Gorge Fly Shop Blog: Building Your Bonefish Fly Box

Bonefish Smorgasbord

Bonefish are unquestionably one of the most sought-after saltwater gamefish. Their propensity to feed in shallow water combined with their blistering runs make them the perfect target for fly anglers. They are spooky but tend to be good biters. Having the right fly selection can be crucial to success when chasing these ghosts of the flats. So, what do you need to consider when putting together your fly box?

Fly Color:

Spawning Shrimp

Gotcha

Most of the best bonefish flies are fairly plain with a little pop of color. Bonefish prey heavily on shrimp and small crabs and these crustaceans try not to be in the business of being eaten! Most bonefish food very closely matches the color of the bottom. This is why the majority of popular bonefish flies will be tan, white or some combination of the two. Patterns that blend into the bottom work well, but a bit of subtle flash or color certainly grabs their attention. Two flies that come to mind are the Gotcha and Spawning Shrimp. Each pattern has a little bit of flash and just enough pink or orange. Not a ton of either, but enough to differentiate the fly from the bottom.

Fly Size:

Bonefish Bitters

Gotcha Clouser

Preferred fly size tends to vary a bit from place to place. Generally speaking, patterns in size 6 and 4 cover most bases, but there are plenty of exceptions to that. If your destination has lots of smaller bonefish that tend to feed in shallow ultra-skinny water, smaller flies will be a good bet. Conversely, places with big bonefish can require much larger patterns. Andros Island comes to mind. Guides on Andros (and the island's XL bonefish) love big flies. One of the best patterns there is the Gotcha Clouser in size 2. Call it approximately 3 inches long. A good rule to follow is smaller bonefish, smaller flies, bigger bonefish, bigger flies.

Fly Weight:

CXI Special w/Brass Eyes

Crazy Charlie w/Bead Chain Eyes

Having flies of differing weights is critical in the bonefishing world. When it's calm and fish are tailing in the shallows, flies with light bead chain eyes will be the ticket. They have just enough weight to sink the fly and keep the hood riding up as you're stripping it along. The gentle "plop" of a lightly weighted fly can be a good thing as it will often draw in an actively feeding fish. That said, heavier flies that hit the water harder will often spook fish upon impact when the water is calm.

There are a couple instances where heavier flies with brass or lead dumbbell eyes are the key to success. The first and most obvious is when fishing deeper water. As much as we'd all like to cast to tailing fish in shallow water, this isn't always a part of the program. Having a weighted fly that quickly gets to the bottom in 3-5 feet of water can be very important.

The second scenario where weighted flies shine is in shallow water when it's rough. Bead chain flies can look unnatural in the chop. Lightly weighted flies have a tendency to roll side-to-side with wave action, and sometimes even tip over. Bonefish don't love a rolling fly, and this often leads to refusals. Fishing a heavier fly in these conditions will prevent the roll and get eaten more often. When it's rough, the disturbance of a weighted fly hitting the water is also not much of a factor in spooking fish.

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