the Pink Shrimp

This fly was highly influence by flyfishingbyrobert’s Leo Goldie and you can find tying instructions at his Youtube channel.

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Second and third attempt to reduce the impact of compression with importing into WordPress, to improve the fly image, and frankly the results are so-so.

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Now lets detail some side projects that resulted from this fly.

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WordPress JPG Compression

I found in the past few years, the standard version of WordPress continues to change and options for images has contracted. One of these changes (I suspect) is the JPG compression-importation and the impact to the image. I have experimented with setting and adjustments in Lightroom, but the end product in WordPress is muddy. Yes, this conclusion is based on imported them direct to other browsers (Edge, Chrome and Firefox) and used Apple and Windows OS, but always the muddiest image are those in WordPress.

These blogs are for me, and I am not trying to make a living from this, so recognizing this and I have not found a “quick” fix to WordPress’s import Image limits, so I a have come to the point “it is, what it is”.

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Eyes

I like making my monofolimat eyes, for in general, I would argue my bead seed eyes are better than the commercial variety.

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But the commercial eyes – Easy Shrimp Eyes – are a really nice hot pink. As such, I have done some experiments trying to improve my pink eyes.

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A quick shot of the tests, with my colour choices-preferences identified.

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Experiment One – Size of Seed Beads

I have updated my sizing to include

• Small Flies: Toho 8/0 Beads, outer diameter of ~2.0mm
  • for the eye stauk, I am using 20# RIO Hard Saltwater Mono 0.021″
• Large Flies: Toho 6/0 Beads, outer diameter of ~2.8mm
  • for the eye stauk, I am using 80# Seaquar Blue 0.032″.

The selection of the line for the eye stauk is trying to get a balance between fit and stiffeness. As comparison the Easy Shrimp eyes has a eye staulk diameter of 0.020″ us soft nylon.

I am not married to the Toho brand of Japan, but they are readily available to me and I have encountered a discrepancy what is stated and the reality of the outer diameter (size). Example what I have for 8/0 and 6/0 bead is 2.0 and 3.2 mm, with the stated standard of 4 and 3.1mm (all respectively).

Of the many (dozens) of 6/0 beads, none come close to 4mm and similar all of my 8/0 are less than 3mm.

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Experiment Two – Colour and Sally Hanson Coating

In conclusion:

• Light Pink, Sally Hansen Colour 170
• Dark Pink, Sally Hansen Colour 876

but if you want a pink that pops, use Solarez UV Flouresecnt Hot Pink.

The UV coating used by “robert” is from Gulff Hot Fluroscent Pink and willing to add this into my experiments, but I did not find a supplier in North America (though I did find one bottle of Gulff Ambulance Pink, but did not buy).

The alternative is to buy a bright pink pigment and mixing itnto the resin, such as Pinkie from CusltureHustle of the UK.

And I still like the colour seed bead with a black pupil.

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What will be my goto standard?

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A Size 8/0 Pink Seed Bead on a Seaquar Blue FC 80# stauk. End of FC has a small burnt end, painte with Sally Hansen Black Nail Finish and then lightly coated with Solarez UV Thin.

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Burnt 20# Mono coated UV Solarez Hot Pink.

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Lighters

To save my thumb when I am making many eyes, I have given up using BIC lighters and finally settled on a Zippo Single Flame Butane Lighter

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🙂

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Bahamas 2023, Day 5 – Review of Reel Drags

On Day 5, I learnt the value of adjusting the drag during the fight, to protect the bonefish from a charging Blacktip Shark. We eventually landed and released the bonefish safely. Given this lesson, I have took note of the difference in drag adjustments, and thus my ranking on the drag capability of my reels.

The Bahamas standard reels and rods in bold

Daniellson L5W 8twelve (b8)

• Weight with Line: 12.0 ounces
• Default Line: (b8) RIO Bonefish Quickshooter
• Default Rod Match: TFO BVK 8wt
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• Ease to Access and Adjust Drag: Excellent, and though it is a small disc, it is easy to get to hold and adjust.
• Feedback: Excellent, with an audible click (thought quieter than CCF 2) and feel the click
• Adjustment Range: Excellent.
• Number of Turns from strong to very light drag: 3/4 (just right)
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• Handle: Very Good, solid, as it is comfortable and well shape with a nice pitch in the body.
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• Price: 239 USD (leader)

Nautilus CCF X2 8-10 (Turquiose)

• Weight with Line: 12.1 ounces
• Default Line: RIO Elite Permit 9
• Default Rod Match: Thomas Sextant 909
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• Ease to Access and Adjust Drag: Excellent with a substantial large knob.
• Feedback: Excellent, with an audible and you can feel the click.
• Adjustment Range: Excellent.
• Number of Turns from strong to very light drag: 3 (too many)
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• Handle Fine, but feels like toy plastic with a large swell end.
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• Price: 810 USD
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• One But: If you are fishing for large fish on light tippet, such as IGFA record hunting or nymphing for Steelhead, this fine adjustment should be coveted. But for Bonefishing with 12lb tippet, this fine adjustment is not necessary.

