Photo by Louis Cahill
John Byron
I think we’re seeing bonefish flies all wrong.
We look at them from the beam most times, side view. Or directly from the bow, dead on the front of the fly. But that’s not the bonefish’s view. The properly presented bonefish fly is viewed by its intended prey from dead astern. Deep quarter at best.
Pick up a “good” bonefish fly and judge it from how it looks viewed from the back. That’s what the fish sees.
Just a thought…
Editor’s note: I like John’s point. That’s exactly what was on my mind when I came up with the Sugar Foot. Here’s a video on how to tie that fly. It works!
John Byron
John Byron lives in Cocoa Beach FL. He’s been fly fishing since he was ten.
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Hi Louis and John. I’m going to be on a family cruise this December. The way I figure it, I can get away for about 4 hours on an island in the Bahamas that has some flats. Having never fished for bone before, I’m not expecting much, but I want to at least give myself a chance. Any advice on 1-2 must-have flies? Is there any seasonality to the egg-sack on the sugar foot, or is it there all year?
Bonefish are usually not super selective on patterns. It’s far more important the fly is presented well and acts like food. Tan Gotcas, EP Spawning Shrimp, Kung Fu Crabs. Tan and lighter for color and a selection of weights. Small bead chain eyes to med lead eyes. Match the heavy flies to deeper water and bead chain to shallow water. You want your fly to reach the bottom in 3 seconds. When a fish follows, strip, strip, strip, stop. They will usually charge the fly when it dives to the bottom. Best of luck!
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