bonefish fly design challenge

On a recent trip to the Bahamas, I'm convinced I saw, at close range,
a world record bonefish: a panic stricken double digit bonefish swam
past me no more than 3 feet away, while being chased by another fish
that looked twice as big. At first I assumed it (the chaser) must
have been a big barracuda. But that fish came within 5 feet, saw me and
spooked. I got a good look at it in knee deep water. It was definately
a bonefish, and it looked twice the size the itty bitty 10-12 pounder.

This got me thinking about big bonefish, as you can imagine.
I found a Florida Marine Institute study on bonefish stomach contents.
Small bonefish, it turns out, eat mostly insects, various worms and
small shrimp. Big bonefish eat mostly bigger crabs--and toadfish.

Big (3-4" across) crab flies are hard to tie and nearly impossible to cast.
But a toadfish is essentially a sal****er sculpin. They (Toadfish) tend
to take on the color of their surroundings (tan to light olive).

So, if you want to catch a big bonefish, I think you have to fish
the ocean flats (not way back in the mangrove bight) and I think
you might want to try fishing with extra-large Toadfish flies.

But no such fly exists--unless it's a long tan Clouser maybe.
But a 4" Clouser would require a big, extra heavy, hard to cast
hook (if you put a 4" tail on a smaller hook, you get too many
short strikes, I think).

So there's the challenge. How do you design a long but lightweight
yet still fast-sinking and easy to cast sculpin (Toadfish) fly?

I've got one in the works, that I'll post links to eventually.
In the meantime I'd like to see or hear about anything anybody
else comes up with too.

Salmo Bytes wrote:


Big (3-4" across) crab flies are hard to tie and nearly impossible to cast.
But a toadfish is essentially a sal****er sculpin. They (Toadfish) tend
to take on the color of their surroundings (tan to light olive).

So, if you want to catch a big bonefish, I think you have to fish
the ocean flats (not way back in the mangrove bight) and I think
you might want to try fishing with extra-large Toadfish flies.

But no such fly exists--unless it's a long tan Clouser maybe.
But a 4" Clouser would require a big, extra heavy, hard to cast
hook (if you put a 4" tail on a smaller hook, you get too many
short strikes, I think).

Having never used the setup myself, I can't vouch for its
effectiveness (or castability), but it seems to me that if you are
concerned about short-strikes, the simplest solution would be to just
add a second, trailing hook to your Clouser. Like what the
bassfisherbubbas call a "stinger hook".


Chuck Vance (or is that unethical?)

Conan the Librarian wrote in message Like what the
bassfisherbubbas call a "stinger hook".


Chuck Vance (or is that unethical?)

I tend to like unethical myself. So I would have
no reservations about a stinger hook.
I think that would work well too, most of the time.
I've experimented with fishing two bonefish flies at once,
so why not a stinger?

Well, on this last trip, the wind was at near hurricane
levels the whole time. It isn't always like that, but
it sure was two weeks ago in the Bahamas. My buddy John
and I stayed two days a lodge on XXXX, where just about
everybody there either gave up and stayed home or did their
best and got skunked.

But we managed to catch fish every day, because, well,
both of us are pretty good with the fly rod.
But big flies were difficult.

There was a film crew down there, from the same right wing
cable TV outfit that ran the Swift Boat Veterans adds
a few days before the election. They were trying to tape
a syndicated fishing show. So we were particularly
happy when they came in empty handed, and we'd caught 17.

The wind was so bad that day the guides couldn't pole the boats,
so we spent the day walking. Late in the afternoon, with
a low tide at the mouth of the bight, we saw (but didn't catch)
some ocean flats fish so big it was hard to believe.

They were smart and spooky--even in the gale force winds.
I wanted to throw something big at them, but I couldn't make
the cast. And I am pretty good at it. That's why I want to
figure out how to make the biggest, yet easiest to cast fly.

On 3 Dec 2004 15:43:39 -0800, (Salmo Bytes)
wrote:

Conan the Librarian wrote in message Like what the
bassfisherbubbas call a "stinger hook".


Chuck Vance (or is that unethical?)

I tend to like unethical myself. So I would have
no reservations about a stinger hook.
I think that would work well too, most of the time.
I've experimented with fishing two bonefish flies at once,
so why not a stinger?

Well, on this last trip, the wind was at near hurricane
levels the whole time. It isn't always like that, but
it sure was two weeks ago in the Bahamas. My buddy John
and I stayed two days a lodge on XXXX, where just about
everybody there either gave up and stayed home or did their
best and got skunked.

But we managed to catch fish every day, because, well,
both of us are pretty good with the fly rod.
But big flies were difficult.

There was a film crew down there, from the same right wing
cable TV outfit that ran the Swift Boat Veterans adds
a few days before the election. They were trying to tape
a syndicated fishing show. So we were particularly
happy when they came in empty handed, and we'd caught 17.

The wind was so bad that day the guides couldn't pole the boats,
so we spent the day walking. Late in the afternoon, with
a low tide at the mouth of the bight, we saw (but didn't catch)
some ocean flats fish so big it was hard to believe.

