Why Bonefish?

Pound for pound the bonefish has the most fight of any fish it's size. I could make an exception to the smallmouth because I have had some three or four pound smallmouth that I think could match the bonefish any day. The bonefish likes the warm water of the tropics and feed on flats for shrimp, crabs, sand worms and cusks. Most will weight 3 to 4 lbs and can reach 12 to 15 lbs. They travel in schools to a 100 and avoid bright light. They have excellent eyesight and sense of smell and are bottom feeders.

You can wade or use a pole boat. When fishing, you must make slow movements and be as quietly as possible. Locating, seeing and fly presentation are the difficult aspects of this kind of fishing. The bonefish becomes most active when the water is between 75 and 83 degrees. Rising strong tides at early morning or at dusk are the best times to fish, especially if there are low light conditions. During this time of day, the bonefish will move into shallow water (1-3 ft). Spring and fall are the best seasons to fish.

The fly should be the color of the "flat" you are fishing. The fly should always be presented with a soft presentation. A # 2 or 1 hook is used in deeper water, and a # 8 to 6 hook in shallow water. A 9 ft, fast action fly rod with a floating, wt forward, #8 line is ideal for bonefishing in most weather conditions. However, a #6 to #10 wt line can be used. The heavier lines work better in windy conditions. A #6 wt is best in clear, calm water where presentation is a key factor. You should have 200 yds of 20 lb test backing on your reel. The leader should be a tapered 9 ft with a 50 lb test butt section, ending up with a 10 to 12 lb test tippet. The butt section should be connected with a loop system and the tapered sections connected by either a blood knot or surgons knot. The flyreel MUST have an smooth drag, preferably cork.

Two ways to fish for bonefish are wading and pole-boating. Either way, concentration is a must. You must drop the fly up-current so the fly settles into or near the "mud." A "mud" is the muddy area where the fish is grubbing for food. The fish will "tail" when fishing...feeding face down. A soft presentation placing the fly within inches of the fish is key. You can also look for "waking fish" or "humping water"...fish swimming just under the water making a slight wake. For head-waking fish, cast 6 to 7 ft ahead of the fish and allow the fly to sink to the fish's level and move fly slowly. When poling a boat, pole it with the current to allow for eaiser boat control and meet the fish head-waking into the current.

Once the fish is hooked, the fish will make numerous powerful runs. The bonefish is not good to eat because of it's name and should be release as soon as possilbe for best survial. Some bonefisherman use a lighter tippet so at some point in the fight they put enough pressure on the fish to break the tippet for a release maneuver.

Whay Bonefish? I like fighting fish, and the Bonefish and Smallmouth are my two favorite fish for the obvious reasons...they both are jawgrippers.