Today I was thinking about the great people I have had a chance to meet over the last year and the stories we all traded. life is a great journey and it takes us to places and to people we could have never planned to meet. Since my last blog there have been, let's say "moments". I have been to Martha's Vineyard to work with Chick Stapelton Owner of Island Spirit kayak. Yep, Chick and if there was such a thing as a 5th degree black belt in Kayaking she is it. She schooled me on the finer points of level II ACA Certification and showed me her Island and introduced me to many genuine people. I got back home to Vieques and had the opportunity to work on a project for The Puerto Rico Tourism Company, Aura 360, a cutting edge production company out of Maine, Men's Journal and some lucky contestants racing there way around Puerto Rico and beach hopping in kayaks... That will be another blog entry later this month as apart of the best of 2008. A special use permit by U.S. Fish & Wildlife was made available to us allowing access to the farthest reaches of the island for Kayak-Fishing, Biking, snorkeling and overall exploration for all sorts of weiry travellers looking for that antidote only Vieques can offer. So a friend named Martin who has been coming to the Island for more than 20yrs wanted to go and give this kayakfishing thing a try. A very smart guy who has overcome a heart attack and Cancer treatments was looking for a real experience and I am happy to say we gave him one, here are some picture and video of his day with me out on the water. We both had a great time that day and it was a real rewarding thing to see the permagrine on his face as he went for his first Vieques Sleighride while landing a beautiful fish. As a wise elder once said to me "life is for learning" and so it is......

Labels: Garry Lowe, Vieques Adventure Company, Vieques Kayak Fishing

The month of July has been very hot and full of afternoon siestas, sunsets on the malecon in Ezperanza and mornings at the bakery with all those sunburned faces, mine included. Yep... it is summer, for sure. To top it off a group of my friends from Ft.Collins, Co came down for a summer get away and we have spent a great time enjoying the festivities,Beaches food and lots of laughs...Oh yeah fishing was having a hard time working itself into the rotation but one night dancing the night away to salsa with so many familiar faces in th new town square listening to a famous band calle El Gran Combo and they played one incredible song after another and everyone knew the words...even me. I had to get my old fishing friend Jason Slaughter (aka Peewee..he will explain the nickname) out to one of my favorite spots to paddle the kayaks stake off and start hooking fish that run faster than anything I have ever been tied to, including cars... So after a couple deafining exchanges at close range trying to hear each other over the blarring salsa , it was on.................. The following morning at 5:30am I pulled up to the big old house on the hill in Ezperanza to get an old fishing buddy on his first Bone fish. We squeaked and rattled down the road to the last stop on the USFW access and began to get the kayaks off "little blue" my 1993 Chevy s-10 and it has the nickname because there is very little blue left on her, but that little truck has been hauling gear and people all over this island for years and not once left me stranded. It didn't take but a couple of minutes and I could feel the wind speed increasing and the white caps on the horizon were beginning to multiply. I looked over at my fishing buddy and began to explain the finer points of paddling his Tarpon 12o Kayak through waves and wind, PW and I had fished in tons of wind in our adventures of old which took us into the Colorado Rockies, the plains and Parks of Wyoming and into a group of lakes at around 8500ft called the Delaney Buttes and we were tortured up there in the elements for the fish we would break morning ice with our 8ft pontoon boats on the lakes trying to catch the big morning bows cruising the shore looking for a few good crawfish, 10lb 25in my personal best on those lakes .....so I knew PW was up to this 1.5mile paddle straight into the wind and waves. 84degree water, piece of cake and we were going to the promise land.....Ensonada Honda and I am not talking about just the flats, but the whole bay holds a huge array of life, both above and below the surface. the paddle out was a challenge and with a little cadence and lots of patience our Kayaks sliced through the waves and wind. We had arrived at the protected coves this great piece of water offers variety in species and techniques, sure EH is know for it's great Bone fish, Tarpon and Permit opportunities but it is so much more. On a well equipped Fishing kayak you can see and get on water so thin you almost feel funny being in a kayak, but you glide over silent and touching nothing. The traditional antiquated gasoline pollution and sonic noise pollution are motivation for me to promote a greener alternative with less overall eco-disturbance. When using Kayaks...I am challenging anglers to go greener, I am challenging them physically, Mentally. The rewards are obvious and the experience is truely personal. It is a movement catching on all over the world and what a better time than now to begin to change our lifestyles to a healthier and greener way that will foster obvious benefits.

