 
     |
 First published September 13th 2005 - More than 3 years ago
More about: Bonefish Saltwater Tropical Fish Better Global
The ghost and I A very personal view of bonefishing from a rookie in the gameBy Martin Joergensen
As you might gather from this, I am by no measure a seasoned bonefish angler. My bonefish trips can be counted on one hand—easily—and my experience is nowhere near what you will meet by people who take on these fascinating fish regularly. But I still feel that I have something to say about these elusive silver shadows, and that my experience holds some knowledge, which may be useful to others, who has taken or want to take on bonefishing.
Lefty and I like it
But in the moment I said "bonefishing" with very little hesitation. Well, there's no shame in agreeing with Lefty Kreh, and I really do find that my exposure to bonefishing, how scarce it might have been, has left me with a lasting impression of some of the most fun and exiting fishing one can experience.
Like home, and then again
When you first start looking for bonefish you will probably find yourself quite challenged in spotting them. I had a VERY hard time getting the feeling for what to look for. Both the guide and my companion angler would say "There, there!" and point over the water to a spot, which was absolutely no different from all the other water and sand around it. I would feel dumb and frustrated, and sometimes just cast in the general direction, to absolutely no avail. In the event of a bonefish actually located in that particular direction, I would most likely spook it.
It was not before I ventured off on my own that I actually started to grasp the idea and started seeing fish, and was able to cast properly to them. It was also at that time that I realized that it wasn't that difficult at all. The fact that the mediocrity of my casting led to many failures anyhow, well that's a whole other story...
Distance and direction The first lesson is learning what to look for and learning to see the difference between fishy things and less fishy things—like branches and weed. You are looking for shadows and movement, not the fish or fishy shapes. The second lesson is scale. I once had a very hard time seeing hundreds of fish creating many square metres of nervous water, because I was looking at the wrong scale. What I looked for was small. What I finally saw was BIG! Big as a living room floor... The third lesson is distance. At times I have realized that I have been looking for things pointed out to me, which I thought were twice (or half) as far away as they really were. Distance and direction are the crucial factors (of course), and being able to zoom in on that one right spot "10 o'clock, 20 metres out" is a good skill to acquire. Take your own pace One thing, which I learned was to try to relax and set the pace myself. Guides will be eager to please and other anglers may be impatient or just anxious and excited on your behalf. Flies will be changed, desperate casts will be repeated, and fish will be spooked. Just let that be, and try to get into your own grind. That led me to my modest success with da' bones, and it might do the same thing for you.
Maybe this will help: Fishing bonefish from a boat can be very efficient. Even though I personally find it less entertaining and thrilling than wading, the elevated stance will give you some great advantages when scouting for fish.
|
Submitted September 25th 2006
Hi,
I am a complete novice at bonefishing, but have researched the subject.
Going to Aruba soon where I saw a bone caught in the flats a few years ago and now excited to give it a go myself.
Will be wading on my own and taking onboard your comments.
Rod