Einarsson 8 Plus

• Weight with Line: 11.3 ounces
• Default Line: RIO Flats Pro 9i
• Default Rod Match: Thomas Sextant 909
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  This reels was put in use to test out the Asquith 7wt with a RIO Elite Bonefish 7wt. As the rod is light, I have decided to buy a Danielsson F3W 7ten, and has since been repurposed to the Sextant.
  
• Ease to Access and Adjust Drag: Excellent
• Feedback: Excellent, with an audible and with a great good feel
• Adjustment Range: Excellent
• Number of Turns: <3/4
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• Handle: Fine, a solid barrel with minimal shaping.
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• Price: 700 USD
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  Trident reviews had report issues with start-up, but I have never experience this issue.

Islander AR LA 4W – open cork

• Weight with Line: 12.8 ounces
• Default Line: Cortland Bonefish 9
• Default Rod Match: Winston BL5 9wt
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• Ease to Access and Adjust the Drag: Very Good, with disc on the side of the winder’s hand
• Feedback: Good, with an uniform increase in tension
• Adjustment Range: Very Good
• Number of Turns: 1.5 (fine)
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• Handle Ok, but swell to the base a little too much.
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• Price: 624 USD for a LA4, but note AR model is discontinued.
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  Though I like this reel, Judy is not fond of the feel of an AR reel in a bonefish fight.

Nautilus CCF Original 10

• Weight with Line: 12.2 ounces
• Default Line: SA Bonefish 8wt
• Default Rod Match: Scott Meridan 8wt
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• Ease to Access and Adjust: Good, but large CCF-X2 is easier to grip.
• Feedback: Good, providing only tension (uniform)
• Adjustment Range: Excellent
• Number of Turns: 1.5 (fine)
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• Price: Discontinued many years ago.
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• Handle: Nice, similar to the Danielson and unlike it younger CCFs.

Abel SDS 11/12 Purple

• Weight with Line: 12.8 ounces
• Default Line: Cortland Crystal Tarpon F 11
• Default Rod Match: Scott Sector 11
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• Ease to Access and Adjust: Good, with a large diameter knob, but not easy to grab.
• Feedback: Good, providing a click with even tension (but a little stiff)
• Adjustment Range: Very Good
• Number of Turns: 7/8 (good)
  ..
• Price: 1225 USD in Black and the nice metal handle
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• Handle: Awesome ventilated metal handle with a nice flare and textured.

Nautilus NV-G 8/9 Orange

• Weight with Line: 10.8 ounces (good)
• Default Line: SA Bonefish 8wt
• Default Rod Match: Scott Meridan 8wt
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• Ease to Access and Adjust: Fair. Knob is little smaller than the CCF Original and smoother,
• Feedback: Good, but click and tension is not there for the full range.
• Adjustment Range: Just Good Enough
• Number of Turns: 3/4 (good)
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• Price: Discontinues in early 2022
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• Handle: Fine, but feels like toy plastic with a large swell end.

……………………………………. add for 2024 …..

Danielsson F3W 7ten (add after the trip)

• Weight with Line: 9.3 ounces (really good)
• Default Line: SA Bonefish 7wt
• Default Rod Match: Loos Asquith 7wt 7wt
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• Ease to Access and Adjust Drag: Excellent, and though it is a small disc, it is easy to get to hold and adjust.
• Feedback: Very Good, with an audible click and feel the click. Tension is noticable at the end.
• Adjustment Range: Excellent, and I may re-adjust the idsks to lower it.
• Number of Turns from strong to very light drag: 3/4 (just right)
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• Handle: Very Good, solid, as it is comfortable and well shape with a nice pitch in the body.
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• Price: 189 USD (a great buy)

The Best for me in Each Group

• Ease to Access and Adjust: Tie: Nautilus CCF-2, Danielsson
• Feedback: Tie, Nautilus CCF-X2, Danielsson, Einarsson
• Adjustment Range: Danielsson, Einarsson, Nautilus CCF-*, Islander, Abel
• Number of Turns: Danielsson, Einarsson, Abel, Nautilus NV-G
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• Handle: Abel, but second Danielsson and the old Nautilus CCF.

