6 Tips to Make Your First Bonefish Trip a Success
Landing your first bonefish is usually the culmination of good preparation: trip planning, proper fly choice, a delicate presentation. Photos: Will Rice
For most anglers living in the U.S. or other parts of the world, access to bonefish can be challenging, especially when compared to species like bass, carp, or trout. But there’s a reason people travel thousands of miles for a one-on-one encounter with a bonefish. Whether you find smaller fish in large schools feeding on the flats, larger singles tailing near mangroves, or solo goliaths cruising like they own the place, bonefish deliver one of fly fishing’s ultimate sight-fishing experiences.
Over the past 20 years, I’ve chased bonefish across Mexico, Belize, the Bahamas, and Honduras. Below are tips and personal philosophies that have helped me along the way. But before we get to those, let’s take a quick look at the fish itself and where they live.
The Range of the Gray Ghost
There are three species in the Atlantic, the most common being Albula vulpes, which range as far north as North Carolina and as far south as Brazil. Their largest concentrations can be found from South Florida through the Bahamas and across the wider Caribbean.
Let your guide will handle the details, and you’ll be able to relax and focus on your responsibilities: presentation and the hook set.
According to the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, a conservation organization focused on protecting bonefish and other saltwater species, “bonefish populations are connected throughout the Caribbean, Bahamas, and Florida Keys… and they move freely throughout their geographic range.” Research has shown that bonefish caught in the Florida Keys may have spawned in far-off locations like Belize, Mexico, or Cuba.
For most of us who don’t live in those tropical zones, bonefishing requires a well-planned trip involving flights, guides, and logistics. Choosing the right destination is a big part of the experience, and fortunately, there are plenty of DIY resources and booking agencies with on-the-ground expertise to help you navigate the process.
Why Bonefish Are Worth the Effort
Despite the travel required, bonefish offer a few key advantages. Chief among them are that they tend to be responsive and provide meaningful feedback. If you do most things right—presenting a fly in the appropriately color, size, and weight in a subtle manner (shrimp patterns are a good starting point)—there’s a high likelihood the fish will react the way you hope. In other words, they’ll eat.
Bonefish are a great fly-rod quarry because they consistently eat when you do everything right.
That’s not something you can always say about species like permit, carp, or heavily pressured trout.
For Those Taking Their First Shots
Whether you’re new to the saltwater game or looking to refine your approach, here are six things to keep in mind if you’re boarding a flight or stepping onto the bow of a skiff in pursuit of your first bonefish.
1. Relax: If you’re with a guide, you’re going to have more shots. Instead of tensing up and overthinking things, simply listen to your guide. The better you and your guide communicate, the better your chances.
2. Focus: If you’re not with a guide and find yourself stalking a bonefish on your own, give yourself a big pat on the back. You’ve made some great decisions and you’re now one-on-one with a great game fish. Your eyes are your most valuable assets. What is that fish doing? Direction… speed… eating? Cruising? Is he solo or with a pack of friends? You need to focus on all of these details and very quickly put your casting and presentation strategy together.
3. Fly selection: If you’re with a guide go back to rule #1. Listen to what flies your guide recommends and then relax. If you’re solo or just want to go with a “confidence fly,” there is no better bonefish fly than EP’s Spawning Shrimp.
4. Tranquilo: Sloppy or splashy presentations are usually the reason I spook bonefish. One trick that helps: I release my cast at a slightly higher angle than usual. This allows the loop to extend fully and helps the fly land more softly and naturally on the water. Subtle presentations are vital, especially in situations where there is low wind and little to no chop on the surface of the water. If you find yourself in a full blown gale, disregard this tip and do whatever is necessary to put your bug in front of the fish.
5. Be the bug: For shrimp patterns, think small strips and make that fly pop. Crab patterns call for long, slow strips. This is the advice that has been given to me by a number of guides across multiple environments and fisheries, and it works.
6. Keep that tip down: Mentally prepare yourself not to “trout” or “tip” set. The bonefish take will most likely be subtler than you expect. Once you feel it, keep your tip pointed DOWN and make a strip-set. I have a buddy who is a notorious trout-setter. I’ve seen him do it with bonefish, permit, and more tarpon than either one of us care to count. I can tell you, it is not a lack of being smart or not knowing what to do. It is an emotional reaction. You need to mentally prepare yourself to keep your tip down and gently strip-set the fish.
Then, let ’em run and have fun.
Will Rice (@will_rize) is a freelance writer whose work has been featured in The Denver Post, The Drake Magazine, The Flyfish Journal, Fly Rod & Reel, Outside, Saltwater Fly Fishing, Fly Fusion, Flylab, Angling Trade, and more. Originally from upstate New York, he spent many years living – and fly fishing – in Colorado before relocating to Vancouver, British Columbia, where he now lives with his wife, Sara, and their dog, Buzz.
