The Watery Rave

Traveling anglers know the island of Aitutaki, in the Cook Islands for its trophy bonefish. Not long ago, you could grab a fly rod, walk down by the market and with the wave of a hand and the exchange of paper walk away with a World Class bonefish. Never having made a cast.

 To the island residents, bonefish represent a traditional table fare, one that helped families subsidize their diets when other fish weren’t available. Over time, some islanders grew fond of the fishy flesh that leaves a permanent aftertaste tattooed to the roof of your mouth, and gradually a market for the species sprung up.

 In fact, there was a time when the market on the island offered bonefish as part of its catch du jour, even though it was never really a commercially sought species. Only a handful of islanders targeted the gamefish with nets, part of a time honored island tradition based on knowledge of the species and it habits. The same knowledge required to confidently pursue the species for any type of living.

 While many of the islanders do still like a pungent flavor and puzzle-skeleton approach to their meal along with a constant rolling of the tongue over your palate as you try to remove the aftertaste, bonefish for the most part have disappeared from the island markets, and for good reason: tourism.

 The island of Aitutaki has become a targeted destination for anglers looking to take their wives and girlfriends on the “tropical vacation of a lifetime” with some fishing, and tops on the list of things to do on Aitutaki are snorkeling, kayaking, swimming and hanging out on some of the most beautiful beaches in the world…and going bonefishing. In theory, the tourism dollars generated by bonefish are becoming an ever increasing segment of the local economy to the point that the local bonefish population has traded their net marks for sore mouths.

 It took the blessing of seven island villages, the work of the MMR—Cook Island Ministry of Marine Resources and an act of parliament to protect the bonefish of Aitutaki from commercial netting, although gill netting is still allowed in the lagoon. The majority of net fishing takes place outside the reef, but the general shift of any netting inside the lagoon has now shifted to targeting bonefish with light tackle and fly.

 Itu Davey’s and his family are part of a handful of islanders that have seized the opportunity to direct their knowledge of the species towards a more profitable income that, while still focusing on catching bonefish as part of their living, is also dependant on releasing those fish to help sustain the population and provide sport on another day. Davey spent 12 months working with the MMR under the thumb of David Story, and when a local heavy hitter (Itu) shared the light with other natives, almost all serious netting in the lagoon came to a halt.  

 As part of the Bonefish Management Plan all anglers are required to drop $10 on a fishing license and all fishing guides must be licensed as well as having their first aid, radio and boat-master ticket. Only licensed guides can use the resource for commercial gains, so the old concept of flipping a few bucks to the hungriest-looking local with a boat no longer floats. Instead, you have to use the licensed guides, an incentive for islanders to turn to guiding for a living.

 Certain portions of the lagoon system have been set aside as “Guide Only” areas, which means you have to be fishing with a local guide to chase bonefish in those areas. And when you have half the bonefish flats and all the local knowledge, it’s just a matter of time before you have all the anglers.

 The Aitutaki Bonefish Management Plan removes the fish from commercial sale while essentially establishing a fishery and economic engine for the island based on sport fishing. It’s a totally new approach for the islanders, one which has been embraced by the most knowledgeable bonefishermen on the island, many who have traded their nets for fly rods and push poles, and are now part of the eight registered and licensed fishing guides on the island. 

 While some of the regular visitors to the island have been “put off” by the new regulations and having to “pay” for a fishing license, the new license fee will allow the Ministry of Tourism to compile information on the number of anglers targeting bonefish on Aitutaki, figures that help solidify the value of the fish and the fishery to the Island Council and have initially led to the protection of 780 hectares of lagoon—a substantial commitment with the potential for tremendous long-term results.

 The majority of grumbling from regular visitors relates to the “Guide Only” areas of the lagoon, which now prohibits those fishing without a guide from access to some of the best waters on the Island. But for the economic engine to drive fishery related protections, it’ll have to put the locals behind the wheel. In essence, knowing you’re going to fish the best areas with a guide encourages using a guide, which creates the jobs that build the Bonefish Management Plan and eventually leads to more protections in the lagoon. So it’s a trade-out, unrestricted fishing for everyone and netting of the bonefish for table fare, or ten bucks and a handful of areas you can’t fish on your own. Most bonefish anglers don’t have to be physicists to know what matters.

