The Fin - Fishing Pictures Shared

The Fin APP is in beta right now but We're launching June 11

The Fin APP is currently in the hands of our amazing beta team and things are going very well.  Our plan is to launch to the public on June 11.  Stay tuned for updates. 

Note for beta team and future users: 5 options for using location features on The Fin

 

On The Fin APP you have 5 options when it comes to our location features:

1. Keep it turned off

2. Simply turn geotagging on so you have a VERY VERY general location associated with your photo.  Doing this will by no means burn your spot

3. Choose an existing location to associate with your photo and "check in"

4. Add a one time location so you can remember where you were when you caught a fish

5. Add a location to the database so that you and others can check in there later.

@TheFin #FF Follow Friday: @OwlJones

(NO THAT IS NOT ME.  THAT'S OWL)

Ok, I'm back to my solo Follow Friday routine after a few weeks off.  Things at The Fin are super busy at the moment....we're getting our APP out to the beta team, gathering notes and getting the next update to Apple so we can release it to the public in a week or so. 

So, without further adieu ..... this week's Fin Follow Friday goes out to @OwlJones (joined Twitter 822 days ago and currently has 1937 followers and follows 1689).  If you are looking for a guy who LOVES and I mean LOVES to interact with people on Twitter then this is your guy.  I feel like one day he just showed up on Twitter and then was all over the place.  He's tweeted over 14,305 so far, which is about 17 times per day since he started.  This could be a negative but his tweets are always funny and his nutty personality shows through.  And he has some great fishing info in the mix to.

Being a little lazy today I sent him an email and asked him "Who exactly is Owl Jones?" and here's what he had to say"

Owl Jones is a guy with a fishing blog. That's pretty much it. I try to be funny and make people laugh - I think fly fishing can be a bit too serious at times. It's supposed to be fun, right? So I try to make it fun for people whenever I can. My goal on Twitter is the same as my goal on OwlJones.com - to someday be powerful enough to achieve Fly Fishing World Domination. 

So, what are you waiting for??? Follow @OwlJones now.

Previous Fin Follow Friday Mentions:

@socalsalty

@bjornorama

@FishTheBaja

@Wired2Fish

@fbrglssmnfsto

@FishingFury

Fly Tying Videos Just Got A Whole Lot Cooler!

I saw this posted on The Daily Fly Paper Blog and to say I love this video is an understatement! So cool... and how do I get my hands on one of those flies???  The tyer is Brian Wies at flyfishingtheozarks.com He has done a bunch of these videos which you can see on his site or on his youtube channel. Apparently, I'm late to the game as his videos have about 30,000 views. 

A few housekeeping notes

In a few days, members of The Fin APP iPhone (android soonish) beta will be getting our app and will start using it in the real world.  I hope to release it to the public before the end of the month.  Be sure to check our blog for APP updates, bug fixes, new versions, etc.  Thanks!

@TheFin #FF Follow Friday: @socalsalty

I was away last week chasing bonefish in Turks and Caicos in a Bambarra rum haze so I missed The Fin Follow Friday mention last week but I'm back this week with a great one.  So, without further adieu, this weeks Fin Follow Friday goes out to Joe Sarmiento AKA @socalsalty.   I want to say that Joe was one of the first people I made a meaningful connection with on Twitter (even though I joined 3 years before him It took me awhile to really start using it). 

Who is @socalsalty? "I’m just a guy who likes to fish.  I prefer to do it in the ocean, so I’m salty.  I’ve done it most of my life, but that doesn’t make me an ‘expert’."  Based on his posts, I'm pretty sure he is an expert or at least more knowledgeable than most of us!  I almost had the pleasure of fishing with Joe last year when he was here in NYC fishing with Capt Paul Mandella ‏ @MaybeTonight.  They slayed 'em too! 

Joe is super active on Twitter, and a very engaging follow.  He's very knowledgeable and passionate about fishing.  And I for one, love hearing about what's going on in the fishing world on the other coast!

Go on, follow Joe on twitter here ---> @socalsalty

Previous Fin Follow Friday Mentions:

@bjornorama

@FishTheBaja

@Wired2Fish

@fbrglssmnfsto

@FishingFury

 

Turks and Caicos DIY Bonefish Part II

I just returned from my second trip to Turks and Caicos in 6 weeks and wanted to share some more info for those who are planing a trip there (you can see my 1st bonefishing Turks and Caicos report here).  This trip began where I left off last time at Taylor Bay.  I wouldn't call the flat there great but it does seem to consistently produce fish...it does have it's drawbacks though.   Essentially, if you want to fish Taylor Bay, you will only have about an hour to do so each day.  Because Taylor Bay is such a popular tourist beach, folks start showing up at about 9:00am and once that happens, you might as well pack it in.  That said, the one hour of fishing you get when the sun is high enough to see fish until the first kid runs through the flat can be awesome.  Both days that I fished there I was greeted by a few pairs and then a school of nice sized fish.   The biggest school stuck around for 30 minutes and I easily managed 4 bonefish to about 6 pounds.  The other thing about Taylor Bay, as far as I can tell, the bonefish only seem to enter the flat in one spot.  So, if you want to fish it, get there earlier than you need too because there is really only room enough for one angler in the sweet spot.  If you are fishing the island for a full day, I'd start there and then move on by 9:00AM.  For some reason, tide was not much of a factor while I was there so while people say the 1st of the incoming is best, I did not find that to be true.  Like my first trip to Turks and Caicos Providenciales, this was a family trip so I limited my fishing to a few hours in the morning and a few in the afternoon, which worked out great. 


