Cayman bones TR

[OldDominionAngler]

Through a series of fortunate events, I took my first trip to the Caribbean last week with my girlfriend.  We'd been saving up and found a steal of a deal on four nights and airfare through ATL to Grand Cayman and pulled the trigger.  I hadn't exited the country in about 20 years so getting a passport in short order was a painful.  Expediting fees be damned, we boarded the plane and any trouble was forgotten.


We touched down on a Saturday morning and cabbed to the hotel.  It was too early to check in so we walked across the street for breakfast.  Waiting for a table, rod case in hand, a fellow fly fisherman tapped me on the shoulder:

"That an 8 weight?" 

"Yeah." 

"Ever fished for bones?" 

"No." 

"Want to look for some tomorrow with me and my buddy?" 

"Yes."

We finished up breakfast, checked in and headed for the beach.  It was hot as hell and humid the whole trip, but the water cooled everyone off.


Still on rum and pineapple detox.


I gave my new found fishing buddy a call the next day and we went north in search of bones, but the clouds and chop wouldn't have it.  We ended up fishing some small land-locked dykes for baby tarpon.  The fish ranged from this...


...to this.  The only big tarpon seen on the trip were hanging along dockside restaurants licking jerk chicken grease from the fingers of diners.


Next morning I had a half-day wade trip scheduled with one of the few guides on the island.  He picked me up 6:30, we grabbed coffee and ice and arrived at the same beach I was at the night before.  I was bit skeptical, having no recommendation of the guide and no experience being guided.  Doubts aside, we walked up the beach and slid through the mangroves onto the first flat .  40' out, I immediately saw a blade-shaped tail slicing through the water.  My pulse sped up.  My casting flaws displayed themselves. Fish was gone before I could say "I've never really fished the salt."  No more shots there.




We walked back down the beach passing three fisherman and at this point, any doubts about my guide were gone.  He started sniffing out fish near and far.  I was blown away by his second sense and gained the utmost respect for folks who can actually see the damn things.   More than even spotting fish, I was impressed by his ability to predict their feeding pattern. 

"Nervous water...120' at 10 o'clock.  Muddin' closer mon, headin' left but they gon' circle back 'round.  Get ready mon, bones are turnin', coming this way.  No rod set.  2" strip, keep the fly movin".  Still trying to see the fish, I stripped line out of the reel and waited to cast. On command, I laid out as much line as I could in the direction of the mud plumes.  I let the fly sink and started to retrieve it.  A few strips in I felt a bump, a few more, another bump and a set.  The reel sung and the fly stayed buried until the fish was on the beach.




We kept walking down the beach looking for bones and snook, and the guide said he'd seen a few permit around this year...but not as many as years past. 


Four hours in, after what had seemed like forty minutes, the guide thought he saw a barracuda laying in a hole and waded out for to get a better angle.  I followed him as he approached the hole until he dropped to a full crouch, backpedaling and yelling as quietly as he could, "Big bones mon!".   He was visibly shaken by what he estimated to be two 9 lbs. fish.  He told me to cast quick as they were right up on us.  The first fish followed the fly but eventually bolted. 

After the missed chance, we kept walking back toward the van when he spotted 6 cruisers feet from the shore and a second fish came to hand on a short cast.   All in all, probably saw 25 fish and had 5 square shots.


All was bliss after the fishing, although part of me is now ruined.








Tax free and duty free is an amazing thing.   0:0

[Woolly Bugger]

my favorite Caribbean destination, although I've never fished there. Glad to see you got into dem bones! Was your guides name Ebanks? I think about every other person on the island is an Ebanks...

[Transylwader]

You are a most fortunate bastage to the point that
Howcome so few Americans have a passport  ::)
Duty free, thats a term I havent seen or heard in a long time. Americanizing oneself truly blows...

[OldDominionAngler]

Was your guides name Ebanks? I think about every other person on the island is an Ebanks...

I booked with Captain Ron Ebanks but was guided by his nephew Alex. The other FF guide I read about was also an Ebanks.  I think he's the guy in the video you posted.

[Rhody]

great report, nice rum and beer drinkin pics too!! bd;0
about ready to polish off the last of the winter's duty free rum this week myself

glad to hear somebody else is ruined too!

0:0

[twinbridges]

Great report!  Heading down that way in January.  Any directions to where those rascals are.  PM me if you don't want it public.
Thanks

[blue ridge angler]

Good shit mon'.. 0:0

[Beetle]

Good stuff.   

Tranny, I just applied for a new passport a few weeks ago.  Did not expedite.  Got it in two weeks.   Go figure.  At least one part of the government is doing something right.

Isla Mujeres in February for sails.

[Transylwader]

Isla Mujeres in February for sails.

y;
Some peeps have it good

[franzenangler]

 bd;0 Good stuff..... I hate you  0:0