I’ve looked forward to this for a long time.

My catch of the day

Some of you may know, I have an affinity with fish – tuna especially but also the odd trout, so when we had the opportunity to go fishing with Itu (E2), the ‘bonefishing legend,’ we jumped at the chance.

Mandy and E2 waiting to strike

E2 comes from a long line of fishermen in Aitutaki. His family used to net bonefish in the lagoon before the government decided to make it a ‘sport’ for anglers, but more importantly ensure their sustainability – catch and release.

They are not small fish, although we caught a couple of tiddlers. More often than not, they reach double digits and are extremely strong and fast, thanks to their deeply forked tail, providing immense power and one hell of a fight.

A good specimen

Casting a weighted dry-fly, (no bait fish), into the milky waters the line slowly sinks into the unknown. It is not deep, perhaps three metres, but I can’t see the bottom as they stir up the sand when they feed. We drift ever so slowly with a sea anchor and within seconds I get a strike.

Bonefish make the water milky as they are bottom feeders, stirring up the sand as they look for worms

The reel runs and I let it go, and it goes again. I reel it in and it goes again and again and again.

With E2’s skill, we net it. Wetting my hands, I hold my slippery catch before letting it slip over the side and back into the lagoon.

E2 nets our fish

Although it was a relatively small bonefish it gave a real fight – who knows, I might have fallen over board had the fish been any bigger.

For more information about fishing with E2  www.e2sway.com