Explorations on the Fly
Posted by: Toby Swank
Date: 01/10/2023
The seas – yes, the seas – were rough as I powered blindly across unknown waters with seawater in my eyes and a feeling of excitement that has become all too unfamiliar in my mid-life years. I hoped that those dark spots ahead of me were shadows of the passing clouds and not the tell-tale sign of a coral-head that people had warned me to be wary of during low tides.
The little boat had her own ideas on how she wanted to handle the waves that day and I, once again in life, realized that I am just here for the ride. Life is one new adventure for me these days, the reality of spending more time fly-fishing in the tropics is awakening angling curiosities and reminding me that a life on the water is still the life for me.
I found this little boat through a guide that I have had the pleasure of fishing with on several occasions along the Texas coast. A longtime friend of his happened to be looking to sell her micro-skiff and I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect boat for my needs and personality. Long and light, she’s easy to pole and just squirrely enough to require constant attention or she will throw you off the platform or on the floor. My poling skills are developing, but boats have been a part of my life for long as I can recall, and I think we should get both up to par in short order with enough practice in due time.
Success came my way on a Bonefish flat last month as my dad and I boated our first fish together with me poling and he fishing. It was a long way from what would be described as an “epic day,” however, it was a success and that is sometimes all it takes to feel epic. We crawled across a long flat during low tide with little sign of life other than the occasional Lemon Shark and what appeared to be a bounty of Sea Cucumbers. As the tide turned, small baitfish started to show up and faint shimmers in some deeper water could be seen just on the edge of the flat. A cast was made to what appeared to be a small school of Bonefish - low and behold – a Bonefish ate my dad’s fly and life seemed to all make sense there on that flat, watching my dad navigate playing the fish without falling in despite the little green boat’s best efforts!
Fly-fishing has been a gift to me – whether learning new waters on my own, sharing the day with family, or spending my time guiding anglers on the Bozeman fly-fishing waters – I am thankful for the abundance of moments in life that I have come across with cosmic meaning while standing in or floating on water. I just have to be paying attention in the moment to notice the difference between shadows of clouds on the water ahead and coral heads.
