Bonefishing Charters

The Florida Keys are well known world wide for their easy access to Bonefishing.  Bonefishing can be done with Bait, artificial or fly Fishing.  Bonefishing usually means flats boats, big, booming casts and hyper-spooky fish.  Bonefishing is one of the most esteemed forms of sport fishing in the world.  Bonefishing is more of a hunting expedition than fishing.

 Bonefishing

Bonefishing usually involves the guide poling a boat quietly across a shallow flat while both he and the angler search for bonefish.  Bonefishing is excellent off the Islamorada Flats.  Bonefishing is year round at Florida keys fishing charters.  Bonefishing is sometimes difficult as the fish has amazing talent of disappearing from the surface of the water.  Bonefishing is a mixture of trust, spotting and skill.  It is a mainstay of the fishing operation with miles of crystal clear, wadeable flats.  Bonefishing is as much an art and luck as it is technique, somehow knowing which way the fish will turn or when he has eaten a stationary fly.

The guide, often scanning the waters from an elevated platform, spots the tell-tale signs of the fish, which sometimes travel in schools of 30 or more.Guides are highly recommended for novices, and even for experienced fishermen.  Guides will pole or use a trolling motor to find and actually see the bonefish in the water before the cast is ever made. 

 The Boat

Depending on where in the flats we are heading, the boat ride is anywhere between 15 minutes and 45 minutes.  Most guides use 14 to 17-foot shallow draft boats powered by outboard motors to get to the fishing grounds, then pole their boats silently across the flats looking for signs of fish.

 Tackle

Flats fishing is the traditional way to persue bonefish, sight fishing with spin or fly fishing tackle for 2 or less persons.  Light Tackle Fishing is the preferred method from the majority of their fishing clients using light spin fishing gear and live bait.  Lightning quick runs work the drag system of the greatest tackle.  Most professional guides are prepared with extra tackle in case of emergencies, but the best flats fishing often takes place in remote locations where gear is not easy to come by.

Bonefishing is not a question of if, but when.  Bonefishing with a fly rod can be considered one of the most visually stimulating and challenging enterprises an angler can engage in.  Bonefishing is especially popular among fly fishermen, but fishing for this particular small fish requires some patience because bonefish tend to be hard to catch.