A month or so ago a poorly-drawn, corrugated depiction of the Unaccomplished Angler went steelhead fishing in Idaho. A couple weeks later *I* was seen holed up in a dark room somewhere in Michigan, waiting for the day that was promised *I* would get to go fishing. There’s been not a peep from the Corrugated Angler since, but that doesn’t mean the Virtual Unaccomplished Angler has just been sitting around not fishing, like the real flesh and blood Unaccomplished Angler has been sitting around not fishing…no way.
Recently the Virtual Unaccomplished Angler made an appearance at Andros South Lodge on South Andros Island in the Bahamas. That’s right, the Bahamas, baby! While everyone else in the northern hemisphere was shivering and cleaning moss from between their toes, *I* was fly fishing for Bonefish, drinking local beer, eating fabulous food and enjoying all the amenities offered to those fortunate enough to have been invited to partake of FIBfest 2011. We live in a world where acronyms reign supreme, so for those not in the know, FIB stands for Fly Industry Bloggers, FYI. This trip is hosted by Andrew Bennett of Deneki Outdoors. Oh, and BTW, “fest” is not an an acronym, but rather it is an accepted abbreviation for “festivities” or perhaps “fester” which is what can happen if you step on coral and it becomes infected. However, I believe that in this case “fest” refers not to the latter.
If you want to read up on the experiences shared by some of the others in attendance at FIBfest, check out these folks and their blogs:
- Rebecca Garlock – The Outdooress and The Outdoor Blogger Network
- Michael Gracie – michaelgracie.com
- Tom Larimer – Larimer Outfitters
- Kyle Perkins – Compleat Thought
- Eric Rathbun – Moldy Chum
- Bjorn Stromsness – Bonefish on the Brain
- Cameron Miller – FIBFest 2011 Photographer, Shadow River Media
I’d love to share with you my experiences, but remember—I wasn’t really there. Only a t-shirt shirt bearing the logo of the Unaccomplished Angler was in attendance, and that’s good enough for me. It has to be.