can't wait till november. this is my favorite thread on tgr
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can't wait till november. this is my favorite thread on tgr
Sucks you're leaving, but aren't you headed back to the Northeast? If so, your timing is pretty good...almost like it was on purpose. :D
I have truly enjoyed this thread!
I didnt plan it but with a proper outlook things seem to come togetherQuote:
Originally Posted by mushmouth
3 keepers in Salem Sound yesterday:D
Nice! Salem Harbor was silly this evening with hundreds of terns and cormorants chasing the bait the schoolies were balling up. We managed LOTS of mid 20's fish and one 30" (my largest on the fly yet).Quote:
Originally Posted by 2nd mate
I left but Paul says the fish have not! A nice bluefin trevally off the O-Club
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1282656870
a bit sandy maybe
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1284206849
Super low tide today.....I was able to walk past the o club on the reef by the break all the way to where the water got deeper going into the lagoon and bird island. I caught a decent bluefin and about 10 minutes after that saw this guy chillin behind a big stingray only about 15 feet in front of me. Cast my fly out, he chased it and 20 minutes later I had him in my hand. I couldnt believe I landed him. It was by far the strongest fish i have ever played with.
to top it off, later I waded out from the o club onto the reef about 200 yards off the beach. I look to my left and theres a gt maybe twice as big as the one in the pic swimming away from me. I cast out past it and started retrieving, and he turns, chases and I feel him hit my fly but dont get a hookset. That was probably a good thing considering the one I caught earlier took 3/4 of my backing off my reel. So I guess im glad I still have a line to fish with.
Hope the stripers are still biting.
-paul
prepare for update.....currently waiting transport to DG from the Kingdom of Bahrain. Actually just got an email from Paul today asking when I am coming back. I should have 4 months for fishing/work ahead of me. Paul says the winds are starting to die down a bit which means no more casting in 20kts of wind everyday.
It has returned :yourock:
http://www.turnbacktogod.com/wp-cont...ion-easter.jpg
so far .75 bonefish/day. Not quite the results I am looking for so far. I swear someone figured out where I was fishing and sent the philippinos there to catch and kill all the bones. I dont have many days yet as we(the ship) left for a couple days and just got back. Yesterday I passed my small boating class and I am checked out on the 19ft Makos they have here. Now I need to find someone who has time off midweek to fish with me. We are also planning a offshore trip aboard one of the 31ft whalers for sometime next week. maybe some tuna out there for us? I will get some pics up soon.
only reason i check the fishing forum...
Yep. The fishing forum totally sucks. :rolleyes2Quote:
Originally Posted by nateski
This thread is just what I need to get me through the winter!
well, not the only reason. but the main reason.
With the not so great fishing of the last couple days I figured it was time for a bit of something else. I spend so much time fishing here its easy to ignore some of the other cool stuff that there is to do. Sunday was the big DG regatta. The course turned out to be 8 miles. We made it in just over an hour. Wind was light out of the SSW.
Looking out on the 31 Whalers and marina from the DGYC. Note wasted jib(needs to be higher too) on our chariot. Our competition was there way before us to grab the good sails.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1291574375
Leg 1, beer 1. To the right of the beer can is Eclipse point. It is the spot behind the Officers club where I have done quite a bit of fishing.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1291574134
Jamie, where is the rest of the field? By leg 3, our early starboard tack from leg 2 had our navigator/fisherman in good with the captain and he had earned himself another beer.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1291574134
Here we are catching up with the MPS-2 staff/AMSEA offerinig. Colgate 26 I thiink. The skipper(and I hate using that term) is from Marblehead so I guess they are fast. Still no match for our hobie 16 today.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1291574134
Looking east form the DGYC.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1291574134
and something for you fisherman........
flats south
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1291574194
flats north
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1291574194
worlds largest clouser:fm:
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1291574194
Finally go the old man on board for using the ships rescue boat a bit more. We are only 3 miles from the R&R center which is a plantation style? house with open windows that has a nice deck and BBQ you can use too. Not many people got there as its 20 miles from downtown and only open on weekends to non-boat having folks. Be forewarned I was trying a new setting for rapid exposures on my camera and the pic quality is a bit fucked. sorry.
