Welcome to The Bonefish Flat

There's a stiff wind in your face as you squint in the sun trying to see what the guide sees. "Bonefish at 12 o'clock about 90 feet, do you see it, mon?" You don't and keep squinting, your hat pulled low to keep the sun out of your eyes. "Bonefish at 11 o'clock 70 feet out. Come on man, do you see it?" As the guide is calmly shifting the skiff into position, this time you spot the fish, "I got, it," you reply.

"OK, Mon, Bonefish 50 feet at 10 o'clock. Cast when you're ready."

Cast when you're ready. And with that you drop your fly, roll out a cast, false cast once, and then...

Welcome to the bonefish flat.

Monday, September 3, 2012

Shoes: Or, My Dog's are Killin' Me

Occasionally you will hear the question, "What's the best footwear for the bow of a skiff when flat's fishing?"

This is an easy one to answer. Nothing. The best way to fish is barefoot. This way you can feel the fly line should it get wrapped around your foot and it's easy to clear line this way when a fish is making a run.

Yours truly. My dog's bout' to be killin' me.
But I'm gonna mix it up on you a little bit. On previous trips, I've split the bow time 50/50 and in the Bahamas, most skiffs have a leaning post. This takes pressure off your feet and it gives you plenty of time to sit and rest your feet.

 

My last trip to Florida I was on the bow a lot (thanks Pop) and Capt. Drew had a raised platform on the bow. This was awesome for seeing fish, but when the boat started rocking a little, I had to work at keeping my balance.



The platform.

After two days, my back and my dogs were killing me.

 

Just a little tip for you. Be mindful if you're not used to fishing on a raised platform. It's a different experience and I noticed a lot guides in Florida use them. On day three I had to throw my Keen sandals on (which probably deserve a spot in the single malt category, by the way) and it made a huge difference. It provided support, helped ease my back, and actually helped my balance too. Don't be afraid to mix it up a little bit. There's no point in hooking a 130 lbs. poon only to have your back go out.

 

 

Posted by at 10:06 PM

1 comment:

  1. That's weird. I've had exactly the opposite experience. Forgot my sandals on a trip to the keys so I stopped off and bought a pair of Reefs. Good shoes. After about 3 hrs on the casting platform (you're right about the Keys guys liking those) my feet were KILLING me. Turns out the cushion of the shoe (the so-called "support") was making me work much harder for my balance. So I left them ashore for the next week and was fine. Next year I went back I fished and poled barefoot (w/ plenty of sunblock on) and was fine. Hmmmm... funny how we can all experience the same thing in different ways. Kinda like fishing, huh?

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)