Carl McNeil is your typical world traveler, international film maker and hardcore, passionate, quit work, sell-everything-to-go-fishing-somewhere-cool fly angler. Along with his wife Jeanie Ackley—who most people regard as the person who takes his passion and morphs it into enough profit to meet the bills—the duo are the brains behind On The Fly Productions which films and produces fly fishing related DVDs—many of which are instructional.

            The impetus behind the Cook Islands Expedition, Carl has traveled extensively throughout the South Pacific and knows the customs and the fisheries well. We caught up with Carl on a late February evening when he was tying flies and thinking about a new bonefish pattern that incorporates the hair of a child—in this case, the one sleeping right next to him.

Watery Rave: Why net bonefish? I can think of 700 or so other species that are easier to catch, taste considerably better and aren’t peppered with sharp, tiny bones.

McNeil: With regard to bonefish netting you have to keep in mind that this has been a traditional food source for generations. Fishing and harvesting from the lagoon and outside ocean is part of the way of life in the islands—and quite rightly so. After all, it’s their lagoon and who are we to dictate what is eaten and what is not? It’s simply none of our business.

            The harvest of bonefish has never been all that common. It’s difficult to do and extremely hard work, and only a couple of families have the knowledge of how to specifically target bones.

            Historically bones have been netted just before spawning on the full moon (on Aitutaki bonefish spawn year-round when the moon and tides are right), and only in very specific areas.  This fairly precise knowledge has been passed down from generation to generation and primarily only within one family—the Davey family—and this is the family we follow in our film.

            It’s important to note that Itu Davey and his family are no longer netting and haven’t for over a year. Itu has been instrumental in setting up new reserve areas and protected spawning grounds.

            I like to think that the wolf is now guarding the hen house.

Watery Rave:  I’ve eaten bonefish cakes in The Bahamas, and my recollection is of a fried fritter-type thing that pasted super fishy aftertaste to the roof of your mouth that remained there for about three days. How are they eaten on Aitutaki?

McNeil: Bonefish are usually eaten raw in a dish called ‘Ika Mata’—Mixed with lemon or lime juice, coconut milk and onions.  I’ve not eaten bonefish Ika Mata, but am a big fan of just about any other fish prepared this way—-it’s delicious!

 Watery Rave: Out of 2,000 inhabitants on the island, what made Itu stand out as someone who might be a good candidate to be a fishing guide and protector of the resource?

McNeil: Itu was the only possible candidate to protect the fishery and become a guide—no question. He is an extremely experienced bonefisherman and by far the most knowledgeable on the Island. His ability to spot and distinguish fish on the flats is nothing short of phenomenal.

            Just to give you an idea, Itu can spot fish with the naked eye better than any man can, and when we slapped a pair of Costa’s on his face, I swear he had X-ray vision.

            He’s been poling a flats boat since he was a very young boy, so the boatmanship side of the business was just second nature. All up, we knew we’d all be onto a winner if we could take the most effective bonefisherman on the Island and help him become a guide. 

Watery Rave: Describe Aitutaki, the food and the culture.

McNeil: Sit back, close your eyes and imagine your perfect island paradise, now multiply it by 100,000. I’m talking white sandy beaches, swaying coconut palms, an azure blue lagoon and the heady fragrance of frangipani hanging in the air. Now add beautiful, friendly locals, throw in a big bonefish or two and wash it all down with a Pina Colada—that’s Aitutaki. Perfect.

Watery Rave: Even a rock sticking up in the middle of the ocean has more than one fish species around it. What else is there to fish for on Aitutaki?

McNeil: The Central Lagoon is teaming with all the types of fish you’d expect from a tropical island. If bonefish aren’t your bag, the lagoon also plays host to some very big giant trevallys (think 50lb+) and half a dozen other trevally species.  

