Aruba fishing trip... i mean honeymoon

[Dave Marcus]

So it's official, the tickets are bought, reservations made. I'm going to aruba for my honeymoon/fishing trip and I'm looking for some answers to some questions.

Basic info

When: August 1-8
Where: Aruba - marriott aruba surf club
What rod: 9ft 9wt with WF floating line (g loomis pro4x), reel: orvis access

I've already booked a guide for the second day we're there so hopefully we'll get into some fish and then be able to get out a bit more on our own the rest of the trip. The guide said there are flats right next to the hotel so I anticipate getting out when I can. My fiance doesn't fly fish but I plan on getting her a travel spinning rod to use on the flats because she can cast a spinning rod a bit better. I've done a bit of research and it looks like a jig head tied with some fly tying material to mimic some tropical flies could do the trick.

My questions:

1. Any recommendations on travel spinning rods (must be able to fit into a suitcase, just the rod, I have a good inshore reel she can use but it's attached to 7ft one piece rod) $50-$80
2. Has anyone fished aruba and can you give me some tips/advice ahead of time?
3. Should i bother trying to bring a stripping basket?
4. I will follow the guides recommendations for flies based on his website but any advice based on experience for what flies to tie/bring ahead of time? His site recommends ties for bonefish and tarpon.

I know I'll be on my honeymoon and fishing won't be the main focus of the trip but this will be my first tropical fishing experience so I'm pretty jacked up. Whoever has the star wars action figure, do you have any interest in lending it out?

Thanks to everyone in advance for their input.

David

[Michael Smith]

I went to the Caymans in May and fished for bones, tarpon, barracuda, and jack and had a blast.

3. I wouldn't bother.  Most casts for bonefish are 30-50 feet, and for the most part there are no waves to mess up your line like fishing for stripers.

4a. Most guides bring flies for you.  I recognize gotchas (3rd from the right, top row), and brown/white clousers (left fly, top row),  the others are shrimp variants.  What's more important than pattern is the amount of weight on the fly.  If you're walking on the flats, you want flies with lighter bead-chain eyes.  If you're in a boat in deeper water, you want small dumbbell eyes.  Heavier=more splat=maybe scares fish=buries itself in the sand=sinks faster.  Note the pictures of his flies show that they are heavily-weighted for the most part.  Having 3-4 different weights of the same pattern is very important.  The pattern itself is "meh" because bones are opportunistic.

4b.  Bring some 1/0 chartreuse/white and shad gray/white clousers if you want to fish on your own and throw them into the deeper water for jacks and other flies.  They work everywhere.

4c.  You can use deceivers and clousers on tarpon in 1/0 and 2/0.

5. Tropical water is warm and makes most lines limp and unfishable.  You need a special tropical line.

6. Don't skimp on sunglasses.  Bonefish is sneaky little jerks and you need good amber/green lenses to see them.

7. Use a minimum of false casts.  Quicker cast is better, even if you have to lead the fish more and twitch the fly as the fish goes by it.  Learn to stand with the tip of the line out of the tip of the rod and the fly in your non-casting hand.  2 false casts and land it.

8. Rinse out your rod, reel, line, and used flies in fresh water when you're done for the day.  Otherwise, they corrode, especially the reel.

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Michael Smith, CISSP-ISSEP

ryb...@ryzhe.ath.cx @rybolov

http://www.guerilla-ciso.com

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[Jeffrey Silvan]

I actually wouldn't discount the use of the stripping basket. While I have only fly fished the flats once, I used one while tarpon fishing, and couldn't imagine doing without. For me, it's less about keeping the line from getting messed up by the waves (there's still plenty of current in the ocean even without waves), and more about staying tangle free. Having the line well laid into the stripping basket almost guarantees your casts won't be stopped short by a mini-tangle, plus you don't have to worry about accidentally stepping on the line or getting it wrapped around your foot. If you hook a 100lb tarpon, the last thing you want to discover is that you stepped into a loop of line on the boat and it's now wrapped around your ankle as the beast is making its run.

I have two other bits of advice:

1. If you're buying a special line for the flats, consider a line that has at least a clear tip. If your casting isn't great, it gives you a little more room for error if you're casting at a line of tarpon and cast slightly long. They're almost certainly going to get spooked by a bright yellow line, but MAY not notice that clear line. It helped me when I was struggling with my casting on day 1.

2. Take casting lessons. It will be worth the money. You have to be WAY more accurate and quick with your casts than I expected. Casting accurately at a stationary target is also FAR easier than figuring out the lead time for a moving target, then hitting that inconspicuous spot on the water that you've guessed will lead the fish enough by the time you drop your casts. If you cannot double haul, you'll be at a remarkable disadvantage. The difference between when I remembered to double haul and when I forgot was night and day when it came to getting a legitimate shot at a fish.

