For years I’ve heard that you shouldn’t go bonefishing in the winter months (December, January, February, even March) because of the risk of cold fronts.  I’ve also heard and read that bonefish are temperature sensitive and it’s futile to fish in water temperatures under 70 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Hogwash!  In 25 years of booking bonefish trips and making plenty of them myself, I’d like to offer my “observations” on the subject.   While I haven’t adhered to strict scientific doctrine, I always carry a stream thermometer on bonefish trips and check water temps frequently.  And in my opinion, it’s more important which direction the water temperature is moving. 

Yes, when a cold front pushes in and chills the water temps on the flats below 68 – 70 degrees, bonefish will start moving off the flats if they feel the temperature dropping, into deeper, warmer water.  It’s generally accepted (and I agree) that smaller bonefish are more sensitive to cooler water temps and the bigger boys will stay up on the flats feeding longer with dropping water temps (and be the first to return on rising temps).   I know a few trophy bone hunters who go in January so they won’t have to weed through the smaller fish!  As the water temp continues to drop, the bigger fish will also move off into deeper, warmer water.  But I’ve witnessed bigger fish feeding on the flat until temps hit 65 degrees.   If the temp continues to drop or holds steady at less than 65, fishing will be slow.

However, bonefish need to eat, and by design, they take their nourishment on the fertile, food-rich flats.   Deep water is Slim Pickens for a bonefish so they don’t like to stay there long.  It’s been my observation, that even when air temperatures are in the low to mid-60’s, if the sun is out, the flats will soak up the sun’s radiant heat and warm quickly.  As soon as the bones sense the water temperature is rising, they will return to the flats and feed voraciously.  And the fishing can actually be fantastic.  I’ve experienced this on numerous occasions, but perhaps the best example took place in late February on Grand Bahama a few years ago.   

Notice the Fleece? And the 14 lb January Bonefish?

My fishing buddy, Mark Hatter and I arrived during a “cold front”.   The water temperature on the flat was 63-64 degrees our first morning.   But the sun was strong, and the flat was soaking in the radiant heat, and the water temp was rising.  We barely got line stripped off our reels before we were making shots at hungry bones.   The sun held and the water temperature continued to slowly rise (I checked it several times during the day), and the bones fed like gluttons all day!   At 3:30 pm as we reeled in, I checked the temperature one last time – 69 degrees.  We had boated 32 bones, all between 5 and 9 ½ pounds, and the water temp never even hit 70 degrees!  It was a spectacular day of high quality bonefishing – in the dead of winter, on the tail of a cold front – when you’re not supposed to go! 

I’ve had other similar experiences that support my position.  And on the flip side, I’ve lost fishing days to wind and sideways rain in April and May, so called “prime time”.   The weather can bite you in the tail anytime.   The guy who said, “the best time to go fishing is when you can get away”, may have known something the “experts” didn’t!   So…Fear Not Winter Bonefishing!  You might just hit some of the best bonefishing you’ve ever had!

Want to learn more about bonefishing bonefishing in the winter months or go on a winter bonefishing trip – Call Doug in the Angler Adventures office (800-628-1447 / 860-434-9624) or email Doug@AnglerAdventures.com.

It’s easy and free to enter – just email Evan@angleradventures.com for a chance to win this awesome bonefishing trip.  Or, give us a call at 800-628-1447 (860-434-9624) and we’ll be happy to add you. 

Plus, to sweeten the pot, we’ve added a bonus promotion for everyone who enters the raffle. Stay 5-nights/4-days for the price of 4-nights/3-days. In other words, you pay $2,640 per person (October to the end of February and July), a savings of $660 per person or pay $3,300 per person (March through June), a savings of $900 per person.

For more details, click below:

Wanna Bonefish for Free?

Personally, I love New Zealand in the late spring, which in the Southern Hemisphere is mid- November and early-December.  Here are the top five reasons I love to visit New Zealand in the spring. 

1. The fishing for both Brown and Rainbow Trout can be outstanding.  The trout are hungry and unpressured and more than willing to take a well presented fly.
2. The weather is mild, average temperatures are in the 70’s, making stalking trout along New Zealand’s clear rivers very comfortable.
3. Sight nymphing with Stoneflies and the beginning of New Zealand mayfly hatches.
4. It’s not out of your price range!  Spring fishing rates and great airfares in Air New Zealand’s new luxurious cabins (http://insidestory.airnztravelagent.com//) make a fishing trip to New Zealand an affordable option.
5. The culture: Trips to New Zealand are about more than just trout fishing.  Late spring offers the highest density of non-fishing activities and events around the cities that really showcase New Zealand. 

