So your husband, boyfriend, dad (or whoever) comes home after his latest fishing trip, waving around a selfie holding a pretty large, mottled brown fish. He’s all excited about the big bass he …
Fred Garth, Editor-in-Chief of Guy Harvey Magazine, caught this 11.2 pound bonefish off the West End of Grand Bahama on January 6, 2013, while fly fishing out of the Old Bahama Bay club with fishing guide Tommy Rolle, who is the son of legendary guide Bonefish Folley.
The Rolle family has been fishing the waters of the Bahamas for almost a century. Tommy has been guiding since he was 11 years old, and his brother Carl is also an active guide. Their father, Israel “Bonefish Rolle” Folley, was perhaps the Bahamas greatest fishing ambassador. He passed away in August at age 91.
Born in the island of Andros, Bonefish Folley learned his trade in Bimini and eventually settled in West End as the tourism industry began to grow. During his life, he fished with many celebrities and dignitaries including Ernest Hemingway, Curt Gowdy, Martin Luther King and President Richard Nixon.
Folley is immortalized in song by Bahamian musician Phil Stubbs who sings about the man who is meek and lowly, he is the one and only Bonefish Folley. The song is still heard on radio stations throughout The Bahamas. In 2006, Old Bahama Bay Resort and Yacht Harbour dedicated a restaurant in his honor and it is a must-stop for boaters who want to view the photos and memorabilia of this great fisherman.
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