Bone Fish
- Description
- Silvery color with bluish or greenish back.
- Slender, round body; snout long, conical, aiming downward and overhanging lower jaw.
- Dark streaks between scales on upper half of body and faint crossbands extending down to lateral line.
- Extremities of dorsal and caudal fins shaded with black.
- General Information
- Travels in loose schools; roots out shrimp, shellfish, crabs, and fish from the bottom.
- Spawns offshore, eggs hatching into ribbon-like larvae that metamorphose into fish-like form at about 2 inches and move inshore.
- Distribution
- Bonefish prefer to feed on the flats. They move onto the flats and feed when the water temperature is between 74 and 86 degrees.
- They move to the deeper waters of nearby channels when water temperature is above or below this range.
- Tackle and Techniques
- A 6-7 foot spinning rod and reel is the standard for conventional tackle.
- At least 150 yards of 6-12 pound test line on the reel is the norm.
- Because bonefish have good eyesight and inhabit
very clear waters, they can see a line attached to a bait more readily than other saltwater fish. Thus, this is one of the rare instances in saltwater angling where you might consider fishing without a leader. It will work if the bottom doesn't have any rough areas.
- You could also use a fluorocarbon leader. This material is as close to invisible as you can get.
- Bait
- A free lined live shrimp is the number one natural bait.
- Jigs tipped with fresh shrimp also work.
- Stomach analyses reveal that bonefish eat large amounts of crabs, clams, and shrimp.
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Last Date Modified: 2/11/99
Frank Espanol
[email protected]