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Aug 09 2012

Bonefish Feed Marks

Feed Mark
Feed Mark. Photo: Tosh Brown

Tosh Brown’s photo pairs up with Bruce Chard’s words for some insight on the calling cards of hungry bonefish – feed marks!

Feed Marks

Bonefish are well known for their ability to feed on bottom dwelling creatures.  Having their mouth structured underneath their head helps them to dig out little crabby and shrimpy candies with ease.

The bottom of a bonefish flat has layers, just like regular land. If you break the surface you might find some slightly different colored sand or coral.

When bonefish feed they will forage and actually dig into the bottom to wrestle out food. When they do this the surface on the bottom gets disturbed and reveals a different colored under-bottom. The marks that are left behind a feeding bonefish are called feed marks.

The strength of the contrast between the surface color and the under bottom color can help an angler tell how recent the feed marks were made.

If there’s lots of contrast between the layers, that means they’re really looking fresh, and that’s a good sign that bones have been on that flat recently.  Your odds of seeing fish are high in situations like this – assume the ready position!

More Bonefishing Tips

  • Wading for Bonefish – 5 Tips
  • Setting the Hook
  • Where You Should Go

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Fishbaydoc says

    August 16, 2012 at 7:18 am

    I’m not an expert -just a biology major and don’t live or work in the Bahamas -but hat looks like a mound made by a worm or a shrimp. I have a photo of a muzzle mark made by a bonefish and it’s much more irregular, in fact, it’s a triangular divot. I agree you can see the different layers as the material is upended. I’d be happy to send it to you; I just need an email address.

  2. Eddie Otero says

    August 20, 2012 at 11:40 pm

    I second that said by Fishbaydoc… that is not a feeding mark, it’s a worm mound, a good sign nonetheless but definitely not a feed mark.

  3. andrew says

    August 21, 2012 at 9:04 am

    Thanks for the input, guys! Agreed, I pulled the trigger a little too quickly on that picture. Fishbaydoc, we’d love to have the photo – you can send it to info@denekistaging.wpengine.com.

    Much appreciated!

Trackbacks

  1. Feed marks a la Deneki — Bonefish on the Brain says:
    August 16, 2012 at 1:04 am

    […] great post over at Deneki about bonefish feed marks. We’ve all seen them.  Nothing makes you anticipate a fish like the sign that a fish has […]

  2. Represent Water and Protect Rivers, How to Read Bonefish Feed Marks, Lake Trout in Yellowstone | MidCurrent says:
    August 19, 2012 at 5:55 am

    […] and root on the bottom of flats, bonefish leave distinctive marks behind them. Learn more about how to read the feed marks as well as how they can help your fishingon the Deneki Outdoors […]

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