Just another sunrise
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1292179990
manta ray through the big eye binoculars, off the port side.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1292179990
At the R&R center. There is a mooring you can grab that is 50 feet off the beach. The R&R house is just in the clearing there. Got the 8wt out for the bones
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1292179990
fished my way about a mile to the south towards eastern pt.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1292179990
right near the pt. I come up on what must have been 20-30 bonefish all hanging out where the water got a bit shallower. As I was checking my rod one just snatched my fly as it was floating 10 feet from me, fish on!
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1292180188
After a short stay its back to work.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1292180188
I wish I could have spent more time there. I may try to have them just drop me off there next time. I made one more discovery too.
NOT TARPON!!!!!!!! milkfish. sorry.
NO idea how to catch them yet but I will find out. Saw probably 20 fish all between 2-3 ft. They were not interested in anything I was throwing. More on these fish after I get one. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Just got my MWR ticket for use of the 19ft Makos they have. Baby bluefin.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1292179990
More on this later too. Again I am sorry for the shitty pics. I almost didn't want to post any but figured I have not really been contributing anything lately so I better get something up.
Today we are doing our ISE(independent steaming exercise) for 3 days. Ship leaves lagoon and runs the main engine looks out the window makes water and so forth. We got permission to check out an island from the Brit Rep. Right now there are 2 planned jaunts ashore for crew. 1 recon trip as soon as we get there later today, its about 100 miles north, and 1 tomorrow for maybe a BBQ with the crew. I am going fishing though. It is very likely that nobody has ever thrown a fly here before. A TR to follow.
edit: crappy weather, rain and poor visibility was enough reason to cancel our planned excursion. We will try again in January.
Okay so I have deduced, and been made aware, that there are in fact no tarpon here. There are mikfish though. This explains the massive 3 1/2 footer I saw a few months ago.
soooooo has anyone fished for milkfish before? I have been doing research teh last couple days and they seem very unlikley to bite. Some folks on teh fly talk forum have had some luck though. I am about to order some poppers ans want to throw in for whatever the milkfish might go after. any advice on flies? I figure to run 50# mono for a shock then 20# back up to 50# with biminis and surgeons for making up the leader. I really need to find out what the breaking strain is on my backing. Need to call email shop today.
must be possible:
http://www.emeraldwateranglers.com/i..._milkfish1.jpg
came up in a google image search for milkfish. Freakin cool...
From what I've read, milkfish eat algae and possibly other fish eggs. Maybe one of those pink ones you folks snag salmon with would work, in green/chartreuse?
who knows...but good luck!
That looks like a giant Ladyfish, which is the poor man's tarpon, which would make this a giant mini tarpon. What kind of f'd up backwards place are you in?Quote:
Originally Posted by khakis
the milkfish is in its own Family. Not species or subspecies or genus, but freakin Family! It's like The Land Before Time or something!
^^^^I was on that seychelles website you got that pic from, 7k for a trip seems pricey without booze. Trying to get some stuff from my local shop shipped out here so I can fish these things. In the meantime poppers for trevally and GT's this week.
what kind of f'd up place am I in: maybe these fish are zombies from all the nuke testing they did here back in the 40's:rolleyes2
I would guess crab patterns, maybe crazy charlies? Seem like their preferred forage dictates more time looking down than up, and what fish wouldn't go for a mega-shot of protein?
Slightly off topic, any of you guys furl leaders? Seems like a really cool idea, and the folks who use furled leaders swear by them
http://www.midcurrent.com/articles/g...edleaders.aspx
http://www.midcurrent.com/articles/g...ed_leader.aspx
http://www.hatchesmagazine.com/page/may2006/185
Each to his own, but I don't like them, except maybe for nymphing.Quote:
Originally Posted by khakis
1. They absorb water, then when you cast, the absorbed water sprays all over the place. Not good in tricky dry fly situations.
2. They always seemed clunky to me, short and fat. Hard to get a nice delicate laydown. Maybe if I tried a longer, thinner I might feel differently.
So maybe if you are deep nymphing and throwing a tuck cast, they might be good. And they are kind of fun to make. But hey, it's just fishing. Do what you want.
interesting, I've never used one, and never considered them as an option in freshwater, but it's pretty cool to see that back in the day they were made of silk and horsehair! Just seems like they would make sense when shock absorption is an issue.
