Day 3 - August 30th, 2004

Wanting to explore some new water we rented a scooter today and headed North to the famous Pilar beach, reportedly named after Hemmingway's boat.  The scooter was relatively cheap at $24 USD for the entire day and provided flexibility as we could come and go as we pleased.  Riding one of these suckers on miles of incredibly bumpy dirt roads was an experience I'll never forget!

On the way to Pilar we took two side roads of our curiosity and ended up at a shallow lagoon type cove with beautiful sand flats.  I just had to try for some bones here. 

It took me nearly an hour and a half of blind casting into what looked to be promising spots to realize what I was looking for.  Only the slightest of shadows revealed that there was a coasting school of at least 100 bones within 50 feet of me.  I couldn't believe it.  These fish were so hard to see that trying to take a photograph of this school was absolutely impossible (Can you see it in the pic above?  Me either).  By far the hardest fish I've ever had to sight fish for, bar none. 

With new life I cast to this zig-zagging school for the next two hours.  I tried just about every fly that I had with me with absolutely no luck.  Merkins, charlies, gotchas in green, white, tan, pink, orange and brown didn't do it.  I have a strong suspicion that the fish could see my 12lb flouro leader.  No matter how close or far away I cast into this huge school of cruzing bones they would either spook and bolt the other way, at about the speed of light, or would simply ignore my offering and continue their tailing and coasting.  Very frustrating.

The fish disappeared at magnificent speeds when two 5+ foot barracudas appeared briefly on the flats.  A size 6 crazy Charlie on 12lb test tippet was not appropriate to cast so I just watched these monsters coast by.

Day 3 and still no bones.  We've caught plenty of gars and barracudas now but a bone or two would really be nice.  Same with one of those infamous Sol tarpon.  All we can do is keep trying.
 
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Written By: Nick Pujic, © September 2004
Photographs By: Nick Pujic © 2004 & Karin Zandbergen © 2004