Getting excited?  You should call (800-628-1447) or email (Judy@angleradventures.com) Judy Hall to discuss the possibility of your trip to New Zealand.

One of Judy's many Spring time New Zealand Brown Trout

We really like the “half again” leader formula – it’s easy to remember, turns over bonefish flies nicely, and can be easily adjusted to fit a variety of conditions.  Especially for Bonefishing, we find that the simpler the leader the better.  The “half-again” leader starts with a long butt, then half again, half again.

For example, a 5’ butt of 30-lb, 2 1/2 ’ section of 20-lb, 15” of 15-lb plus 27” tippet of 12 lb gives you an 11-foot leader. 

We recommend clear leader material such as Mason, Maxima Clear (not “Maxima Chameleon” or “Ultra Green”) Ande, Rio Saltwater IGFA or other brands designed for use in salt water.  The stiffness of Mason makes a good transition between fly line and leader, improving the ability of the leader to turn over the fly. Maxima, Ande and Rio are thinner than Mason,if you prefer a softer material.  Bring spools of 30-lb., 20-lb., 15-lb., 12-lb., 10-lb., and 8-lb. Mono.

Chip ties his own, you should too!

Standard leader length is 9 – 12 feet.  On a windy day, shorten your leader to 7 – 9 feet.  On a calm day, lengthen your leader to 12 – 14 feet (or more).  In either case, test out how your leader turns over the fly under the conditions that day and make any necessary adjustments.

Don’t Forget:  Check your leader regularly for wind knots or abrasion and replace if worn or weakened.

You can find more on leaders, like using Flourocarbon, why we recommend it and what knots to use, as well as other helpful information about bonefishing in the Bahamas in our “Bahamas Bonefishing What to Bring List”.

The Bully Special

Bully Special Fly Photo: © 2011 Dick Brown

A Bully Bevans design. Sample in photo was tied by Bully on a size 4 34007 hook and measures horizontally 2″ in length from hook eye to end of tail; bottom tip of wing is about 1 3/8″ below hook shank. A second sample from Bully measured 2 1/2″ by 1 3/8″ on a larger hook. Fly rides hook-point up.

Hook: 34007; sizes 4, 6

Thread: Fluorescent (Gotcha) pink or orange (actually burnt orange in hue) Danville Flat Waxed Nylon 3/0

Eyes: 5/32″ Spirit River nickel-plated I-Balz weighted barbell with green iris

Tail: Heavy (about thirty to forty strands) copper Krystal Flash

Body: Wound pearl Diamond Braid

Wing: Heavy (about thirty to forty strands) copper Krystal Flash

Prey notes: Suggestive of dark and medium brown mantis shrimps found in the Bahamas.

Anecdotes: New England fly fisher Ledge Mitchell was one of the first to use the fly, and he later scored a trophy fish with it. “Bruce Bauman and I were fishing with Bully at North Riding Point three years ago,” says Ledge. “We were doing OK but had had a couple of refusals, so I asked Bully if there was anything else we should try. He reached in his pocket and pulled out an all–gold-copper pattern, saying, ‘Try this.’ We had good luck fishing that fly— five bones, as I remember—and when I asked what it was called, Bully replied, ‘I don’t know.’ So I said to Bully, ‘I’m going to name it after you.’” A year later Ledge returned to NRP and took a 14-pound bone while fishing with fellow angler Carl Soderland and guide Deon Leathen. The fly? You guessed it—the Bully Special, which Ledge had tied on a big #2 hook. Author’s note: This fly, or one very similar to it, appears in the 2008 new and revised edition of Fly Fishing for Bonefish as the Deepwater Cay Club Fly. I have Ledge Mitchell (see his anecdote above) to thank for tipping me off that the pattern was, in fact, the Bully Special from the North Riding Point Club.

Bully Bevans is a superb bonefish guide. He is the North Riding Point Club’s “big fish specialist” and one of the guides most often requested by guests there. His fly has been extremely successful on Grand Bahama’s productive north shore.

