An unforgettable day

Here are some pictures of my first Keys Bonefish on fly: Photos by Rick DePaiva

Well I accomplished something yesterday that I have wanted to do for a long time, land a keys bonefish on fly. It all started with a last minute invite to fish in Key Largo with Capt. Rick DePaiva. Rick as many of you know guides in Fort Myers but was on a busman's holiday with his good friend David Mcleaf and they had a couple great days with lots of shots at bonefish. David could not fish the third day and Rick was not done so I got to be the replacement player and man am I glad I got the call. I guess these guys weren't really on a holiday because they both are great photographers and they were working to get some good shots of bonefish. These fish are notoriously tough to catch on anything especially on fly, but I was up for the challenge. I have only fished for bonefish in Florida a few times with my good friend Capt. Jorge Valverde (954-822-0647) and we have always had great success but all the fish were landed on spinning rods. Not to take anything away from catching them on a spinning rod because no matter what tackle you catch them on they are an unforgettable fish. I have caught bonefish on fly in the Bahamas but it was not the same. The fish there are smaller and easier to catch, again not to take anything away from the Bahamas bonefish because I would go back quicker then a bonefish can get you in the backing!



Our first goal was to just catch one so we could photograph it, and then from there on it was fly rod all the way. Rick landed one on a spinning rod giving me a great opportunity to photograph a species I have yet to capture on film (disk space?) I was really pleased with my photos and I had to share a couple here. Rick and I are both bonefish rookies so we were like a couple of kids filled with excitement every time we saw a school.



All in all it was an unforgettable day with a good friend and perfect conditions. I also have to give a quick thank you to Capt. Honson Lau (786-298-1436) who gave me the fly the night before. Honson tied the fly and promised me they would eat it and he was right. To anyone who is reading this, if you have yet to accomplish the Florida bonefish give one of these guys a call. I can't say it enough it was unforgettable! Thanks guys.

I still have 3 more flies to post for the Cabin Fever Fly Tying contest, before we start the voting. Two of the flies I have and I am still waiting for one more in the mail. I think everyone will agree that the flies so far have been well tied and very creative. I will try to post the last 3 flies some time soon but, the holidays have been kind enough to bring me lots of charters so I will be working quite a bit over the next 10 days. Stay tuned for more fishing reports and more flies. Believe me I have lots of interesting posts coming up, and maybe I can get Honson to send me some more info on his bonefish fly. I know it works!

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