Interesting...

http://howardfilms.com/trailerBass2.html

Fly Rod vs. Spin Rod

Bass none the less....

'bout time...

www.puckfebble.blogspot.com

Another great update site...

Shit...

Been too long since I last went fishing (Sunday)....

Jimmy's out of town, though I think we'll try for tomorrow night or Friday...

Here's an update for the River Why...
http://jasonborger.com/ffwblog/?p=442

Pass Along...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bO7eLkTM-0Y

Return of Jimmy

No Pics...but Jimmy's flinging bugs with the best of them...

He had a few decent sized slaps rising to his deerhair popper. He's got to work on the slack line, but he's kicking it. We may have a future steelhead addict on our hands...No fish in the end...but over 20 takers...not bad for the 4th day with a fly rod...

Highlights...

Wow…such an amazing night. Got to catch up with a great friend and then watch Jimmy catch his first fish on a fly rod….

First Tom met me down by the “spot” and we immediately hit the spillway. He got first cast and immediately we were onto fish. We got a few over the 2lb mark, while many over the 1lb mark. It was incredible to make short casts into a drainage tunnel, only to watch a 15” bass rip your lure apart in the foam.

Jimmy joined us, and after coaching him into a good casting rhythm, he was capable of reaching some of the more fishy areas. First we hit the shore…then tried along the island, and finally the dock held a fish ready for the taking. After some missed hits, we both watched as a nice 2lb bass rose to the fly and it was game on. Jimmy insisted on doing everything on his own, and I immediately ran for the camera. My little prodigy is well on his way to a successful fly fishing future. I know I couldn’t have landed a bass on the 3rd day of casting…

Below are the pics…

Tom With First Fish Of The Day...

Jimmy's Beast...

The Mad Trouter With A Big 'Un...

Amazing Getting To See Jim With His first...Like Watching A Child Grow...

El Paso & Mexican

Recent business trip to El Paso Texas. Got the camera out once...

Exciting place. Surprised to hear there is some snow each winter. Also, New Mexico, right next door, has some trout water. Too many snakes and scorpions for me, but overall a gorgeous place. Additionally, watching spanish Kareoke made the trip!

Enjoy some pictures...

Looking out where Mexico, Texas, and New Mexico Meet

Looking Over To Mexico

Looking Through Mountains (Down Highway)

Up Over Highway To Rest Of Mountain

Over Foot Hills Into Mexico

Thats All She Wrote...

Well it wasn't quite a bust...a few trout saved the trip...but it was far from what we had hoped or expected. The water was a good 3-4 feet lower then Memorial Day. The temps were dangerously high (main river was above 70…small water was high 60’s). All in all, not a great fishing weekend…

However a lot was gained over the weekend. Jim found his rhythm with a fly rod, and actually got some nice throws in. Weather was nice and I got to spend some quality time with Jim…

Now for the pics…

Day Count: 0

off work @ 4:30,
on the road by 5:15,
Hopefully looking over the bank at the delayed harvest section by 8:30...
if there are any risers, stop and fish...
hit lodge,
crash,
back up before breakfast to throw ants,
wake up Jim,
breakfast,
decide on direction with Jim and begin hike either up or down river...

Looking to be a great weekend. Some cloud cover to keep the bugs on the water, perhaps a rain shower, brotherly love, and the sheer joy of watching Jimmy wrestle with a fly rod for the first time...you can be sure the comedy will be caught on film and posted...

Back Sunday with the goods before a hellish week with work travel...

Potter County = Visit #4

It's coming...I can feel it in the air...

Where this bad dream all began...

Ants or beetles anyone?!

Jimmy & I will take some...

Another Visit From Mr. Line-Sider

So tonight I hit the water with good friend Dan Pribanic, owner of Chagrin River Outfitters...

Night began with swimmers in our bassing spot, so we shuffled down a causeway on the pond. Each managed 1-2, and then moved down the dam to the outflow of the spillway. Pulled about 8-10 bass from the small water. Moved on down the fairway to the scum pond and managed another 1 each (Mine was pushing 4lbs). Then, with the sun behind the trees, we scrambled up past the teenage party to hit the upper pond again on the beach with another 2-3 to show for the efforts. All in all the best night of bass fishing I've had in a while. Below is my Bass Thumb to prove it…

Notice the cross eyes in the back from all the action...it's addicting...

Red Gold Credits...

At the wedding, we had cards that read the following:

“We are so grateful for all the blessings in our lives. In celebration of our marriage, we have decided to share our good fortune with a cause we believe in. We have made a donation to the conservation efforts of Bristol Bay, Alaska, home to the last great wild salmon fishery in the world. To learn more about the fight for Bristol Bay, please go to www.savebristolbay.org.”