In summary, all of these reels are up to the job, but the price of a Danielsson direct from the Sweden manufacturing makes this reel attractive, so I continue to see Danielsson as the best reel for the job.

But if you need some thing custom colour, then look to Nautilis CCF-X2

And why a custom colour? Well, it helps when you have more than one rod in the boat, rigged differently, to say, pick up the “blue reel”, versus get the Thomas 9wt.

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some distorted panoramas from the Airport Flats

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🙂

Bahamas 2023, Day 4 – Left and Right Handed Crab

When you are fishing off the boat, you are more likely to cast

• Left (Port, 9-12 o’clock)) if you are right handed
• Right (Starboard, 12-3 o’clock)) if you are left handed

If you believe the crab should be facing the bonefish on the retrieve, then eye and claw orientation is important, if you are doing a side placement.

Not thinking about this, I went to the Bahamas with just left handed crabs, as illustrated below.

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and though I saw some large crabs with Blue, what I saw where white crabs that blended into the background of the light white sand of the Exumas.

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If we look at the fly above, the leg and body natural crabs were close to the white chenille and crab legs, and the body is generally too dark.

The size of this fly (body diameter is just over 1″ / 2.5cm) was fine.

So my next set for the Exumas, will have:

• Light-White Body, Legs and Craws
• Very small eyes
• Tied for left and right casting.
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The Exuma Airport Flats, where I studied the crabs.

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🙂

Bahamas 2023, Day 3 – Polar Charlie and …

Pretty simple – we fished 3 fly patterns, but the majority of the time was the Polar Charlie from the boat.

the fly	Bead Chain	Small Weight
Polar Charlie	Yes	Yes
Flats Fiend	Yes	Yes
Rabbit Shrimp	Yes	No

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Of note:

• All flies were white
• Tippet was Seaquar 12lb
• After the tenth fish, we found “the wings” excessively chewed up and we need to replace them
• Lost two flies in trip, break off in the fight: One broke near the knotand the another 2′ in the 12# tippet.
• We effectively never had to replace a leader, but some leader maintenance was required

Some past images, showing what we did fish.

Number 1 – the Polar Charlie – weighted (as shown)

Though we call this a “Charlie”, but recognizing I prefer a mylar body without a plastic rib, it is closer related to it younger sibling the gotcha.

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Number 2 – Flats Field with polar bear wing

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Number 3 – Rabbit Shrimp in Bead Chain

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We did see small white crabs being active, and though not fished, I would consider them

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Not fished but glad, I had it – tan Flat fiend or Charlie (as below) for the mangroves

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Q: Do I believe I missed anything out on the water?

A: Yes, I am thinking about a waterproof sling (a replacement to my trusted fishpond hip pack), so when I wade deep as I walk out, I not bothered with drying everything else at the end of day.

Summary

This years fishing proved the axiom, it is not the fly, but the presentation.

What is required for the Exumas

• One of each fly for every day fishing – 3 minimum, 5 maximum for a week.
• Add a tan polar charlie, when in a colour mangrove

So what do we need to have? A 6 position Myran Box from Sweden – in each section, 4 white, and one tan fly of.

• Group 1: 5 Unweighted Flies
• Group 2: 5 Bead Chain Rabbit Shrimp
• Group 3: 5 Bead Chain Polar Charlies
• Group 4: 5 Bead Chain Flats Fiend
• Group 5: 5 Weighted Polar Charlie
• Group 6: 5 Weighted Flat Fiend

Carry-On, flies were inspected and passed through security with no problem

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A left handed crab

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My favourite time to hunt for bonefish, as the sun is low.

🙂

Bahamas 2023 Day 2, Rod & Line Review

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As previously stated in this blog, most internet reviews are useless and google hits are crammed with useless reviews and ratings. What is the difference then:

• I am not generating traffic or revenue, so I am not moderated in voicing an opinion. Though, by my nature, I will likely only discuss the good.
• I will not to do a review until it has been used. Of course, this means some of my reviews are based on products that are discontinued (and only available as used)

