Stealin' Minnows

Stealin' Minnows - Big Bones and Mermaids
by Stephan Dombaj
feat.: Stefan & Alexander Haider

Big Pelicans hammering down like a bomb carpet. Thirthy in a row. An incredible spectacle indeed, but I am focusing on something else and these pelicans are the indicator. My illuminated advertisment that is praising big fucking bonefish. My ticket for the ultimate run on a flyrod...it´s just a few casts away!

(Bones)

Excitment is taking over. A pelican just in operating distance get´s in trouble... Street-Gang: A couple of Bonefish are trying to rob paralysed minnows out of it´s mouth. They literally force the pelicans to share their prey by pokeing them. Especally bigger fish are quite vehement. They kill everything that falls out of the pelicans mouth if it just fit´s into the prey-scheme. Quest, present your minnow as close as you can to the pelican...

(Street-Gang: Minnow robbery)

If you come close without an accidential pelican-hookup don´t dare to move your fly too much. Just let sink, nice and neat, keep the contact until something on the other end of the line decides to get you into serious troubles. As I said upon, also big bones are used to penetrate these birds for an easy lunch. Especally when sightfishing is for some reason impossible, the birds will show you the prey and if you are lucky... they´ll also lead you to bonefish.

(Searching for something to pierce)


(Perpare...)

Sun is painting everything in a tinch of orange - an unmistakable sign for dinnertime. I am perpared. And here we go again...

(In range...)


(Nervous pelican)


(Jerk-off time!)

Presentation right infront of the bird. Big fish twiching out, following... following with it´s back out of the water. Sweet marry of mercy, this bonefish want´s the minnow so bad... a few more strips and the fish nails the fly away like burying it with it´s nose into the sandy ground. Stripstrike! Contact! Good fish...

( Fish turns...that´s bad)

Instead of leaving this planet by running it´s tails of in direction of the sun, this fish turns by and starts off in parallel to the beach - passing several anchorlines meanwhile. Must be a good one. No useless rushing...this fucker knows how to get rid of my fly. But guess what, Mr. Bone is not the only one swimming...

(Sunset Rush)

Busy with fighting the fish, untangleing anchorline and worrying about my leader. But somehow I managed to get some line back. Shortpumping, holding the fish away from obstacles, another run... not that intense. It´s not over yet and I don´t dare to get a picture with that rocket until I hold it. I don´t care: Pressure to the max. Last line untangled. Time to finish this...

(Dinner is served: Bonefish with salad)


(K@#O%!)


(Racoon & Bonefish)


(Releasing the rocket)


(...to fight another day)



(8 pounder is swimming away)


(Pt.II)

Hard to explain but sometime i catch myself thinking that the second the fish leaves your hands and swims away is the most precious moment in flyfishing. Nothing lasts longer than the memory... not even the fish population that is, in spite of catch and release, still rapidly decreasing.

Story Of A Mermaid

Ambushing beach-bonefish is also a quite productive way to see/catch legendary mermaids. Ah, you don´t believe me, do you? Well, check this pictures out.