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.
| 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 |
Early Bonefish patterns
editEarly 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
editTying 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
editHybrid patterns
editHybrid 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.