In true Jason fashion, it's not enough just to fish a couple of streams during the summer or off the coast near home. He then had to get into saltwater flyfishing for bonefish, a small but feisty fish that hangs out on tidal flats in the Caribbean. His first attempt was on our trip to the Virgin Islands. He didn't get any bonefish, but he did have fun watching a curious sea turtle swim around him and eventually he caught a juvenile barracuda. And I got to sit on my own private section of beach on St. John and look at this:
Why don't we live there??
Anyway, his most successful attempts at bonefish have been in Grand Bahama, where he went with me in 2006 and then by himself last year, when he had an experience that is by far my favorite fish story.
In the Caribbean, Jason hires a local guide to take him around the flats. The guide stands on a raised chair in the back of the boat and uses a pole to maneuver the boat around the flats, sights them and tells you when to cast, etc. On the morning he went last June, they hadn't had a lot of success. It was shark mating season, so there were hoards of sharks covering the flats. After a frustrating morning of casting, Jason finally hooked into a bonefish. It put up a huge fight but was never able to get off the hook. Just as Jason was sure it was tired out and was ready to reel it in, a shark grabbed on to it. At this point, the guide flipped out, for two reasons. First, he has a vested interest in making sure Jason is successful, since his tip and reputation depend on a happy client. Second, if the sharks learn, over time, to recognize a hooked, gimpy, fatigued fish as an easy meal and associate that with the boats, it will create a huge problem for the flyfishermen. Apparently the guide decided his best course of action was to jump out of the boat, grab the oar, and slosh quickly through the flats to the shark and the bonefish. Then he started wailing on the shark with the oar, at which point the shark realized the easy meal was not worth the cost, and took off. The guide picked up the now completely exhausted bonefish and started running back to the boat with it, screaming, "It's a monstah!!" in his Bahamian accent. He told Jason it was the biggest bonefish he had seen anyone land in the last 6 years. Jason got a great catch (which he then released, of course), the guide got a great tip, and both went home with a great story.
Besides the bahamas, the other prime place to bonefish is in the Florida keys, which was part of our reason for going there recently. April is supposed to be the best time, but the conditions (overcast, windy) were so bad the morning Jason went out that he didn't see a single bonefish the whole time. Instead, the guide had him try his hand at tarpon, which he was able to sight but not hook. He did, however land this:
It's a bonnethead shark, the smallest in the hammerhead family. Jason can't seem to have a fishing experience without getting a shark involved.
4 comments:
Wow! I just learned more about fresh and salt water fishing than I ever intended to know and it was fascinating since my first born was the fisherman. Trust him to import a shark to keep things exciting! You must publish these memoirs for your posterity!
The Harris boys definitely get their mind on something and find a way to take it to the next level. You gotta love em:). Love the fish story!
Hey kimberly! I cracked up reading your fish stories, especially the one about Chris fishing in the middle of downtown! Hilarious! Your house is gorgeous by the way! Let us know if you are ever in town!
Kimberly,
How great to hear from you guys. I'm so glad you are finally going to be in your house soon. How fun. It looks like your cute Collin and my Jacob are almost the same age. I'm very impressed that you are managing the two boys so well....I'm quite scared of that myself:) We do love Idaho, and John loves his practice. Thank goodness. Say Hi to Jason.
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