# Some bonefish trip photos



## marshhen (Apr 11, 2017)




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## bryson (Jun 22, 2015)

Man, that sounds like a fun trip, great photos too! Congrats to your dad on his PB!


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## TheAdamsProject (Oct 29, 2007)

Very cool! Cant beat great times with your dad!


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## Bill Payne (May 22, 2018)

Awesome pics man, and nice fish. Lucky to be fishing with your dad, you will cherish those memories for years to come.

I have to say though, those submerged reel pics. It's probably no biggie, but it made me a little queazy!


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## mtoddsolomon (Mar 25, 2015)

Looked like a fun trip, Sam. I was in Nassau on Saturday but I was just drinking so I didn't even think about a fly rod. It was 27 yesterday here in Charleston and I'm wishing I could just go back until April


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## marshhen (Apr 11, 2017)

Cheers thanks guys. I am fortunate to be able to get to do this stuff with my dad, and he's a trooper for putting up with DIY fishing at his age. It's not the easiest thing in the world and the places we fish are not your general roadside Bahamas flats, and he never complains.



Bill Payne said:


> I have to say though, those submerged reel pics. It's probably no biggie, but it made me a little queazy!


Haha yeah, someone made a comment to me about that on IG the other day. My reels are nothing more than tools to me and I treat them accordingly. The NVGs are pretty bulletproof reels. Just flush them out with fresh water after use and go on with your day.

I'll never sell them though, so it won't be anybody's problem but mine ha.


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## texasag07 (Nov 11, 2014)

Good stuff man I enjoyed following along on instragram.


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## nautilott (Oct 29, 2017)

marshhen said:


> ​


This first pic is awesome. Don't know how you got it...very lucky or you caught a fish that just wanted to show off. Nice.
Hope you got to talk to this lady...bet there's some interesting stories with that one.


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## marshhen (Apr 11, 2017)

Her name is Doris and she owns a small bakery. We sat and talked for well over an hour. I met her family as well. She is kind of the matriarch. Half the fun of traveling to me is meeting folks and learning about their lives. This photo is of a guy named Doc. Also a solid human. He works as a greeter at a small b&b/hotel type place.










The story behind that bonefish photo is abnormal too ha. Those mangroves are on the edge of a relatively deep channel, and there is some other water on the back side of where the photo was taken from, separate from the channel. A nice sized lemon was after that fish, so I horsed him in and pulled him up into the mangroves to take the fly out so he didn't get halved by the lemon. You can't see in the photo, but he's still hooked there. Took a couple quick photos, got my fly back, and picked up him and carried him over to the other water to get away from the lemon. A regular bonefish savior.


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## nautilott (Oct 29, 2017)

^^^Very cool...thanks for the 'Paul Harvey'(the rest of the story). Very few people take the time for the story behind the person. Good for you.


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## g8rfly (Oct 9, 2011)

nice fish and photos - sounds like an awesome trip. Gotta get down there sometime.


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## Net 30 (Mar 24, 2012)

Great shots.......your Dad's fish is a _pig_.

Some of my best memories are times spent on the water with my 2 sons.


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## Scrob (Aug 26, 2015)

Excellent quality photos, thanks for sharing. Ive never been to the Bahamas and a DIY trip would likely be how I could swing it, when not spending time with my wife. Where did you stay in order to access flats like this?


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Nice photography and story! Love seeing that stuff here on this board!

Your dad seems like a cool ole dude! Keep up the companionship like that cause they will not always be around (I know).

Really like the pics and the culture story that when along with the fishing. Nice job!


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## IRLyRiser (Feb 14, 2007)

Nice trip. Awesome you got to share it with your dad.


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## RaspberryPatch (Dec 17, 2016)

We like Doris and her rum cake. My wife (my fishing partner) and I liked your pictures and story. Very nice pictures.


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## Scrather (Mar 12, 2018)

Great photography, you have a good eye. Most look like they were shot during the golden hour. That is a big bone your dad has! I am hoping to do my first Bahamas trip in February and plan one day with a guide and the rest diy, I hope I have half the success you had.


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## marshhen (Apr 11, 2017)

Scrob said:


> Excellent quality photos, thanks for sharing. Ive never been to the Bahamas and a DIY trip would likely be how I could swing it, when not spending time with my wife. Where did you stay in order to access flats like this?


You’ve just got to spend some time reading about the area you're fishing, and spend a lot of time on Google Earth. Keep in mind that if it's online or in a book, everyone else knows about it too. Time on Google Earth will get you away from people and to happier, bigger fish.



Scrather said:


> Great photography, you have a good eye. Most look like they were shot during the golden hour. That is a big bone your dad has! I am hoping to do my first Bahamas trip in February and plan one day with a guide and the rest diy, I hope I have half the success you had.


It was a nice fish. 28" and some change to the fork and about 8lbs if I had to guess. It's his biggest by a lot, but he's only been flats fishing a few times. Catching a fish like that in skinny water on foot is a hell of a feat and he will remember it forever I think.

If you've never done the DIY thing or fished the area you're going before I would definitely recommend hiring a guide at least one day. Stimulates their economy and shortens your learning curve dramatically. Nobody knows the water like the people that live there and fish it every day. I say this having never been on a guided bonefish trip, but that's out of financial necessity more than anything else. I wouldn't be able to do this as often as I do if I went with guides. When you fish with your guide, explain to him what you're trying to do and that you're more concerning with learning than catching. Ask him which tides are best for that island, what fly presentation he likes, etc. I've never found bonefish in the Caribbean to be overly picky about flies, FWIW.

Here's a blog post I wrote for SWC a while back with some info, and there's lots of info online to point you in the right direction and get you started. If you subscribe to Tail Magazine, check the last issue. There's an article in there as well.

https://www.skinnywaterculture.com/blogs/news/do-s-and-don-ts-of-diy-flats-fishing


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## redjim (Oct 16, 2012)

Wow, what a great trip!!!


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## Zika (Aug 6, 2015)

Nice report and excellent photography, Marshhen!

As others have mentioned, enjoy those moments with your dad. You'll treasure them when he's gone.


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## fiddlefish (Nov 13, 2017)

Awesome pics, I hope I am doing the same kind of trip with my sons one day. Which island, if you don't mind sharing? I've DIY'd Eleuthera several times, love it there but am considering branching out.


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## marshhen (Apr 11, 2017)

I don't like to put that information out there on the Google spiderweb but feel free to PM me.


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## dingoatemebaby (Sep 14, 2011)

Awesome trip with your Dad!


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## CaptDanS (Oct 26, 2017)

Wish I had my dad to do this with...embrace the moment.


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## Canebrake51 (Feb 15, 2018)

Great photos! Your Dad’s bonefish is awesome!


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## johnmauser (Sep 9, 2009)

Your post killed me. I want to get back to the Bahamas so bad right now. I love the adventure of finding your own flats, the taste of fried snapper and guava duff, the white sand beaches and aqua waters, and the warm welcome of the local people. Great pics, thanks for posting!


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## Guest (Dec 4, 2018)

Looks like a great trip! As a Dad of a flyfishing son, I never want to miss a chance to fish with my son - shown with one of his catches. We were in Abaco back in May. Had a great time. Heading to Louisiana in February for redfish - and some great memories!


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## kjnengr (Jan 16, 2018)

Nice fish and stories, Sam. I'm sure dear ol Dad had as much time fishing with you as you did with him.


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