Turks & Caicos,
British West Indies

The roar of the big block Chevy 454 was near deafening as Garner, a.k.a. "G", throttled down the un-baffled beast of a V-8, sending the airboat skidding into white sugar sand covered by a skinny five inches of water. Hordes of bonefish were still scattering like cockroaches suddenly exposed to light as fly rods were grabbed and five of my fishing pals poured over the gunnels like Marines storming off a landing craft on the beach of Iwo Jima in different directions onto a hard-bottomed flat so perfectly bleached that it burnt the backs of my eyes. This was to be our first day of bonefishing South Caicos Island and I was dumbfounded by the 360° vista of nothing but shin-high water covering dazzling white sand as far as my eyes could see.

"Holy $#@t!" I said to myself, "this is absolutely amazing!" I was quickly shaken back to reality by "G" prodding me with the tip of my fly rod and saying, "...Pat, what-da-hell man, you need to go after them bones...", so, jumping off the deck, I headed the opposite direction of the rest, scanning the seemingly endless flats around me. I was feeling a little guilty heading my own direction, but something told me to go this way and when you get that feeling, especially when fishing or hunting, you don't argue. I had waded along for four or five minutes, when off to my right something caught my eye... a translucent fin! A closer look confirmed it to be a very nice-sized bonefish lazily swimming my flank, oblivious to my presence, happily feeding as he went.

I maneuvered myself into position, legs shaking like a leaf (I was pumped! ). I made my play when the fish was about fifty feet out,

Package Cost:
The cost of the week-long Turks & Caicos package is $4,015 per person (double occupancy)
•  Extra (private) guide: $125 per day

Inclusions:
Your angling package at Turks & Caicos includes round trip auto transportation from the South Caicos airport to your accommodations, three meals daily, non-alcohol beverages, fishing license, guide and boat.

Non-Inclusions:
Not included in your Turks & Caicos package are International flights to and from Providenciales, domestic flights from Providenciales to South Caicos, alcoholic beverages, gratuities and items of personal nature.

The typical season on South Caicos is November through June. Normal trade winds are manageable at 10 – 15 knots and from the south east and most of the flats have the added advantage of being in the lee of the wind on the west side of the island. During fall and winter months South can get some cold fronts coming down from the Bahamas, but they push through real hard and don't linger long and are mostly dissipated by the time they hit. After a cold front you

American Airlines offers three daily flights from Miami, and once a day service from JFK as well as direct flights from Boston. Delta offers six-times a week service from Atlanta and US Airways offers daily flights from Charlotte, Boston and Philadelphia. Air Canada offers direct flights from Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa. Coming from the west coast, I caught a non-stop Delta red-eye flight from Sacramento to Atlanta arriving in the morning with enough time for breakfast, connecting on another Delta flight to Provo, a short 2 hour jaunt. A valid Passport is mandatory for entry into Turks and Caicos and return into the States. All flights arrive and depart from the nation's only international Airport Providenciales, airport code PLS. Immigrations and Customs is simple, quick and a pleasant experience, with friendly government officials.

Each townhouse has two, double occupancy bedrooms, each with its own ensuite bathroom with shower/tub, toilet, sink and vanity with hot water. The bedrooms are spacious featuring two full size beds, a ceiling fan, air conditioner, large closet, and outside veranda with terrific ocean views. All the linens are supplied and daily maid service by Ms. Magda is part of the package. Downstairs are a living room, kitchen and dining room. The townhouses are a short three minute walk from where you catch the airboat. The accommodations are nothing fancy, but quite nice, plenty comfortable, clean, well laid-out and spacious - just right for a fishing trip. After-fishing beers and before and after dinner cocktails are taken outside overlooking

A typical day has fresh ground coffee brewing at 6:00 a.m. followed by a hearty breakfast buffet ready by 7:00 a.m. After breakfast you take a short walk downhill, to the airboat. Leaving the beach no later than 8:00 a.m. and most rides to the flats take no longer than 5 - 20 minutes.

Lunch is taken on the fly on the fishing grounds and consists of sandwiches (some of the best we've ever eaten at any fishing lodge),

One of the nicest aspects of a bonefishing trip – (and for that matter any saltwater fly fishing trip) – is the equipment you need to assemble and pack is relatively simple and compact. In my case I carried a seven and eight weight fly rod, Scott S4s saltwater models, 9 foot in length. One was rigged with a Nautilus NV 8/9 and the other an Abel Super 8, both lined with Scientific Anglers Mastery Sharkskin Saltwater floating line. These fish are NOT leader shy: 9 foot Seaguar Fluorocarbon leaders tapered between 15 – 17 pounds was what I had and used.

Flies were just as straightforward as the rest of my equipment. A #6 Squimp worked well in most cases, but a #2 standard Gotcha produced the best. Other flies I had luck on were a #4 Pink Puff, #4 white, Nasty Charlie, a #2 Magnum Mantis Shrimp and a #4 Enrico’s Spawning Shrimp (translucent). Light tan, white or off-white patterns are the colors to lean toward when assembling a fly selection for South. Very nice barracuda are prevalent on the flats of South