Best Bonefish Flies

The best bonefish flies are designed to mimic three main food groups that bonefish feed on, baitfish, crabs, and shrimp. All of these bonefish fly fishing flies play an important role no matter where you are fishing for bonefish.

Saltwater shrimp flies make up a vast majority of saltwater flies as it relates to fishing for bonefish. Bonefish fly patterns like gotchas, crazy Charlies, sili shrimp, and Christmas Island specials, all make for great bonefish flies! These bonefish fly patterns will be tied in bright colors like chartreuse, red, pink, and orange, and usually have some rubber legs and flash tied in for a little extra fish attracting power.

Crabs are one of the best and probably the most popular out of all the saltwater flies for bonefish. They are found anywhere bonefish swim, and definitely are the preferred meals by these fish. Crab bonefish flies come in a variety of different materials and colors, so having a few to choose from in your fly box is a great suggestion. Bonefish that are found over dark colored bottoms and eel grass tend to feed on darker colored crabs. Shades of brown and olive make for good crab bonefish flies in these places. When fishing over light colored bottoms or white sand, shades of white and tan will be par for the course.

When pursuing bonefish, baitfish flies are probably the least thought about in a fly angler’s inventory, however, they can be THE most important of these three major food sources. In places like Hawaii and Venezuela, bonefish grow to really large sizes. Here, the flats are relatively small in size, and the fish that live here spend a majority of their time out in deeper water. While they are here, they feed almost exclusively on baitfish, often times crashing thru schools of them much like tuna or dorado would do. Clouser minnows and deceivers make the best bonefish flies for these situations.

By far though, the most important thing about bonefish fly patterns is the rate at which they sink. Meaning, are they tied with no eyes, bead chain eyes, or lead eyes? Since bonefish can be found in anywhere from 6 inches of water, to six feet, having bonefish flies that will sink to these different levels is imperative. Choose a saltwater fly that’s not weighted enough, and a bonefish will swim right underneath it. Choose one that’s too heavy, and you will spook them out of shallow water. Similar to throwing a rock in the water. The more time you spend on the water chasing these fish, the more you will be able to fine tune your game and make every outing a successful one. But before you go, check out our bonefish flies for sale on our website and grab a handful!