# Easter Island Bonefish on Fly – Road Trip 4/24/2011



## HaMm3r

Although almost a year had gone by, several hard-earned lessons of the past came back in a flash when that first ghostly shadow cruised into view, approaching slowly over the white coral sand flat where I stood unmoving, amidst a coil of floating line, shirt snapping in the stiff breeze, waiting patiently for the moment I knew would inevitably come. When it did, all the regret and anticipation of the last ten months evaporated the instant the line went taut on the reel, its handle disappearing in a blur of motion as the rod tip wagged furiously after the Bahamian bonefish that was screaming away toward deeper water. In that moment, nothing else existed except for a lone angler, a fish and the battle that raged between the two…


It was a little over a year ago, on a previous Easter weekend that I’d made this same lengthy trek over sea and land to reach this particular flat, adjacent to a tiny isle in the Caribbean. The island itself hadn’t changed much, but I certainly had. The last time I’d walked these pristine waters, I was only a novice, having never held a fly-caught bone in hand and the island sent me home with dreams unfulfilled in consequence. This Easter however, I returned still unworthy but slightly more accomplished, having landed a few bonefish during another trip to the tropics two months after my defeat here. The question was, had I learned enough to do it again and after more than ten months would I remember those teachings when I needed to? :-/


The hike across the island to my chosen fishing grounds was much as I remembered…hot and dusty. The low-lying scrub brush and squat trees provided little shade along the well-worn path, yet seemed to offer ample enough protection for a few wild peahens, chickens and feral cats to scratch out an existence. As I passed them by I couldn’t help but wonder how and when those animals ended up in such a place, but my imaginings were interrupted when the azure sea finally came into view. 

























It was a view I’d seen before, the previous year…









Standing upon that glistening shoreline once again, I took stock of my surroundings and contemplated my good fortune while assembling my gear. This was a second chance after all, and I intended to take full advantage of the opportunity. 

















As I waded out into the warm Caribbean Sea, my eyes searched in every direction for the telltale gray silhouettes that would surely indicate a bonefish was nearby. This was the point where I’d made my first mistake last time. Instead of focusing on my objective, I had allowed myself to become distracted by the beauty of this place, and I consequently blundered too close to a school that I surely would have seen otherwise. Not this time!









Similarly, unpreparedness was my second error of the previous trip, so fifteen minutes later, I made a point of positioning myself in a promising spot, based on the movements of the passing silver jennys and stingrays. Once situated, I then took a few practice casts to stretch out the line and get a feel for the wind, before settling in to wait. [smiley=waiting.gif]

















I didn’t have to wait long however, before a flicker of movement caught my attention. At first it was nothing more than a shadow, an illusion beneath the waves, barely discernable yet clearly of substance. Then another appeared, followed by a third and fourth aquatic apparition. Soon more than a dozen ghostly shapes glided toward me and with my heart drumming loudly in my ears, I let fly a downwind cast that was pretty darn good, considering how badly my hands were shaking!


It was difficult to gauge exactly where my self-tied fly dropped, but I resisted the urge to strip prematurely, instead waiting until the school was nearly upon the end of my floating line. One tug and the school turned inward upon itself, scrambling to find the source of the disturbance. A second tug was met with solid resistance, and as the rod tip came up, line began to vanish through my fingers and guides!


What a great feeling, to again be tied into a powerful bonefish, but there was little time to celebrate as the ongoing fight demanded my full attention. Run after drag-burning run, my adversary fought as if its life depended on it, while I became ever more fearful that a failure, either by equipment or myself, would again cost me. Yet somehow I persevered, releasing a sigh of mixed relief and joy as I lifted my tired prize from the water. [smiley=supercool.gif]

























While watching that bonefish swim away, it dawned on me that I’d almost instinctually avoided all the other mistakes which had plagued me in the past. No bad casts, missed hooksets, break-offs or jammed knots interferred with my success this time, and I felt a sense of accomplishment that I’d once again done it all on my own. But my revelry was cut short as another glimmer of movement beneath the waves caught my eye. Time was wasting away and I still had the rest of the day to try and accomplish a bit more.

Bonefish #2 [smiley=headbang.gif]









Barracuda [smiley=happy.gif]









A peaceful spot for a moments rest…

























Bonefish #3 [smiley=woot.gif]









A stretch of familiar coastline…

















Barracuda #2…oops on the camera work! [smiley=frustrate2.gif]

















Bonefish #4 [smiley=thumbsupsmileyanim.gif]

















By mid-afternoon, the tide had come in and the winds had risen to a point where it became almost counterproductive to continue. I had caught more than my share, along with numerous refusals and a few long distance releases, included a three foot shark that I really would have enjoyed landing. Nonetheless, it was another amazing adventure in a place that only a handful will probably ever get to experience, and as such, I couldn’t help but feel truly blessed on that holy Easter Sunday as I began the first leg of my journey home. [smiley=engel017.gif]


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## kbuch312

Hammer,
As usual, your reports rock!!
Thanks for the pictures and story.
KMB


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## jeross

Sweet redemption! And a year later to boot. Nice job and great report. There truly are some beautiful spots in those islands, for sure.


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## TomFL

Buddy, you're living life right! 

Thanks for the posts and the photos, always love reading them. Great fishing!

-T


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## paint it black

Great work on the fishing and the report! 
You're one to never disappoint!
Good to see all that work pay off!

It feels great, don't it?


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## deerfly

wtg Jeff, looks like the bonefish monkey is looking for a new back to climb on.


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## makin moves

nice fish and great report thanks for sharing


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## tom_in_orl

Super cool report!!!! Thats awesome that things worked out so well  [smiley=1-thumbsup2.gif]


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## phishphood

Bravo my man. Great planning, execution, and reporting Jeff. Two thumbs up.


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## HaMm3r

> Hammer,
> As usual, your reports rock!!
> Thanks for the pictures and story.
> KMB


I really appreciate the kind words, kbuch!  Glad you enjoyed it.



> Sweet redemption! And a year later to boot. Nice job and great report. There truly are some beautiful spots in those islands, for sure.


There sure are Thingfish. I'd love to spend a week down there someday. If only they'd fix that stupid lotto machine...it keeps picking the wrong numbers. :



> Buddy, you're living life right!
> 
> Thanks for the posts and the photos, always love reading them. Great fishing!
> 
> -T


 ;D Well, I try to get a few rights in between all the wrongs.  Thanks for the compliments...



> Great work on the fishing and the report!
> You're one to never disappoint!
> Good to see all that work pay off!
> 
> It feels great, don't it?


Thanks bro! It sure is rewarding when a plan comes together like this, even if there were a few false starts along the way. : Miami is still on my list of todo's, btw. 



> wtg Jeff, looks like the bonefish monkey is looking for a new back to climb on.


Yeah Eric, I think so too. While certainly far from an expert, I do feel like I can now get the job done somewhat reliably. 



> nice fish and great report thanks for sharing


You're most welcome, thanks for reading. 



> Super cool report!!!! Thats awesome that things worked out so well [smiley=1-thumbsup2.gif]


Much obliged Tom!  "Awesome" is a very good adjective to describe the whole experience.  Oh, you might be interested to know that that little gray crab/shrimp pattern I got from you during one of the swaps, is now stuck in the mouth of a 15lb stingray down in the islands. :-[ I was amazed it actually ate the thing. 



> Bravo my man. Great planning, execution, and reporting Jeff. Two thumbs up.


Thanks Jason! Let me know when you want to do some more freshwater fly casting.


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