Just how strong are bonefish?    Well, here are two hooks that were left somewhat the worse for wear after an encounter with a bonefish on the run. The smaller hook is a #6 and the larger a #4. Both hooks are stainless Mustad^® saltwater models.

The larger hook was straightened after a small (2-2½ pound) bone wrapped the 14-pound leader around a sponge and made and his exit. The #6 hook came back to the angler in it's present condition after a long run by a much bigger fish (5+ pounds) which culminated in a hard right turn by the fish. The sheer pressure created by the drag of 100 ft. of flyline through the water was enough to do this damage.

Be warned: you cannot stop a bonefish.*

So, be warned: you cannot stop a bonefish.* Also, light tippets (like those sold in store-bought leaders of 8-pound test) will only lead to frustration or near-dead fish if you are lucky enough to land one. Stick with 12-pound tippet for bonefish of 3-5 pounds and 14-16 pound test for anything over, especially trophy bones over 10 pounds. Leave that 10-pound tippet for dinky bones under 3 pounds.

It also helps to tie good knots, which can take a little practice. And, tying good knots doesn't mean simply tying the knots you know well. Good knots are those that are consistent, test at a high percentage breaking strength, and that you can tie well. You'll be surprise at just how much pressure you'll have to put on the right knot to break it, even in 10-pound tippet. In fact, I've actually broke several hooks (all stainless models) running my own knot tests (using a boga-grip, a spool of 10-pound mono, and some hooks).

So far here's what I've discovered:
1) One of the best knots for tying fly to leader is the Non-Slip Loop Knot, as tied by Lefty Kreh. It is very strong, easy to tie, and provides ample movement for the fly.

2) About the strongest knot for joining mono is the Blood Knot (more properly the Ligature Knot), but this is a pretty complicated tie (involving both hands and teeth - though a third hand would make it just about bareable, not easy, just bareable). A decent comprimise is the more commonly known Blood Knot as tied by, well, most everybody. Feel free to Google® it.

3) Cheap hooks cost fish. It's particularly disheartening when the hook is both cheap and stainless. That pretty much means that if you do tie strong knots and fight the fish too hard, you'll straighten the hook and lose the fish = sad for you. But, if you tie poor knots the fish might break off with a stainless hook stuck in its mouth indefinitely = sad for fishy. (Stainless hooks don't rust as quickly as tempered or galvanized models.)

4) Barbles hooks penetrate deeper and a hook that is sunk to the bend is less likely to open up.

Of course, most anglers aren't in much danger of breaking off their fish while fighting it. Most just don't pull hard enough on a fish for that. The real danger lies at both the beginning and end of the encounter. The hook-set is probably the most notorious time to pop a fish off. Since saltwater anglers strike the fish with their stripping hand instead of the rod (see Strip-Strike vs. Trout Set) there is no springy rod to cushon it. By the by, this seems to me one of the benefits of the Trout Set when using the light tippets required on many trout streams. With bonefish (and tarpon, and permit, and what all) you have to feel it - hitting just hard enough to firmly hook the fish but not so hard you pop it off, and you've got to be ready in a fractured second to release pressure and let the fish run. This can take some practice.

I guess one of the things that bugs me about not fighting fish hard enough is that we easily could. Have you ever cranked down the drag on your reel and tested how many pounds it takes to pull line off? Two things here: first, when you try this you inevitably feel as if the rod is going to explode from the sheer pressure. Second, it's usually not that much actual poundage that your drag creates. I remember a 10-weight reel I used for this test that cranked down only put about 6 pounds of pressure with 20 feet of line out the rod tip. Still, I kept wishing I had safety glasses on since I was sure my rod was going simply explode, blinding me with scrapnel. Needless to say, it didn't. What I did learn was that even when I thought I was really pulling on a fish it was nothing compared to that measly 6 pounds of pull. I shudder to think how little pressure I was putting on all the fish I'd fought before that simple test.

Finding the right pressure when landing a fish can also be a ticklish moment. This is true of any fish but especially for bonefish, who always seem capable of at least one more surprising burst just when you think they're licked. These runs toward the end of the fight may not have the same zing as that first blast across the flat, but they are just as hard on tackle. I think this is because the fish is closer to you than at any previous point in the fight. That means you don't have the stretch of the fly line and leader granting you room for error. Do you know just how much stretch is in the average fly line. Trust me, it's lots. This is the time to keep nice loose elbows and be ready to give line quickly if the fish makes a last ditch run. If you've done your job so far, it won't run far.

Long and short: tie good knots, don't skimp on hooks, and stay sharp when you've got that fish in close.

*This is not strictly accurate; you can stop a bonefish but at what cost? First, if you're using tackle light enough to make the whole business interesting and, yes, "sporting", you'll either break the leader or straighten the hook (depending on which it was you decided to save a few pennies on). Second, why would you want to stop a bonefish? Their amazing, line-eating run is sort of the whole point. If you've flown several thousand miles, dropped a couple mortgage payments on lodging, food, and guides, why would you possibly want to stop (or unduly shorten) what you came for in the first place. Every time I watch (in horror and fascination) as an angler reaches up to palm a reel on their first bonefish I really want to say, "Wow. Now that's how you blow a couple grand."

 

Try these simple tips before you cast a fly to your next bonefish. I guarantee you'll lose less fish.    << Back to SALTY TIPS Page

~ Davin Ebanks, Fly Fisherman & Bonefish Guide