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[John Bilotta]

Good advice.

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[TurbineBlade]

If I were you, I'd quickly reverse the title of this post!  ;)  Small things like that are like money in the bank -- low-hanging fruit. 

That said -- have a blast.  It sounds awesome!  

Gene

Good advice.

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[Sardman]

For the spinning rod, tzunami makes a 3 piece 7ft travel surf rod that is amazing. Allows you to cast poppers and heavier lures. I have it always in the trunk of my car, if you want to try it, we can meet somewhere after work (tidal basin, duck pond/gravelly) and combine some fly fishing.
The rod meets faa regs and you con take it as carry on.
Best,
Mauro

[Nedak]

1-congrats.
2-never been to Aruba but did just get back from USVI in April.  Generally same area and fished the Caribbean Sea.
Flies-bring different sizes of the same thing. I got caught throwing Crazy Charlies that were too big for the bonefish that were hanging out right in the surf in front of the hotel.  I wish I had smaller stuff.  Keep your eyes peeled when you take the honeymoon stroll along the beach.  You can see all sorts of critters in the water.  Wading boots/old sneakers are always a good idea.
3- For travel spinning rod, I have an albright dot com rod.  Google albright fly rods and hit their clearance section.  The explorer travel spin rod is very fairly priced and I love mine.  I have a 7'6" that I paired with a Shimano 4000 series.  The travel case is not so big but roomy enough to put several different rods in them.  You could probably fit your fly rod in there and you can carry it on the airplane. 
4-If you are strictly fly fishing then disregard balance of this line, but I would bring artificial blood worms or clams, commonly known as fishbites.  Bring small hooks to catch bait fish-really small like 10 or 12s.  Catch the bait fish and either use a fish finder rig with a 1oz weight  or free spool, and the live line the bait fish by hooking thru dorsal fin.  You will be surprised what takes its.  I had a grunt come back looking like it got hit by a machete.  I also had a fight between two huge snooks one night.  Unfortunately they broke me off quite quickly.  If you can, bring some reasonable slzed leader material, like 30or 40lb fluorocarbon. 
5-Knife-if you carry on only then I suggest hitting walmart for a pair of kitchen shears.  They cost a $1 or so and as long as the blade is less than 4 inches, you should be able to carry it on.  Kitchen shears are great bc the blade is big enough to filet the aforementioned bait fish or you can just plain cut bait with them. 
6-I looked on Google Earth at the location...To the north there appears to be an area where there will be water movement.  I found that area to be very productive in USVI.  To the south,
there is a dock.  If you are not too busy, especially at night, hitting the dock will be very productive.  I found all kinds of fish hanging around the pilings.
7-FWIW, your future wife sounds cool to go fishing with you, my wife and family generally put up w. my OCD fishing disorder on our vacations.

Hope this helps.  I have more suggestions if you want to reach out privately.

John

[Dave Marcus]

Thanks for the congratulations, I'm pretty excited. In response to some of the above posts, I'm a fairly competent caster although believe me, I will practice at targets before I go. Really helpful advice about the flies in different sizes, I'll make sure to have a good assortment. I'll also make sure to pick up a tropical line, I might not have otherwise. The spinning rod I'll be getting for her she'll most likely want input on but I'll check out albright, my 4wt reel came from them and I've been happy with it so far.

Future wife is cool to go fishing with but make no mistake, she tolerates my obsession and enjoys catching fish more than "fishing". When we do travel and I want to fish I try to ensure that she has a good experience, I usually get a guide and this will be the first time in a couple years we haven't fished for redfish in SC with the same guide.

Thanks for all the good advice, I'll definitely report back. One other question that might be slightly off topic. I'm looking for a waterproof digital camera for this trip, I think it will be great for snorkeling, maybe some fishing pictures underwater etc. Anyone have any recommendations? I was looking at the olympus tough series, I'd like to keep it to under $250 and have video if possible.

Thanks,

David

[Matthew Longley]

I won't post commercial links :), but google "waterproof camera case".  Never used one myself, but have read some good reviews.  Looks like you can get a good one for ~50 bucks, and spend the other $200 on beer for the beach.

[Chuq Yang]

I've had three of the olympus tough cameras, and all three have gone dead on me.  Also, the startup times for that line of cameras is abysmal.  So, for my birthday, my fiancee got me Nikon AW110 (in camo!)  I've been pretty happy with it, except for maybe battery life. It does video in full HD.  It is a little pricier than the range you're looking for though.  

Like Matthew said, it might make sense to get a waterproof case if you have a camera that you're happy and familiar with.

Here's a picture of a brown that I took underwater a few days after I got the camera.  Congrats on the engagement!

