If you’ve been following our blog for some time, you’re probably well aware that we really dig tube flies. Tube flies have become common place in the world of salmon and steelhead, and for good reason.. They work really well!
We’ve also had great success fishing tubes for other species from trout to barracuda, so lately we asked ourselves, why not bonefish?
Most fly tyers are reluctant to tie flies on tubes for anything other than salmon and steelhead, but tubes offer a whole bunch of advantages over traditional flies that are not limited to swinging for anadramous fish. For example, tying on tubes allow the following..
- Smaller shank hooks. The longer the shank of the hook, the more leverage can be put on the hook bend throughout the fight, in theory leading to more ‘thrown’ hooks. By tying on tubes, the size of the fly is not limited by the size of the hook, allowing the use of shorter shanked hooks with more holding power.
- Larger flies that are easier to cast. At Andros South, we like flies that are big (by bonefish standards) but light. Tubes allow for flies to be tied as light (or heavy) as possible, making for flies that are easier to cast and potentially land softer on the surface of the water.
- Longer lasting flies. Flies take a beating in saltwater, even ones tied on ‘stainless’ hooks. Flies tied on tubes allow the hook to be changed whenever need be, without damaging your fly.
Flies that land soft, are easier to cast, hold better, and don’t rust out? Seems ideal to a bonefish pattern to us. We’re going to be spinning up a few bonefish tubes in preparation of our upcoming season and we’ll be sure to report our findings.
Leave a Reply