth writer and now a talented fish photographer…we have been long time fly fishing buds…and Greg in fact holds the spot for the topic of the very first “Fish Tale” ever on Flies And Fins….in fact..i think he was the very first member…then again there was a long time when it was only me and greg on flies and fins..and maybe one other guy who didn’t know how to get on the internet …. and we used flies and fins as a tool to share and archive stories and photos from our trips together and by ourselves.. — that was many moons ago. Greg, since then we have traveled allot of miles, drank allot of coffee, laughed allot, argued just as much, ignored and answered plenty of each others phone calls, had some of the worlds greates ideas that panned out to be nothing more than dust in the wind…..but what a blast its been.
Here is the very first fish tale ever posted on Flies And Fins …. It certainly seems to have set the presedence for the overall aura and mentallity of Flies And Fins….
A New Fly Fishing Buddy And A Big Brown Trout – Maine [www.fliesandfins.com]
It has always been a blast and will continue to be as the wheel just keeps turning with the help of caffiene and nicotine. Some ideas went, as you say, like dust in the wind, others have become thier own entity and have thier own life force, like the hotel California.
Hey mon!. You looked relaxed down there in the sun and warmth. Great story, and photos, but where is the speedo
Looks and sounds like a truly excellent adventure! Just having the opportunity to cast to twenty bones is awesome. Can’t wait for the snook tale!