Below was an acknowledgement of our contribution on the Documentary RED GOLD...



We were sent a rough copy of the film and all I can say is SEE THIS DOCUMENTARY! It's Phenomenal...

Midnight Slabs...

Decided to hit some local water at midnight this evening...

Name of the game was black sliders in the holes of weeds...apparently bass like sliders too...

Pig of the night...last fish too...

Finally...

Finally...

Managed 2 Bass yesterday on the home water...very therapeutic for me as I’ve been fishless for nearly 3 weeks. All surface, all jumpers. Missed several more…

Potter County next weekend with Jimmy and possibly friend from JCU. Should be a decent weekend with some trout being caught. Jimmy’s soon to be joining the dark side of fly flingers so game on!

Update...

"This ruling is an affirmation not only for Alaskans for Clean Water, but for all opponents of the proposed Pebble Mine project. The highest court in Alaska has shown that the mining industry not only wasted the court's time but also attempted to mislead concerned citizens with its fauly advertising."

http://www.minewatch.org/home/2008/7/8/alaskan-supreme-court-weighs-in-on-pebble.html

Great site...flip around on it to get more information on Pebble and other import mining issues....

Things To Do While Stranded In An Airport...

OK, Amy and I arrived here at 12:15 PM because the hotel wouldn't allow us to keep the room for an extra hour...

and after 2 big delays with the flight, here I am 8 full hours later with nothing to show for my time...

Things learned in the last 8 hours:

1) Flying Fish Cutters at the Airport are BAD NEWS...
2) Air-conditioning only works if the doors are kept shut…
3) Duty Free Jewelry isn’t cheap
4) Airports make for great people watching
5) After visiting the restroom a few times, it’s quite obvious where the employees tend to gather
6) Barbados lets you walk around the airport with open containers
7) The roof of the Barbados airport is really just a big tent
8) You can only play SIMS Stables for so long before you want the horse to die…
9) Amy can read a 345 page book in 2 hours (no lie)...and then proceeds to buy more (with our money)
10) Online gaming sites aren’t meant to gather the attention of people who have the time to play…only the people who are truly procrastinating working or writing a paper
11) I clearly don’t have enough fishing websites to look at
12) Yes, I watched my dog via the webcam at the Barkley today…for more then 5 minutes
13) Barbadian’s tend to frown when people put their feet up on coffee tables
14) It’s amazing the lack of communication that takes place in the airline industry (example: our flight was supposed to leave Kingston at 2PM This afternoon. Supposedly it’s en route and due to be here by 9, 45 minutes away…but no one can seem to confidently say that the flight HAS left, or what gate we should be looking at.)
15) In the airport here in Barbados, the gate numbers change (i.e. Gate 9 sometimes gets changed to gate 1)
16) Playing online fishing games just plain sucks
17) Wives (especially new ones) tend to get angry when you do anything abnormal with your wedding ring (flip it in the air like a coin, tap it repatedly on a table, etc.more updates on future findings to come)

Clearly it should be Miller Time...but everything has been closed up...

Wedding Photos...

Ohh...and here are the wedding photographs...

www.eventpix.com

click on purple "view event guest"

Photographer name: KIM BOVA

Look for our wedding pics from list...

Bust...

Well let me be honest right from the get go…6 hours on a 35 foot boat in 8 foot seas and no fish porn to show for it. We had nada. One short strike from a small barracuda, and another run from a small barracuda which broke the hook 3 seconds after the hit…and that was it (Of course the species and sizes are only estimated). We were out of the gate by 8AM, and back by two. Amy was a champ, and fought off a small episode of sea sickness to make it through the day.
However the trip was not wasted. As soon as we hit the blue water, we gazed in awe as hundreds of flying fish skittered out of the boats wake and made runs of over 50 feet in the air. Flying fish are the national fish of Barbados. I had never tried eating flying fish until our first day here, and boy, am I glad that I did. The meat is a bit fishy/gamey, but it was right up my ally. Then the bartended handed me a Bajan spiced sauce to put on the sandwich and I was in heaven. Anytime we got lunch at The Crane it is what I ate. Just amazing.
After we got over the flying fish, we turned our eyes out to the rolling seas only to see a sea turtle porpoising not 50 feet from the boat. They are such amazing animals that live such extraordinary lives. Seeing such a gentle creature in such rough seas was very different, but beautiful in it’s own contradictory way.
The last part of the puzzle was the dolphins that were swimming along the boat for a few hundred feet before diving down. Of course for none of the above was the camera readily available, but what can you do.
We then got a phenomenal ride back to the hotel from a driver names Brian. Brian was one of the highlights of the trip. He had stories to tell, things for us to see, and also brought us up to Oistins, a popular local fish market. We were deciding on the newest deliveries into the stand, and went with 4 lbs of tuna, which was the grand total of $12.50 US. The spices and vegetables for the dinner were $5.00 US.
Well our last night here in paradise, and I shall return with more highlights and pictures once we hit the states. We are back to NYC on Monday night, and into Cleveland later on Tuesday afternoon. Will see you all very soon! Tight Lines…