The second spot I fished while I was there was an amazing flat on the South Side.  Since this one was given to me by someone who fishes there regularly, I'm not giving directions but if you are familiar  with the island or are a good investigator you might recognize it from the photo above.  I only scratched the surface here but you could spend a week on this flat and not cover it all.  It's massive!  The fish here were much bigger and I found them on the last of the out and 1st of the incoming tides or not at all (2 days I did not see a single fish).  One day after giving up, we walked up on a school of small bones tailing in 4 inches of water.  Such a cool sight!

I never changed flies the entire trip, so, I only know for sure they LOVE #4 tan gotchas.  I also found the fish here to be very hungry and not easily spooked. 


If you are planing a family trip and want to bonefish, then Turks and Caicos is perfect.  Not that I want to kill the local economy, but I see no need to book a guide here.  I only fished 2 spots in two trips and there are at least a dozen more easily accessible spots to try.  If I were planning a fishing trip (ie not a family vacation) I would go to a place like Andros or some such place where the fishing is amazing and guides are part of the deal.

  

@TheFin #FF Follow Friday: @bjornorama

This solo Follow Friday things is getting tougher and tougher every week.  There are so many great choices out there.  I think all week about who I'm going to pick and don't make my final decision until late Thursday night or  Friday morning.  There are many of you in the Twittersphere that I've built solid relationships with and I value the friendships and comrade amongst us fishermen (and women) in this space.

This week's Fin Follow Friday goes to someone who is actually not super active on Twitter but still a great follow, Bjorn Stromsness AKA @bjornorama AKA Bonefish On The Brain.  At the time of writing this, Bjorn is somewhere over the Gulf of Mexico on his way to Cuba to go fishing... How??? I have no freaking idea but I'm jealous!  I met Bjorn on Facebook and have followed his blog for some time now (I'm not even listed in his blog roll ehhh hemmm), and love the content he puts out there.  He uses Twitter sparingly but effectively and is worth hitting the follow button for.  I've reached out to him a few times with some some bonefish questions and have found him super helpful.  Like my past Fin Follow Friday recommendations, I'm sure Bjorn would be a blast to fish with.  So, let this be a wake up call to Bjorn to get more active and give us more bonefish on the brain insight on Twitter.  The other reason I'm picking him is because at the moment, I too have bonefish on the brain as I'm headed back to Turks and Caicos on Saturday for a week of chasing bones myself...

Go on, follow Bjorn on twitter here ---> @bjornorama

Previous Fin Follow Friday Mentions:

@FishTheBaja

@Wired2Fish

@fbrglssmnfsto

@FishingFury

Let the fishing begin - Surf and Inshore Fly Fishing in The Northeast (video)

Surf & Inshore Fly Fishing 2011 from Peter Laurelli on Vimeo.

If winter has left you with a foggy feeling, then this video is exactly what you need to watch to make things come clear.  I have been so busy with work and life and while I know my season will officially begin as it always does (for me) the last weekend of April after watching this video I might have to go out tonight! 

The video was produced by Peter Laurelli : "The premise is the same each year; drag camera gear around from March to December in search of striped bass, bluefish and false albacore, point it at the water and see what comes out."

It's one thing to say you are going to take on a project like this but another thing entirely to actually do it.  This is serious dedication and not easy.  Hats off to Peter!

For those who care, he shot it on a Panasonic GH1 and GH2 and GoPro & VioSport1.5. and edited in on Sony Vegas Pro 10.

@TheFin #FF Follow Friday: @FishingFury

"@FishingFury - A Fishing Blog with Attitude! ~ Fishing Fury is Jonathon Marshall and Clive Mathias." and they are The Fin Follow Friday today!

I think I have been following the guys from Fishing Fury before they were on Twitter (they joined May 16, 2009) and when they say "Blog with Attitude" the mean it.  I think I count the word F**k 8 time in their twitter feed in March alone! 

But seriously, @FishingFury offers up great content on their blog which they push out on their Twitter feed and if they are following you, they are always quick with a witty comment, or helpful info.  The reason I thought of them this week was because of this blog post: Two Holes… One Trout! Great read.  So, if you don't already, follow @FishingFury

Previous Fin Follow Friday Mentions:

@FishTheBaja

@Wired2Fish

@fbrglssmnfsto

Doc Muller on Striped Bass via The Surfcaster's Journal

Here is anothger great video from the folks at the Surfcasters Journal: