Do It Yourself Bonefishing

Do It Yourself Bonefishing is the authoritative guide written for DIY anglers targeting bonefish on the fly. Divided into easy-to-reference sections, this book will help you tackle the why, where, and how of self-guided bonefishing. Informed by twenty years of experience on the flats, Rod Hamilton and Kirk Deeter describe the allure of matching wits with one of fly fishing’s most elusive targets and discuss the reasons why more and more fly fishermen are seeking the challenge of catching bonefish without the aid of a guide. Do It Yourself Bonefishing is packed with useful tips to help all levels of fly fishermen locate and catch more of one of the world’s premier gamefish. Learn stalking strategies, how to spot bonefish, appropriate fly selection, and where to find the fish. As you plan your bonefishing trip, the authors’ destination chapters and “Seven-Day Sample Trip” itineraries suggest where to fish, how to get there, and places to stay. Included is a list of more than 300 individual bonefish hotspots located throughout the tropics, complete with maps and tips specific to the flat or creek system. Within the “Spousal Rating” section are Hamilton’s opinions on how suitable the destination is for nonfishers; the “Nonfishing Activities” section highlights things to do when not fishing. Whether you need help deciding where to go or simply desire greater success while wading on your own, Do It Yourself Bonefishing is where you should start.

Chasing the lightning-fast bonefish across the south Pacific, Florida, and the Caribbean is for many anglers a near obsession, and this is the handbook to such fly-fishing adventure. Author Dick Brown, a widely experienced bonefisher and fly tyer who writes for several angling journals, offers keen advice for successful bonefishing – both his insights and those of other experts such as Lefty Kreh, Ben Estes, and Stu Apte. Brown and his cohorts help the reader spot, stalk, cast to and strike this most wily, challenging quarry. He also analyzes the use of numerous flies, telling which patterns work best and when, and details superb bonefishing destinations with fully up-to-date information.

Acclaimed sporting and adventure writer Charles Gaines has spent much of his life on the water, around the world, fishing rod in hand, angling for trout, redfish, salmon, bonefish, bass, marlin, tuna, and practically everything else that swims. Just about any place where there's water to fish and eccentrics to keep him company, Gaines has been. The Next Valley Over, a collection of his best writing on fishing from his long and storied career, is culled from the pages of Men's Journal, Forbes, and Sports Afield, among other publications, and ultimately is about the heart of the sport. While his stories are lined with the accoutrement of angling--the art of technique, the equipment, the lodges, the fish themselves--they're really about why we love to fish and what it means to our culture. As Thoreau once said: “Many men go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.” What “they are after” is what Charles is curious about, and he has devoted the better part of his life and sanity to coming up with answers. Starting and ending at the majestic Lake Tadpole in St. Clair County, Alabama, where Gaines’s love of fishing was initially sparked, the Next Valley Over chronicles exploits in exotic locations with eccentric characters. In the process of his quest of nearly every species known to man, Gaines explores what we are really searching for when we fish.

In Fly Fishing the Yucatan, Rod Hamilton offers nitty gritty specifics for the angler, including details such as exactly what rods, lines, reels and flies are must-haves, a battle plan for walking a flat and a course in presenting to and successfully plucking out fish in the most complex situations. Also included is advice for the intrepid adventurer on safety, communications, currency and exchanges (forget credit cards in true rural areas), licenses, seasons, and much more.

Migrations of fish, rise and fall of tides, and weather changes through the year in the Keys.

First published in 1998. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Here is one man's quest to catch ten record big-game fish and become the first angler inducted into the 50-year-old South Florida Metropolitan Tournament Hall of Fame. Photos.