January 13, 2016
[dropcap]C[/dropcap]onservation Captain for January 2016 is Capt. Will Vallely out of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. Recently, Capt. Will has been very busy capturing bonefish fin clip samples from the waters of Turks and Caicos in support of BTT’s Bonefish Genetics Program
Click here for more info on about Capt. Will Vallely . . .
Captain Will hooked up and in good spirits.
The Interview
Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (BTT): Where do you guide and how long have you been guiding for?
Capt. Will Vallely (WV): I guide in the Turks and Caicos Islands. I’ve been guiding full time for 7 years, though I spent summers guiding while still in school.
BTT: How did you become a fishing guide?
WV: My old man wanted me to have a summer job when I turned 12. It was his idea to get me to start guiding. He figured, might as well, considering I would be on the water more then on land anyway.
BTT: How many days per year do you guide?
WV: Around 260 days.
BTT: What species do most of your clients want to fish for. Why?
WV: Bonefish. Why go fishing when you can go hunting!
BTT: Tell us about how your fishery used to be, compared to today. (Numbers of fish caught, seen, number of anglers on the water, etc.)
WV: There are various fluctuations in bonefish population over the years. Maybe the conditions for spawning aren’t just right one year as they are the next. Of course the weather plays a huge role. My guide partner Barr Gardiner and my Uncle “Bonefish Lam” showed me the ropes as a kid. They were the first two guides down here and have a completely old school approach. According to them the second tourism began to thrive, the netting of bonefish slowed down dramatically. The vast majority of our fishery was also put under protection in the early 90’s as national parks and reserves. The only other anglers on the water these days are us guides. Nobody is out recreationally fishing the bonefish areas. The tarpon fishery down here is interesting. Around March-October we get them in the 30-40 lb range and late summer/early fall the occasional 80 lb fish. The majority of these fish stay in deep cuts and I catch them on full sinking fly line. Why these 30 lb fish leave around November and show back up in mid march is beyond me. I always wondered where they go.
BTT: In your opinion, what is the most important conservation issue facing the flats fisheries right now and what can be done to help fix it?
WV: Protecting and finding spawning sites. We still know so little about such a crucial element of the fish’s life cycle.
BTT: Despite some of the negative things happening to our fishery, why do you love it so much?
WV: There is no plateau on the learning curve.
A nice Turks and Caicos bone.
BTT: Why do you support Bonefish and Tarpon Trust?
WV: Bonefish & Tarpon Trust is science based, so no guess work and no politics. It’s all about collecting data, studying the data, and using it for the benefit of the species.
BTT: In your opinion, what is the most important work that BTT does and why?
WV: That’s a tough one. I think outreach work BTT does to the public and creating an awareness of how sensitive and connected the environment is.
BTT: Why should a fisherman that doesn’t live in Florida or the Caribbean care about BTT?
WV: The interest in BTT’s species is global. I fish clients from all over the world and they really care about fish conservation and getting a better understanding of species & environment.
BTT: You have the day off. What species are you going to fish for, where are you going to find them, and how are you going to catch them.
WV: Probably wade fish on some flats that are either offshore or close to deep water. Always love hunting edges where you might not see a lot of fish but if you see them they are going to be big boys. I usually ignore those types of spots with clients. At least the ones that are looking for their first bone! I also love fishing in heavy wind/rain. I find that those are the times to catch the big bonefish in skinny water. Especially in winter when water is chilly.
BTT: Tell us one of your favorite fishing stories.
WV: Hard to say. There are so many of course. Years back we hooked a double digit bonefish and held onto the fly line with too much resistance and the leader snapped immediately. We were so bummed because it was, in our opinion, pretty far over the 10 lb mark. Later that day we were fishing at least 2 miles from the spot and saw the same fish cruising the edge. Fish like that almost look like sharks. Anyways we hooked/boated the beast and got our fly back. Fish gotta eat!