So our goto rods on this trip, with the typical rigging …

• Loomis Asquith 7wt – Danielsson F3W 7ten Black with RIO Elite Bonefish 7wt + long leader with a bead chain fly (though I started with an Einarsson 8plus reel), for light presentations to tailing bonefish.
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• Scott Meridan 8wt – Nautilus Reel NVG-G Orange with SA Bonefish 8wt + long leader with a bead chain fly. Either wading or on the boat, this is the universal does everything well setup.
• Scott Meridan 8wt – Nautilus Reel CCF Black with SA Bonefish 8wt + long leader with a bead chain fly.
• The Scott’s well handle a weighted fly well, but as we are more likely to fish a weighted fly off the boat (were only one casts), we keep on the boat the next rod rigged with a weighted fly.
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• TFO BVK 8wt – Danielsson L5W 8twelve Grey with a RIO Bonefish Quickshooter with a weighted fly and well suited for casting into the wind off the bow off a boat.
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• Thomas Sextant 9wt – Nautilus Turquoise CCF-X2 8-10 with a RIO Elite Permit 9wt with a weight fly.
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Loomis Asquith 7wt for Bonefish

Lighter than the classic Scott Meridian 8wt, and it is a great bonefish flats (wading rod) and with a good caster, you can manage the winds on the flats, so highly recommended.

As it is a light rod, think about a light reel – such as a Danielsson F3W 7ten.

Though the RIO Elite Bonefish 7wt line is a heavy 7wt, I find it is a very good match and the best of the three lines I have trialed for a light presentation.

The SA Amplitude Bonefish 7wt is true 7wt, and it is fine with the Asquith, but requires a little more power to drive, and thus it is not the right line for me, considering I want this line for light presentations. I would add the tip of the SA Bonefish is a little shorter than its bigger brother the 8, and may contributed to what I sense as a heavier presentation.

Acceptable – and will be used as a backup – is my older Airflo Clear Tip 7WF floating line.
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Loomis 1990s GL3 4pc versus a 2023 Asquith

I have 3 7wts

• 1990s Fenwick 7wt 2pc HMG that is easy to load and cast, that is a fantastic fun rod to fish streamers for trout. It was under-powered for me (then) to cast large small-mouth deer hair poppers, so I bought the GL3.
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• 1990s Loomis 7wt 4pc GL3. This was the first rod, I bought at a fly fishing store (American Angling in New Salem, NH, USA) after test casting many rod. It is has been used for many years, and starting to show its age with dirty cork and the black reel seat is bronzing from the sun.
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  For Bonefishing it is a good rod with the RIO Elite 7wt Bonefish, as I can lay down a good presentation at 30′ and the power to get more than 60+ feet out.
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• 2023 Loomis 7wt 4pc Asquith is a great rod, but here is the challenge, is it better than my nearly 30 year old rod GL3? Yes, but only at the edges. At 30′ to 60′ they are near equals, with the ability to get the fly out and gently laid down the line and fly. Though, the light Asquith with a little more bend and has a fast recovery tip, I can present the fly with greater accuracy when the target is closer than 30′ and greater than 65′, which is not a frequent demand.
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  Lesson a great rod from the 1990s is still a great rod in the 2020s. Yes, there are some advantages with the “latest and greatest”, but not substantial.
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Scott Merdian 8wt and SA Bonefish

A great rod, and I can echo all the great things that have been said about this classic (and discontinued) rod.

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TFO BVK 8wt and RIO 8wt Quickshooter

Another discontinued that is a great rod good to punch into the wind. As you were able to buy a blank, I built this rod with Single-Foot Guides and nice barrel grip with quality cork, making this a great rod.
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The Thomas Sextant 9wt and the RIO Elite Permit and Flats Pro

I do agree with Trident that the 9wt is an excellent rod (they consider it the best out of the series), but I disagree with their recommendation with this stiffer tip to use the Grand Slam to compensate. I found the Cortland Bonefish 9wt (a true 9wt) and the RIO Elite Permit 9wt (heavy) performed really well.

As the Sextant can bend deep and has some power in reserve, so using a heavy RIO Elite Flats Pro WF9 and WI10 performed well. So whether it was a light Cortland Bonefish 9wt or a heavy RIO Flat Pro WF10I, I was able to 80′ of fly line out. So in IMHO, this is a “smashing” flexible rod:

