When the first snow covers the ground some start thinking of skiing. For me it brings memories and dreams of salty air, endless flats and bonefish. I am sharing a story of a trip that happened a while ago. It is a story about learning and attitude, not about equipment. 

 Remember the First One

One always remembers the first bonefish. For many it happens while standing on a nice skiff, with a guide perched high on a platform yelling “He is coming, coming! 11 o’clock, 35 feet, cast, cast…Good, let the fly sink, strip, strip, stop….loooong strip, he got it, Mon! Strike, strike…”. Not for me…

When I decided to try my luck at bonefishing, together with a friend we booked a do-it-yourself trip to the Bahamian island of Eleuthera. We had the right rods and reels, boxes of flies, polarised glasses. Yet both of us had never hooked a bonefish. So we had decided that we need to hire a guide for a day to get us started before we continue on our own. We booked one, with a flats skiff, good reputation and the corresponding price tag. But it was not meant to be that way.

On the morning of the agreed day, we were told that the weather is not good, too cloudy and windy, and he would not take us out in such difficult conditions because he wanted us to do well, etc. etc…I guess he had no idea that we were hard core, stubborn anglers ready to fish in any situation…The clock was ticking and we’d rather use our precious time on the island whatever the situation. We picked the phonebook and started looking for guides. Three phone calls later, a young guy told us that his granddad would be happy to take us out: we had to be at an agreed spot at 12:00. Later we found that this was tied to the stage of the tide…

At 12:00 we arrived at a pier in the middle of a shallow lagoon. A man, who we estimated to be in his fifties, was waiting for us quietly, nothing in his attire or behavior hinting that he is a fishing guide. He introduced himself as Alfred McKinnley. Looking at the cloudy sky and the small waves running on the surface of the lagoon we asked if we could catch some bonefish. “We’ll try” was the short quiet answer.

We hopped into a small flat bottom boat that we estimated to be the age of its owner and pushed by the small engine made our way out into the lagoon. A few minutes later Alfred stopped the boat, pointed his finger and ordered “Cast here”. I did and ... immediately connected to a fish that proved that what I had read and heard about this specie was true. He ran me into my backing in no time…A few minutes later I held in my hand my first bonefish. A pretty modest, or to be precise: a pretty small fish of some 2 lbs. But nevertheless my first bonefish and a reason for joy. My friend’s first followed a few casts after that and we proceeded to catch several more all from the same spot. I know, I know, you are already thinking that this is not “real” bonefishing, we were casting blind into a channel to fish stacked there at low tide…It is true. We were happy nevertheless. “Real” bonefishing or not, Alfred put us on fish and made us happy on a day when the other guides cancelled on us. For that alone we would be grateful.  But by the next morning we were already dreaming of catching a bonefish “the proper” way: sight fishing on a nice sunny day, just like in the books and videos.

We got the chance a couple of days later when we came back with Alfred as our guide again. We jumped into the boat: as old and tiny as it was, it had all that was needed: a small casting platform at the bow with some carpet glued to it. Alfred was polling with a simple wooden stick; no fancy carbon poles. It took some 20 quiet minutes until we finally heard his subdued, rusty voice: “Get ready. They are coming”. I stood up, ready for a cast. Some 20 seconds later I heard Alfred’s voice behind me again. There was no detail of the sort “12:00 o’clock, 30 feet”, just a simple “Straight ahead”…I had to look back at him to see where his finger was pointing. For a while I stared blindly, not able to note any sign of fish or anything for that sake. The shallow water’s quiet ripple looked unchanged. Then I saw what looked like the shadow of a flock of birds flying over us: later I would learn that it was a school of some 10 bones. I cast to it, stripped and connected to a fish. A bit bigger this time and a source of immense happiness: my first “properly” caught “ghost of the flats” was in my hands, posing for a priceless photo.

As the day went by we had more chances and eventually more fish. We had polarized glasses, proper rods and reels, etc. Alfred sat (he actually never stood up), quietly at the back of the old shabby boat, using no glasses and he always saw them first. He never said more than “straight ahead” and we had to look back at him to see where the “straight ahead” actually was according to his pointed finger. My friend eventually nicknamed him Bonefish Yoda and for a reason. Fishing with him was a bit torturous in the beginning but with time we learned to see the signs of moving fish, estimate their speed and direction and eventually see the fish themselves. We were learning. Alfred was helping us to a degree but consciously or not he was not spoiling us as other guides that direct every single movement of their clients. At the end of the day he finally told us a bit more about himself. It turned out he was way older than we guessed: 75 years old and guiding on these flats for some 58 years…He could smell the fish…

When I look back, I am immensely grateful to that quiet humble man. A decade  later I have fished at various spots in the Caribbean, with various guides and on my own and caught my share of big bonefish, including many of those coveted fish over 10 lbs…But I never forget those days on Eleuthera. They remind me that in any kind of fishing what matters most is the angler, his experience, attitude, skills and willingness to accept mistakes and learn. Equipment does matter of course, but only if you know how to use it. If you have just purchased a Ferrari but have never driven a car before, you will not automatically become a formula one ace…Same with fishing.

About Eleuthera

Eleuthera, derived from the Greek word for “free”, is an island in the Bahamas. It is 180 km long and very narrow, in places a little more than a couple of kilometers wide. While some of the other Bahamian islands would appeal more to the hardcore fisherman, this one is great for those that want to bring their family or friends along and enjoy more than just the fishing. In addition to opportunity to cast a line for bonefish, jacks, snappers, barracuda and even groupers, the island offers good spots for surfing, snorkeling and diving, and a reasonable variety of local restaurants. Accommodation options range from renting a house to getting full board in a small resort. To get there you need to fly into Nassau and then get a local flight to one of Eleuthera’s several airports. 

Ivo Balinov

About Ivo:

Ivo has been fishing for over 35 years. His experience covers North America, Europe and the Caribbean. He is an experienced instructor who has helped countless people with their first steps into fly fishing while also coaching many advanced anglers, including several national champions of Canada as well as members of Canada's National Youth Team. He is himself an accomplished competitor and has learned from some of the world's very best competition anglers from the Czech Republic, Spain and the UK.

Ivo has been chasing bonefish and permit for the last 14 years on the flats of the Bahamas and Cuba.