90 miles is the physical distance between Cuba and the US. Culturally, and in many ways from a fisheries management standpoint, the two countries are lightyears apart. WorldANGLING’s “90 Miles” explores the relationship between the Florida Keys and Cuba—from a flyfishing POV. “Flats fishing for tarpon, bonefish, and permit is big business in the Florida…
Keep Keys guides keeping on, and throw down for bonefish, barracuda, and permit at the catch-and-release Sugarloaf Showdown at Sugarloaf Marina on Nov. 13 to 15, 2014. The inshore tourney, hosted by the Lower Keys Guides Association, is a fundraiser for the Guides Trust Foundation. The trust provides emergency means for fishing guides in the…
Ken Morrish spent two months staring at a grasshopper he’d pinned to a block of wood. He alternated holding first the real thing and then his fly pattern against the light. His decision: The only way to duplicate a hopper’s unusual shape was with foam.
EVERY TIME A GIRLFRIEND COMPLAINS about her husband or boyfriend going fishing again (insert big sigh), I bite off a small chunk of my tongue. I’d love for my husband to go fishing. A week in Montana? Hmmm- That doesn’t seem far away enough-or long enough. I hear there are big fish in Kamchatka. And…
I WAS A LITTLE SURPRISED when Enrico Puglisi told me that his favorite permit fly was not his EP Crab. Nor was it his lifelike Descendent Crab, or his Palometa Crab, or even the fly he named after the fish itself, the Permit Crab. It’s a shrimp pattern. More precisely, his Spawning Shrimp, #4, in…
Bonefish and Tarpon Trust launched two angler-driven programs this week aimed at gathering intel on bonefish and tarpon genetics. The org will use tissue samples collected by guides (and the rest of us) on fishing missions in the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, and southeastern US. “The goal of the Bonefish Genetics Program is to determine…
The Belizean coastline stretches along 239 miles of pleasant places to visit. Tourists who come here, even for the first time, often want to help save it. And there’s a lot to save in Belize—jaguars and Scarlet Macaws and lots and lots of fish. There’s also plenty to save the country from, like Jimmy Buffett…
On a barren high-desert lake a flats skiff materializes like a mirage. Fish are all encased in gold. Bearded dudes with fly rods are gods. Music hums in the distance. And it’s awesome because, shit, it’s Carlos Santana! Everything suddenly makes perfect sense… “listen how it goes, my rhythm…” Oye como va. It’s all about…
On a barren high-desert lake a flats skiff materializes like a mirage. Fish are all encased in gold. Bearded dudes with fly rods are gods. Music hums in the distance. And it’s awesome because, shit, it’s Carlos Santana! Everything suddenly makes perfect sense… “listen how it goes, my rhythm…” Oye como va. It’s all about…
Dust off the Holgas, dump the hard drives, do your best Terry Richardson, and delivereth your mind-blowing fishing images for a chance to win swag. As 2013 comes to a close Trout’s Fly Fishing has teamed with The Drake and drakemag.com to run its year-end photo extravaganza. What’s up for grabs? 1) A one-year subscription to…
For many, fishing is a sanctified act. So what happens when you eliminate the practice from the actual areas we go to worship tarpon, permit, and bonefish? In the Keys, where The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary has been protecting 2,900 square nautical miles since it went into effect in 1990, anglers are itching for answers. The…
After months of discussion and debate, bickering and banter, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) delivered a firm message last week: No more jigging in Boca Grande Pass. “There’s not going to be a huge impact from this one ruling,” says Save the Tarpon spokesperson, Tom McLaughlin. “But it’s groundbreaking for the FWC,…
The hoarding phenomenon was evident as John Custer peered into his refrigerator. The right side of the door was jammed with a varietal of hot sauces. These sauces – many way, way past the date of expiration, hailed from distant and exotic locations – the islands of the Caribbean, Central America, and South America.
Flats fishing was born in the Florida Keys, with roots dating back to the first ’poon caught on a hook and line in the 1880s. Today tarpon and bonefish are vital components of a recreational fishery that bolsters the state’s bottom line with annual cash infusions of more than $6 billion. In order to maintain…
What’s a Florida Keys flat worth? Or how about healthy populations of tarpon, permit, and bonefish that frequent its shallow-water habitats? The answer is big bucks, according to a new study from the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust. BTT states that flats-fishing is a significant money generator in the Keys, contributing more than $249 million to local…
This June the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is slated to reach a decision regarding stricter catch-and-release regulations for tarpon. And as hurricane season descends upon the State of Florida, a new storm’s a brewing.
THE FIRST BONEFISH TO EAT MY DRY was tailing in ankle-deep water. I threw it two feet ahead of him and left it to dead drift. When he got near, I stripped it and he saw the wake, followed with his head up, hesitated, then turned away. I twitched the fly and he circled it…
Chris Lewis over at Skinny Water Culture puts down the rod and rolls camera to the shuffle and glide of a happy, hungry bonefish.
Efforts to bolster conservation and management of Florida’s bonefish, tarpon, and permit fisheries are in jeopardy, with a vote due at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission meeting tomorrow (Wednesday, Feb. 13). Whether you live in Florida or you travel there to flyfish, BTT is urging all anglers to support new Sportfish and Gamefish rules…
Bay Area fly shops have taken a hit and many hanger-ons have slid off the cliff in recent times. In 2006, after witnessing a flurry of shops fold, current California Fly Shop owners Xavier and Karen Carbonnet made the brazen move to embrace the industry and acquire one.
If you’re into crappy dancing, and bad singing, and really drunk islanders, and Euro-dudes dressed up like Gilligan… this one’s for you, holmes. Oh, there’s always a banger bonefish or two in the mix, as well, with Peter & Rolf on Aitutaki.
When sight-fishing as a sport debuted in the Upper Keys and Florida Bay, boat-makers modified their hulls, fishing companies developed faster and lighter rods, and tackle shops sprouted up all over the islands. By the 1950s an entire industry was formed around a specific shallow-water grassland habitat dominated by tarpon, redfish, permit, snook, and bonefish.…
George Washington Served: April 30, 1789 – March 4, 1797 America’s Founding Father was not only the Brits’ worst nightmare, he was also a badass woodsman, whiskey distiller, tobacco farmer, and once dabbled in spinning and weaving. We’re excusing the last two knowing that the First Prez also hauled in cash via commercial fishing on…
category nominees: Xenie Hall Low & Clear – by Finback Films Bonefish Charlie Drift – by Confluence Films Bret Gilleland Magnetic North – by Fly out Media
HAVANA—Cuban President Raul Castro recently said that his government is willing to mend fences with the United States and sit down to discuss anything. A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G. If this means a chance to rap unlimited access to permit, tarpon, bonefish, mojitos, and the mambo… we’re listening.
What to do when stuck in Aitutaki—in the Cook Islands, north of Rarotonga? 1) Get shitfaced with locals. 2) Make music with Ricky. 3) Hook your first “big as hell” bonefish. Lose it. Laugh. Cry …to be continued.
APALACHICOLA, FL—Partnered with The Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, and Dr. Jerry Ault, Director of the Tarpon and Bonefish research center, the Forgotten Coast tarpon tagging tournament is a first of its kind, fly-only event aimed at science and conservation. The placement of state-of-the-art SPOT and PAT satellite tags is the contest’s main objective.