Picture Highlights…

Morning Stroll with fishing gear in tow...

Customers...

Birds busting over a school of Bonito...Photography skills are getting there

$12.50 fish...some left over for fish & eggs in the AM...

Playing Catch...Up

Well the Mad Trouter has done it again. I’ve come eye to eye with yet another place of just amazing beauty. The best of the Caribbean I’ve ever seen (and probably ever will!)

Petit St. Vincent is located about 5 miles away from Union Island in the Grenadines. For those of you with a map in hand, the country of St. Vincent and the Grenadines is part of the West Indies. The West Indies, if you’ll recall from History Class, was actually where explorers trolled hundreds of years ago for spices. Though we did not explore the history of the area as much as we could have, the facts are still boggling my mind - but that is a completely different set of feelings.

So here we are, on this little island. I don’t think reading about a place online, or looking at pictures really ever does a place justice. You’ll see plenty of pictures below and in the future of Petit St. Vincent, but never will we be able to fully share with you the greatest place on earth until you’ve seen it.

The only way to get to this tiny private island is by boat. You get off the narrow strip of runway, take a van no more then 300 yards to a dock, and jump directly onto the boat. The plane actually flies no more then 100 feet over the boat itself.

You board the boat, are handed water bottles by Maurice, the captain, and sit back for the 20 minute boat ride. Looking into the water at 25’ deep, you’re able to see the gleaming colors of the coral and swimming fish that litter this area of the world’s waters. As the ever seeking fisherman, I was able to spot a school of baitfish, which I believe to be ballyhoo (or my second guess was needle fish…beyond that I’m clueless).

Upon hitting the dock, we were greeted with Pina Coladas…and led directly to the mini moke. These are basically golf carts on steroids. They are manual transmissions, and have speedometers that shoot up to 90 kph. Why you’d ever want to be going over 45 kph in these is beyond me, but I guess the bragging rights must carry some weight.

One of the defining traits of PSV is the flag system which they have set in place for the guests. On PSV, there are NO phones or televisions (Additionally, no cell phone signals help the peace and quiet…entertainment is left to you). Each cottage has a flag pole (see below). Yellow means you need help/service…Red means do not disturb. Below the pull cords is a bamboo tube to leave notes and messages for the staff. If you need ice…write a note, put it into the tube, raise the yellow flag…20 minutes later the bell is rung (with the wind and birds, sometimes a knock isn’t loud enough, so a bell is put in place near each door to ensure that guests know staff is there). The system is set up so you can order breakfast the night before, pick the time, and have it delivered. Early morning coffee is left outside of your room by 6AM each day. Seems early, but when the sun has started rising at 5:30…you’ll surely be up earlier than planned.

Upon arrival, we were immediately brought to our cottage, where lunch was waiting for us. The PSV (Petit St. Vincent) representative back in Barbados had held up the plane for some errands, and informed the resort of our late arrival. We immediately ate, changed, and gunned down to the beach for an afternoon snorkel.

Now it’s important to note that PSV’s shore lines are littered with reefs. At any point on the island, you have between 100 and 300 yards of reefs and sand shoals to navigate through before you begin to see the open ocean. This makes for some wonderful snorkeling without having to set foot on a boat. The reefs and waters surrounding the island are teeming with life. This little island has gained so much popularity within the Grenadines, that people will often sail in and anchor on the leeward side of the island for the evening, and then join in a snorkel the next day. Petit Martinique is the closest neighboring island to PSV . Many of the fishermen leave their own waters for the waters around PSV for chances at fish, crustaceans, conchs, as well as other treats from the sea.

That first day, we snorkeled, showered, and got ready for dinner. After eating out the last few nights, we were anxious to sit in our own room without having to get dressed up. We had dinner delivered at 7:30 pm. Being this far east in the time zone, darkness sets in early…usually between 6:30 and 7. We sat outside, had a few drinks, ate dinner, and proceeded to play a best out of three game set of Rummy 500. The results are being contested still and will be reviewed by a panel of judges at a later date back in the States, though the new wife keeps insisting that she beat my by over 300 points.