• Thomas Sextant listed Grain Window: Not Stated
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• Cortland Bonefish 9wt – 220 grains at 30′ (measured) – Excellent and light
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• RIO Elite Permit 9wt – Green-Yellow – 270 grains at 30′ – Excellent
• RIO Elite Flats Pro 9wt – 280 grains at 30′ – Excellent
• RIO Elite Flats Pro 10 wt – 330 grains at 30′ – Good, but I like the 9wt better.
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  If you were only casting from a boat, and not having to pick up and re-cast, then the WF10 can the better choice, but I would be inclined to try the 9wt BoneFish Quicklshooter first.
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• RIO Bonefish Quickshooter 9wt – 300 grains at 30′ – not tested, but expect it would be good
• RIO Elite Bonefish 9wt – 260 grains at 30′ – not tested, but I suspect it would be good.
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• SA Bonefish 9wt – 240 grains at 30′ – not tested, but probably great when wading a flat.
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• SA Grand Slam 9wt – 270 grains at 30′ – no, as it does not feel good (to heavy at tip). This is not about the weight, but about the line design,

In conclusion: This rod is a cannon, thus when I am on the the Boat and want to cast a weighed crab, I would use RIO Elite Permit WF9 or RIO Flats Pro WF9I, but walking the flats and wanting a softer presentation then use a true 9wt line.

And though it can be over-weighted, and you bend deeper into the lower belly of the rod, you lose some speed from the fast recovery tip. If you were double-haul casting long lines into no wind, overlining with a competition is fine, but otherwise do not exceed the grain window too much.
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A look at line listed weights – lines available from 6 to 10wt

Line	Line (wt)	Head (Grains)
AFFTM Standard	6	160
	7	185
	8	210
	9	240
	10	280
SA Amplitude Bonefish * True Weight	6	160
	7	185
	8	210
	9	240
SA Grand Slam * series typically 1 wt heavy	6	180
	7	205
	8	235
	9	270
	10	320
RIO Elite Bonefish * series typically 1 wt heavy	6	200
	7	198
	8	225
	9	160
RIO Elite Flats Pro * series typically <0.5 wt heavy	6	185
	7	210
	8	240
	9	280
	10	330
RIO Elite Permit * series heavy, <1 wt	8	230
	9	270
	10	316
RIO Quickshooter * series typically 1 wt heavy	6	200
	7	215
	8	260
	9	300
Airflo Clear-Tip * series typically 0.5+ wt heavy	7	200
* Though it feels cast 1wt heavy	8	225
	9	259
	10	306

And though not listed, there is also the Cortland Bonefish lines to, which I have experienced as true weight lines.

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SIMMS Rod Vault – Carry Case (see Day 0)

🙂

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Bahamas 2023 Day 0, Travel to Bahamas

Travel arrangements to George Town, Exuma Bahamas are limited, and frankly a same day arrival is risky from Canada, unless you live in Toronto.

Flights to George Town, Exuma Bahamas

Air Canada	Toronto	9:30 -> 13:00	Just Sundays
American Airlines	Miami	10:11 > 11:34 13:47 > 15:00	Twice Daily
Delta	Atlanta	11:10 > 13:30	Daily
Air Canada to Nassau	Toronto	11:00 > 14:10	Daily in Winter
BahamasAir	Nassau	06:45 on MT….Sun 09:15 on M…… 14:00 on M.W…. 16:45 on .TWT,S. 17:00 on ……Sun 17:25 on .Tue….. 17:30 on M.W.F.. 17:45 on …..F	2-4 Flights a Day

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Simplified times in the above table reflects a travel date of Thursday April 27th or Sunday April 30th, and subject to change!

Oh yes, the disadvantage of a Sunday trip is that the grocery store closes at 3pm …. so it is a tight race from landing, clearing customs, getting a car and getting to the grocery store before it closes.

I have to add these tables were hard to create. In the days of Hipmunk – seeing alternate and multiple flights was a simple and reliable search; but now most search engines are driven by commercial interests for ticket sales and advertising. Some tools, such as “flight connections” and “AMEX Canada” are slow (consume CPU) and inaccurate as they feed their un-identified commercial bias (or frankly poor programming)..

From BahamasAir, their April 2023 schedule from Nassau to George Town, Bahamas,

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A Bahamian Air alternative is also Western Air.

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And if you are going from South Andros, you would also use Western Air from Nassau.

As a Canadian using a US Airport to get to Bahamas is not complicated, but as for transit point back to Canada, it is time-consuming as TSA has in the past make you re-check-in from scratch. (My last trip using Newark from Stockholm, required almost 2 hours to retrieve my bags, exit customs and immigration, re-check-in, change terminals, get new boarding passes (they do not trust foreign printed boarding passes) and then security and this is with virtually no lines using pre clearance and Priority lines).

Anyway, flying to an Out-Island (anything other than Nassau) needs to be seen as an adventure.

