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!

SBW on the flats 3The 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.

Thuderstorm_SquallEvery 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.

Recent Posts