            Then there’s milkfish of unbelievable proportions that are seen regularly, and if you’re into gear fishing on the outside of the reef you’ll find tuna, wahoo, mahi mahi  and all manner of toothy critters. 

Watery Rave: How is the flight from New Zealand to a remote South Pacific island?

McNeil: As far as trips go, getting to Aitutaki requires a few fairly straightforward plane flights—the last in which resembles a flying pencil.  

            What does make things interesting is wrangling over 200kgs of film equipment and paying a king’s ransom (in excess) for the privilege. It took a full day and three flights to ferry our gear on the last leg of the journey.

            Fourteen pieces of luggage equates to just over 3 trolleys piled high—and all this while reigning in a rambunctious 3-year-old…and we all know how much fun it is to fly these days.

Watery Rave: The locals make a form of home brew by fermenting oranges for several days. They call it bush beer, and it’s supposed to be a stretch from the microbrews we find in the states. Have you tried the bush beer?

McNeil: Personally I’d highly recommend laying off any local brew just about anywhere in the Pacific. 

            A few years ago on Kiribas (Christmas Island) a visiting angler bribed the locals for a bottle or two of the local fire water called Totti.  They reluctantly obliged. 

            Now Totti is a highly suspect brew distilled from the sap of freshly cut palm leaves.  The sap is collected in old bottles placed under the dripping wounds on the tree. After a week or so, it’s done its thing and is ready to drink.

            The problem is fresh palm sap is irresistible to the totti beetle—a small biting bug. Newbies learn about totti beetles pretty quickly—these are the ones that when slapped on an arm or leg squish out an acidic substance akin to battery acid.  It burns baby, really burns—honestly.

            Anyhow, during the fermentation of the totti juice a few bugs inevitably fall into the bottles, they and their battery acid are fermented along with the juice. Then, of course, someone takes a guzzle.  It burns on the way down, and apparently—burns on the way out too—-quite badly in fact.

            So no, I stay off the bush booze and drink bourbon and watered down cola like most of the locals. Hey, it’s not nearly as exciting, but at least nothing drops off when you have to pee.

Watery Rave: What do the bonefish of Aitutaki eat—food and fly-wise?

McNeil: When you’re a 10 pound bonefish you get to eat whatever you like. 

           Bigger fish in deeper water take baitfish imitations and larger crabs in addition to all the usual bonefish fare. A 2/0 Clouser Deep Minnow often does the trick there.  

            Right up on the flats, shrimp, small crabs and sand-worms are on the menu. Crazy Charlies and Gotchas in size 2 are the way to go here—just as would be expected on any bonefish flat just about anywhere in the world.  

            We did come up with a pretty specific pattern…The Crazy Itu—but you’ll have to watch the film to see it, or make a visit.

Watery Rave: How does one come up with the idea for the bonefish cam?

McNeil: I’m not sure how much I should give much away about BoneCam—it’s a closely guarded secret—a piece of high-tech gadgetry dreamt up over too many late night drinks and engineered in my workshop. Basically it’s a miniature Hi-Def camera in a waterproof housing. The camera is then mounted on a buoyancy-compensated fish-friendly harness and attached to a tracking device so that the camera can be retrieved later.

            The results we got absolutely floored us—to be honest I never thought it would work. After seeing the results, we now have a few more tricks in store for BoneCam.

Watery Rave:  Is the lagoon on Aitutaki wadeable, and if so are there any sharks that might opt for penance by taking a leg or calf?

McNeil: The Lagoon is perfectly wadable and almost munchy-free. Personally I’ve never seen a shark in there, and there are very few who have. The occasional reefy (reef shark) might get in over the coral, but they’re the Labradors of the shark world and nothing to worry about.

            Then again, I’d recommend footwear in most places around the lagoon on the off chance you might meet up with a stonefish, but again it’s pretty uncommon.

Aitutaki, Southern Cook Islands

THE STORY:

On a tropical island, you live off the land and water, that is, unless you can make your home a popular tourism and fishing destination. And that’s where Itu (pronounced E-2) Davey and his fly fishing epiphany came to light.