Canada Airport Security – Rods and Flies

• Carrying On Rod-Reels and Lines and Bonefish Flies – no problems, but I was subjected to detailed screening in all cases, including, have everything pulled out (every rod section, reel), et cetera, do not be surprise with a slow inspection.
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• If wearing a medical device, remember to wear loose clothes so they can get easy assess to it, so they can take a contact test. In this case, my LifeStyle Blood Meter was poked off, by an apologetic (and kind) security agent.

Air Canada and Toronto

As a frequent business traveler, I am aware and proven again on this trip, Air Canada is over-routing flights to Toronto, so Pearson Airport (Toronto) is chaos, where as Ottawa is very quiet. All but one of my flights since 2022 has encountered delays getting to Toronto or leaving Toronto (from 10 to 50 minutes) because of heavy travel, with the reasons stated ….

• No gates available, so we sit waiting in the plane at Toronto (10 to 30 minutes)
• No space available, so we wait in the plane to depart, until Toronto approves take-off. (20 minutes)
• Plane is late, so we stand-sit waiting to board. (10-40 minutes).
  
  So if you are travelling through Toronto – until Air Canada smartens up – plan for a lost of an hour, and hope all you lose is an hour.
  
  I have not experience similar delays with other airlines in Stockholm, London, Olso, Copenhagen and Newark.
  
  My message to Air Canada is – if you treat Ottawa as a satellite end-point, with the expectation we will use Toronto, I actually have more choices to other airlines and other airports, specifically Newark and Chicago (who has many direct flights to the Nordic locations I frequent).

ALT Hotel at Pearson

We continue to happily use the ALT Hotel – close to the Airport Tram (3rd stop from T1) – as our morning staging point from Toronto.

Bias declared: I do not like <7am flights from home airport, as it means I am arising by 3:30am and disturbing good sleep.

SIMMS Case Review

It is a nice harden bag that protects rods and reels, even if check-in, but has three limits.

• Reels space is a little too tight for salt large reels, another 1/2″ would be good
• Getting the advertise 6 rods, if for the salt is over-packing, were 5 is a good tight fit.

Arrival Times in George Town, Bahamas

If you need to get a grocery store, many stores are open to 6pm, except Sunday. On Sunday, you have to 3pm to get to Exuma Market in George-Town, about a 20 minute drive from the airport.

Eventually we arrive at the cottage, relax have a swim in the sea and wash up to get the grim of travel off.

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Last tip – expect all transactions to be in cash

Lets just say, the family at the car rental before us was having challenges, as the AMEX transaction to book the car did not go through (and would not clear for another 2 days). I will add, I have also experience AMEX errors not releasing the cash and being shocked at airport counter or at the hotel check-in.

Where-as in Sweden all transactions are on plastic, but be prepared all transactions on an Out-Island is in cash.

🙂

Bahamas 2023 Day -1, Bonefish Rod & Reels being taken

Rod	Reel	Line	Spare Line
Loomis Asquith 7wt	Danielsson F3W 7ten	RIO Elite Bonefish 7wt	Airflo Clear Tip 7wt
Scott Meridian 8wt	Nautilus CCF 10 Black	SA Amplitude Bonefish 8wt	RIO Bonefish
Scott Meridian 8wt	Nautilus NV-G 8 Orange	SA Amplitude Bonefish 8wt	Cortland Bonefish 8wt
TFO BVK 8wt	Danielsson L5W 8twelve Grey	RIO Quickshooter 8wt	Airflo Clear Tip 8wt
Thomas Sextant 9wt	Nautilus CCF-X2 810 Turquoise	RIO Elite Permit 9F	RIO Flats Pro 9i
Guideline RSi 11wt *	Danielsson L5W 8twelve Grey	Monic Phantom Tip 11wt	none*

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Table shows updates made since th trip
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• Rods were taken in a SIMMs’ Rod Vault, a review will be posted soon.
• I was not 100% sure on the best fly line for the Thomas Sextant, so I took many to test. More to be posted withing the week.
• Fitting in the 6th rod and reels was a challenge, so at the last moment, I removed the Guideline RSi and reel.
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• Post-Trip Update: Next year, I am likely to make the following tweaks
  • Loomis Asquith 7wt gets a Danielsson F5W 7ten (done).
  • Einarsson 8plus will be respooled with a Flat Pro 9 Intermediate Tip Line (done)
  • Nautilus CCF-X2 810 will be re-spooled with a RIO Elite Permit WF9 (done).
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the core saltwater reels, left to right, but we took the five (5) on the left

