Anglers love to carve notches into the bedpost. No, no, not THOSE kind of notches. I mean more of a proverbial bedpost. One notch for every different species of fish they’ve caught. You know, like those maps of America you see on the back of RVs, where you slap on a colored sticker every time you visit a new state. Like that, but for fish.
The true sport angler, once he (or she) has caught everything in the local area code, will hit the road in search of a new challenge. Eventually the quest will lead to Key West, which is pretty much Mecca for salt water fishing enthusiasts!
The first few trips out he’ll undoubtedly scratch off snapper, dolphin, grouper, and even barracuda, but there’s one fish that you can’t catch by simply trolling the wrecks. The bonefish. The Grey Ghost. Bringing in a bonefish yields a different type of excitement than the rigors of winning the fight against a mighty marlin or sailfish. Fishing for bonefish is a true challenge, and even experienced fishermen must work hard to find success.
Don’t expect to fill the boat
The first thing you need to realize when booking a fishing trip on the flats in Key West (the flats refer to shallow waters, between 8 inches and maybe 3 feet) is that you’re not going to be tossing fish into the hull at the same breakneck pace that you might find on a bottom or deep sea fishing boat. Too many visitors to the Florida Keys plan on catching a few bonefish, plus some tarpon and a permit or two all in the same day, only to end up disappointed.
The Grey Ghost of the Florida Keys Flats
Bonefish – aka the “Grey Ghost” for their elusive, shadowy presence on the flats, – grow up to 19 pounds (worldwide) but in the Florida Keys, a fish over 8 pounds is thought to be large. The reality is that catching a bonefish requires a lot of skill and the novice fisherman should be proud to catch even one! On an average day on the flats you’ll get 20-25 chances to cast at a bonefish – but maybe one bite! Florida law prohibits taking more than one a day, but most Keys guides like Key West’s Eric Ryan, practice catch and release of this precious prize.
Key West Flats Guide Eric Ryan holds a bonefish.
Good casting ability
First and foremost, if you want to catch a bonefish with a fly rod you’ll need to be a great caster. Often the casts are long, and they need to be extremely accurate. Even if you are using a spinning reel, casting to the exact right spot is not only a challenge, but imperative to your chances of hauling one in.
Great flats vision
Fishing the flats is different because you do what’s called “sight fishing.” This means that you wait until you can visually see the fish in the shallow water before you cast. Instead of casting and hoping for the best, you first find your prey and then try to accurately lure them in to biting your hook. Yes, your hired guide will help you spot. But two sets of eyes are better than one, so the more practice you have at sighting bonefish the better you will get at it.
It’s a question of basic geometry
This is when not having slept through high school geometry helps you out. Casting is made double difficult because not only is the boat moving, but the fish are moving too, and on top of that you’ve got to take any breeze into account. In other words, once you have spotted the bonefish you have to accurately cast not to where they are, but to where you THINK they will be by the time your fly or bait gets there.
Bonefish release
What’s the best time of year to fish for bonefish in Key West?
You can fish for bonefish year round in Key West, but since the water in the flats is shallow they are greatly affected by outside temperature. The winter cools the water too much so that bonefish don’t always enter the flats, but in the summer the heat lowers the oxygen levels, which lowers the number of schools in the flats, too. Your best bet for bonefish is when the water temperatures are more moderate in the Spring and Fall. It is also important to note that you need daylight to spot fish. Unlike other types of fishing where earlier is better, sunlight helps you sight the fish in the shallow water.
And bait?
Bonefish love shrimp, and this is the best bait to use if you’re using a spinning reel. It’s a good idea to crush the head as this has the dual effect of making your line easier to cast (with the head crushed your line is less likely to spin) and also increasing the likelihood that a bonefish will smell your bait and swim up current to take a bite!
Bonefish resources:
- University of Miami: Bonefish and Tarpon research program: http://www.bonefishresearch.com/
- Conservation Program in the Florida Keys: Bonefish Trust – Florida Keys
- Biology: http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/bonefish/bonefish.html