DIY Bonefish - Pt 1

I’ve been bitten by the bonefish bug. On many winter nights, I daydream about moments spent in that place where I get to enter the world of the fish. In most of our fishing, we get glimpses into the world the fish live in. A trout in a shallow feeding lane.  Tuna tearing through a bait ball.  Striped bass lolling on the surface. Most fishing only provides a keyhole view into the world of the fish we are targeting.  Flats species put it all on display. The environment where they live and feed most of the time is in clear shallow water. Their food sources and their predators are all in plain sight.  When we step onto the flats, it’s all right there, front and center. 

Getting to pristine locations for bonefish requires a commitment of time, money, and the knowledge that a lot of suffering will take place.  Air travel is not the luxurious experience that was advertised in the nineteen sixties and seventies.  The bigger airplanes only get you so far. In most cases, you transfer to smaller prop planes to take you to a much more rustic location.   The final destination typically has very few amenities than we are accustomed to having in our daily lives.  Perhaps this is the challenge as well as the appeal.

Many anglers strive for discovery.  It could be a new fly, a presentation style to the fish, or cracking the code on where fish will be, when, what they’re eating. In the world of bonefishing, most anglers’ experience includes hiring a guide who has spent years discovering and refining their knowledge base. Or at least you hope so.  A few anglers go in a different direction.  We make a step that requires the knowledge that not catching fish, at least for a while, is a very real likelihood, if not a certainty.  We’re the DIYers…

Twenty years ago, I was introduced to the world of bonefishing on a trip to Andros Island in the Bahamas.  I took the trip with my father, and we hired Glister Wallace, an exceptional guide, known amongst the other Bahamian guides as one of the best casters there are, period. Weeks later Glister’s casting prowess was expounded by none other than Lefty Kreh at the Wilmington, Massachusetts fly fishing show.  On that trip, we caught a lot of bones and had a great time.  More than that, my eyes were opened to the beauty and wild environment that is the flats.  It left me wanting more. 

Since that time, I’ve ventured down to the many islands and countries to chase these addictive fish.  I’d like to share some hard-earned lessons on making the fishing experience a little better.

Choose Your Island Wisely

I mostly travel to the ‘Family Islands,’ an endearing term used by local Bahamians or what most Americans know as the ‘Out Islands.’  For anyone who has been down to the family islands, you know that you are leaving many of the amenities we all take for granted behind.  Many islands did not get power or paved roads until the 1980s. A rule for the traveling angler, if you want it with you, you need to bring it with you. 

Plan around Tides

When planning a trip to the tropics, knowing how to tilt the scales in your favor is key to having confidence in your plan.  As a wading angler, high tides and higher parts of the tidal cycle are not a productive time to be on the flats.  Think knee deep.  The bottom half of the tides, last half of the outgoing and first half of the incoming is where you’ll have your best shot at encountering fish. There are several reasons for this.  I’ll start with the most important. Once the tide gets higher than your knees, seeing fish gets much more difficult.  Remember, this is a site fishing game.  The next reason is that once the tides reach the level of the mangroves, many of the bonefish retreat into the sanctuary that those trees with knees provide.  Bonefish feel extremely comfortable in the mass of stalks that support the red mangrove.  That habitat provides safety from predators and contains ample food.  As a biologist, I learned early on those two factors, food and safety, account for 2/3 of the traits needed for survival of a species!  The third is sex, and as anglers we’re not providing that in our offerings to the fish! 

There are several websites that can aid you in planning your trip around favorable tides.  One thing you as an angler will need to figure out is the offsets of the tides.  Many creek systems, and even ocean flats have offsets of a few hours from the tidal station for the island you are fishing.  These offsets can become your friend, especially if you make repeated visits to the same places.  You can plan to go to one flat on the first day as opposed to another knowing that the first flat will allow for shallower angling and thus more hours of productive angling.

In my experience, the tidal amplitudes in flats in Belize and Mexico are less dramatic than those in the Bahamas or other Caribbean island locations.  In the Caribbean, a good rule is to find a part of the monthly tidal cycle where high tides that don’t exceed 3 feet.  As with all things, this rule comes with caveats.  If the lower half of the tide falls in the middle of the day, the maximum tide won’t matter as your productive hours, between 9AM and 2PM, fall in the sweet spot on the tide.  As I mentioned above, the sweet spot is the end of the outgoing and the beginning of the incoming.  Many people feel, as do I, that bonefish feed with more abandon during the beginning of the incoming. 

Fish “Productive Hours”

Productive hours on the flats are defined as the time of day when the sun angle allows for the best visibility on the flats.  Without a doubt, all other factors being equal, a noon high sun provides the best visibility for spotting bonefish.   We all know that we get the least number of hours of sun around the winter solstice and the most hours around the summer solstice.  If your trip falls in November those days are approaching the time of year with the least amount of sun, and therefore good sun angle sun, begins at about 9AM and ends at about 2PM.  My rule is that when my shadow is longer than I am tall the sun angle is not ideal. Once my shadow gets shorter than I am, my visibility increases. 

If I travel to the Caribbean in late April, my ‘good sun’ begins closer to 8AM and goes until later than 3PM. This allows for two more hours of productive fishing per day.  On a five-day trip, that equates to more than ten more hours of productive fishing time.  It also allows for more flexibility of matching appropriate tidal levels and hours of sun. 

Get out Early to Avoid Wind and Clouds

But wait, there’s even more. A subject I haven’t even touched on yet, the wind. There is typically less wind in the morning than there is in the afternoon. This phenomenon is known as seabreeze. As the land heats up throughout the day, it causes the heat to rise and create a circular airflow and more afternoon wind. Having an extra hour in the morning, tilts the scales in the anglers’ favor even more. If that’s not enough to get you out early, the morning is also less cloudy. In many places, cumulus clouds form in the afternoon.  When those clouds get between the sun and the flats you, as the angler, are sitting in the shadow.  Unless a big push of fish comes, making some type of wake, or it happens to be low tide and you spot tailing fish, you are essentially not fishing until the cloud passes.

All fishing comes with exceptions where the rules don’t matter. This blog provides a few tactics which can take some of the guesswork out of knowing when and why to focus your efforts at certain times of day, season, and tidal cycle. In future blogs, I will get into selecting flies and up-close tactics for fooling fish with your fly.

About the Author: Ross Kessler has worked as a marine biologist for over 25 years and been a fly angler for over 35 years.  Ross has worked in and around the fishing industry for 20 years.  When not plying the flats of the tropics, Ross spends his time fishing for striped bass, bluefish, bonito, and false albacore around his home in coastal Massachusetts.