• Danielsson F3W 7ten with RIO Elite Bonefish 7wt for the Loomis Asquith 8wt
  • Initially we started with an Einarsson 8plus
• Nautilus NV-G 89 Orange with SA Bonefish 8wt for Scott Meridian 8wt
• Nautilus CCF 10 with SA Bonefish 8wt for Scott Meridian 8wt
• Danielsson L5W 8twelve with RIO Quickshooter 8wt for the TFO BVK 8wt
• Nautilus CCF-X2 810 Turquoise with RIO Elite Permit 9wt for a Thomas Sextant 9wt
• Danielsson L5W 8twelve with Monic 11wt for the Guideline RSi 11wt
• Abel SDS 1112 with a Cortland 11 Tarpon for the Scott Sector 11wt.

In the future, if I find a nice green or red reel Nautilus CCF-X2, I may pick this up to replace the black Nautilus CCF to help with on boat identification.
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🙂
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Bonefish 2023: Day -14

And this year, we will keep a rod ready for barracuda.

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🙂

Bonefish 2023: Day -15

We are taking the same set of bonefish flies as last year, and I really did not need to tie any more for bonefish, but decided to improve my selection of crab flies.

First up was the Danger Crab, which was the pattern that did touch a permit last year.

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and then small Alphonse Crabs using “snake”, tan and white.

When looking at this fly, I saw several different recipes, but I decided to go with the legs on top (to help the fly settle with hook up) and use E6000 to glue it all together.

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The low close in pictures were taken below a height of 70mm and 150mm away.

🙂

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Saltwater Rod – Reel Update

These are our tools (rod, reels and lines) when fishing the saltwater (focus on the Bahamas), and as we (Judy and I) will walk and wade independently, there are several Bonefish rods to select from.

As permit and tarpon have been targeted while on the boat, there are no duplicates, but our are rigged and ready to go.

Asquith 7wt	Danielsson 7ten	Black	RIO Elite Direct Core Bonefish 7	Bonefish, Wade
Meridian 8wt	Nautilus CF 10	Black	SA Bonefish Amplitude 8	Bonefish, Wade + Boat
Meridian 8wt	Nautilus NV-G 89	Orange	SA Bonefish Amplitude 8	Bonefish, Wade +Boat
TFO BVK 8wt	Danielsson 8twelve	Grey	RIO Quickshooter 8 / Airflo Clear Tip 8	Bonefish, Boat
CTS Affinity 7wt 5pc	Danielsson 8twelve	Grey	RIO Quickshooter 8 / Airflo Clear Tip 8	Bonefish, Travel
Winston BL5 9wt 5pc	Islander AR 4	Black	Cortland Bonefish 9	Bonefish, Travel
Sextant 9wt	Nautilus X2 810	Blue	RIO Elite Permit 9F	Permit, Boat
	Einarsson 8plus	Silver	RIO Flats Pro 9i	Permite, Boat
RSi 11wt (backup)	Danielsson 8twelve	Grey	Monic Tarpon Phantom Tip 11	Barracuda, Boat
….	Danielsson 8twelve	Grey	Monic Icicle 11	Coldwater
Scott Sector 11	Abel SDS 1112	Purple	Cortland Crystal Tarpon F 11	Tarpon, Boat

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Thought the CTS rod is defined by the OEM as a 7wt, actual testing, shows it to be a 8+wt rod, hence it lower placement in the above table.

The reels, from the left:Einarsson 8plus for the 7wt (on the left) to Abel SDS 11-12

• Einarsson 8plus, now with a RIO Flats Pro 9i used with the T&T Sextant 9
• Nautilus CCF with a Scientific Angler Bonefish 8F for the Scott Meridian 8
• Nautilus NV-G with a Scientific Angler Bonefish 8F for the Scott Meridian 8
• Danielsson L5W 8twelve with a RIO Quickshooter 8F for the TFO BVK 8
• Danielsson L5W 8twelve with a Airflo ClearTip 8 for the TFO BVK 8
• Islander with a Cortland Bonefish 9 for the Winston BL5 9
• Nautilus CCF-X2, now with a RIO Permit 9 for the T&T Sextant 9.
• Abel SDS 1112 for Tarpon
  
  not shown
  
• Daniellson F3W 7ten with the RIO Elite Bonefish 7 for the Asquith 7
• Danielsson L5W 8twelve with a Monic Icicle (for Pike) for Guideline RSi
• Danielsson L5W 8twelve with a Monic Phantom Tip for Guideline RSi

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As my ambition for Tarpon is now waning since Covid and I am concentrating on Bonefish, serious consideration needs to be given to free up some reels.

