Bonefish are hard to see. Keeping these tips in mind will help.
Look For Movement
When you first see a bonefish, it’s very unusual that you actually see the clear outline of the fish. Bonefish generally first appear as dark spots, moving slowly and steadily. They’re almost always moving, so keep your eyes out for moving dark spots. Ripples on the water and the movement of your boat (if you’re poling) can sometimes make it difficult to tell if that dark spot is actually moving, so if you see a spot that might be a bonefish, try to find another object on the bottom as a reference point, and compare the ‘movement’ of the spot against that point.
Look Where You Can See
This may seem obvious at first, but you should spend most of your time looking in the direction that you can see. The angle of the sun and the color of the bottom will make for better visibility in one direction and one area – look there! If you can’t see well 100 feet out, look 50 feet out. A periodic quick scan of areas with tough visibility never hurts, but most of the time you should systematically search the areas where you can see well. Don’t waste your time looking where you can’t see.
If You Can’t See The Bottom, Look At The Surface
If clouds and/or glare prevent you from seeing the bottom, look at the surface of the water. V-wakes, nervous water and certainly tails and/or fins could indicate the presence of bonefish. Cloudy but calm days can actually produce some fantastic fishing if you learn to look for movement on the water rather than trying to look in the water.
Follow Your Released Fish
If you haven’t spent a lot of time looking at bonefish in the water, take advantage of every opportunity that you get. One of the best comes when you or your partner has just released a fish. As the released fish swims away, try to keep your eyes on him for as long as possible. This is a great way to get used to how bonefish look in the water at various distances.
Now get out there and catch ’em!
Your site is always one of the best catches in the Net. Thanks, it’s entertaining and informative. From firsthand knowledge at Alaska West, I know that the people behind / on the pages are the best as well. Niki Thommen and I sure appreciate it!
Thanks very much Greg – we really appreciate the kind words.
Hope to see you on the water again soon!
Andrew