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Looking for the big fish
Bonefish are generally between 40 and 60 cm long and weigh between 1 and 3 kg. Despite their modest size, these fish defend themselves terribly well, often taking all the line and regularly several to ten metres of backing.
Fish over 60 cm are not uncommon and can be caught at many destinations. On the other hand, specimens over 70 cm are much less common. It's possible to catch them by chance while fishing "normal" bonefish wedges, but if you really want to go after very big fish, there are more specific destinations where the sport fisherman can go in order to track them down. You'll need to adapt your equipment and strategy accordingly.
Where to look for bonefish trophies?
Big bonefish can be found just about anywhere in the Caribbean, but some destinations have made their reputation on exceptional fish that exceed the standard sizes. Here we're talking about the "common" bonefish, albula vulpes .
This is the case of certain islands in the Bahamas, such as Grand Bahamas and South Andros. The Bahamas is the capital of bonefish fishing, and the fish are very big. Several records have been set on these islands.
Cuba on Cayo Cruz and other Cayos (Largo, Paredon, ...) can also hold some very nice bonefish, but it's rare to focus on the very big ones. This is also the case in the Florida Keys, where several records have also been set. In Guadeloupe, big bonefish are present but very educated. Some anglers track them specifically and make great catches. In Los Roques, Venezuela, big bonefish are common and very large specimens are caught every season. It's possible to track them down with a local guide. Feeding on small fish, their growth is faster than elsewhere.
However, it is in the Pacific that another species of bonefish lives, which can regularly reach impressive sizes: albula glossodonta .
He catches some very big ones in Hawaii, on certain atolls like Saint Brandon, or Christmas Island, but also in Polynesia. Bonefish weighing over 10 pounds are caught every year. Or in the Seychelles, where the big bonefish are also well represented, with chances to catch large specimens.
However, it's certainly in New Caledonia that you can really focus on this unusual fishery, with fish in excess of 10 pounds, known as "double digit" fish.
I've been lucky enough to make two trips there specifically to track down these monsters. You have to be patient and in high spirits, because there aren't many of them and you have to spend a lot of time on the flats to find them. But every time I've been out there, I've been able to cast and catch bonefish that are off the scale, ripping through silk and backing like rockets! I've never seen so much backing coming off my reel (over 300 m) and the fights are very powerful and long.
I have my personal record there, with a fish weighed (using a boga grip and a net, cf photo) at 14 lbs, measuring 77 cm at the fork (87 cm total length) for 42 cm chest circumference! The fight lasted 27 minutes in a 9-ply line. Another fish, on the same day, measuring 75 cm with a 39 cm chest measurement, weighed in at 12 lbs. On a second visit, I also caught my third bonefish in double figures!
What equipment should I use?
In this case, you should opt for a 9-foot, 9-power rod, unlike conventional bonefish equipment, which uses a 7- or 8-power line.
This gives you extra power to cast bigger flies and get the "shot" off quicker, but above all to counter the very big rushes that these fish can give you. In this case, however, you need to fish with stronger tippets.
You need a quality reel with a very good progressive and powerful brake, but above all a large capacity to hold a lot of backing. My friend Claude had loaded me with 400 meters of jigging braid to replace my 250 meters of dacron. He was right, otherwise I'd have lost my two biggest bonefish of my life!
A one-and-a-half-length leader is sufficient, as presentation is not the most important thing. You do, however, need to be quick and precise, then counter the wind, which is often present. A tip of 20 to 25 lbs is the norm, as it's not possible to fish too fine in these conditions, and it wouldn't make sense.
Caledonian bonefish feed on large prey and we used some good bites, with shrimp imitations mounted on size 2 and 1 hooks. But on some destinations, flies don't necessarily have to be much bigger, as it all depends on the food present. What you do need are strong, reliable hooks, such as the gamakatsu SL12S.
How do you approach fishing?
Fishing for very large bonefish, if you're looking for them specifically, is like fishing for permits. Fish passages are rare and they are often alone or in twos or threes. The wait is long, but you have to be concentrated to be ready at every moment. It's a quest, a real hunt, where you're looking for the fish of a lifetime!
They often pass quickly and are quite difficult to see, as the flats are generally deeper. In New Caledonia, these fish never tail and often emerge from deeper water to pass quickly over the flat. You have to intercept their trajectory and then animate as soon as the fly is on the bottom to attract their attention. In two strokes of the fin, they take your fly and disappear, pulling the line out as fast as lightning!
For Los Roques, my previous record was a fish estimated at 9 lbs, caught while tailing on turtle grass. He'd taken a small, unweighted olive shrimp that I'd rigged on the spot to adapt to the conditions and which worked miracles on this biotope. That day, I wasn't looking for the big ones, but I knew they were there, and fished with conventional tackle. Fortunately, they're big enough to bridle the fish, which often head for the coral, which is never far away! I was rigged with a 16-lb tippet. By bridling the fish as much as possible, I managed to counter its rushes as much as possible and shorten the fight.
