BONEFISH ON A BUDGET
Think only the well-heeled can afford a Bahamas bonefish adventure? Think again. Here’s how to get in on the action with breaking the bank
Advertisement
Choice bonefish flies include: (clockwise from top left) Beck’s Sili Legs, Crazy Charlie, Clouser Deep Minnow, Bonefish Junk and Veverka’s Mantis Shrimp#5 THE RIGHT GEAR IS IMPORTANT
The standard bonefish set-up is an 8-weight rod, with a weight-forward floating line. I typically have two outfits in the boat, one rigged with a lightweight fly, and a second with a heavy fly or an intermediate-sinking line for slightly deeper water. You also need a decent reel. It doesn’t have to be high end, as long as the drag is smooth, and it can take a workout.
Top flies include all the bonefish classics, such as the Crazy Charlie, Gotcha, Veverka Mantis Shrimp, Beck’s Sili Legs and Clouser Minnow in white, pink and tan, and sizes 4 to 1/0. When you look at them in your box, they will seem improbably large, but so are Bahamas bonefish, and they like to eat.
Advertisement
Bonefish lures include a skimmer jig (left) and soft-plastics that imitate small crustaceansSpin anglers need a seven-foot, fast-action rod, with a quality spinning reel that will hold at least 150 yards of 20-pound braid or 15-pound mono. The most popular bonefish lures are 1/16- to ¼-ounce jigs with a stout, saltwater-quality hook, dressed in crustacean-imitating bucktail, craft fur or soft plastics. Standard shapes will do, but even better is a skimmer jig, which has a flat triangular head that scuttles along the sand, keeping the hook point up.