Tying notes: Bully says he came up with this very effective big bone fly because he was out of flies and needed something to fish with for a client the next day. Good tying materials are notoriously rare in the Bahamas, so in a moment of pure serendipity, he tied his creation out of what he had on hand. It worked from the first day and is now his favorite fly. He ties it in sizes 4 and 6 only—he does not like it any bigger. He likes lead eyes for normal 11⁄2- to 2-foot depths and bead chain for shallower water, but none for tailing. Author’s note: I received three samples of this fly tied by Bully: two from Bully and a chewed-up sample from Ledge Mitchell (which may be one of the first Bully ever tied). One had I-Balz eyes and pink thread, one had unpainted lead eyes and brown thread, and one had nickel-plated eyes and fire orange thread . . . and all looked very fishy!

Reprinted from Bonefish Fly Patterns, 2nd Edition by Dick Brown, ©2011. Published by Lyons Press an imprint of Globe Pequot Press, Guilford, CT

The $3,250 rate includes 7 nights having your own room, 6 days fishing south Andros Island with 2 anglers guide, all meals and drinks (including beer, wine, and liquor), round-trip transportation to Andros South from the South Andros airport, loaner fishing equipment (if needed), Global Rescue enrollment, and Bahamian room tax.

And you get your own room!

There is currently space in the following weeks (please call or email to confirm that space is still available).

October 22 – 29, 2011

November 5 – 12 & 19 – 16, 2011

December 3 – 10 & 10 – 17, 2011

 Not what you’re looking for?  Check out our other bonefishing lodges in the Bahamas.

Anyone attending the luncheon and books a minimum 4-night/3-day fishing package in package November 1st – December 15th, 2011 at Poronui will get a FREE helicopter fly out during their stay!

Angler Adventures and Poronui Lodge are picking up the tab – Lunch is on us! Seating is limited and on a first come, first served basis. Please contact Judy Hall at 800-628-1447; 860-434-9624; judy@angleradventures.com to confirm your participation.

Serafina Fabulous Grill
29 East 61st Street
btw Madison & Park
New York, NY 10222
212-702-9898

Join Eve Reilly and Judy Hall for presentation and hear Eve’s masterful stories of the wily brown and rainbow trout fishing in the North Island (the ones that got away and the ones that didn’t).  Judy and Eve are both keen fly fishers and outdoor enthusiasts.   Please join us Monday, June 27^th, 2011 at the Compleat Angler’s new location, 537 Post Road, Darien, CT, 7:00 PM. 

We will have some nice raffle prizes, as well as offering anyone at the presentation who books a minimum 4-night/3-day fishing package November 1^st – December 15^th, 2011 at Poronui will get a FREE helicopter fly out during their stay! 

For friends of Poronui and Angler Adventures, this is a great opportunity to catch up, talk fishing, and maybe win a raffle prize.  Call or email The Compleat Angler or Angler Adventures to reserve a spot, seating is limited.

Angler Adventures: 800-628-1447; 860-434-9624; Judy@angleradventures.com      

The Compleat Angler: 203-655-9400; compleatangler@optonline.net

Beautiful Water

“Why bones are special—The bonefish is the nearest thing there is to a perfect gamefish for fly-fishing anglers. A voracious predator, it readily (but warily) takes flies. It accelerates faster and sprints farther than any other fish you take on light tackle. It fights more doggedly than most fish twice its size.

This performance alone would qualify the bonefish as one of the world’s top fly-fishing targets. But what makes this silver phantom of the tropics the ultimate quarry in fly fishing is that you must see it—sometimes from 80 feet away—before you can even cast to it. You stalk it like a predator. You track it down, take your aim, and cast with precision. You must make no mistakes. The ruthless, primitive survival instincts of this skittish creature leave no room for error.”

Reprinted from Fly Fishing for Bonefish, New and Revised by Dick Brown, (copyright 2008). Published by Lyons Press an imprint of Globe Pequot Press, Guilford, CT

Isn't that special?

That being said, the other reason to bonefish in the Bahamas is, well, BONEFISH!!!  Here’s a nice “10-pounder” landed by Pierce Walmsely.  Alec Kempe prefaced the image of Pierce’s bonefishng with “Lemon sharks & ‘cudas were all over us that day.  Gator kept Lemons from eating this particular fish with some great pole-on-the-sharks-head work.”

The colors are another reason - photo credit Alec Kempe

Grey’s Point Bonefish Inn is one of the unique destinations where almost 100% of the fishing is done wading, unless you choose to fish from the skiff.  Want more information on Grey’s Point or fishing the out islands of the Bahamas – call Angler Adventures at 800-628-1447 (860-434-9624) or drop us an email at info@angleradventures.com.