Stalking Bonefish in the Bahamas

From huge fish in Berry Islands mangroves to the Marls of Abaco, every location fishes slightly otherwise. Native data cuts the educational curve.
Courtesy Simms

Bonefish could make or break an angler. Regardless of the time and cash you spend to get to Bahamian bonefish waters, it at all times comes right down to that one second when every part comes collectively in a fleeting occasion of time. Discovering fish, predicting climate, judging and delivering the solid, the hook-set—it should all be excellent, otherwise you give you nothing however a sunburn. Right here’s tips on how to align the components for fulfillment and the way to not screw it up, based on three high native Bahamian guides.

Persistence is vital. As an alternative of chasing bonefish round on a flat, attempt to predict the place they’re headed and allow them to come to you.
Jim Klug

Berry Islands

The Man: Travis Sands; @flats_phantom; 242-431-9734

The Waters: “The Berry Islands are a bigger-fish zone,” declares Capt. Travis Sands. Whereas common bonefish for the remainder of the Bahamas are 2 to three kilos, Berry Islands’ bones common 5 or 6 kilos. “You get your shot at trophy bonefish in Berry,” Sands says. The encircling flats round Nice Harbor Key supply coarse sandy backside that’s glorious for wade-fishing.

The Plan: Sands recommends an 8-weight setup with 16-pound tippet on floating line. A #4 Mantis Shrimp sample in brown or orange is lethal when casting to tailing bones on shallow flats. When bigger fish are shifting in water deeper than 3 toes, Sands slings a #4 Sturdy Arm Crab in brown or white.

The Inside Scoop: “Huge solitary bonefish, 6 kilos and extra, change to deeper water patterns,” Sands advises. “These fish have seen lots of human interplay and search for a terrific escape, positioning in and round deepwater getaways.” Incoming tides additionally change the tack of the place Sands picks his spots. “When establishing to decide on a spot, I deal with the mangroves on the excessive and outgoing water, as bonefish invade the realm to feed and for defense. The sharks can’t get again there, plus the ospreys can’t dive on them from above with all of the entanglement.” When the water begins spilling out of the mangroves, so do the bonefish.

Sands warns that greater bones use all their senses, not simply eyesight, to feed and keep away from seize. He says you’ll “nuke” a fly by dealing with it or the fly line after making use of sunscreen. “They’ll odor that,” he says. “Concentrate on all of the scents and what you contact on the boat.”

Sound additionally performs an enormous position when wading the flats. “Bear in mind, you’re searching fish, and within the animal kingdom it’s combat or flight when a menace is perceived. And bonefish don’t have any enamel, so that they select flight and spook off when scared.”

When wade-fishing, elevate your toes off the underside, as a substitute of dragging them by way of crunchy sand. “You wish to get to some extent the place you don’t hear your self wading, which means no splashes of the water, no shuffling your toes,” Sands says.

Eyesight, after all, performs an necessary position, and in methods it’s possible you’ll not suppose. “Full moons have an effect on the daytime feed, because the bonefish will feed at night time below the sunshine of the moon. So throughout the daytime, they’re already fats and full and received’t eat,” Sands explains. Additionally, take note of your clothes coloration. “Put on impartial colours that mimic the atmosphere and climate of the day,” Sands says. Keep away from loud colours.

Browns, blues and greens mimic the mangroves and the sky. Put on grey on cloudy days. “When you stand out, your cowl is blown,” Sands says.

A Good Story: “The three greatest bones I ever noticed, we wrote them off, considering they had been sharks, then noticed the inexperienced backs. They had been all pushing 14 to fifteen kilos. I’m nonetheless kicking myself immediately that I didn’t suppose they had been bonefish sooner,” Sands says.

Smaller bones race to get to a fly first. To focus on a bigger fish, wait till it’s on the outskirts of the college to make your solid.
Jim Klug

Exuma

The Man: Marvin Bethel; @theflyfishingguide242; 242-802-7496

The Waters: “Exuma flats are large and lengthy,” says Capt. Marvin Bethel. “I fish the south aspect of the island: White Bay, Airport Flat, Channel Key, Forest Flat.” On useless low tides, the near-pink tremendous sands can have an nearly wet-paint, sticky high quality to them, excellent for crabs and shrimp to burrow in. Whereas February to April is high time in Exuma, bones are caught year-round.

The Plan: Bethel suggests 8- and 9-weights with floating line and a 10-foot part of 10- to 12-pound tippet for the flats. Round mangroves, he amps as much as 15-pound chief for abrasive mangrove roots. If fishing the deeper waters of a surging incoming tide, or channels and swimming pools 6 toes and deeper, Bethel switches to a sinking line, however cautions that sinking line hits the water more durable and might spook fish. On shallow flats, he makes use of Gotcha flies in a pink-white crystal flash. Knee-high or deeper, Bethel goes with a #6 or #8 Clouser Minnow in inexperienced crystal flash or white-pink. Larger 8- to 10-pound bones typically hold in singles or doubles and stage in deeper channels.

