UPDATE

Well I am back home from the bahamas again.  This time I was down on Ragged Island exploring the bluewater and trying new techniques for these fish.  It was a successful trip and now I am back on the Cape and getting geared up for the 2009 season.  

The cover came off the boat yesterday and repair work started below the water line where the bunks on the trailer skuffed the gelcoat down to the glass last season.  I've got two layers  of epoxy resin on now and will sand smooth this am...Once I am satisified, I will cut in a new coat of VC Offshore bottom paint.  There are so many little things to do that add up.  I am also installing a livewell on the swim platform so we have a place to keep all those pogies we will be castnetting too early on this year for pig bass and tuna later in the season.

I'm also off to Key West again soon for some monster tarpon on the flats of the Marquesas with Jeffrey Cardenas...If you haven't booked your trip for 2009 yet you still have time and I still have some choice dates for both bass and tuna...

Looking forward to fishing with you all again and meeting some of you for the first time..

Jeff

Bahamas again

Sorry for lack of posting.  I have been very busy and involved with Silvertail Destinations two new bonefish lodges in the Bahamas.  I went back for 3 weeks recently to help Gil get the Water Cay lodge ready for the first slug of customers that were due the last week of March.  There were some setbacks as there always is in the bahamas but in a nutshell we got all of our tasks completed and the lodge looks pretty spiffy.  From refrigeration to fixing a sagging dock to painting the main room a foo foo tangerine color that warms to the cool lighting we put in.  It all looks great!  The lodge has 3 new beavertail high tech skiffs which enable the 3 guides led by Sidney Thomas to get into the ultra skinny backwater around the Cay.  

Working at Water Cay put me in the position to become the american manager at Ragged Island starting Oct 1.  It is a great schedule for someone who doesn't enjoy being on Cape Cod in the winter.  Hey nearly all mammals migrate south in the fall...Why shouldn't I? ;)) 

Ragged Island is a unique place.  It has sugar white sands on the west side of the island and deep bluewater a half mile off the beach on the east side.   I'm talking bluewater that has never seen a sportie or express...For fly and light tackle anglers this will be a HUGE HUGE plus to booking a week long bonefish trip.  It is my job to figure out this fishery so that anglers will have a good chance of hooking bones in the am and yellowfin in the afternoon, then retreating to the lodge to knife into some sushi with a kalik in the evening....;))

We are buying a lightly used 27' Contender for the bluewater program.  It is just the perfect boat for 2-4 anglers on fly and light tackle pursuits.  

I am slated to head over to Ragged soon to check out the facility, meet who I need to meet and wet a line or two and hopefully come tight with some of these offshore creatures.  

On the home front it has been a slow season booking charters.  I have asked around and it seems the same everywhere.  I did 90 trips last year.  The most I have ever done.  I don't think I am going to see that this season but certainly hope for at least 60.  It takes a set number of trips to break even before you make a profit....

I think were all hoping the economy starts to jump back soon...The soup line keeps inching closer every week!! LOL

Till next time...

Water Cay, Bahamas

I just got back from 15 days on Water Cay, Bahamas helping to resurrect a hurricane stricken trophy bonefish camp on the south shore of Water Cay. Gil Berke is the new american manager of the lodge and I was invited to help finish up remodeling in anticipation of the first customers of 09. It was an incredible experience, one I will surely never forget. The challenge and camaderie developed with new people as well as old friends is too hard to explain. On the buisness end of things, we got all the mechanicals up and running and had our first two 09 anglers come in and fish at the end of the second week. Not a minute too soon as we had just finished getting the RO *reverse osmosis* system up and running as well as getting the kitchen and many other issues in order. We worked 12 to 16 hour days to make it happen and was all worth it.

