Bonefish for beginners | Hatch Magazine

For fly fishers – particularly fly fishers who have spent the bulk of their time on the water pursuing trout – that first trip to the tropics is likely a bit intimidating. The notion of standing atop a casting platform or wading an endless flat in search of bonefish (let alone permit) for the very first time can make even the most seasoned trout angler anxious.

Yes, there are distinct differences between fly fishing for trout and chasing flats fish with the long rod. But for every difference, there’s a similarity that should be heartening. For instance, a mechanically sound fly cast for trout is also necessary for targeting bonefish on the flats. Most flats anglers will lean heavily into the “absolute” need to possess a serviceable double-haul, and it will certainly help.

But, I would argue, fundamentals are more important. The double-haul will come with practice. A crappy fly cast will be a real hindrance on the flats. Truth be told, under the right conditions, any angler able to throw 40 feet of fly line with reasonable accuracy possesses the skill needed to catch bonefish. We’ll save permit for another time.

For bonefish beginners planning their first trip to the flats, here’s a simple primer, keeping in mind that some 15 years ago, I was preparing to visit the flats for the first time, and the advice below would have been very helpful.

The basics

“Man it’s hot. It’s like Africa hot. Tarzan couldn’t take this kind of hot.”

— Neil Simon, Biloxi Blues

A lot of flats anglers, when they try to coach up flats newbies, will start first with the need to possess a competent double haul fly cast. It’s not bad advice, but I think it skips ahead in any bonefish angler’s story. Instead, let’s start with the basics.

The first thing you need to do for your first flats trip is simple. Show up prepared. Bring a hat, a face gaiter, lots of sunscreen (50 SPF or better), and a good pair (or two) of polarized sunglasses. Bring quick-dry clothes, right down to your underwear (no, I’m not kidding). You can splurge on things like sun gloves and long fishing pants, but I prefer a more pragmatic approach to my flats attire. I’ll often fish in shorts, but I’ll also go through a gallon of sun block. I reapply a lot, particularly to my face, the tips of my ears, and the tops of my hands – generally any exposed skin. When I’m barefoot, the tops of my feet get a frequent dose. I generally opt for a quick-dry sun hoody with long sleeves that I can roll up as needed. Regardless, know this: nothing feels quite so relentlessly miserable as sitting on the bench seat in a flats skiff or a panga under a cloudless tropical sky while your fishing buddy hunts bones from the casting platform. At the very least, flats anglers must protect themselves from the sun. A lively burn on Day One will ruin an entire trip.

Next, let’s talk about footwear. Flats anglers today have innumerable choices for tropical footwear, and some are certainly better than others. From simple flats booties to armored, water shedding wading boots, the choices are daunting. My advice? Simple is best. I go with an old pair of Simms booties coupled with a pair of neoprene socks. This combination works great for sandy or “crunchy” flats, and it packs easily. That said, while I’m on the boat, I’m almost always barefoot (more on that in a bit).

Scanning the flats of South Andros from a Bair’s Lodge skiff.

The gear

This is simple. A salt-worthy 8-weight fly rod coupled with a sturdy saltwater reel that’s loaded with a weight-corresponding tropical fly line is all most of us chasing bones will ever need. As you matriculate through the saltwater craft, you might eventually want a rod with a bit more backbone for permit or tarpon, but for any flats beginner, this “less is more” approach is wise. More gear makes an already complicated endeavor unnecessarily heavy. Start simple. As you advance, you’ll know what else you might need, and why you need it.

Flies, too, can be painstakingly simple. If you can secure a pair of bead chain eyes to a hookshank, you can likely tie 80 percent of the bonefish flies commonly used on the flats today. And, of course, any reputable fly shop in even the least-salty communities can likely help you fill in the blanks.

The tips you may not normally get

Listen and learn
This first one is big. Listen to, and pay attention to your guide. On your first flats trip, no matter how accomplished you are on trout water, or how dialed in you think your cast is, you absolutely do not know more than the guide on the poling platform. Put hubris aside. Listen and learn. In time, over many trips to the flats, you and your guide might become a very good team. You might one day start to see fish he misses. You might also be able to one day help a young guide get better at the guiding craft. But until then, he or she is the sensei on the boat. Got it, Grasshopper?

Barefoot or booted?
Next, remember that barefoot thing? Over the years, I’ve become a real convert to the barefoot approach to saltwater fly fishing, and, as I said, I’m nearly always barefoot on the boat. Why?

Well, your bare feet don’t have soles that limit the feel of the casting deck or laces and other appendages that can serve as snags. Barefoot, you’ll rarely stand on the fly line gathered at your feet and not know it. Most importantly, you’ll greatly reduce the chance of a money cast falling short because your outgoing fly line gets caught on the fastener of your wading boot. It’s a feel thing.

Now, off the boat and on the flats, your Bahamian or Mexican guide might just hop in barefoot and go. For you, unless your feet are used to rough, uneven surfaces, it’s always best to simply ask. The guide might say, “Yeah, sure, you’ll be all right.” But then again, he might note that, while the bottom is sandy, buried sting rays can be hard to see.

Line control
As a trout angler, chances are you understand things like mending the line, or pulling off a reach cast. On the flats, both on the boat and in the water, your biggest worry is likely going to be the line gathered at your feet.

When stripping line in, I always find it a bit easier if I exaggerate the strip and throw incoming line behind me, either onto the floor of the skiff or the panga or on the deck of the platform but well in back of me. I find that I have fewer issues with outgoing line getting caught on something when it comes time to cast with a purpose.

Casting with a purpose
This is a thing, and you’ll come to fully understand it when you’re staring at your first school of tailing bonefish headed right at you and your guide says, “Cast. 10 o’clock, 50 feet.”

This is the moment of truth. This is your chance, and on some trips, chances, or shots, don’t happen as much as you’d like. And, not to be an overt skeptic, but chances are, you’ll blow it. You might blow the second one, too. On my first flats trip, I went a week without catching a bonefish. A piss-poor saltwater cast coupled with seriously bad weather had our group counting shots on one hand over the course of five fishing days. Thankfully, I’ve never been able to replicate that amount of bad suck since

My advice? Pretend you’re looking at the hula hoop on the lawn. You know, the one you spent hours casting at in preparation for the trip. Relax. Take a breath. Cast. It’s only a bonefish.

But remember this. It’s a bonefish. It’s not a trout.

Don’t trout set
Chances are you’ve heard this one before. But it bears repeating.

One thing newbies on the flats don’t practice before a bonefish trip is the strip set. And, for trout anglers, the strip set is not second nature. It doesn’t come naturally. So when that first bonefish commits, don’t set the hook with your rod. Set the hook with your stripping hand. And for goodness’ sake, practice it.

These days, my “trout set” is reserved for dry-fly casting only. Even when I streamer fish for trout, I strip set. It works better and creates a more direct connection with just about any fish.

This is supposed to be fun

I’ve never understood the anglers who take recreational fishing – any type of recreational fishing – so seriously. If they’re doing it right, they’re taking in the craft and all its trappings. Flats fishing is no different.

If you’re not fishing, become the biggest cheerleader on the boat (or, if your fishing buddy has a good sense of humor, rib them mercilessly and expect the same in return).

Have fun. Look around. You’re almost certainly in a place where everything is different than what you are accustomed to. Enjoying watching the frigate birds glide on the thermals. Marvel at the sharks slinking away from the approaching boat. Maybe you’ll see manatee, or dolphin. You might even see a crocodile. Take it all in.

And when you’re on the platform, fly rod at the ready, eyes glued to the clear water beneath you, remember this. What happens next means very little in the grand scheme of things. It’s just fishing.