# Cayman Islands DIY



## Finn Maccumhail (Apr 9, 2010)

So the wife surprised me for Christmas with a trip to the Caymans from 1/27-1/31 for our anniversary and she knows me well enough to know that I'm gonna fish. I'm looking to book a guide for one day for bonefish and then try some DIY if possible. I understand there are tarpon and some permit but I don't know much.

Anybody have any tips for DIY? A buddy as fished with Capt. Randy Parchment and highly recommends him for a guide.

Thanks.


----------



## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Get in touch with Duppy Fly. He lived there and has the whole place dialed in. 

I was there about this time last year and the wife and I really liked it. Accommodations are pricey tho, if you don't look around.

Duppy said the bones are on the north side of Grande Caymen around the iron rock shorelines. But it was too windy from the north and way being hammered from the winds (more than a 6 & 8wt can stand directly into the winds.), so we ended up working the south side of the island. Points of interest to look for DIY bones were the point (NW side of the Island) of Barkers Natl Park, as well as anyplace between Rum Point to anyplace along Queens Hwy.

I miss those awesome blue contrasting waters there.









On the south side was a mixed bag of species and the bones were small and few between. Still, it was fun and between that and the snorkeling, local food and the beaches on the south side (my wife liked that), it was a good time.

Take your date/wife to Cemetery beach or 7 Mile beach and fish (small bones, bar jacks, snapper, etc). Then snorkel the small reef out front of the beach. It was a decent place for the wife.

We are going further south next month and do some more exploring on the bottom side of the Caribbean this time.

Ted


----------



## Finn Maccumhail (Apr 9, 2010)

Thanks. If I bring a date I may not have a wife anymore.


----------



## jonrconner (May 20, 2015)

https://www.fish-bones.com/
Davin Ebanks has a blog and a guide service for wade fishing.
JC


----------



## mightyrime (Jul 18, 2016)

dude send me a PM! I have an entire google map i can share with you. I would advise against Randy, and Davin has left the island. 

Fish with Joel Jefferson who is excellent! Joel is available through Davins site above.

bring lots of baby tarpon patterns and make sure all your bonefish flies have weedguards. There are lots of brownish redish critters on the flats, so that color worked best on the bonefish for me.

Cayman is the best DIY salt trip I have ever done.


----------



## duppyzafari (Jul 9, 2015)

+1 on Joel - find him on IG @345onthefly or through the Fish Bones site.

Davin is back on-island sporadically, as he's a Professor at an art school in Indiana. He and Joel are the some of the best dudes you'll ever meet and they have the island on lock. Joel will give you plenty of other spots to fish on your own time after the charter is over. 

January into February will be cooler and probably windy, but still lovely and very fishy. If the flats are blown out, the mosquito control canals throughout Barker's in my beloved West Bay produce Juvy Poon and the odd Snook (and even grouper and cuda, if you're close to the junction with the sea.)

It's also worth noting that Cayman is clean, safe, English-speaking, and enjoys the highest standard of living in the entire Caribbean, so you can relax and really enjoy yourself without worrying about being targeted or harassed for money. Driving on the left takes a brief moment to get used to - just go with the flow and you'll be fine. Your rental car will have a white license plate, so the other drivers will usually give you a bit of consideration as you move with traffic.

Shoot me an email at [email protected] for additional info.

Tight lines!


----------



## Finn Maccumhail (Apr 9, 2010)

Emails & DM's sent.

Gracias dudes.


----------



## Finn Maccumhail (Apr 9, 2010)

And, am I reading things right that no fishing license is required?


----------



## duppyzafari (Jul 9, 2015)

Finn Maccumhail said:


> And, am I reading things right that no fishing license is required?


No license required from shore but you cannot keep anything that you catch. If you go out with an offshore charter, they'll send you home with some of what you catch.


----------



## mightyrime (Jul 18, 2016)

no tarpon sashimi allowed

no license needed


----------



## BM_Barrelcooker (May 4, 2011)

Hey Finn 

I had a great time fishing and riding around with Randy Parchment. Cayman is a great place to explore.


----------



## bonehead (Dec 9, 2016)

Good people right there. Davin put me on my first 2 bones a couple years back. I tie flies for his clients that are looking for some quality patterns that work (under the flies section). I've never fished with Joel, but have talked to him a bunch and heard great things about him. Definitely book a trip with FishBones, you won't regret it!


----------



## mightyrime (Jul 18, 2016)

another good thing about Joel is he is like 6'5" tall so he can see bones further out than most of us under 6' people while wading


----------



## Finn Maccumhail (Apr 9, 2010)

mightyrime said:


> another good thing about Joel is he is like 6'5" tall so he can see bones further out than most of us under 6' people while wading


Well I'm 6'3" so I guess it will help some. 

Still haven't heard back from Joel though.


----------



## duppyzafari (Jul 9, 2015)

Finn Maccumhail said:


> Well I'm 6'3" so I guess it will help some.
> 
> Still haven't heard back from Joel though.


Nor from me. Sorry! Just sent you some info.