A little about Water Cay Lodge. This Lodge is now run by Silvertail Destinations. http://www.silvertaildestinations.com/ It is very easily accessible and was an easy flight from Boston. Water Cay is a short car and boat ride from Freeport, Grand Bahama. It is hard to believe that world class bonefishing exists in such an accessible place but I can assure you that it does. The average size bones here are 5-6lbs and you will generally see many double digit bones on your trip. HUGE cuda roam the flats and are on the prowl for bones and monster needlefish. Gil took a very nice one that we estimated around 30lbs. If I had brought my 10wt and some wire and some proper flies I think I would of done same but hey that's for the next trip!

The Lodge has a chefs kitchen and anybody who knows Gil knows he is a master chef. Gil will be overseeing the menu at water cay and this will be a HUGE bonus for those of you that decide to visit. The great room splits the lodge in two and includes a new plasma wide screen tv and fully stocked bar. A large dining room table with water views greets you as you sit down for your meal. A flytying station, couches and chairs complete the great room for a comfy evening gathering place.


Sunset views from the huge farmers porch are unparalled as you down an ice cold Kalik and swap the days stories.
I highly encourage you to check out the Silvertaildestination site and think about booking a trip to Water Cay. You will be glad you did.

Video Newbie

I bought a real nice HD video camera early last summer, took some video over the course of the season and am now in the infant stages of trying to download, edit, reformat and all that jazz so that you can see some here on the net. I am sloooooooooooooooooowly getting better but thought some of you would enjoy seeing what we CRAVE to do and that is to find unmolested tuna aggressively feeding for fly or light tackle shots....! ;-)

http://vimeo.com/2675284

Stick a fork in me

I've said it twice already the past week or so but I am retiring the Carla Noelle for the 2008 season. It was a great season with alot of new and repeat customers. We fished later into the seaon due to good weather and fish that stayed around in great numbers. Some pretty incredible memories were etched out for many of you. Next season I will keep the whole month of October open for buisness. I apologize to those who wanted to get out the last week as the weather was good but my gear was SHOT. I need to rebuild all my reels and stock up on more plastics way in advance for next year. Yesteray I needed to run some Stabil through my tank and engine and used it as an opportunity to head up to the bank and look for a fish or two....It was a foggy, misty morning but not too cold which made running in mid Nov not too bad at all....I had Alan Hastebek and is girlfriend Elise onboard to do a little fishing.

First drop we are hooked up and 15 minutes later we pull a nice fish into the boat. We putz around a little longer then decide to head for the barn to save the day for some chores around the homesteads...A nice way to end the season.

I am already looking forward to next season and seeing many of you again. Many repeat customers have already booked for prime dates in June and September. My suggestion is if you want specific dates for next year is to get on the stick and book them before we head into 2009.

I have been doing more speaking engagements this past season and if you would like me to do a speaking engagement for your club or function then please email and we can discuss further.

Thanks for a great 2008 season!

Nori rolls, sticky rice and all that jazz!

Woof!....

After years of catching tuna and eating seared tuna steaks I took my palate to a new level today learning how to make nori rolls and sushi on rice fingers.....I was always intimidated by the method because I had never seen it done but I was lucky to have my friend Reva Parlante show me how this afternoon and we ate like GODS and now I have the knowhow on how to do it myself....Yeeeeeeeehaw!....

Halloween Tuna

Yesterday mornings forcast was just too tempting to pass up. I through the gear in the boat and picked up Paul Higgins and we ran east of Chatham to try and get another fish on feathers before the long winter sets in. Incredibly we had fish busting on top early on and it lasted all day....I hooked up on the flyrod for a bit but pulled the hook. Setting up on the fish was tough because they were mainly on krill and not feeding agressively. When they switched to sandeels you could easily tell by their more agressive nature. Problem was they just would not form up and stay up long enough and were easily spooked by the boat. Eventually we broke out the popping and jigging rods and hooked 11 more fish. We kept one fish that succumed to the RONZ. Just a phenomeal day for so late in the year. Todays forcast is even better but I am steaking up this fish and getting the boat ready for possibly 2morrow....Hopefully they will blow the forcast as good as the blew it today!