Chuq

[Jeffrey Silvan]

Underwater photography gets very expensive very quickly. I don't have a specific manufacturer/model recommendation, but here are things to consider and look for:

• A flash that can be turned off - most flashes like you're used to seeing on a camera will cause particles in the water to "light up" as the light is reflected directly back to the lens. Not using flash avoids this in most circumstances and will make your picture come out much more clear. Google "underwater backscatter" to see what I mean. The clearer the water, the less severe the issue will be, but this can happen even in "crystal clear" water you'd find in the Caribbean when you use a camera-integrated flash.
• The camera reacts fast to you pressing the trigger - fish unfortunately rarely pose for pictures. Pictures of "fish butt" don't look nearly as good as pictures of fish from the side or front. I can't tell you how many potentially amazing pictures I have missed due to a camera not shooting fast enough.
• A waterproof case built for a camera you already own will be more cost effective if you can find it, but you'll need to ensure the seal is properly maintained - particularly if you do not use it for months at a time. You'll also want to try to find one that has a chamber to absorb moisture. It won't help if the case floods, but it'll protect it from the moisture in the air since it's such a high humidity area.
• If you may get into scuba diving and want something that can do that too, a water proof case along with a camera that can except external strobes/flashes is a must. I haven't seen a waterproof camera that can handle depths of over 30'

I'm not sure how familiar you are with underwater photography, but it is extremely different from "land" photography. The single biggest thing to understand about underwater photography is the lighting conditions. This is the majority of what makes photographs extremely challenging since the color spectrum gets absorbed in the water fairly quickly. You begin losing reds almost immediately, and red colors are basically completely gone (they will look blu-ish, purple-ish) by 15ft depth (or really, when the light has to travel through 15 feet of water - e.g. if you're at a depth of 5 feet and photographing something 10 feet away, the light traveled 15 feet under water from the surface to the camera lens, so you'll lose nearly all red color). Since you're just snorkeling (rather than scuba diving), those impacts will be minimized since most of your shots will be 0-10 feet below the surface. To minimize the color loss as much as possible, try to get as close as you can to whatever you're photographing. Some cameras made for underwater photography will have some correction, but it just isn't the same. Orange would be the next color to go, which you lose by around 25 feet, but that shouldn't really be an issue if you are snorkeling.

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[Dave Marcus]

I do have a point and shoot and waterproof bag I keep my fishing licenses in that I may use instead of spending a few hundred bucks I really don't have. I'm a little wary for a few reasons.

1. About 5 years ago in mexico one of my friends accidentally left wrist strap in the way of a the waterproof bag and ruined my camera while snorkling (luckily I'd taken out the photo card so all my pictures from the trip were safe)
2. She just lost her camera so mine is our only one and I don't want to break it.
3. You raise a good point about condensation, I keep a couple desiccant packs in the bag now to prevent the paper licenses from getting ruined. That seems to have worked well so far, but it's just in the humidity of DC, do you think the desiccant will work if I'm using it with the camera underwater?

Dave

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[Dave Marcus]

PS thanks to Matthew, I forgot my waterproof case in the bottom of my fishing bag could be used for the camera, saving me some money :)

[Matthew Longley]

Dave, a lot of the waterproof camera cases have special material for the lens, which I think makes a big difference.  Just general cases that aren't specifically designed for taking pictures through tend to produce really crappy pictures.

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[Jeffrey Silvan]

My scuba camera case has a spot for those desiccant packets (of course, the compartment is a size that only fits their specially shaped ones that cost twice as much), and that has worked well. It's basically going to help in situations where it is high ambient humidity, but also if you get a DROP or two of water in the housing/bag as that evaporates and creates a very high humidity situation. If you're going to use the bag and are confident it'll stay water tight, just be certain you can get it pressed completely flat over the lens. Another thing to consider getting is a simple disposable digital underwater camera. It won't take professional quality pictures, but it'll be good enough to get some fun shots to help you remember the occasion and is very cost effective.

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[Dave Marcus]

I have the "aquapac" which i got years ago when I first started fly fishing/wading, and after googling "waterproof camera case" it came up as one of the first ones. I'll test it out first with some paper other something else that i don't care about in the bathtub ahead of time, but I believe it is designed for cameras.

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[Danny Barrett]

Not sure what the price is, but gopro makes some little packs for their cameras to remove condensation.  Personaly ive had my gopro on every trip for the past year underwater tied off to my thigh.  i am normally in some river once a week for 5 or 6 hours, of course the camera isnt under water the entire time but I have not had an issue(and i dont use any thing to prevent condensation and have never cleaned the lense or the case).

Dan Barrett

 

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Pittsburgh, PA

 

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