Labels: Ensonada Honda, Fly-Fishing, Jason Slaughter, Olympus Stylus 1030, Orvis Zero Gravity, Vieques Adventure Company, Vieques Kayak Fishing, Wilderness Kayaks

This Video Blog will have to speak for itself. Filming and Fishing are two of my favorite things to do, other than eating at El Resuelve after a good day on the flats. I finally got my Olympus 790SW back from corporate. I guess they are not as water proof as they thought. They were nice enough to get me a new one free of charge feildtesting, now it's back so I was able to pull new footage for your enjoyment. Very proud to say that this healthy little flat gave me the pleasure of catching and releasing 9 Bones in half a dozen sessions , ranging between 3-6lbs most caught on a shrimp Scampi, pink and tan seem to be the colors. Those two colors catch fish all over the world, one of my favorites would have to be Grey's Reef on the North Platte river just outside of Casper Wyoming. The AutHaus hole is were we would set up indicator rigs and drift with tan and pink scuds (freshwater river crustacean), Drifting with lots of weight and just waiting for the the line to stop then start hauling upstream, down stream, sometimes you would get a good jump after he mistakes your scud for a real one. Before this place was standing room only and now you can find anglers waiting on the banks of the river for their turn in this famous run. After fishing the rivers and lakes of Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and up and down the east coast from New Brunswick Canada to the Keys I can say I have been blessed to have seen so much water. The Northside Flats area has made me a better fisherman and is a great training ground for any fisherman looking to hone his/her skills. The pure satisfaction of picking out an individual fish, making the cast, introducing your fly and having a lifetime experience time and time again with these great fish. I am looking forward to my next NorthSide Bone Fish Therapy session.....

Labels: Bonefishing, Flyrod, Garry Lowe, Northshore, Therapy, Vieques Adventure Company, Vieques National Wildlife Refuge, Wading, Walking

From far and away devout nature lovers are coming out of the wood work looking for that antidote found only on Vieques Island. If you have never heard of this paradise then it is time to get back in the loop and check out this one of a kind world. The picture for this month came from a recent ride with a friend of mine (Jim) who came to visit. He said I want to ride to beaches, climb hills to get the best views available and i want to do downhills that will make my heart race. So at 7:00 am sharp we were off to many of the hidden yet obvious spots once you have started riding here on the island. We stopped and picked tamarindo right from the tree, took a nature walk, saw things only found in Vieques, ended up on the south western side to find nothing more than ourselves and all that unspoiled beauty. No roads, no houses,no nothing except a pristine untouched coastline. For those of us who have come to Vieques for her incredible beauty and the resilience found in her people and history we are proud to be the Stuarts of this precious place. Take a picture it lasts longer and you can take it home unlike anything you would find here on the beach. Thanks again and tread lightly. Look for more posts:
Vieques Adventure Company or send us any requests to garry@viequesadventures.com or to learn more about what we do go to wwwbikevieques.com or http://www.viequesadventures.com/

Labels: Photography, Rental Bikes, Vieques Adventure Company, Vieques Bike Tours

7:30am getting everyone in the door of the little sandwich shop on the water in Isabella II was a trick but I had no Idea what we were about to get into. Letting ten lawyers from Tampa on a team building get away, release there stresses on my Mountain Bikes was a beautiful thing to see. We rode through rain and sun, poopwater puddles Bayahona (local tree with thorns reaching 3" plus ), wild horses, old ruins laying awaste in the jungle, Flora and Fauna every where.... you get the picture. Many of these people had not ridden a bike of any kind for sometime and they were tired and wet but excited with what they had accomplished through out there guided excursion with my buddy Dunkin: a retired NY Firefighter turned Island enthusiast and me the only Canadarican in the Caribbean. We finished with a few group shots and some already engrained memories from the new found confidence and comradery in the group. We all said our goodbyes and hoped to cross pathes again on bikes with Dunkin and the Canadarican. I always feel like the luckiest man on earth to have an opportunity to share the boundless beauty of this one of a kind destination, my little island haven... Vieques. Check out my website http://www.viequesadventures.com/ or e-mail me garry@viequesadventures.com for more information about how you and some friends can get on a MTB Tour with

Labels: Corporate Team Building, Island exploration, mountainbiking, Outdoors, Vacations, Vieques Adventure Company

Labels: Barracuda, Trolling, Vieques Adventure Company, Vieques Kayak Fishing