For years, fishing on the island of Aitutaki, was a commercial operation focusing on providing nourishment for the entire island. They netted the shallows as well as the deeper water, then someone explained to the 16-year old net fisherman that the large bonefish that populate the flats are a major attraction to anglers all over the globe. With consistent prodding from Carl McNeil and his occasional travel/fishing friend Bob Wyatt, they convinced Itu to pick up a fly rod and begin casting while intermittently pointing out bonefish to Bob and Carl who would guide him in the intricacies of getting a grey ghost to pin a fly to the sand.

Seven years later, Itu and his brothers are some of the bonefish’s biggest advocates as they try to transform generations of net fishermen into fly fishermen and boost the island’s tourism economy by proving that bonefish are worth considerably more alive. They lead by example, and by proving to everyone that the island of Aitutaki will not always be a paradise if you don’t protect the locals.

 THE ADVENTURE:

Life shifts into low gear when you live on an 18 kilometer rock in the middle of the South Pacific. Halfway between New Zealand, French Polynesia and American Samoa lies the tropical island of Aitutaki, in the Southern Cook Islands where fertile volcanic soil bears tropical fruit and vegetables year-round, and the ocean’s bounty is just a short boat ride from the palm-lined white sand beaches.

The 15 island group known as the Cook Islands are spread across 2.2 million square kilometers of ocean, which means when you’re out there, you’re really out there. Hopefully you like canned meats and the local version of kava known as bush beer, made from fermenting oranges and yeast. On the triangular-shaped island of Aitutaki (population 2,000), the biggest threats are flying cocoanuts, eating too much paw-paw fruit and falling asleep on a boat and drifting out to sea never to be seen again.    

Surrounding Aitutaki is a massive coral reef, outside of which the water drops to 5,000 feet where wahoo and other ocean pelagics Ginsu the native reef fish population. Inside the reef lies the turquoise waters and massive shallow (and thus wadeable) sand flats of the island’s central lagoon—a place where it’s not uncommon to stop in your tracks and think, “With the exception of Angelina Jolie in Lara Croft: Tomb Raiders, this is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.”   

While Aitutaki is known as the place Captain Bligh and his crew on the “Bounty” landed, visited, never wanted to leave and later mutinied after being forcibly returned to sea, it’s also home to some of the largest bonefish on the planet. Big bonefish, many well over 10-pounds–the kind of fish that make serious anglers quit their jobs and sell all their property to chase in the modern-day version of a mutiny.              

The surrounding beaches, reefs and small islands of Aitutaki are steeped in tropical paradise, as long as your temperament abides a lack of flush toilets, running water and washing machines. Getting there is half the fun, but stepping off your plane the sand runway and single airport/customs building will immediately set the tone.

THE PLAYERS:

Itu Davey:  Itu and his younger twin brother built their reputation as outstanding fishermen on Aitutaki. By the age of 16, Itu was known as one of the best fishermen on the island, and in particular for his ability to catch bonefish—big double digit bonefish, the kind you’d want to put on the hood of your car and drive through town.

There were days when Itu would catch hundreds of bonefish. Lots of days. The inherent problem was that Itu was using a gill net to catch his bonefish which eventually went to market and ended up as a plate of fish cakes and mangos.

Itu caught bonefish every day he went out. Fish up to 20 pounds. Fish that made Itu proud of his heritage and fishing ability, that is, until the bonefish population started to dwindle.   

Carl (Bumcast) McNeil: A Jack of all trades, McNeil is one of those guys who works hard at making his hobby of fly fishing produce enough profit that he can travel well and fish even better. Holding a casting instructor certification from the  Fly Fishing Federation allows McNeil to believe he can mold commercial fishermen into top notch fishing guides, while at the same time running a small independent production company called On The Fly which specializes in fly fishing films.

Jeanie Ackley: The brains behind all On The Fly productions, camera lens, editing and basically anything that has to do with the water or underwater photography, Jeanie is also married to Carl which means she also has a flair for adventure. Together, the two hope to convince the commercial fishermen of Aitutaki that a little instruction and a lot of knowledge can reshape an economy while protecting a resource.