Dem Bones Mon!

We set out bright and early the first morning of fishing. Our vessel for the week was a classic hand-built Polynesian outrigger canoe. It was sturdy, functional, and would serve us well throughout the week. We would find out just how well-built these things were later in the week when we went to a place called Wahoo alley.

On our way out to the first flats (Poland flats), our guide introduced himself formally, as well as Russ, our boatman at the stern. Russ did not speak English at all, so we had to translate through our guide Michael when we wanted to ask him something. After hearing some of the conversations, Ken mentioned that these names were probably chosen for the fishermen, as their real names apparently had too many syllables for the average person to grasp in a short time. After a formal introduction of everyone, including Ken and I, our guide took out a small notepad and started to read a prayer from it, which was quite interesting. I remember some of it - "today, when we go to sea, we will gain something new and we will leave behind something from our past". When we got to the first flats, we spread out. We would take turns with the guide for about an hour at a time. I was the first with Michael that morning. I opened my fly box, which held several hundred Bonefish flies I tied for the trip, and he selected the brightest orange fly in the box - Moana's Chili Pepper, which was invented by a head guide at Christmas Island many years ago.

It wasn't long before Michael spotted the first Bones - a pair. It's been over two years since the last time I saw a Bonefish in the water, which was the last trip Ken and I went on to Eleuthera, Bahamas. I could not see the pair at all, so I went by his directions on distance and vector. Strip...strip...stop. Long slow strip...boom! Fish on. That first Bonefish of a trip is always the most exhilarating. A lot of people wonder what makes this little fish so special, and until you've experienced this little guy making a single run the length of a football field, you'll never know. When it realizes it is hooked, it typically makes a single long uninterrupted run like someone lit a fire under its butt. We took pictures of the first two Bones and then avoided it after that. The slime you rub off of a Bonefish when you handle it normally is replaced in two weeks and is not a problem in most destinations. However, at Christmas Island, the Bonefish shares its crib with hungry Blacktip reef sharks and the formidable Giant Trevally, both of which feed on smell as well as sight, and without its protective slime, the sharks can smell it from great distances.

One thing that really surprised me about Kiritimati is the intensity of the sun. You really need to cover up here. I've been up and down the Caribbean and Central America and have never seen a sun this intense. You may notice Michael and I wearing bandannas over our faces. The sun is so intense that the reflection off of the bright white coral sand burns the inside of your nostrils and the underside of your jaw. I kid you not when I say the sun laughs at 30 SPF here.

A short while later, Michael was about 10 yards to my right scanning the flats for our next target, when I spotted a single zig-zagging across. I started my backcast - one, two and put the fly out about 6 feet in front of its path of travel, did a few short strips and boom, another Bone. Michael came over and asks - you saw him? I smiled and said - "yeah, I got my Bonefish eyes back". He asks if he can go to Ken and I said yeah, I'm good now. As the day went on and my Bonefish eyes got better, I began to see what the fuss was really all about. I've never seen so many Bones cruising in my life.

Later that day at a different flat, Michael and I ran into a large number of very small Blacktip reef sharks - mostly the same size of the Bonefish. The guide said it was a place that sharks use as a nursery. A short while later we ran into a Blacktip that was an adult - about 6 feet in length. I looked at Michael and said - "I hear these are really fun to catch - should I try for him?". Michael stated something to the effect of them being a real pain in the butt to land and release. I thought I'd try anyway, so I started to approach this shark and after a few minutes Michael said - "Stop, don't get any closer, that is a female, and they can get angry at you". So I took his advice and backed off, figuring we'd let her go about her business and concentrate on the Bonefish. I stopped and took a quick shot of her as she set about.

I've attached some photos so you can see just how difficult it is to see a Bonefish in its natural environment. The following photo is a Bonefish with just its head out of the water. The water is about 1.5 feet deep and Gin clear. Notice that its abdomen below the head that is exposed is nearly invisible, and this is a shot from a few feet away, under my hand. You need to be able to see these from up to 60 feet away, and in bright overhead sunlight. That's part of the allure to Bonefishing, is that it's a sight game, and you must hunt by vision for them. The next two photos to the left are of another Bonefish, zoomed out, and then zoomed in much closer. This fish was only about 15 feet from me at the time. He probably didn't see me - my pants are light like the sand, my shirt is turquoise, matching the backdrop of water, my bandanna blue like the sky and my hat light again, like the clouds. When I stand - I look like my surroundings. By the way, this is the only place that I've ever Bonefished that you can get this close to them. On the Turtle grass flats of Belize, you can't get closer than 50 feet from them or you'll spook them half-way to Mexico. This fish is a master of disguise - it has to be, or it's lunch. To me, finding and catching a Bonefish with a fly you made is the ultimate high. I've always had a passion for this fish. It's difficult for a lot of people to understand why, and mostly because it's a small fish. To me, it holds a mystery to be unlocked, and part of that mystery lies in how mother nature crafted this fish. It is primitive by any measure, much like the Tarpon, but has evolved to become a cunning hunter of the flats. Watching them patrol the flats is best described as "methodical". The other part is the culture. Since as far back as I can remember, I've loved the tales, the travel, the adventure, the excitement, and the technical complexity involved with pursuing this species.

I leave you with this perspective before I turn this post over to Ken. This photo sums up why I do this. No noise, no traffic, no shopping centers, no lines (I mean shopping lines, not fishing lines), no deadlines, no billowing diesel, no signs, and most of all, not a single Starbucks for 1400 miles. This is what it looks like to have stress melt away from your body. It is a rejuvenating experience for me each time I'm lucky enough to do this.

[Ken] Thank goodness for our guide, Michael! It took me a long time to be able to spot Dem Bones. Since there was only one of him and two of us, I found myself having to spot them on my own. I loved stalking them on my own. I'm sure I only saw 20% of every fish in front of me.

[Ken] My first fish on the flats was a GT. Actually, I didn't land it but it had to be my most memorable hook up. Michael spotted it first (of course) swimming directly at us saying and pointing, "GT, GT." I spotted it close and made my cast. I was tossing a small Christmas Island special on a 7 wt. I dropped it to the side of the fish, it turned, Michael yelled "strip!" and I was on. I was not ready because I had never hooked into a GT before and this was a small one, maybe 15-20 pounds. In less than 5 seconds I was into my backing and the line continued screaming off the reel. Unfortunately, it broke off but I will never forget the power of that fish. Later, I did hook into and land a much smaller GT. It too took me into my backing. What a great fish!

[Ken] The bones were just as fun. I got better at spotting bonefish and I did land many, many bones. I even made many blind casts into deeper water and hooked up. I enjoyed this as well because I had to feel for the exact moment to strip set the hook. If I was too early or too late, I missed the fish. What I found interesting was that I could not get a bonefish to bite unless I was using a fly that had some orange on it. I tossed yellow banana peel flies, tan turd flies, yellow Christmas Island specials and I did not get a fish. I caught many bones on many different flies, however, they all had some magic orange.