We’re not lying when we say that bonefish on South Andros aren’t typically as spooky as they can be in other parts of the world. That being said, they’re still bonefish, and presenting a fly in a non-terrifying manner is still the name of the game.
We’ve brought you four ways to spook fewer bonefish in the past. Today we give you three more.
3 Ways to Spook Fewer Bonefish
- Cast sidearm on short casts. For shorter shots, dropping to a more horizontal plane can void spooking wary fish. Casting directly overhead leaves the rod higher in the air, potentially casting a longer shadow that could spook a nearby fish. Plus, by casting sidearm your fly line, leader, and fly are able to unroll horizontally above the surface of the water, as opposed to straight down onto the surface when casting directly overhead, resulting in a more subtle presentation.
- Blend in. We’ve suggested in the past that wearing a bright colored shirt on the flats can spook fish. That being said, we’ve also debunked that myth as well. Regardless, one thing that we do know for certain is that wearing clothes that blend into the surroundings on the flats doesn’t hurt. Can you eventually catch a bonefish while wearing a ridiculously bright clothing? Yes. Will you spook fewer fish wearing earth tones and pastels that blend into the surroundings? Probably. We’ll take the latter.
- Add some tippet. Most of the time we don’t fish very long leaders at Andros South. Under most circumstances, the fish aren’t usually spooky enough to warrant struggling to turn over a twelve foot leader into the wind. In fact, most of our guests fish leaders in the 8-10 foot range. However, if you’re having trouble spooking fish, adding a foot or two of tippet to your leader can make a huge difference. Not only will it increase the distance between your fly and fly line, but the longer leader will also help dissipate more energy from your fly line, resulting in a softer presentation.
Ninja walk