~Letter From Recent Guest Mr. Litwin

"Litwin Expedition April 21 to April 26, 2024
Base camp: Bone Ami
Casuarina Point
Abaco Island, Bahamas 
Saltwater Flycasting - guided 3 1/2 days - touring, wading & pole skiff
Objectives; Bonefish, Barracuda and to have fun and take in the scenery, the people, local dishes and culture in comfortable accommodations. 
Conclusion: highly successful overall - a very well planned and executed agenda.  

Performance by our guides and cooking staff - all professional and personable.  Jack pulled all of the strings effectively to establish the team for a well orchestrated and memorable experience. 
Preparation and planning by Jack 95
Communication  before and during our trip 95
Transport 90
Housing 90
Punctuality 100 - everyone on time
Guides 94 average
Fishing 90 average
Security (feeling safe) 95
Scenery 99
Food 93
Other people we interacted with 90

Recommendation:  Island Explorations; first quality operations with a commitment to excellence. 
Background:
My relationship with Jack began this past December after learning that I was one of three “Top Prize”  winners of a raffle. Griffin and Howell (G&H) as part of their 100th Anniversary Exhibition at Hudson Farms in Andover, NJ, was raising money to offer scholarships to students pursuing a career in gunsmithing.  Jack Pittard (Island Explorations) donated an all inclusive trip for two to his beachfront retreat house appropriately named Bone Ami at Casurina Point on Abaco Island, Bahamas. 
In the months leading up to our departure for Bone Ami Jack was extremely helpful in preparing us with a written preparedness list, bonefishing tutorial and instructional videos for us to understand the different fly fishing techniques required “for bone” that are markedly different from freshwater trout or salmon fishing given the local conditions of variable winds and tides while “hunting “ anxious and very wary prey. 
In addition to helping us prepare he gifted us a box of flies to use that meet the requirements for matching the size, shapes and colors of the bonefish prey;  shrimp , crab and worms. 

Expedition Starts: Upon landing at Marsh Harbour (approximately 25 miles north of Bone Ami) we took a taxi about 3 miles to K&S Auto where a rental Van was awaiting us to drive to Bon Ami. 
We settled in at Bone Ami finding the beachfront house feet away from the soft surf to be very comfortable and well appointed. To see what it looks like you can visit Island Explorations website. My fishing partner, Chuck, walked onto the deck, immediately took to the shore with his spin casting rig and promptly landed his first bonefish 20 yards from the house - off to a hot start I’d say. 

Throughout our stay, we were treated to a variety of well prepared meals by our Cook Judy and her helpers. Judy is very personable and professional making certain we had abundant portions of well prepared local dishes employing conch (salad, stew, fried), mahi mahi, crayfish and snapper with sides salads, pasta or potatoes or rice and 
Desserts- we especially enjoyed the Key Lime pie. Breakfast was a good foundation for a day on the water - eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, muffins, assorted fruits and, alternatively, pancakes when requested. Judy packed our lunch and we started the day to match the tide and work the flats. 
Day 1 was a half day excursion with Greg, a local friend of Jack’s who gave us a tour of the bay off Casurina Point and a chance to walk with fly rods a bit on the nearby flats to get a sense of what to expect on the next 3 days with professional guides. We found some conch but had no luck when looking for lobster. Greg, with his quiet demeanor and unobtrusive minimalist live style and hands that shows the wear and tear of a lifetime of hand lining, will likely be one of the last men standing when we blow up the world and would hardly notice (assuming he even bothers to look up).  It was a deep dive into local lore with Greg and a great start for us. 
Day 2
We drove south to Sandy Point to meet up with Riccardo, an accomplished guide who lived up to his reputation. 
We rode his boat through the chop to make our way to the leeward side of the Point since the winds were steady at about 20 MPH and made the casting “much more interesting”.  Low tide was indeed low with the influence of the wind and wading was the only practical option. We caught a few bonefish after a lot of misses thoroughly enjoying their explosive runs and strength. The scenery is exceptional, the peaceful surroundings (sans wind) is worth the trip just to have the opportunity to take it all in. 
Day - 3
Our guide, Robin took us to a part of the nearby waters that’s  known as The Marla - saltwater “lakes” walled in by mangroves fed by tunnels from the ocean that are called Blue Holes - tidal influences can cause a mini-fountain effect where incoming water rises up a foot or so above the lake surface at these Blue Holes. We were told that the bonefish here are basically landlocked except when there’s a super high tide. Once again,plenty of bonefish and we had better results with little wind compared to Day 2
Robin is another professional and serious about his work but also pleasant to be around. Another good day - we were  the only boat within miles. 
Day 4
Our guide, JR, took us to  backside (ocean side) of The Marl and had us on bones most of the day. We also had a too brief thrill of hooking up with a baricudda on a spin cast rig but it broke free about 15 seconds later.  When the cudda surfaced to hit the lure while racing directly at our boat was a “holy crap” moment - very exciting for sure.  Other than not being clear with some of his instructions directing our casting, JR put us onto fish, told us interesting stories about his experiences and took us into some great scenery. It was another good day overall. 

So, you may wonder that it would have been better to have had only one guide for three days. Possibly, but we think it was all the more interesting to have different inputs and points of view with a better perspective regarding bone fishing and life on Abaco as a result. It was a fantastic trip and no a fond memory. 
Best,
Emil & Chuck "