Bonefish fly patterns
Bonefish fly patterns are a collection of artificial flies routinely used by fly anglers targeting various species of Bonefish. Bonefish frequent tidal sand and mudflats in tropical and sub-tropical latitudes to feed on benthic worms, fry, crustaceans, and mollusks. Bonefish have small mouths and most Bonefish flies are tied on size 4 to 8 saltwater fly hooks.
| Bonefish fly patterns | |
|---|---|
| Artificial fly | |
 Feeding Bonefish | |
| Type | Saltwater fly |
| Imitates | Crabs, Shrimp, Baitfish |
| Materials | |
| Typical sizes | 4-8 Standard Saltwater |
| Typical hooks | TMC 811 |
| Uses | |
| Primary use | Bonefish |
Bonefish fly patterns are a collection of artificial flies routinely used by fly anglers targeting various species of Bonefish. Bonefish frequent tidal sand and mudflats in tropical and sub-tropical latitudes to feed on benthic worms, fry, crustaceans, and mollusks.[1] Bonefish have small mouths and most Bonefish flies are tied on size 4 to 8 saltwater fly hooks.
 |
Early Bonefish patterns
[edit]Early records show bonefish being targeted with flies as early as 1926 and by the 1940s fly fishing for bonefish with crude shrimp and baitfish patterns was not uncommon.[2]
- Horror
- Sands Bonefish fly
- Solomon Bonefish
- Pink Shrimp
As described in Fly Fishing in Saltwater (1974), Lefty Kreh[4]
- The Horror
- Blue Tail Fly
- Frankie Belle Bonefish Fly
-
The Horror Bonefish fly -
Frankie Belle Bonefish fly -
Pink Shrimp -
Sands Bonefish fly
Crab patterns
[edit]- McFly Crab
- Hochner's Defiant Crab
- Detonator Crab
- Cathy's Fleeing Crab
- Palometa Crab
- Bastard Permit Crab
- Merkin Crab
- Bonefish Bitters
- Turneffe Crab
- The Other Crab
- The Critter Crab
- Crab-Let
- Quivering Fringe
As Described in Inshore Flies (2000), Jim Schollmeyer and Ted Leeson[6]
- Blue Crab
- Bone Bug
- Flats Burger
- Fleeing Crab
- Mess of a Crab
- One Shot Crab
- Slam-A-Rod
Shrimp patterns
[edit]Tying Tips and Fishing Strategies (2015), David Klausmeyer [5]
- Miheve's Flats Fly
- Mosquito Lagoon Special
- EZ Slider
- Bone Appetite
- Bonefish Slider
- Bob's Mantis Shrimp
- Rocket Man Mantis
- Gotcha
- UV2 Shrimp
- Salt Creature
- Reverend Laing
- Imitator Shrimp
- Ghost Belly Shrimp
- Bunny Shrimp
- Bird Fur Shrimp
- Spawning Ghost
- Foxy Shrimp
As Described in Inshore Flies (2000), Jim Schollmeyer and Ted Leeson[6]
- Algal Bloom
- Arctic Shrimp
- B. C. Shrimp
- Cole's Peel and Eat Shrimp
- Don's Popping Shrimp
- Epoxy Slider
- Glass Bead Shrimp
- Hart Glass Shrimp
- Key Lime Fly
- Red Eye Bone
As described in Professionals' Favorite Flies-Volume 2-Streamers, Poppers, Crustaceans and Saltwater Patterns (1994), Lefty Kreh [7]
- Snapping Shrimp
- Deer Hair Shrimp
- Lou's Bonefish Fly
Baitfish patterns
[edit]- Epoxy Minnow
- Bullethead Glass Minnow
- Greg's Bottom Feeder
- Mullet Diver
As described in Professionals' Favorite Flies-Volume 2-Streamers, Poppers, Crustaceans and Saltwater Patterns (1994), Lefty Kreh [7]
- Apricot Crazy Charlie
Hybrid patterns
[edit]Hybrid patterns are patterns often referred to as general attractor patterns or patterns specifically designed to imitate more than one type of prey, i.e. both shrimp and crabs.
- Mini-Puff
- Mother of Epoxy
- Bonefish Special
- Bonefish Bunny
- Bend Back
As Described in Inshore Flies (2000), Jim Schollmeyer and Ted Leeson[6]
- Epoxy Charlie
- FuzBone
- Glass Spoon Fly
- Greg's Flats Fly
- Lord Pinky
- Mr. Pinky
- Weighted Bend Back
Notes
[edit]- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Albula vulpes". FishBase. June 2007 version.
- ^ Brooks, Joe (1968). Saltwater Game Fishing. New York: Harper & Row Publishers. p. 288.
- ^ Bay, Kenneth E.; Kessler, Herman (1972). Salt Water Flies-Popular Patterns and How to Tie Them. New York: J.B. Lippincott Company. ISBN 0397009399.
- ^ Kreh, Lefty (1974). Fly Fishing in Saltwater. New York: Crown Publishers Inc. p. 72.
- ^ a b Klausmeyer, David (2015). 101 Favorite Saltwater Flies-History, Tying Tips and Fishing Strategies. New York: Skyhorse Publishing. pp. 125–207. ISBN 9781632205384.
- ^ a b c d Schollmeyer, Jim; Leeson, Ted (2000). Inshore Flies-Best Contemporary Patterns from the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. Portland, OR: Frank Amato Publications. pp. 51–76. ISBN 157188193X.
- ^ a b c Kreh, Lefty (1994). Professionals' Favorite Flies-Volume 2-Streamers, Poppers, Crustaceans and Saltwater Patterns. Birmingham, Alabama: Odysseus Editions. pp. 135–170.