This really is just the typical day. The following day we were down at a beach on the opposite side of the island (the island takes 20 minutes to walk around). Again, snorkel gear in tow with the trusty fly rod and gear as well. The plan when we saw the island, was to snorkel different areas, looking for barracuda to try and target with a fly…but they didn’t seem to appear for me. I didn’t bother trying to blind cast, as I didn’t want to get into a “just one more cast” scenario. Snorkeling on day 2, I did see quite a few of what I believe are African Pompano. Delicious fish I hear, and a good catch on a fly rod, however they were located way off the shore…too deep to wade, and too deep into the shoals to have an honest chance at them.

The one fish story I will tell (and I didn’t even wet a line), was directly after my second snorkel trip of the day. Amy and I had gone as far out as we had all trip. We got about 50 yards off shore, and found a spot where the reef dips way down deep (we were in about 10 feet of water, and it went to over 100 feet rather quickly. Having seen too many Jaws movies, and not seeing much more to look at, we turned back to go order lunch. Just as we gat back to the beach hut, and begin to look at the menu, I glance up and see fish flying out of the water just at the reefs end. Not having any way to get a line in the water where they were, I was left to only snap pictures. There were a lot more splashes then were represented, but here is what I was able to capture.

It went on for a good 3 minutes before they dove down. Based on local inquiries, I’m being told that they were tuna, which is just stunning to me. 50 yds off the beach, watching tuna bust out of the water chasing fish is just awesome.

That night we were invited, with the rest of the guests, to the owners house for a cocktail hour. Talk about amazing…
The owner’s house is made of native mahogany, and has an open floor plan like I’ve never seen. There are 3 bedrooms, and two bathrooms that are all closeable. The rest of the house is all open. The living room is open with no walls…only a roof. All the living room furniture stays out all the time. The two kitchens are all open with no walls protecting them from the outside. Upon inquiry, we found out that the when it was built, the house was positioned to not allow rain or wind whip through the open areas. During hurricanes and bad storms, all the furniture is moved into a spare bedroom. The mahogany is weather treated, so it looks as deep brown as the day it came out of the mill. The house is truly an amazing piece of workmanship, and should probably be considered for best views in the world.
Day three was a strategic battle between the new Page clan and the Sun. We snorkeled from 9:30 – 11:30 and then kayaked around the ENTIRE island within about 30 minutes in the afternoon. The rest of the day was spent within the shade of the cabin. Due to crisp shoulders, we were easily scared into the cabin. The highlight of the afternoon was a little casting into the wind for some barracuda. Something I wish had panned out, however I’m a bit low on the luck category. Hopefully the future holds better fortunes…
So here we are, back in Barbados, trying to catch our breath from the last four days of our lives. PSV has me now. No fish were caught, but I’d pay anything to have another week there. Everything you could want out of the Caribbean, with tremendous views, amazing food, quiet nature, and just a peaceful serenity that you have to seek out in today’s world.
Tomorrow is Andrew Day on the Honeymoon. We’ve got a 40’ boat (make not known yet) taking us out for 6 hours on the high seas looking for fish. I’m particularly interested in the wahoo that cruise the island year round. These fish are just amazing examples of power. Scissor jaws with teeth sharper then a barracuda, and able to take fingers off with one bite. While fingers are not the desired meal for our dinner, we are hoping that we can get some of these delicious critters onto our menu for tomorrow. Reviews shall follow.
We love you all and thank you for reading this far into the blog…

Pics to be found below…

Wedding Photos...

http://kimbova.blogspot.com/

Enjoy...just looked at...

Honeymoon FYI

First Leg
www.thecrane.com

Second Leg
www.psvresort.com

Third Leg
Back to www.thecrane.com

Honeymoon...Part 1

Not sure how many installments we'll be popping up under the title honeymoon:


a.) I can't really post all the activities done on this trip...

b.) It's been like 2 weeks since I last fished, and things aren't looking good for another few days (The only fishing to be had will be done on the last full day of the trip).

c.) The best post is in the works. I've taken 500 photos today alone and plan to post a ginormous picture post once I return to the states with commentary and all.


Ohh...the suspense...

Everything is great, and we are having the times of our lives. We are heading off to Petite St. Vincent tomorrow, and will return on 7/5. Fishing trip is 7/6, and we shove off to the mainland on 7/7. We will have more to update coming soon.

Teaser...

Rum Distillery Visited Today...

View From Our Private Patio