Bonefish flash game

As a freshwater fly fisherman, I have always been haunted by accounts of saltwater gamefish caught on a fly rod. Tales of powerful strikes from mammoth fish mocked me, making the fastidious habits of my lifelong mark, the rainbow trout, seem tedious. Over the years, one fish continued to surface, taunting me through the stories of fellow anglers, its many names beckoning me to follow: the Abula Vulpes, the White Fox, the Macabi — or more commonly, the bonefish.

We slip from the dock noiselessly. I watch the sun wade into the sky, reaching out across the malachite bay with its long orange arms. As the outboard gurgles to life, I survey Culebra. The island, an arcing cradle of earth lying 17 miles east of mainland Puerto Rico, is one of the last Caribbean backwaters and one of the most highly regarded bonefishing locales. Small, brightly colored houses dot the shrubby hillsides.

Docks jut into the water this way and that like rows of crooked teeth. As the little fiberglass craft streaks into the bay, I get a sense that the island exists between two epochs, rooted at once in its humble past while being dragged into a future of development and eco-tourism. The boat slows about yards from where the tide is breaking on the edge of the flats. My guide, Chris Goldmark, slides into the knee-deep water and secures the anchor. For years now, Goldmark has been guiding anglers across the flats in search of the elusive bonefish.

He is quiet. His eyes flash over the water, reading the shallows easily, confidently. He lifts a weathered hand and points to a handful of bright flashes on the surface of the water about yards away.

Silvery-white in color, weighing as much as 20 pounds and measuring up to 35 inches in length, bonefish are some of the strongest, fastest-running saltwater gamefish; this makes them one of the most sought-after marks in saltwater fly fishing, but also one of the most elusive.

They enter the flats with the changing tide to feed on shrimp, mollusks and crustaceans, sometimes in schools, but often in small numbers. A feeding bonefish moves across the flats nose-down, making its tail stick slightly out of the water, a silver sail that catches the sun in brilliant glints. We begin striding toward a handful of those glinting tails, pushing our shins against the incoming tide.

In fresh water , the fly fisherman is blind, casting into parts of the stream or river where he or she thinks fish might be. Especially in the Northeastern US, where some of the best trout fishing is in small tributaries and headwaters, an angler is seldom required to make casts over 30 feet. Some store bought leaders have weak butts that collapse onto your fly line when pushed against a strong wind.

Add a couple feet of 30lb or 40lb hard mono to your fly line then tie your leader to that. You can also build your own leaders with hard mono or fluorocarbon. There are formulas regarding the proper length for each section. It's all overkill. Equal parts or lengths works just fine. A good high wind leader is 3ft of 40lb, 3ft of 30lb, then 3ft of 20lb. A good all-around leader can be built using 3ft of 30lb, 3ft of 20, then 3ft of 16lb. Generally a 9ft leader with a couple three feet of 16lb to 20lb fluorocarbon tippet works well.

Seems like every week a fisherman will come in at the end of the day and say they lost the biggest bone of their life. I ask what tippet they were using. It's always lb. Ten-twelve pound tippet is too light I have a guests who has been coming every year since I opened. He consistently outfishes everyone in the lodge. He has been on the front page of my website three times. Twice with the biggest fish of the year and another time with most fish ever caught is a day, 50 fish.

He uses 25lb flouro tippet. Pound for pound bonefish are the strongest fish you will ever hook. Every time I go fishing I'm hoping I'll catch the fish of a lifetime. I don't want to be messing around with 10lb tippet.

If you're fishing the mangrove edges you're not going to stop even a small fish from ripping through the mangroves. Even worse, most released fish end up dead because it was overplayed.

That splashing you hear a quarter mile out is the fish you just released getting chewed up by a shark. You can buy a lifetime supply of fluorocarbon on a yard spool from Wal-Mart for less than you'll pay for a single 10 yard spool of fluorocarbon that says "tippet" on the spool. Chest, Back, or Fanny Pack. You may be wading for hours and the boat will be just a spec on the horizon. Be sure to bring a wading pack to carry your flies, leaders, tippet, clippers, a water bottle, camera, etc.

Pliers, hemostats, knot tying tool, snips, hook sharpener. Rain Gear. Light and breathable. Bring your rain gear with you on the boat everyday no matter how clear it looks. Squalls pop up quickly and the boat ride can be wet.

Polarized with amber or copper lenses. Black under the brim. Spin rods, reels, tube lures and lures for Cuda. A Shimano to series or SS Penn reel or equivalent.

Use 20 lb test, make sure the spool is full. Bring some wire leader. Map of South Andros. Follow Us On:. Click for a better look. There is no "best" fly. One reason bonefishing is so popular is that most days bone fish are agreeable to hitting almost any fly.