The Inside Scoop: Bethel is all about endurance and silence. “Let fish come on their very own time, predict the place they’re heading, get forward and intercept the colleges,” he gives. “The key is to be as quiet as doable. You don’t wish to be making noise chasin’ after ’em. The actual secret is the way you stroll—be like the large heron birds.” Wade like a heron by lifting your foot out of the water on every step after which pointing your toe to slip it again to the underside.

Attempt to wade so quietly which you could’t hear your self. An excellent pair of wading footwear, like Simms’ Flats Sneakers, defend your toes and hold you cozy.
Courtesy Simms

Concerning tides, Bethel advises: “One of the best time is when the tide is excessive, then outgoing popping out of the mangroves, or earlier than the tide swells sufficient for them to enter the mangroves—[when they’re] staging outdoors of them. Search for potholes [where they’re] digging up shrimp and crabs alongside the mangrove root traces.”

Whenever you get your shot, await the precise time to solid. “Don’t overpower a solid. That can spook fish. Lay the solid out clean,” Bethel says. Small bones will rush to get a fly first. Whenever you see an enormous one, wait till it’s on the outskirts of the college and place the fly about 2 toes in entrance of it. Then strip with a 1-2-3, 1-2-3 cadence, and let it fall in entrance of the fish.

“Learn the fish and let it sink if he’s on it; don’t pull it away from him,” Bethel says. The cadence is necessary. Bethel hammers this residence along with his anglers all day, till it turns into all they give thought to.

“Whenever you really feel slightly tug, make a clean strip set. Carry the rod tip up slowly and strip it in clean,” Bethel says. “When he makes his run, play it out utilizing your fingers because the drag, holding the road with solely your first finger, not holding too tight or he’ll snap it off. Whenever you hook up, you hear that candy bonefish music mon. Play that tune of the reel drag.”

A shark or barracuda might take a shot at an enormous bonefish. “When you hook up with an enormous one, and a shark is round keying in on him, let the drag free and open the spool to let the fish swim away from the shark,” Bethel says. “Additionally, when releasing a bonefish, search for sharks and ’cuda. I’ve seen ’cuda and sharks assault the bonefish in an angler’s arms.”

A Good Story: “Typically once I’m poling and lay a rod down within the again, the fly falls off into the water,” Bethel says. “Couple instances, a bone seize da fly and pull the pole off the boat.”

Learn Subsequent: Wading for Bonefish

Preserve your eyes peeled for sharks and barracuda whereas taking part in a fish. You’ll wish to know in the event that they’re round when it comes time for the discharge.
Brian Grossenbacher

Abaco

The Man: Paul Pinder; 242-475-0442

The Waters: “The Abacos bonefish grounds have each onerous sand and sinky marl spots,” says Capt. Paul Pinder. “They span from the southwest of the island in Sandy Level, Cross Harbor, Disney Island and Moore’s Island to the north finish from Deepwater Key to Crown Harbor.” However the space is known for the intensive internal island grounds named “the Marls,” which have grey clay that’s sinky and onerous to wade, besides alongside the sides.

The Plan: Pinder retains 8- to 10-weight rods available with floating line and 12-pound tippet, however will amp as much as 15-pound chief if huge bones or allow are round. Go-to flies are #6 to #8 EP Spawning Shrimp in tan with slightly contact of orange or the well-known Gotcha fly patterns, although nothing tremendous flashy.

The Inside Scoop: “Finest instances to search out bones throughout the daytime hours are throughout a half-waxing or half-waning moon, when the sky is sweet and sunny,” Pinder says. “Cloudy or overcast days aren’t too good, as they will’t see as effectively within the water and are spooky.” When their imaginative and prescient is impaired, bonefish suppose any motion is a shark attempting to eat them. “Even when it’s sunny out, if a cloud shadow strikes over the water, they spook,” he says.

The holes the place bonefish root out shrimp and crabs are apparent indicators to search for, however different indications spark Pinder’s consideration. “I search for spots with a muddy, cloudy haze within the water,” he says. “Which means they’ve been lately feeding in that spot. Relying on how thick the haze is and the way sturdy the tide is operating, I can guess how way back they moved on and the place they went.”

A Good Story: Pinder says he had a shopper hook a monster bonefish that pulled line off the reel deep into the backing. When he began retrieving line, the backing snapped.

“Each time you’re achieved on a bonefishing journey, at all times strip the backing off the reel and let it dry earlier than you reel it again on,” Pinder says. “Moist spots deep contained in the reel will rot a spot within the backing out, and also you’ll drop an enormous fish.”