July 2015 – The 52 Rivers Blog

Summer Squall on Abaco

shelleyw — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 02:43:42 +0000

You don’t normally think of going to the Bahamas in June. However, this trip was a little unique because I bid on it during the Casting for Recovery annual fundraising event in Hamilton, MT, that takes place the first weekend in October. Because I was late to book, my options were more limited, but that also meant less people to contend with, which was good. In fact there were actually four couples at the Blackfly Lodge, where we stayed, instead of all men and me!

The challenge this time of year is the heat – over 90 degrees – with humidity just as high. There’s no sunbathing – in fact you must cover up every part of your body to avoid a nasty burn. When in the flats boat, only one person can fish at a time, so the other person sits in the “hold” and bakes in the sun. In order to manage the discomfort, I thought of Louis Zamperini afloat on the ocean for 47 days, as described in the book Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. In comparison, I had all the food and water I needed, spf-protected clothing and was only there for 8 hours a day, after which I could swim in the ocean, have a wonderful dinner and sleep in a bed. Everything is relative – which makes life so tolerable for me.

Every afternoon, we watched the horizon line and the squalls work their way toward us as we scooted our boat to new mangroves to avoid getting wet. I’m sure it would have felt really good after baking in the heat – although it would have killed the already difficult fishing.

Many people have told me that once I start salt-water fishing, I would prefer it to trout fishing. After one trip, I can’t say that’s happened, but we’re going to give it another try at the end of the year and I’ll let you know! Next post about the deep sea fishing we did.

Special Organization

shelleyw — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 03:59:38 +0000

Casting for Recovery was founded in 1996 in Manchester, Vermont, by a breast cancer reconstructive surgeon and a professional fly fisher (Gwenn Perkins Bogart and Dr. Benita Walton). Casting for Recovery’s innovative program focuses on breast cancer survivorship and improving quality of life, and has garnered endorsements from medical and psychosocial experts.

Awarded 501(c)(3) non-profit status in 1998, Casting for Recovery has inspired international efforts in Canada, UK/Ireland and New Zealand.
To date, Casting for Recovery has conducted more than 500 retreats, serving nearly 7,000 women nationwide.
In 2014, they held 42 retreats in 36 states, serving 600 women.

Prime Punter

shelleyw — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 02:57:45 +0000

Patrick leads up the guide crew at Blackfly Lodge south of Marsh Harbor on Abaco Island in the Bahamas. Patrick was born on Abaco, but was sent to Rochester, MN for high school, where he still loves to go back and visit. Patrick has that magic about him – hard, hard worker, but also that island free and easygoing style. I fished with him twice in his pretty pink boat that honors Casting for Recovery, the women’s fly-fishing organization that supports women with cancer. When you’re fishing the flats for bonefish or permit, you speed to the day’s spot, turn off the motor, and then the guide punts you along with a long pole (called a punt) that can be up to 24 feet long. The trick is to move the boat along as quietly as possible and yet still make forward progress in order to search for fish. Patrick was a master punter and great company for two days on the river. Loved the smell of those Cuban cigars in the heat of the afternoon!

Patience

shelleyw — Mon, 06 Jul 2015 05:10:44 +0000

+ Ready to go fishing!

Δ The runoff keeps coming…

Boning up on Bonefish

shelleyw — Mon, 06 Jul 2015 04:56:33 +0000

Is the summer passing you by as quickly as it is for me? June was a crazy month with threats of flash floods on the Pine River where I was living, a fly-fishing trip to the Bahamas, and a trip to the annual conference of the American Library Association in San Francisco. I’m finally settled for a couple of weeks and want to share my incredible fly-fishing excursion to the Bahamas.

I spent a week on Abaco Island at the Blackfly Lodge to try my hand at salt water fishing for the first time. As with all fishing, I found it challenging, alluring and rejuvenating. I actually took two lessons from Jonathan Walter, an IFFF certified Instructor before I left and thank goodness for that!

I bid on this trip during the annual Casting for Recovery “Cast One for Hope” fundraiser in Hamilton, Montana last fall. I had wanted to go salt water fishing and what a great way to support my favorite organization and take a vacation. I’m hoping the same opportunity is up for auction at this year’s event on October 3rd. The Blackfly Lodge’s owners are totally supportive of CfR and their mission to enrich the lives of women with breast cancer. In fact, I fished in their pink boat with the CfR logo and pink ribbon on it!

Fishing on Abaco is mostly about bonefish and permit. And, they are not easy to catch – especially for someone like me, who still needs to work on my casting skills. Bonefish can weigh up to 19 pounds and grow to 35 inches long! They are very skittish, so if you don’t get your cast right on the first try – you can pretty much say adieu to that fish. In addition, once you catch them, they are one of the strongest fish to bring in – so you need to prepare yourself for a struggle. Well, struggle I did, and as you can see from my post photo, I did catch one, but I’ll leave that story for my next blog post:-)