That's what the tip of your rod and soft hands are for, or in 2nd Mate's case, a smooth drag.Quote:
Originally Posted by khakis
Good luck and happy eating. Apparently milkfish is a key food fish for asian cuisine.
http://www.fintalk.com/moxie/1/1_1/milkfish-fly.shtml
I.......don't really eat seafood. Maybe crab rangoon, or freshly caught tuna from time to time.
^ Weird, I am the same way. but you can add a plate of essex fried clams to the list
When I was little we used to do freshly picked quahogs, right out of Marion harbor, with ketchup.
Yesterday, Dec 29th, was good day. Grabbed the 8wt. Got ashore on the 1100 launch and after figuring out where I had left my bike from the Christmas eve party..........I was on my way. 10 mile ride south on the island. Somewhere between downtown and his outer reef area I will call exit ramp(near runway) I lost my gatorade. It must have popped out of my camelbak. Luckily I still had a water bottle. But I digress....
looking back north. runway is behind these trees. Coral flats that were dredged by navy in 1973 or so. Outer reef facing SE.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1293648859
First cast was a small bonefish on a tiny clouser. Second was a blackfin trevalley.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1293648859
he was small but fun to catch.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1293648859
I brought a bunch of crabs back...not the kind sailors bring home from the P.I. So I figured this looks like crab country here and I threw one on.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1293648859
One of maybe 10-15 bonefish.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1293648859
So these fish look like coke bottles when you spot them. So I spotted what looked like a freaking 2 liter coke BOTTLE! There was probably 3-4 big fish in this group. So I dropped the fly about 10 feet in front of where they were headed and began stripping. One monster attacked the crab and after what I thought was a good strip set......BANG! He starts running back teh way he came with my crap. The line was stripping so fast I was actually thinking this bonefish is going to spool me????? Probably not but he was gone. Then he was really gone as I realized I could have probably set the hook better. No worries though I will get him today or tomorrow.
Decided to say fuck the OT and made my way ashore at 0900. The plan was to check the backside of the runway, which is the ocean side with coral flats. Got there at 1000 and it was dry. So I figured I could kill some time and head over towards the graveyard and throw for some bones.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1294233635
It gets pretty freaky making my way through 75 yards of jungle to a graveyard.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1294233635
One pretty cool/scary tree. Seems like a logical place for a graveyard 100 years ago.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1294233635
landed a nice little bone as I threw towards a big ass pompano. Unfortunately he died. Swallowed the shit out of the fly and by the time I got it out and was never able to recover. After about 5-7 minutes of trying to bring him back I started to worry about sharks and let him go. RIP. First one I have killed that I am aware of.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1294234223
Now it was time for the outer reef. About a hour and a half after low tide. Just starting to be fishable here. Had 2 fair sized bones on, they were schooling, and landed 1 smallish bluefin trev.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1294233635
bluefin shot with a camera that has a replacement on order.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1294234853
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1294234934
Saturday we have a morning trip in the lagoon planned. Paul has a nice camera so I will get some nice shots.
Plain cool.
I love these adventures you're on (I guess it's your life...cool life)
Thanks for showing the other side of the world
Sorry this has(temporarily) turned into a travel report and not a fishing report. I have been working a bit and the NW monsoon has made the big ones hard to find. I am forever optimistic though about future fishing here.
My ship got underway from our anchorage(undisclosed location) and headed north of the Great Chagos Bank.
We launched our rescue boat just to the south of this atoll.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1296801535
we would be headed for Ile du Coin and its deserted plantation in the sw area of this atoll.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1296801535
we arrived and anchored in a small cove in the lee of the NW monsoon.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1296801535
As the others pressed into the jungle I headed about 200 yards to the north to fish a spot between two islands where the reef ran into the lagoon.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1296801535
one of these on every cast. A few larger ones too but no bigs I was hoping for. I did see a few but no cheese.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1296801535
after 45 minutes the others found me and snapped a few pics.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1296801658
funny crab the commodore took a pic of
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1296801658
My boss was seriously unhappy at my reluctance to leave after only 1 hour. Not nearly as unhappy as I though.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1296801658
after a 7 mile run in the boat we were back home.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1296801658
I am back on the 00-08 watch next week and will put some miles on my bike in search of some nice fish.
I need tips on how to take good pictures when you are by yourself.
Hey- no pics of the 40 pound GT you mentioned in the Lara whatever thread?
hooked not landed. I have been busy here not catching shit. Leaving in less than a week too. I will be back around May 1.
