Steve Pitts wrote:Hi Robert
I've Googled 'ABU Accuflex' and there are lots of good deals on these at the moment.
I've noticed that most of the the on-line ads emphasise that this is a freshwater fly rod, so it will not have saltwater-rated fittings. You can use it in the sea, but tropical saltwater is very corrosive, so you'll need to make sure that you rinse the rod under a tap, hose or shower after every trip. Pay particualr attention to the reel fitting, which is probably made of light alloy, rather than marine-grade aluminium.
Remove the reel to make sure that the reel seat gets a good flush out.
If you are out for the day and use the rod, try to wash the rod off as soon as possible, rather than waiting 'till the evening. A few hours in the confines of the boot of the car can begin the process of corrosion. A bottle of water for this purpose is a handy thing to take out with you.
I've said this before and it's worth repeating again - Tobago isn't a bonefish destination like Los Roques, Seychelles, Cuba, Belize or Bahamas. You just don't see large shoals of fish on the Tobago flats, that these other destinations are famous for. Small groups of three or four fish are the norm and more often one's or two's are more likely.
On the plus side though, the average size of Tobago bonefish is quite large, compared to other places. Perhaps it's something to do with Tobago being one of the most Southerly and Easterly bonefish haunts in the Carribean. In fact, two of Tobago's bonefish flats are on the Atlantic coast and you don't find too many bonefish in the Atlantic
We have caught many more bonefish on plugs than we have on the fly (20 times more!) and undoubtledly, this method selects for bigger fish, as the bigger fish feed a lot on baitfish / fry.
I don't think that I have seen a Tobago bonefish smaller than 2lb, which is a big fish in some places.
The biggest Tobago bonefish that I have heard of (from a very reliable source) is 14lb and the largest that Mike and I have caught is just over 10lb.
These are world-class bonefish, in the same league as the very best destinations like Cosmoledo in the Seychelles and Christmas Island in the Pacific, so Tobago is a worthwhile destination for bonefish officianados seeking bigger fish and it's a whole lot easier to get to.
If you have never fished for bonefish and really want too catch one, I would strongly recommend that you contact Kester Herbert of Grand Slam Charters and arrange a half-day guided trip. He will know where to go and put you in front of fish. The rest is up to you, so spend some time practicing your casting as accuracy is very important, as is controling your cast and fly line in windy conditions. It can be very breezy out on the Tobago flats.
All this talk of bonefish is giving me withdawal symptons
Cheers
Steve