Bonefish under a blue sky - Andros

The bonefish is built to survive in a hostile environment. Its nose is a shovel to dig in the sandy or muddy bottom of shallows in the most beautiful warm waters on the earth - Belize, Venezuela, Andros Island Bahamas, Costa Rica, Isamoralda, Christmas Island. Keen large eyes watch for predators and also can single out tiny crabs and shrimp midst the particles its nose distrubs as it digs for food. That same nose can smell Bullfrog suntan lotion accidently touched on a Crazy Charlie fly and avoid being caught by an aspiring bonefisherman who doesn't know to rub his fly in the mud before casting. The bonefish can hearing you humming a Beatles tune under your breath as you wait for instructions from the guide to cast. Most of all they seem to be able to out run a shark or a barracuda in any race where they are not handicapped by having to be attached by a hook to a fly rod. The sport of trying to catch bonefish is the essence to fishing - the fish have a decided advantage in avoiding capture by men with Scott STS eight weight fly rods.

But catch them we do. Every once in a while the line rips from your hands and you see yourself into the backing before you can say "fish on!!" Then your line goes limp and you realize that the bonefish is headed straight for your boat like the great white whale and you had better start reeling or your fly rod will be useless. So you reel and reel and then you realize the line is being pulled the other direction against the drag and you fear you are losing again and on and on. This is one rush that you can't get arrested for.


Mangrove Cay sky March 13, 2008.

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