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Additional Comments

What is “carry-on” when we travel to the Bahamas for Bonefish?

The must 5 rods when we (Judy and I) head out for Bonefish are:

• Loomis Asquith 7wt for the Exuma with a Black Danielsson 7ten with RIO Bonefish 7.
• Two (2) Meridian 8wts with the Black CCF and Orange NVG Nautilus with SA Bonefish 8.
• TFO BVK 8wt with a Silver Danielsson L5W with a RIO Quickshooter
  • Back line and reel is another Danielsson with the Airflo Clear Tip.
• Thomas Sextant 9wt with the Blue Nautilus CCF2 for Heavy Crab Flies with a RIO Permit.
  • Alternate is an Einarrson 8+ with RIO Flats Pro 9i.

And thought it would be a PITA, if something happen to be damage, there is enough resiliency in this kit to continue a trip without losing much time on the water.

If I can squeeze another rod or two in, it is the Guideline RSi with the Silver Danielsson rigged for Barracuda.

And the Affinity 7wt (really a 8+) and the Winston 9wt are 5 piece and can fit in checked luggage as backups.

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7wt Asquith is for walking the flats, when the air is calm (think sunset)

When I walking (wading the flats), my vision and shots are not long, so I prefer a lighter setup that is accurate, and thus the Asquith with the RIO Elite Direct Core Bonefish (SA Amplitude Bonefish the alternative, but I get a better presentation with the RIO Elite Bonefish).

Hint: The front taper on the SA Bonefish 7 is shorter than the 8, so the 7 is not as gentle.

My 20+ year old Loomis GL3 7wt 4pc is a good rod and an (near) equal to Asquith at a range of 30 to 60′. The Asquith is better, when short.
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Einarrson 8plus now supporting a Thomas & Thomas Sextant 9

There has been a review (Trident) that has expressed concern with a high startup inertia of the Einarsson 8plus, but I have not experienced this, so either I am lucky or the Trident-reviewer was not. On the proceeding picture, on the Einarsson I have had a Airflo Clear Tip 7 which was a good match with my older Loomis GL3 and works well with the Asquith, but in 2023 it is has been respooled with a braided backing and supporting a RIO Flasts Pro 9i for use with the .

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The 8wts Meridians the standards – on the boat or walking

We really like the Scott Meridians and for many years our favourite line was the Cortland Bonefish (where I dyed blue behind the 30′ mark), but the SA does hold better loops in the wind.

and the 8wt backups

The TFO BVK has been the fast backup rod and likes a heavy line (good for wind), and is a great rod.

But also we have the 7wt CTS Affinity that is really a 8wt that likes a heavy line. As it is 5pc, you can also fit in my checked-in suitcase like the Winston BL5 9wt.

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The Nautilus NV-G (in Orange) is the vanity reel, but the older black Nautilus CCF is excellent (and both are put on the Meridians), and the Danielsson’s are just a great reel and being direct from Danielsson, are available at a great price. The Daniellson’s home is the TFO BVK 8wt (or 7-8wt Affinity 5pc) and with other lines on the Guideline RSi 11.

Oh yes, I intentionally try to have a different reel on each rod in the boat. This helps us quickly locate the rod we want.

the 9wt Sextant for Permit and heavy crab flies

The Sextant this year will become the goto for crab flies in 2023 (Permit or Bonefish), providing a little more power for heavy crab flies. It will be the backup, in the event one of the Meridians break.

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Also new with the Sextant is a Nautilus CCF-X2, it is a large arbour with a narrow spool, so pickup is fast and simple, If there is one issue with this reel, I prefer the open inner radius diameter with of the older Nautilus CCF ot NV-G to help improve with getting free air to the backing.

As a note, I am not to found of the handle, and have considered turning my own.

The Islander is my second steelhead reel from the late 1990s that has been repurposed for the salt. Great reel, but it takes a few minutes to re-acquaint one-self with an Anti-Reverse. It is traditionally paired with the Winston BL5 9wt using a Cortland Bonefish 9.

In the background are the 11wts

I acquired the Guideline RSi as an award and makes a great rod to cast heavy flies (often use it for Pike, but it will support Barracuda). Using the Danielsson has been a great reel, and as picture below, the spool is ready to change lines.

I do like the Abdel SDS and rigged for Tarpon, my Tarpon ambitions has mellowed over the year.

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🙂