Whether you are planning a trip to the Bahamas, Mexico, Hawaii or Costa Rica; fly fishing for bonefish is high on the list of desirable trips. Bonefish are one of the most sought after species in saltwater fly fishing because they inhabit shallow water and they have great table fare.
In order to hook into these fish you have to bring the right stuff.
The first thing you need is a good saltwater fly rod. The rod should be an 8wt if you are going to be fishing from the flats, although I have successfully hooked bonefish on a 7wt and even landed one or two on a 6wt. You don't want to play the fish too long with this weight, however; because it is very tiring to the angler.
You should use an 8wt line because anything less than this will not cut through the water well enough to make it easy for you to cast or retrieve your fly. You can go up or down from there as far as tippet size goes; but the above outfit will work just fine.
There are many different kinds of flies to choose from but the ones that I use the most are the Clouser Deep Minnow and deceivers, grey ghost streamers, Bonefish Specials, Crystal Leech patterns and white squirmers. These all work great because they resemble any number of things that bonefish eat and they work well in both clear and dark water.
As you can see there are all sorts of choices to pick from when it comes to fly patterns. Any of the above will work great if they are fished correctly. I have been using these patterns for over 20 years with much success, but that doesn't mean that there aren't other good patterns out there. Find what works best for you and use it until you find something better.
As far as leaders go, I recommend using Fluorocarbon material because it is nearly invisible in the water and doesn't absorb much water; thus maintaining its strength even when wet. You want a leader that is between 9 and 12 feet in length. If the water is murky or dirty you can go up to 15ft with no problems; but in clear water 10-12 ft. is best.
Don't make the leader too long because it will be hard to cast and they do get hung up on reeds, grass and other things that are beside of around the flats.
When it comes to tippets I use both Maxima and Orvis Super Strong, but you can also use Rio Fluoroflex. To me there isn't much difference between the three; however, many anglers do swear by one or the other because they claim that they don't break as easily as others like Maxima.
This is all up to the individual, but the above outfit will work great for fishing most anywhere in the world. You can use any 12wt fly line that you want; however I prefer Rio Outbound Short because they are easy to cast and they are virtually indestructible. As long as you have a good rod, reel with backing, line, weight forward floating fly line and leaders you should have no problems hooking into the big ones.
You just have to remember to strip strike them well because they will be running off with your fly before you know it if you are not used to catching bonefish.
If you are new to saltwater fly fishing or just want to learn a better way to fly fish the flats try bonefishing. You will enjoy it once you get a few hooked and you will be coming back for more.
