This journey begins with a phone call and a big group coming to Vieques to watch there friends get married and some wanted to MountainBike others wanted to doYoga ,Hiking ,snorkeling and the lone fisherman who could get away requests kayakFishing, oh yeah!, with in a few days there was a plan for everyone. I dropped off 8 MountainBikes and picked up Mike at Inn On the Blue early enough for the roosters to still be a bit groggy and we drove across the Island to the only place open for a Jamon Y Queso this early. El Serrucho a local breakfast haunt I have been visiting early mornings, there is more action in this little spot than you would beleive. Sandwiches are hot and fast just like the coffee, warm milk and sugar...Good Morning! With sandwiches half gone we embark to our launching point, I begin to walk Mike through the flow of our day and what he could expect from our 3 mile round trip paddle, after lil blue lumbaring down the road at at 15miles per hour we finally arrive. kayaks come off the truck and inventory is taken as we pack the kayaks for a great paddle to a very unique place on the Southside of the Island. Like clockwork the wind slowly began to increase and I knew our first leg would be more challenging than anticipated, but we would be safe, just a little wet and tired by the time we got there, but it would be worth it, I assured him. So, with that we began to paddle straight into the wind,technique, focus and strength make this is an attainable paddle for most people and Mike was loving it, water, wind, waves and a perspective gained only while paddling a kayak. I am so excited to be able to show almost anyone how to make Fly-Fishing in a small boat or Kayak fun and easy with virtually no impact on the very thing you love the most. These fisheries are incredibly diverse and some of the best examples of healthy food chains, From the algae on the mangroves to the minnows and endless other organisms that thrive from their mere existence, these food sources create these ridiculous conditions for great fishing. Now the wind will always be there for you, but the angling oppourtunity is everywhere once you begin to learn the cycles of the bay. There were really big fins out there and I had to made sure I knew what was hanging around as we were walking to post up and wait for those sweet Bones swimming up into the current feeding on what every they want, they are pigs okay now that mostlly applies to the Wild Browns found up in the North Park area of Colorado,. There was this one irrigation ditch....oh forget it. Back to the Bones....So Mike was standing next to me on the flat and I began to explain to him how to see the water, that's right "see", like camouflage the wind whips the water and creates lots of horizon that looks the same, now the job of sighting is recognizing the subtle differences you can see in active areas of water that just looked different and if you looked closer, you could decide things like species, overall direction, size, etc. The wind was blowing so my knowledge of this area told me he would have a shot at a fish if I got him behind some cover. On the way to.. we see a nice size bone and nice is 6lb-8lbs and a shiny tail sending the"Hey over here", A couple casts, First one you know shaking a little nervous, I mean all this nature 25ft away this is the kind of stuff you see on fishing shows and Mike was in his own. Second cast came off and landed perfect, I instructed him to watch the S in his line and well....we stood there and let that bonefish do his thing and find that fly, slowly he came right over, we saw his shadow and tail by the time he ate it. This bone was not happy with the hook in his mouth and well Mike learned a thing or two really quickly. He listened to every crazed comment coming from his guide who was so psyched to have this guy on a Bone especially considering the conditions and time constraints. Mike fought his first Bone with valor, but this wild bone got the best of him in the deep weeds. Mike was doing everything perfect, rod above his head with all line cleared and playing his first Bone on the real, so good job, better luck next time, we'll get him. Fly-fishing those bones put some things in perspective that day and it was my pleasure . I promised Mike I would get the evidence up for him cause you know what they say......A Fish Story is nice, but pics and video make the story! So I hope you all like it and by the way, my editor was on vacation, so just read it as painful as it maybe and enjoy what you can. Mike see ya next year and here is the footage of the Nurse Shark we found out there while waiting for those Shiney tails to appear in the distance... If you have any questions like .??? How you can be like Mike contact: garry@viequesadventures.com KayakFishing Paddle On.....
