Big Bonefish Habitat:What to look for

The "lineup" at low tide. You can see the smaller ghost shrimp mounds.

1. Deep water flat or with quick and easy access to deep water. 

2. Large mounds littered with turtle grass

3. large population of crabs and gobie minnows

4. a deep water channel that runs thru flat (preferably along mangroves or a small overhanging cliff) 

5. aggregate spawning site close by 

6. a flat that is below average in size

7. offshore reef within a mile's range 

8. marley bottom 

The flat pictured above is a remarkable one. There are in upwards of 15 resident bonefish over the 10 lb mark. These fish are not loners.  It is the only one of its kind that I know about for at least 25 miles. The flat has it all. An aggregate spawning hole, deep water channel, massive shrimp mounds (underwater in this picture), large school of glass and gobie minnows, healthy population of manta shrimp, and more crabs then one could ever hope for. Looking at the bottom of this flat (not the above pictured intertidal zone) just looks fishy. Even on a dead low tide when the summit of these mounds are almost dry, the base is submerged two feet under.  Fishing this flat one must use a weed guard. The more turtle grass the better. On a side note the big fish do not frequent the dry area pictured above. They tend to stay just above the intertidal zone. The one exception being just after sunset will these big boys sneak above this zone and engorge on crabs. 

Bonefish Feeding on Mangrove Leaves!?

  With the previous new moon, we have been seeing crabs spawn during the evening tail. The crabs are putting up the dukes against anything that moves. Walking back to the boat has been a battle against the hundreds of pincers out there. The bonefish have also been reacting by splashing the skinny water and feeding on the smaller brutes. Would not be surprised if they are also being spooked by the mature and territorial crabs.

A healthy mangrove Leaf

  On a different and far more interesting note the bones have been feeding on drifting mangrove leaves! Well not exactly. Two days back I saw a bonefish act like a tarpon and perform a head out of the water eat. I have been seeing this occur for the past week and a half consistently. After we fed the fish and boated the beauty I waded out to collect the specific brown, dead, and decrepit mangrove leaf. The leaf was boating two 1/4 inch baby crabs that were apparently hitching a ride. Seeing the bonefish feed in this manner is exciting to say the least. I have seen this going on for some time now however, have not been able to put any fact to this observation. Long story short I think I will be putting a leaf/crab dry fly combo  together in the very near future.

Serious Camouflage! 

March 28 Fishing Report

The new 16 1/2 " platform-courtesy of Frank Afshari from Egret! 

Threw the cast net for some pills. Might put them to the test for tarpon this evening. 

Got to love these black tips. They are tremendous athletes and always take straight to the sky. 

Tiger Bones Untouched

There is something special about finding uneducated fish. These flats are untouched for two reasons. One being that no other boats on island can access skinny water way up the creeks like this skiff. The other being that wading the marley is not an option unless you'd like to get stuck and stay the night.
With no angling pressure we have found that these fish react best when you smack the fly line on the water. The usual stealthy approach is simply thrown out the window. It is an amazing site to see a fish sniffing for the fly at the sound of a line hitting the water.

Permit

A greenback utilizing the mangrove bush

Had two separate shots at permit today. Three fish in all. Other then that we caught a lot of bones.

Bonefish Tails in the Sunset

With the wind howling at 30 knots we had to sneak in real close

Fish On!

Micah first time on the fly and stokin'!

Bud keeping busy

Well got into a lot of fish today way out on the bank. No boats or any sign of civilization in site. Nothing beats fishing for big bones deep in the canals away from it all. Here are a few pictures from yesterday evening. We snuck up on bones in water just a few inches deep. After feeding these fish they would literally beach themselves. This type of stalking tails in the sunset is as good as it gets!