The Pull of the Bonefish

Included in Joe Zentner’s article on bonefish fundamentals in All At Sea magazine is some clever advice on how hard to set the hook on these explosive fish: “… just enough to pull it from a blade of grass should it be caught.” “The fly-fishing drill goes thus: you stand on a small deck at the bow of a skiff while your guide poles the craft across the flats, where the water may be from six feet maximum to six inches deep. You’ve stripped off 20 or more feet of line, which is lying in loose coils at your feet, and you’re holding the rod in your casting hand and the fly in the other. When your guide spots a group of bonefish working their way across the flats, he points them out to you.”