They were smart and spooky--even in the gale force winds.
I wanted to throw something big at them, but I couldn't make
the cast. And I am pretty good at it. That's why I want to
figure out how to make the biggest, yet easiest to cast fly.

Well, **** good fire and save good matches...I'm amazed that two guys as good as
you and good John the Magnificent didn't instantly and instinctively know how to
solve this piffling little problem good, what with being so good and all....aw,
come on, you can do it good - remember, you're good - just ask yourself, "What
would Lefty do, if he were as good as us?"...

Well, **** good fire and save good matches...I'm amazed that two guys as good as
you and good John the Magnificent didn't instantly and instinctively know how to
solve this piffling little problem good, what with being so good and all....aw,
come on, you can do it good - remember, you're good - just ask yourself, "What
would Lefty do, if he were as good as us?"...

I'm a little amazed too, now that you point it out.
What would lefty do, if given the chance?
....good left hook, if the opportunity ever arose, I'm sure.
:-)

Conan the Librarian wrote in message Like what the
bassfisherbubbas call a "stinger hook".


Chuck Vance (or is that unethical?)

I tend to like unethical myself. So I would have
no reservations about a stinger hook.
I think that would work well too, most of the time.
I've experimented with fishing two bonefish flies at once,
so why not a stinger?

Well, on this last trip, the wind was at near hurricane
levels the whole time. It isn't always like that, but
it sure was two weeks ago in the Bahamas. My buddy John
and I stayed two days a lodge on XXXX, where just about
everybody there either gave up and stayed home or did their
best and got skunked.

But we managed to catch fish every day, because, well,
both of us are pretty good with the fly rod.
But big flies were difficult.

There was a film crew down there, from the same right wing
cable TV outfit that ran the Swift Boat Veterans adds
a few days before the election. They were trying to tape
a syndicated fishing show. So we were particularly
happy when they came in empty handed, and we'd caught 17.

The wind was so bad that day the guides couldn't pole the boats,
so we spent the day walking. Late in the afternoon, with
a low tide at the mouth of the bight, we saw (but didn't catch)
some ocean flats fish so big it was hard to believe.

They were smart and spooky--even in the gale force winds.
I wanted to throw something big at them, but I couldn't make
the cast. And I am pretty good at it. That's why I want to
figure out how to make the biggest, yet easiest to cast fly.

Conan the Librarian wrote in message Like what the
bassfisherbubbas call a "stinger hook".


Chuck Vance (or is that unethical?)

I tend to like unethical myself. So I would have
no reservations about a stinger hook.
I think that would work well too, most of the time.
I've experimented with fishing two bonefish flies at once,
so why not a stinger?

Well, on this last trip, the wind was at near hurricane
levels the whole time. It isn't always like that, but
it sure was two weeks ago in the Bahamas. My buddy John
and I stayed two days a lodge on XXXX, where just about
everybody there either gave up and stayed home or did their
best and got skunked.

But we managed to catch fish every day, because, well,
both of us are pretty good with the fly rod.
But big flies were difficult.

There was a film crew down there, from the same right wing
cable TV outfit that ran the Swift Boat Veterans adds
a few days before the election. They were trying to tape
a syndicated fishing show. So we were particularly
happy when they came in empty handed, and we'd caught 17.

The wind was so bad that day the guides couldn't pole the boats,
so we spent the day walking. Late in the afternoon, with
a low tide at the mouth of the bight, we saw (but didn't catch)
some ocean flats fish so big it was hard to believe.

They were smart and spooky--even in the gale force winds.
I wanted to throw something big at them, but I couldn't make
the cast. And I am pretty good at it. That's why I want to
figure out how to make the biggest, yet easiest to cast fly.

Salmo Bytes wrote:
On a recent trip to the Bahamas, I'm convinced I saw, at close range,
a world record bonefish: a panic stricken double digit bonefish swam
past me no more than 3 feet away, while being chased by another fish
that looked twice as big. At first I assumed it (the chaser) must
have been a big barracuda. But that fish came within 5 feet, saw me and
spooked. I got a good look at it in knee deep water. It was definately
a bonefish, and it looked twice the size the itty bitty 10-12 pounder.

At Christmas Island there are fish called "milk fish" that look almost
exactly like bonefish (you really cannot tell the difference in the
water), but they get much bigger. They're impossible to catch.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

On 3 Dec 2004 07:46:50 -0800, (Salmo Bytes)
wrote:

Big bonefish eat mostly bigger crabs--and toadfish.

Bruiser caught a nice bonefish in the Keys while stripping a streamer for
barracuda. I wonder if the bonefish took it for a toadfish.
--
Charlie...
http://www.chocphoto.com/ - photo galleries
http://www.chocphoto.com/roff

In article ,
says...
But no such fly exists--unless it's a long tan Clouser maybe.
But a 4" Clouser would require a big, extra heavy, hard to cast
hook (if you put a 4" tail on a smaller hook, you get too many
short strikes, I think).



Try a tube fly. Here's some places to start:
http://tubetyer.tripod.com/mysite00/
http://www.flyfishusa.com/flies/stl-wet-tube.html
http://www.flyfishusa.com/events/rou...tube-flies.htm

Kevin

--
reply to: kevin dot vang at minotstateu dot edu