Bonefish Help

[JPH]

NEED GUIDE TO CATCH SOME BONES- read below



Hello all-



The time is approaching for my yearly visit to my favorite place on earth, the Abaco Islands. This will be my seventh trip and as usual I will regret not having bought a place the first time I was down there, but that is another story.



My wife and I bring different guest each year we come down and this year we are taking her family. It is not going to be as bad as many of you might think. My in-laws are great people and I am looking forward to our time together.



There will be one problem with the trip (nothing major). I am an avid deep sea fisherman. While I will be bringing some of my gear down with me, my father-in-law will not be joining me on any trips into the deep. He unfortunately is not the best of swimmers and does not feel that he will be comfortable that far away from land (he should try fishing off the NC coast where you have to go 60 miles to catch anything big). However, he does love to fish (bass) and is interested in catching a bonefish.



This is where the problem lays. I am not going to even try to pretend that I know how to catch this elusive fish. I have tried 4-5 times on my trips down there and it seems like each time I see one they smile back at me and say "Ya, right". I do know how to fly fish and catch many trout and others in NC. I just can't seem to have any luck with a bonefish. Also, I have tried to call every guide in the Abacos to set up a trip this year, but they all seem to be booked.



My question is if anyone knows a guide that will be free any day Sunday through Friday, June 12-17. If not, can anyone tell me of a good spot that we might be able to try our luck on some bones. We are staying on Lubbers and will have a boat to get around on. I know that some people have there own private "honey holes" and the last thing I want to do is to give out any secrets, so feel free to email me privately and understand that I will swear to secrecy. Also, I am a conversationalist and plan to do no harm to the fish we might happen to catch or the surrounding area.



I thank you all for any assistance.



JP

[JPH]

PS: I need a guide for 3 people. My brother-in-law will be joining us also.

Thanks-

JP

[SamFamAustin]

I'm not a local but bonefish are tricky and you can't eat them and you have to be like an indian to sneak up on them - usually on foot, wading such as with a fly fishing pole. They are rather endangered and there are lots of restrictions. My suggestion is to to have a local guide put you on some snapper, grouper, and triggerfish, which are plentiful in the calm waters. Most of this is "straight down" or trolling fishing as opposed to sight casting for the speedy bonefish on the flats. You mentioned most guides are full but you can rent a boat and ask for good directions about fishing the cuts like Tilloo, and just go slowly back and forth in the same channel until you're tired of cranking in fish. Drifting is sometimes good but stay in the channel you know. The fish are there; it is just a matter of when and how they feed. Give the bonefish a rest, is my humble opinion. -Samhttp://coconuttelegraph.net/forums/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=12298#
Smile

[Buckeye]

Call Maitland Lowe in Hope Town. He is a great bonefish guide.

242-366-0234

[Wonkee]

SamFam....Bonefish is probably my favorite fish to eat.....But it takes patience.

[R]

Good day,

I would suggest bottom fishing for Snappers, Grunts, Triggerfish, Rockfish and the like.
I don't think your Father-in-law has ever caught a Bass that can pull like a big Snapper or Rockfish. And I can guarentee that no bass tastes as good as a Turbot(triggerfish).
This is easy,and fun and the reward can go on the table, or home with you.
If you have your heart set on Bonefishing try calling one of the guides from Cherokee.
If you can't find anything, let me know and I will try to hook you up with a good guide.

Regards,
R.

[Paul_M]

[QUOTE=SamFamAustin] you can't eat them and you have to be like an indian to sneak up on them - usually on foot, wading such as with a fly fishing pole. They are rather endangered and there are lots of restrictions.
[QUOTE]


??????????????

[bellavista]

justin sands marsh harbour

[Paul_M]

Great choice for a new bonefisherman.

[SamFamAustin]

I'm sorry, I thought most people catch bonefish and release them. Some folks use barbless hooks so the fish doesn't get as hurt. And, they are difficult to catch, as they spook very easily. Whatever. Sorry if I mis-spoke.

[Willy Landham]

Take a look at this http://www.************/FishininAbaco2005.html
scroll down about half way through the article to find my piece on bonefishing for some pointers.

W.L.

[Abacofever]

they are not endangered and you may eat as many as you like, although I do not think they are very good. Many other much better fish to eat. Good luck.

[bertrand]

There's nothing better than catching bonefish on flies. If you haven't found anyone by the time you get to the island, look in The Abaconian; there's a list of all the guides and it's possible (in fact, perhaps moreso than trying to book one day in advance) that one will have a cancellation or a free day. Good luck. Most bonefish guides only take two people in a boat, though, so be prepared for that eventuality. Once you do hook one, you'll never go back to tossing hardware. (By the way, do you mean "conservationalist" rather than "conversationalist"? Too much conversation scares the bones.)

[HALF-A-HAMIAN]

Probably the best guides in Abaco are found at Cherokee. Donny Lowe, Theodore, Will and Marty Sawyer and Junior Albury among others. I'm away from home and my phone book at present, but I believe you can access through batelco.com. If unable to find numbers or a guide, e-mail me and I'll get you some numbers if I can. Don't give up hope either. When we were there last year, my cousin Buddy Pinder had a couple of cancellations (he needed the rest), so he went fishing!

[Marie]

Contact Justin Sands at justfish@batelnet.bs. If he is not available I am sure that he knows someone who is.