Fast/hard stripping for Bonefish

[Henry]

Hi Dick,

I'm just back from Eleuthera and on one occasion (on a rough Atlantic-side beach...no names here), I was agressively stripping a size 2 Chart/White Clauser over grassy patches for Jacks and Snappers (a few good bones seen in the area previously and did catch some nice jacks and snappers). To my surprise and delight, I stripped into a decent bone and subsiquently lost another after that. These were fast/hard strips of 12 inches or so without any significant pause between pulls. The bead-chain eyes of the fly were barely visible in the gullet of that fish.

Is such an occurrance typical or just a fluke? I've heard that bones occasionally key in on glass minnows and such but never would have thought they'd actually persue and clobber fast moving baits way off bottom.

Thanks for all your work and support of the game,

Henry

[Marshrunner]

Hi Henry,

Thank you for your comments.

I have had times when vigorous strips got their attention--most often in oceanside flats where there are baitfish and when using jigging type flies like Clousers. Once in fact was not far from where you were fishing. Bones are very opportunistic and while they tend to key on bottom dwellers, they will certainly chase any food that looks real and catchable as long as they themselves feel settled and safe. Another place that strip works is near the outflows that drain outer flats near the ocean, where bones can ambush bait fish the way stripers do. Finally, Dave Whitlock noticed bones at Los Roques VZ preying on large number on schooling baitfish and even created a Clouser-like pattern for it--his Marabou and Pearl Glass Minnow. It's in the Patterns book.

Dick

[ChemFly]

Dick,
I once witnessed bonefish breaking the surface on a rather deep section (40+inches of water) off an oceanside flat on St. John. They were chasing what looked to be small baitfish. Several fish even brooched and completely cleared the water. At the time I thought that this behavior was just a freak occurance,but know that you have brought this action to light I will keep my eye on deeper water in the future. Is this a common activity?

Thanks for your guidance.
JW

[Marshrunner]

I don't see it often but like most of us I lean toward shallower waters. Probably more common than we think and worth a look along deeper edges when hard to find them shallow.

Also I know they'll hang in schools oceanside in deeper water sometimes in storms and I'd guess--opportunistic feeders that they are--eat any small baits that come their way. Problem for them of course is that they are vulnerable to big predators there and will move back into the shallow flats for safety and their customary bottom-dwelling diet favorites as soon as winds, temps, turbidity, etc are favorable.

Dick