I did have a pretty epic adventure last weekend. Paul and I rode the bus to the plantation 17 miles. We then rode our bikes as far as we could before the road ended, 8 miles. We walked 2 more miles on the ocean side trying to get to Barton Pt. which is approx 27 miles from downtown. It took us more than 3 hours to get there. As we finally make our way to what is the most remote part of the island, Paul says " I expected to see some GT's right away." I said nothing as there was a monster 10 feet in front of us right where the reef and the Point create a small cove. I cast past him with Paul now yelling at me that he saw him first. Second cast I threw a Mush, not the NY Mush, probably 50 feet past him and stripped fast. I never saw him hit it but within seconds I was into my backing, deep into it. I had been so excited to get my fly wet I forgot I still had straight 20lb for a leader...........and you can guess what a 40lb GT did to that tippet:cussing::cussing::cussing::cussing::cussing ::cussing::cussing::cussing::cussing::cussing::cus sing::cussing::cussing::cussing::cussing::cussing: :cussing::cussing::cussing::cussing::cussing::cuss ing:. By far the hardest I have ever had anything hit my 10wt. It has been a week and I am still thinking about that fish. That Mushmouth looked freaking awesome in the water too. Stayed long enough for Paul to have one hit his fly. It had a mouth like a dinner plate. Probably 50+ lbs they way it hit. No big fish landed. we only stayed about an hour and a half. which turned out to be about and hour too long.
SO Now were were to begin our trek back to where we abandoned our bikes. At this stage we were pretty sure we would be missing the last bus back downtown which would add 17 miles to our day. maybe 20 miles of our day were off-road biking. A nice person drove by in a truck shortly after we both ran out of water and rove us back the remaining 14 miles.
The chart of the best fishing grounds I have ever seen.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...6&d=1298117246
Looking north towards Barton Point. You can see the outer reef and the cove area we fished.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...8&d=1298117311
Looking south towards Observatory Point.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...4&d=1298117176
One of Paul. About 100 feet after this we see about a 12 foot shark sunning himself in the flats and Paul turns on hid Go-Pro for some footage. I was standing by with a nice rock to scare off the shark. Paul got within 5 feet of the big fella before he stirred from his slumber. Footage came out crappy.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...7&d=1298117269
A few from Saturday morning:
Looking East towards Cannon Point during low water from the outer reef.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...5&d=1298117199
We would find a big hunk of brain coral and just climb on top. About this time as I take a random picture 2 GT's swim past him as he is fucking with his reel.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...3&d=1298117164
I was only able to land a small Trevalley. Back at it in the morning for what might be my last day before I am paroled on Thursday.
I now run either 2-3 ft of 33lb or 20lb to 6-8 ft of straight 80lb. 50lb Gel spun will be installed when I get home so I can run the 33 without fear of loosing my entire fly line when my backing lets go.
Left the island 2 weeks ago. My buddy Paul left for good but not before we had a few good days. Forgot my camera the day I landed a real nice bluefin on the outer reef off of Eclipse pt. Another guy flew in the day my flight was delayed so we got a chance to fish for a few hours the next day before I left. Since we saw a 60lb GT that day inside the lagoon he has seen it a few times but he has been rigged for bones. The fish scared the shit out of me as he came up behind me. He showed twice in about an hour and both times got to 10 ft from me. Water was almost knee deep and his dorsal fin was above the surface. Massive fish I am sure Eric will be able to chase down before I get back in May.
If someone can tell me what these are I will send you a new DG t-shirt.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...1&d=1300109167
On the far left of this one we were casting for bones when the monster GT swam by twice.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...0&d=1300109164
A nice view of Eclipse pt on the bottom of the pic. With west island, middle island, east island and Barton pt from bottom to top. Barton is where I hooked into the big Gt after an epic travel day on foot and bike. The area on the bottom is the outer reef we fish at low tide when there is not a big swell from the NW.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...8&d=1300109158
parting shot until I return in May.
http://stk.tetongravity.com/forums/a...9&d=1300109162
Attachment 94768Attachment 94769Attachment 94770Attachment 94771
B-2 aircraft shelters.Quote:
If someone can tell me what these are I will send you a new DG t-shirt.
EFASS=Expeditionary Forces Aircraft Shelter System
as to what's inside?
http://new-motortrends.com/Fishing-boat-2008.jpg
or
http://www.military-today.com/helico...6_comanche.jpg