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Imitation shrimp
These are the flies most often used to search for this species. Bonefish often feed on shrimp, which they find in all the habitats where they come to feed. However, they come in different sizes and colors depending on the biotope. So you need to choose the right models for each spot.
They are often tan in color, which works well on light sandy or sandy-silty bottoms near mangroves.
The olive color is best used when fishing on darker bottoms such as turtle grass, which is very rich in food, but also on flats with alternating light and darker substrates for contrast.
The pink and orange colors are also very effective, especially on aggressive, less-fished and less wary fish.
The best-known and most widely used models are crazy charlie, gotcha, verveka shrimp, spawning shrimp,...
Weighting shrimp
Shrimp weighting is very important, depending on the fishing grounds.
You'll need different fly models, of course, but also different weights for each model!
The heaviest weights are made with lead sinkers or diabolo eyes attached near the eyelet or at the rear of the fly, but a chain sinker is often used to provide a lighter weight. Models without eyes or weights are also indispensable.
Most of the time, bonefish are caught in shallow water, between the knee and the ankle. In this case, flies should be lightly weighted, if at all.
Lavado chain weights are therefore often the most versatile. But there are still different sizes of chain, and you'll need to adapt it to each spot height.
In very shallow waters, and especially when bonefish are tailing, i.e. feeding by digging into the bottom with part of their tail out of the water, it's very often necessary to fish with unweighted flies, which are more discreet and more effective in these shallow depths.
If you're fishing a deep area, i.e. with more than 50 cm of water, or even more, which is rare but can happen, heavier-weighted flies should be used to get your fly to the bottom quickly, as bonefish feed mainly near the substrate.
So, you have to be careful with the weight of your fly because, if the fly is too heavy, it can :
- Scare fish into poses and presentation.
- Scrape the bottom, not swim like a shrimp in short bursts.
- Move into the substrate and disappear from view of the fish.
On the other hand, a fly that is too light and less often close to the bottom may be rejected by more selective or less active fish.
The little crabs
Bonefish love to eat crabs. That's why you need to have some in your box. Smaller sizes are often used than for permit, mostly in sizes 4 and 6, but a nice bonefish can take a crab mounted on a size 2.
Once again, it's important to match the color of the background so that it looks natural. They are often light, but sometimes olive.
Unlike the shrimp, the crab cannot intercept fast-moving bonefish. A shrimp will be much more useful and practical in this situation, but when bonefish are actively feeding and moving slowly, an imitation crab is very effective and can make all the difference.
Small fish imitations
In certain situations, bonefish can take small fish imitations, as they are opportunists. Small minnow clousers work very well in this case.
In Los Roques, Venezuela, bonefish have developed the particularity of feeding mainly on small sardines and other small fish, as they swarm on this very special archipelago. The clouser minnow, but especially the gummy, are the flies most often used to imitate the forage fish.
Bonefish, like other predators (such as jacks), come to hunt them and catch them in between!
Presentation and animation
Fly animation is also an important factor in success or failure, because depending on the behavior of the fish, you'll need to adapt your fly retrieve.
The more they are in a group or aggressive, the faster you need to bring your fly back, but you still need to take breaks to get the fly close to the bottom. This is often where the bite comes in.
Animations are often carried out with 30 cm shots to longer, slower shots of one metre.
The advantage of shrimp is that they can be thrown well ahead of the fish to intercept the bonefish and trigger one of the fish.
A crab should be animated more gently by long pulls or small animations on the bottom, or just placed on the fish's path.
