As fly fishers, we are perhaps more tuned into the way the natural world works, particularly when it involves fish and water. We pour over fly boxes, looking for something that resembles natural food for trout and bass, or even bonefish or permit. We focus on the cleanest waters, because that’s where the best fishing is found. We understand that water flows downhill, that fish and people need the best of the best of it, and that, throughout the planet, our waters are all connected.
Many of us who cut our fly-fishing teeth on trout have expanded our angling horizons—we chase bass in big lakes, redfish in the marshes and we venture across borders to go after bonefish, permit and tarpon on the crystaline flats of the Caribbean. While these fish don’t share habitat with our beloved trout, they do share something—the need for healthy habitat and clean water.
And those fish, like our trout, need all the help they can get. You can help them, too. And you might have a bit of fun doing it.
Our friends at Hatch magazine are hosting their first-ever barracuda tournament in the Bahamas—these crafty and rocket-fueled predators of the flats have long been considered the bane of the bonefish, but, like bones and other flats fish, they require great habitat. And the tournament, scheduled for Bair’s Lodge on Andros Island, Dec. 30 to Jan. 5, will help raise money for the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, the group that works to protect inshore habitat for the benefit of the fish many of us trout anglers have come to love (and many of us trout anglers love barracuda, too!).
And Hatch is giving away a veritable fortune in gear and tackle—just check out the list of stuff up for grabs. Plus, think about it … there might not be a better place to spend New Year’s Eve than on a beach in the Bahamas. If you’re interested in chasing the wily barracuda, helping BTT protect our inshore fly fishing treasures and maybe netting some sweet gear, consider this for your winter vacation.
— Chris Hunt