The month of July has been very hot and full of afternoon siestas, sunsets on the malecon in Ezperanza and mornings at the bakery with all those sunburned faces, mine included. Yep... it is summer, for sure. To top it off a group of my friends from Ft.Collins, Co came down for a summer get away and we have spent a great time enjoying the festivities,Beaches food and lots of laughs...Oh yeah fishing was having a hard time working itself into the rotation but one night dancing the night away to salsa with so many familiar faces in th new town square listening to a famous band calle El Gran Combo and they played one incredible song after another and everyone knew the words...even me. I had to get my old fishing friend Jason Slaughter (aka Peewee..he will explain the nickname) out to one of my favorite spots to paddle the kayaks stake off and start hooking fish that run faster than anything I have ever been tied to, including cars... So after a couple deafining exchanges at close range trying to hear each other over the blarring salsa , it was on.................. The following morning at 5:30am I pulled up to the big old house on the hill in Ezperanza to get an old fishing buddy on his first Bone fish. We squeaked and rattled down the road to the last stop on the USFW access and began to get the kayaks off "little blue" my 1993 Chevy s-10 and it has the nickname because there is very little blue left on her, but that little truck has been hauling gear and people all over this island for years and not once left me stranded. It didn't take but a couple of minutes and I could feel the wind speed increasing and the white caps on the horizon were beginning to multiply. I looked over at my fishing buddy and began to explain the finer points of paddling his Tarpon 12o Kayak through waves and wind, PW and I had fished in tons of wind in our adventures of old which took us into the Colorado Rockies, the plains and Parks of Wyoming and into a group of lakes at around 8500ft called the Delaney Buttes and we were tortured up there in the elements for the fish we would break morning ice with our 8ft pontoon boats on the lakes trying to catch the big morning bows cruising the shore looking for a few good crawfish, 10lb 25in my personal best on those lakes .....so I knew PW was up to this 1.5mile paddle straight into the wind and waves. 84degree water, piece of cake and we were going to the promise land.....Ensonada Honda and I am not talking about just the flats, but the whole bay holds a huge array of life, both above and below the surface. the paddle out was a challenge and with a little cadence and lots of patience our Kayaks sliced through the waves and wind. We had arrived at the protected coves this great piece of water offers variety in species and techniques, sure EH is know for it's great Bone fish, Tarpon and Permit opportunities but it is so much more. On a well equipped Fishing kayak you can see and get on water so thin you almost feel funny being in a kayak, but you glide over silent and touching nothing. The traditional antiquated gasoline pollution and sonic noise pollution are motivation for me to promote a greener alternative with less overall eco-disturbance. When using Kayaks...I am challenging anglers to go greener, I am challenging them physically, Mentally. The rewards are obvious and the experience is truely personal. It is a movement catching on all over the world and what a better time than now to begin to change our lifestyles to a healthier and greener way that will foster obvious benefits.
Okay back to the story, we get to the fishing grounds and begin looking for our first target and we saw plenty of choices, the wind direction and distance pretty much made the choices easy, it took a few attempts for PW to get the distance down, when you are out there with so wide open water and sky, everything becomes relative especially the distance to a tailing Permit...as soon as he was there he was gone ...the ghost teaches and another lesson that day, preparing PW for his first bone. I could see weather moving in and we got to see tropical rain closeup and personal, we took cover and waited for the Chubasco cloud to pass.The front passed and the wind calmed just enough to see Pw's first bone coming into range, silvery glisten reflecting on the tail like a signal mirror telling where hhe was and what his feeding dispositon was... first cast way short, picked up his line I told him to just relax and cast. Next shot was a couple feet off target which ended up being great. I pulled out my Olympus 1030 and began to record, watched and waited, one small 3in strip fast and short, it was all this wiley bone needed to decide he would eat, the take was soft, the s shape your line makes when on the water, I instructed PW to watch his line and sure enough we could see the line slowly growing tight, "Fish On".......Yeah explosion and the run almost put Pdub on his knee, it took seconds for that bone to take PW"s backing to places it had never been before hit a tangle............."Game Over" He battled his first monster on video for almost a solid minute.Now I have seen PW hook into more fish than anyone else , I mean Hogs!! I know in most any place he goes with a rod , it's bent this guy catches and it was great to see the respect in his eyes once he realized what he had just experienced...he was ruined for ever. PW got the bug after his first success with an Ensonada Honda bone and will be back for more. We got into the typical Barracuda and Pargo (Mutton Snapper) who inhabit the mangrove lined Shore, on the paddle back to the car he looked at this place and knew he would be back and could have some of the best memories ever fishing in Vieques with friends. Fishing green is not as hard as people who have never tried it would want you to believe, Kayaks slow you down to natures pace and this is the next level of do it your self guide excursions, with the correct guidance and gear, you will gain the experience and confidence to go to destinations like this on your own to explore your fishing dreams in the most beautiful place I have ever called home. Good luck on your journey and happy fishing. Mi Isla Nena Contact us for information about the outdoors at http://www.viequesadventures.com/
This journey begins with a phone call and a big group coming to Vieques to watch there friends get married and some wanted to MountainBike others wanted to doYoga ,Hiking ,snorkeling and the lone fisherman who could get away requests kayakFishing, oh yeah!, with in a few days there was a plan for everyone. I dropped off 8 MountainBikes and picked up Mike at Inn On the Blue early enough for the roosters to still be a bit groggy and we drove across the Island to the only place open for a Jamon Y Queso this early. El Serrucho a local breakfast haunt I have been visiting early mornings, there is more action in this little spot than you would beleive. Sandwiches are hot and fast just like the coffee, warm milk and sugar...Good Morning! With sandwiches half gone we embark to our launching point, I begin to walk Mike through the flow of our day and what he could expect from our 3 mile round trip paddle, after lil blue lumbaring down the road at at 15miles per hour we finally arrive. kayaks come off the truck and inventory is taken as we pack the kayaks for a great paddle to a very unique place on the Southside of the Island. Like clockwork the wind slowly began to increase and I knew our first leg would be more challenging than anticipated, but we would be safe, just a little wet and tired by the time we got there, but it would be worth it, I assured him. So, with that we began to paddle straight into the wind,technique, focus and strength make this is an attainable paddle for most people and Mike was loving it, water, wind, waves and a perspective gained only while paddling a kayak. I am so excited to be able to show almost anyone how to make Fly-Fishing in a small boat or Kayak fun and easy with virtually no impact on the very thing you love the most. These fisheries are incredibly diverse and some of the best examples of healthy food chains, From the algae on the mangroves to the minnows and endless other organisms that thrive from their mere existence, these food sources create these ridiculous conditions for great fishing. Now the wind will always be there for you, but the angling oppourtunity is everywhere once you begin to learn the cycles of the bay. There were really big fins out there and I had to made sure I knew what was hanging around as we were walking to post up and wait for those sweet Bones swimming up into the current feeding on what every they want, they are pigs okay now that mostlly applies to the Wild Browns found up in the North Park area of Colorado,. There was this one irrigation ditch....oh forget it. Back to the Bones....So Mike was standing next to me on the flat and I began to explain to him how to see the water, that's right "see", like camouflage the wind whips the water and creates lots of horizon that looks the same, now the job of sighting is recognizing the subtle differences you can see in active areas of water that just looked different and if you looked closer, you could decide things like species, overall direction, size, etc. The wind was blowing so my knowledge of this area told me he would have a shot at a fish if I got him behind some cover. On the way to.. we see a nice size bone and nice is 6lb-8lbs and a shiny tail sending the"Hey over here", A couple casts, First one you know shaking a little nervous, I mean all this nature 25ft away this is the kind of stuff you see on fishing shows and Mike was in his own. Second cast came off and landed perfect, I instructed him to watch the S in his line and well....we stood there and let that bonefish do his thing and find that fly, slowly he came right over, we saw his shadow and tail by the time he ate it. This bone was not happy with the hook in his mouth and well Mike learned a thing or two really quickly. He listened to every crazed comment coming from his guide who was so psyched to have this guy on a Bone especially considering the conditions and time constraints. Mike fought his first Bone with valor, but this wild bone got the best of him in the deep weeds. Mike was doing everything perfect, rod above his head with all line cleared and playing his first Bone on the real, so good job, better luck next time, we'll get him. Fly-fishing those bones put some things in perspective that day and it was my pleasure . I promised Mike I would get the evidence up for him cause you know what they say......A Fish Story is nice, but pics and video make the story! So I hope you all like it and by the way, my editor was on vacation, so just read it as painful as it maybe and enjoy what you can. Mike see ya next year and here is the footage of the Nurse Shark we found out there while waiting for those Shiney tails to appear in the distance... If you have any questions like .??? How you can be like Mike contact: garry@viequesadventures.com KayakFishing Paddle On.....
