We missed our annual Bahamas trip last year. With our first year at Cedar Lodge approaching we had a couple irons in the fire and thought it best to concentrate on the new venture. This year our trip to Abaco is serving as a respite before our second season. A chance to regroup before we head south. Sunshine, home school, fishing, beaching and a few online meetings were on the docket.
Casuarina Point is a perfect spot for a family vacation that mixes fishing in at your leisure. We stay at Abaco Palms, one of four very well appointed homes available for rent from Kathy Heacock. Each home is ideally suited for families or couples and comes with a boat for “do it yourself bonefishing”. Kathy has thought of everything inside each home, washer, dryer, internet, cable, vonage phone, a/c and a very complete kitchen. In addition to a very user friendly Carolina Skiff there are paddle boards, kayaks and all kinds of odd “floaties” for the kids. You can view all of Kathy rentals on the same beach at this link: ABACO PALMS
Dick Matteri and Laura Parrish have joined us again this year and are fishing with our good friend JR Albury of JR’s Bonefish Abaco. JR has a new boat this year and has been taking Dick and Laura to the “marls” each day. The bonefishing has been consistently good as you would expect with 5-10mph winds and clear skies.
Dick caught this Permit on a crazy charlie pattern in between who knows how many bonefish for the day. Fishing has simply been outstanding this week!
I brought a few new products down with me this year. Hatch lines, and tippets, the new Bauer RX reel and the Sage Salt 8 weight.
The Hatch Professional Series Tropical Fly Line is made by Airflo and employs “ridged technology”. The line casts beautifully! It’s taper is very friendly in close, and when you need to reach out to those tailing bonefish that seem to be just out of reach. The line seems slightly over weighted to me, not a bad thing with most saltwater rods on market being on the fast action side of things. I have been casting the 8wt Hatch line on the Sage 8wt Salt which certainly qualifies as a fast action rod and the Hatch fly line easily loads it. At first glance the olive colored head or forward section of the line struck me as a bit “trouty” in color. But having fished the line over sand and turtle grass the olive head to tan running line is quite stealthy and yet visibly enough for me to track the line.
Hatch Professional Series Tippet Material is fluorocarbon material. It comes on a large spool and comes off the spool surprisingly straight. It’s strangely supple for a super strong fluorocarbon. I have found it to be incredibly strong both in knot strength and abrasion resistance. The 12lb is perfect for bonefish in the Bahamas.
The New Bauer RX Series fly reel has enough drag to stop any fish you might encounter on the flats. I have been using the RX5 on my 8wt and have loved it’s super smooth out going drag mechanism. John Bauer has “beefed up” the drag on the RX when compared to his Rogue series of reels. The drag knob is large and easy to get at for adjustment, but does not catch line or get accidentally adjusted while casting or fighting fish. The RX has elegant looks but is super tough. The size 5 is great for an 8wt but will easily take a 9 or 10 for a very nice Tarpon reel. The RX will play nicely on a switch or spey rod in sizes 5, 6 and 7 as well.
I am a huge believer in Sage’s “Konnetic Technology” graphite, like the SAGE ONE, METHOD, and CIRCA series the new SAGE SALT employs the Konnetic story. The SALT is a fast action powerful rod capable of casting in serious wind with large weighted flies. The SALT has all the lifting power to manage fish that try to beat you at the boat. Saltwater fly fishing demands speed, accuracy and strength from you rod the SALT takes care of all three as well as any rod I have used in saltwater. The SALT has a new reel seat design, a beautiful blue color, large stripping guides and a larger tip top to accommodate some of the large short headed lines of today. We have an 8 and a 10 available for demo, stop by and give one a cast!
More from the Bahamas coming soon!
Managed to tear a tendon in my left foot. Sounded like a twig snapping and hurt a lot. Jack and Mary Harrell kindly came and loaded my boat, brought me a cane, and got me back to my cabin after I fished out the afternoon. The foot hurt a lot, but I thought I might catch a salmon, so I fished on, but failed to get even a tug that day.
Since then, I tape trash bags on the walking cast and hobble down to the boat each day. Awkward but it works.
Working on a soon-to be self published book, Super Flies, I acquired some vintage tackle and re-lived my trouting days in the 1960s. This is a vintage Shakespeare wonder rod, a Perrine No. 80 Automatic fly reel, lined with an AIRFLO Elite DT6F and tipped with a RIO 5X Tapered leader. There is a nice big hatchery rainbow on the end of the line too.
The Oregon coast is a wonderful place to fish. I have had smiles, sun, rain, trout, and an occasional salmon to keep me busy with my foot in a bag each day. Some salmon are bright, some not, but every one pulls hard and is a treat to encounter.
