I’ve been obsessed with bonefish since I caught my first one about five years ago. Nothing prepared me for how much I would love the Bahamas flats. They’re so vast and wild, with the horizon in every direction, interrupted by the occasional mangrove. It feels like you’re at the end of the world.

And that’s before you start fishing! I wrote a story about the difficulty of trying to catch a bonefish if you want a few more specifics on tactics. In broad strokes, the fish are hard to see—they’re known at The Silver Phantom. They’re incredibly strong, terrific fighters that make dramatic runs once they’re hooked.

You’ll need an 8-weight rod, (Orvis Helios 3 is my choice), a really good reel, since that will be supporting those runs, (say an Abel SDS). Some places you fish the ground is just sand and you can wade barefoot (a delight!). Otherwise, I wear diving boots with rubber soles, since I generally don’t like the saltwater boots fishing companies make. Then some anodized pliers (my friend Matt Hranek swears by Van Staal, which are an investment, you might look around eBay for a used pair). And some flies and the best polarized glasses you can find.

Flats boats are brilliantly engineered so they can move at speed in just inches of water. Cruising around on the flats is a thrill. Sometimes you fish from the bow of the boat while the guide stands on a platform in the back and poles you around looking for fish. Other times you wade and look for tailing fish.

I got so excited I decided to host a trip to the renowned Abaco Lodge next March. It’s perfectly situated right on the Marls, famous for its huge numbers of bonefish. If you’ve been waiting to saltwater fish this is a great opportunity—if you can cast 40’ that’s good, if you can cast 40’ into the wind that’s better. So let’s get into some bonefish. It could be the beginning of a wonderful new obsession. Welcome to the game.

For more details about the trip to Abaco please email: contact@thecontender.co