BONEFISH 101

The time between Christmas and New Year’s is that odd stretch where everything feels out of sync. You’re not sure if you should be relaxing at home or getting things done. It’s that in-between time where you’re just coasting, not quite ready for the “New Year, New Me!” mindset. It’s like a pause before the reset—limbo, but with a sense of anticipation for what’s next.

Photo by David Page

Well, why not try to fill limbo with a spontaneous adventure? Hmmm… The hamster wheel starts turning.

So I pick up the phone, call a few friends, pull some strings––badda bing, badda boom! Next thing you know, I’m on plane headed to the Marls of Abaco. Oliver White, a world-renowned fly fisherman and conservationist, runs a beautiful lodge on the island that offers up some of the best bonefishing in the world. White’s spot on the island’s western edge, the Abaco Lodge, is the only bonefishing resort in the Marls.

Coming from my regular ol’ trout fishing and rolling into saltwater fly fishing, you could say that I got my ass handed to me on a silver platter. Bonefish are stealthy, elusive, and fast––the seventh-fastest fish in the world—which makes them truly challenging to catch. The first day I was on the water, I made every mistake in the book: I trout set when I should’ve strip set, I broke fish off, I cast too close, I cast too far, I cast on their heads, I cast on their tails, I let the wind cast it into my neck. Anything and everything…I did it wrong. After my first day of bonefish school, I was more determined than ever to land one of these ghosts. 

Saltwater fly fishing is similar to shooting. I shot competitively for many years in Olympic-style air-rifle, and I found that the more I thought about it, the more I realized how uncanny the similarities are. Everything carries over to your cast/shot, both mentally and physically. As a shooter, you typically learn in the order of basic muscle memory and mechanics of shot process, and then you develop your mental game. And the mental game is what separates the good  shooters from the great shooters. It’s the same with saltwater fly fishing. I say ‘saltwater’ specifically because you’re casting farther, wind factor is real, fly placement is crucial, and there are fewer opportunities.  If you have any bad habits or weaknesses fishing fresh water, it’s going to be amplified here. 

Photo by David Page

Going into day two, I was way more educated on these fish, but the elements weren’t as kind as they were on the first day. It was much more windy, making the fish hard to see in the windswept water and certainly not lending a hand to my novice casting ability. As luck would have it, though, we were able to locate a cove where the wind wasn’t as fierce and where there was a small school of happy-tailing fish for me to target. Travis, my guide, told me to shoot the line at 11 o’clock, but my first cast was long and more like 1 o’clock so I stripped some line in, regrouped, and made a great cast that landed two feet in front of the feeding fish.

Travis immediately started coaching me on how fast to strip until the fish had eaten had my fly. He said “SET!” and, just like that, my first bonefish was on the line. The sound of the fish taking line off the reel is intoxicating, and feeling firsthand how powerful these fish are is something I’ll never forget. When we finally boated the fish, I slid my hands under its belly for a quick picture and my smile was ear to ear—it’s truly the memory of a lifetime.

I consider myself green in the world of fly fishing, but I’m hellbent on mastering it. To be continued…