----------



## mightyrime (Jul 18, 2016)

joel is on island time  if you dont hear from him soon i can dig up his cell and PM it to you


----------



## Finn Maccumhail (Apr 9, 2010)

Thanks gents- messaged with Joel last night. I've got it booked.


----------



## mightyrime (Jul 18, 2016)

do you know what side of the island you are staying on?

also you should bring a 10wt if you want to tangle with bigger tarpon under dock lights


----------



## Finn Maccumhail (Apr 9, 2010)

mightyrime said:


> do you know what side of the island you are staying on?
> 
> also you should bring a 10wt if you want to tangle with bigger tarpon under dock lights


yeah, we're staying at the Westin on 7 Mile Beach


----------



## Floriduh (Mar 20, 2018)

Grand Cayman was the best DIY salt trip I ever did. Went there for a wedding, got a $20/day rental car (the only inexpensive thing on the island) and just drove up to that defunct "park" in the NW corner of the island. Wasn't there 5 minutes before hooking my first Bonefish, a nice 3lber. I won't bore you with the heroic details of the next couple days, but it was a lot of fun. Even got a couple random shots at a Permit.


----------



## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Floriduh said:


> Grand Cayman was the best DIY salt trip I ever did. Went there for a wedding, got a $20/day rental car (the only inexpensive thing on the island) and just drove up to that defunct "park" in the NW corner of the island. Wasn't there 5 minutes before hooking my first Bonefish, a nice 3lber. I won't bore you with the heroic details of the next couple days, but it was a lot of fun. Even got a couple random shots at a Permit.


Was that Barker's Nat'l park?

Don't worry, you can bore us with the heroic details!


----------



## jwskiff (May 30, 2017)

So all this great talk has me exploring options for March.... Anyone got recommendations on places to stay.. It'd be a family + fishing trip but "off the beaten path" is good with the family.

Thanks


----------



## coconutgroves (Sep 23, 2013)

Haven't fished Grand but fished Little. Lots of bones - rented a moped and was known as the guy with the fly rod on the scooter by the locals for the week.  I fished the inland pond there for small tarpon which was a blast, but a small jon boat is needed. I ran into a few permit, and actually had one that gave me probably 5 minutes worth of shots before it decided to move on. It was on the flats and there was a big sandy hole it was feeding in, just circling around it eating at will. I joke you not, I changed flies 3 times on this fish, so it saw 4 flies from me in total. It was so focused on eating what was in the sand and up against the grass. I put it on the nose and it would turn, follow and stare, but no takes. I finally decided not to give any lead and dropped it between the eyes - it just swam off like the conceded uptown jack it is. But man, what fun that was. I was talking to myself "what is wrong with this damn fish! permit don't do this!"

There was this one larger bone I kept seeing up against the same spot on a coral shoreline that would feed like a river trout. I'd watch it hug the coral under a palm tree, then come out and ambush something, then swim right back to its spot. It was picky too - wouldn't take anything I had the first day I tried. Returned a few days later and sure enough, that fish was in the same spot! It was later, so I had lower light on my side, so I fished it like a trout. I fished from behind it, threw past and to it's side, enticed it, it followed and ate. Very gratifying fish as the sun was setting. I think I smiled the entire way back to my room.

Have a great trip - definitely a memorable one for me with many many bones and tarpon thrown in to boot.


----------



## duppyzafari (Jul 9, 2015)

jwskiff said:


> So all this great talk has me exploring options for March.... Anyone got recommendations on places to stay.. It'd be a family + fishing trip but "off the beaten path" is good with the family.
> 
> Thanks


Stay on Seven Mile Beach - the Friendliest Family Spot in the Caribbean. Great food, great fishing, and great people.


----------



## Finn Maccumhail (Apr 9, 2010)

To all the guys (I'll forget names if I try to name everyone) - Thanks for all the intel, it gave me more spots and info than i could use on one trip, unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate for DIY as this was the scene for almost the entire time we were out there. I did fish a little with Joel and we found some bones and I caught a couple but it was tough conditions. Definitely making plans to go back and do more fishing.

I hope this video shows up, it's on my wife's FB page and it may not be publicly viewable. But it was blowing almost 25 nearly the entire trip and for the first couple days there was 6ft+ surf off 7 Mile.




__ https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10216204420136060


----------



## bonehead (Dec 9, 2016)

Sounds like a good trip to me! The fact that you got some bones in those conditions is impressive, nice! 

Ive never been, but maybe you should also consider visiting little cayman and cayman brac.


----------



## kbanashek (Apr 5, 2017)

Slightly off topic, would you guys find a facebook group that solely focuses on DIY destinations useful? Seems wherever I go people are asking and or providing intel on destinations(like in these threads).

Thought being there's a dedicated group for these types of reports/conversations that could serve as somewhat the 'primary' resource to go to first? I've already got the group created, but more or less just throwing the idea out there to see if there's interest. Rod Hamiltons book can only go so far and is somewhat dated perhaps. Plus it only covers bonefish for the most part.


----------



## Bob Palmer (Aug 3, 2019)

Headed down to GC in January 2020  Fished Little Cayman in April and had a blast!


----------

