The Illusive Bonefish
At least, that’s what our guide, Cecil called them. Over this past spring break I visited the East End Lodge on the island of Grand Bahama. While most of the seniors at my high school were going to get drunk for a week in Mexico, I chose something a little bit more ambitious and out of the ordinary. It had been on my list for the past couple of months, and now was as good of time as any to pack the bags and head south to the Bahamas.
As expected, flying during spring break is not in the slightest bit easy. Through multiple delays, de-icing of the aircraft wings, and long lines at the Delta help desk, my Dad and I arrived in Freeport, Bahama. From there one of the staff members from the lodge picked us up and drove us about an hour to the lodge, where Mo (the head chef) would cook us dinner and show us around.
The next morning, we rose early to high winds and heavy clouds, which we would soon come to understand is nothing you want when you are bone fishing. After we introduced ourselves to the other lodge mates, ate breakfast and, headed down to the dock to get organized with our guides. Our guides name was Cecil. Cecil is a guide and owner at East End. He started the lodge a while ago with his brothers and family, and has loved every second of his job. You cannot catch this man without a smile on his face. Once we got our rods rigged up and our bags in the boats, we set off to our first spot of the day. As we were approaching our first stop my Dad and I made it pretty clear that we had never fished saltwater before, and that we were eager to learn. Cecil laughed; that’s when we knew it would be a challenge.
As we waded out on our first flat, he pulled us both aside for a quick casting lesson before we started to search for feeding fish. The saltwater cast is very different than the freshwater cast. Where for trout you’re maybe throwing 30 feet at the longest and letting your flies drift, here you are double-hauling the line 30-70 feet, and then stripping back your fly in a continuous or random pattern. This new type of cast and technique took some getting used to, but it was very neat to develop new skills for a new kind of fishing. It didn’t take long for us to see our first pod of bones, and for me to get the first hook up of the trip. The bones here fight like crazy, sending me into my backing twice, only to break off on the third run. This new sense of excitement and adrenaline ran through my blood after that first hook up, and became extremely excited for the next couple of days. We didn’t catch anything until after lunch on that first day, but when we started poling through some new water after our sandwiches, it was lights out. My dad was first on the stand, and hooks into a nice fish. With a quick photo taken and a measure, he was beyond excited. That fish had just made our trip, and it was only our 5th hour on the water. After another 20 minutes of poling, I hop on the stand and give it a go. Sending the fly 40 feet with a delicate presentation isn’t easy, but with a guide like Cecil giving instructions from the platform, we get it done. 25 inches and 4lbs was my first every bones fish on the fly. Cecil, jumping in the water and helping land the fish proclaims, “The Illusive Bonefish!” We were all laughing and having a great time the rest of the day.
Returning to the lodge that afternoon was quite interesting, with all of the other fisherman talking about their day on the water. One man named Raleigh, who we became great friends with, was impressed with both of our catches, and then began to tell his story of his day and previous years that he had stayed and fished at the lodge. Raleigh was quite the character. With his daily routine of a tucked in shirt and a bandana around his neck, he looked like a model out of an Orvis catalog. Listening to Raleigh was so fun, and every time he would speak you could tell that it was very thoughtful and intriguing.
The next couple of days would become repetitive. Wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast, observe the not-so-great weather, catch a couple of fish, laugh a lot, learn even more, get hit with big flies in the back of the head, freeze our butts off on the boat, dinner and stories with Raleigh and others, and then off to bed. The weather, according to the guides and other lodge mates who had stayed before, had never been this bad. We experienced clouds and mid 50 temperatures with high winds for 5 days straight. We concluded that the pressure systems in the US were pushing south and causing the poor weather and the unpredictable feeding conditions for the fish. Even with all of that, my Dad and I had a blast.
Bone fishing on the fly is difficult and requires lots of patience and experience. Throughout my stay I learned so much about the new styles and techniques used to hook these fish. I learned a lot about the feeding patterns and the wildlife and ecosystem we were in. All that knowledge is great, but I also learned a lot about myself. It can be frustrating when you travel thousands of miles and arrive to bad weather and 6 fish over 4 long days of fishing. I was grateful for the incredible experience, and cannot wait to go back. I gained and understanding understood of how patient and how willing I was to learn and receive criticism. This is a challenging sport and can beat you up mentally, but with practice comes results, and keeping your head up and focusing is important.
Lastly, if you are ever looking for a lodge with incredible fishing, great accommodations, and memories that last a lifetime, I wouldn’t hesitate to check East End Lodge. I am more eager than ever to go back to this place and catch more of these fish. Saltwater fishing for bones is truly addicting. Not sure if it is the screaming of the 8 weight reel or the intense moments before the set, but I know I’ll be going back in the future. Until then, go out and find your hatch. Tight lines!