They can get picky. In general, after a couple three refusals change your fly. What didn't work on one flat might work on the next. What didn't work today will work tomorrow. There are some spawning shrimp patterns that are excellent flies but a bit pricy. Feather-Craft has been around a long time. You can find some here at a good price. Mantis Shrimp Fly. Keeping it simple. You'd do just fine if these flies are all you bring. Making it hard.

The flies above are also very effective. They are time consuming to tie and you can spend a chunk of change buying "special" materials for this style of fly. The body on all these flies were tied using a dubbing loop with rabbit or arctic fox and mixed with various colors of Polar Ice Dub. Be sure roughen the hook shank with some sandpaper and apply cement as you go. The final step is wrapping the shank with your dubbing loop.

Coat the shank heavily before doing so. After tying your loop off pick the dubbing with a needle or scissors to fluff then trim. Cut the the bottom flat and coat bottom with several drops of cement. I don't usually tie the same fly twice, it's an attention issue. You'll notice each fly is different. Most are shrimp patterns. The second, yet equally important, factor that makes a good bonefish fly comes from the vise.

A good bonefish fly must be easy to tie and should require minimal specialized material. Look at a Crazy Charlie, for instance. A skilled tier can complete one in less than 3 minutes. It also uses basic materials.

The fly works well on both bonefish and permit, making it a good fly choice when either species may be encountered. The weight is attached to a keel system which forces the fly to ride hook point up. In the standard dressing, the fly includes fluorescent orange eyes, beads , and underbody. Many of the great bonefish flies originated from the effective Crazy Charlie. The Golden Night is an excellent variation. The fly includes a gold-colored body, tan synthetic wing such as EP fibers , two black antennae, and a set of dumbbell eyes.

I recommend carrying sizes 6 and 4 in your box in various weights. The Green Machine is another good Crazy Charlie variation. The body, wing, and flash are all made using chartreuse-colored material.

I recommend this fly in a light version, using only bathroom chain eyes. Size 8 and 6 work well. This is also a good fly to cover algae-eating fish such as Batfish and Milkfish.

One of the most used and successful bonefish flies in the Indian Ocean. Dedicated bonefish anglers on St. Due to the fact that most 9-weight rods are rigged with a Pillow Talk, it has also taken a considerable amount of permit.

The fly includes a pearl body, chartreuse and white calf tail wing, Krystal flash, and a red nose. Carry enough size 6s and 4s in various weights.

I like tying them skinny and small for fussy bonefish. On these pristine flats, the triggers seem to prefer an understated fly.

No fluorescent orange colors or flash. Carry a good selection of sizes and weights in your general saltwater fly box. And, with good reason. The color, profile, and design makes for a perfect bonefish fly. It also works well on many other species. If you really want to make it a versatile pattern, ask your custom fly tier to strap on two or four rubber legs. The Spawning Shrimp is a good general saltwater fly.

Especially when the bones are known to feed on longer length shrimps. The Avalon Shrimp is one of the most successful permit flies ever created. This large profile fly works really well on large bonefish, especially tied in sizes 8 to 4. A unique feature of the fly is the two tan zonker strips that are tied in on either side of the hook shank. This gives the fly incredible movement when retrieved. The Bonefish Scampi fly resembles a Gotcha in many ways.

However, the wing is made using natural tan zonker strips. This alteration makes the fly move and appears different in the water. The Pseudo Shrimp has been around for quite some time.

What makes it different from other patterns is the positioning of the weight. A relatively heavy dumbbell eye is tied in halfway along the hook shank. The fly can be tied in various colors, ranging from tan to olive. One of the more unusual flies, I must admit. I remember the first time I saw this fly, I thought my fellow guide, Wayne Haselau, was joking.

This little cute looking fly hammers bonefish. It includes the tips of a grizzly hackle feather and pink chenille. What I like about this fly is how soft it lands using a light version. However, the original dressing does not include fluorescent orange accents.

This is a very good general shrimp imitation. I use them in slightly larger sizes but light in weight. It is a good one fly does all rig. If I had to choose one single bonefish fly to carry with me all over the world, this would be it.

The fly includes rearward and forward-facing rubber legs. These legs give the fly incredible movement, but can also be removed quickly with a pair of nippers, should the fish respond negatively to them. But, this is an unbelievably versatile pattern. It catches permit, trevally on larger sizes , and triggerfish. Big bonefish love this fly. However, bonefish cruising over a coralline bottom or in the surf zone absolutely guns this fly. These fishing areas are also the habitat for triggerfish.

The Bonefish Bitters is a peculiar looking fly.