Do it yourself bonefishing is not a simple task. DIY requires some knowledge and experience to be productive. Bonefish are a creature to be carefully approached, treated with respect and regarded as AWARE. I have been told by an extremely astute marine biologist, a fly fisherman himself and a power that be in bonefish research, not to humanize bonefish. No matter how you cut it, they are aware. Guides have complained that over the years bonefish have been hammered on by do it yourself fly fishermen, to the point where they are extremely spooky. There is some truth to this, however I was out with Stuart Cleare, one of the top bonefishing guides on Eleuthera and the son of the legendary Bonefish Joe, taking pictures of bonefish. We came up on a large school, waiting for the tide to get up a little higher so they could get up into the mangroves to feed. Stuart was in the water, walking the boat up them so I could get close enough to shoot. The bonefish would run around us, circle back and take up their position in front of mangroves again. We did this three or four times before they finally moved away. The bonefish on the Home Page of this website, was four feet away when I took that photograph. He was thirty feet away when he saw me. He swam right up to me. I believe he was curious. My marine biologist friend would say I am humanizing bonefish. They seem to know when they are being hunted. Anyway, they know a sloppy cast when they see one.
The sport of fly fishing has grown exponentially over the years and there are many anglers new to bonefishing, out there on the flats. Many of them have not figured out how to wade a flat and end up scaring the bonefish. After a few unproductive days, they end up going to a guide. This should be done the other way around.. The guides can show a new bone fisherman how it is done and most importantly, why. I have had many days of spooking bonefish with bad casts because of rough conditions, like high wind , overcast skies, and lack of visibility The guides understand that conditions are not always optimal and know the workarounds. It is a good practice to get this information up front. What works on Andros may be different from what works on Eleuthera. What works on one flat may be different from what will work on another, twenty miles away.
For me, do it yourself bonefishing is the way to go. I like being alone on a flat, creek, sound or beach. There is something "spiritual" about it. In the Bahamas an angler can still find these places, however with the growth of the sport of fly fishing and the amount of DIY guys coming to the islands to bonefish, in the peak of tourist season, that is sometimes not possible. I have seen eight anglers on Savannah Sound, on Eleuthera, all fishing on a mile of bottom. One guy was blind casting which is not a good practice for bonefish. Some of the others were moving kind of heavy footed. All of them had to be new to do it yourself bonefishing. Most flats WILL NOT support that many fly fishermen. Savannah Sound has the advantage and disadvantage of being very accessible. It is a beautiful location and attracts anglers to it for that reason alone. It is a prime piece of bonefish bottom, that produces good bonefishing consistently. I would suggest that if you see more than five anglers fly fishing there, you find another flat to fish. Please don't tell yourself it can support six. The next guy will tell himself it can support seven and so on. The ecology of the flats is delicate and should be respected.
On the island of Eleuthera, there is a unique opportunity to learn about flats ecology and bonefish at the Cape Eleuthera Institute and Island School. A free tour of the facilities is available.This is an excellent way to hone bonefishing skills, by learning about how they operate, where and why. The marine biologist I spoke of works there and he will gladly tell you not to humanize bonefish and illustrate this by allowing you to view tanks of bonefish that are currently being studied. This will provide a great deal of insight into bonefish. That translates into more productive time on the flats..
OK. Now that you have fished with guides, gone to Cape Eleuthera Institute and consulterd with marine biologists and you get out on a flat, the tide is coming in, the phase of the moon is good, the sun is shinning, the wind down, your cast is on the money and the bonefish are feeding. The right combination of skill and luck prevails and you hook a bone. What do you do with the little devil now.
For this information please go to... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfbGI3DuF This video is a fine example of good catch and release practices.
For me,one of the finest experiences in this life, is being alone on a flat when the bonefish are tailing
To be bonefishing, or not to be bonefishing... that is the question.