Rick Sisler’s Bonefish Rig

Rick Sisler is our manager at Andros South.  He’s a no-nonsense kind of guy.

Here’s the rig that you’d find Rick fishing on any given day on South Andros – a no-nonsense kind of rig!

The Summary

• Sage 890-4 Xi3
• Tibor Everglades
• RIO Tropical Clouser WF8F (for the nice days) and WF9F (for the not so nice days)

The Detail

• 20lb Dacron in a hi-vis color like orange or chartreuse, tied to spool with an Arbor knot
• Bimini Twist on the backing to attach fly line via loop to loop connection
• Tropical Clouser in an 8 or 9 weight dependent on the weather
• RIO 10′ 12 pound tapered leader, attached to the fly line with the factory loops and a loop to loop connection
• Veverka’s Mantis Shrimp tied on with a non-slip mono loop

The Commentary

“The Tropical Clouser has manufactured loops which can be replaced if you don’t have the confidence in them. Overall the quality of manufactured loops has come a long way and I feel pretty confident in them most of the time. This line also turns over the larger bonefish patterns we like to use on South Andros quite well. The only downside is that this line can be a bit tough to be subtle with due to the extreme taper.”

“I’ve tied a lot of leaders over the years and maybe that’s why I like to use the manufactured leaders more now days. Hand tied leaders can also cause problems with the knots catching on things like grass and other funk in the water, but they also have many more points of possible separation if you don’t tie each of those knots perfectly.”

“The Veverka’s Mantis Shrimp is one of my favorite flies. It fishes well in lots of conditions, it’s durable and my wife caught a giant bonefish on one a few years ago. Peterson’s Mantis Shrimp, standard Pearl or Pink Gotcha’s and Morrish’s Westside are all great choices as well.”

More Rigs for the Bahamas

• Bruce Chard’s Bonefish Rig – Our First Expert Rig Ever!
• Michael White’s Bonefish Rig
• Bruce Chard’s Barracuda Rig