You would think a 4-foot powerhouse with explosive eats and blistering runs would be on most fly fishers’ bucket lists, but my experience is that most people hate them. When you hook a bonefish, it’s like ringing the dinner bell for alpha predators. They don’t get the respect of many other flats species, but you can sight-fish for them on the flats, they can be challenging, and when you hook them, they are a hell of a lot of fun.īonefish are widely adored by fly fishers but let’s face it. In the Bahamas and every other bonefish flat in the world, one of the most neglected opportunities is flats fishing for “the man in the brown suit.” Sharks. Most destinations involve a target species so it’s easy to develop tunnel vision on the primary objective, often to the detriment of adventure and great fishing.

Goatfish in French Polynesia, dogfish in Guyana, triggerfish in the Seychelles. Beyond fishing in unusual locations, I love to chase odd and nontraditional species. If I’m on the move I have a rod or six with me. I’ve caught koi in hotel display ponds and hooked nearly everything else that I could get to eat a fly, and I’m still looking for fresh targets.Ī fly rod is a staple in all of my travels-surf camp, weddings, business meetings. When I was in college, the nearest trout stream and the ocean were both a couple of hours away, but I could wade the creeks in Chapel Hill and cast to horny heads or catch panfish and bass in local ponds. This story was originally titled “Sharks on Flats: Pay a visit to the 'man in the brown suit'.” It appeared in the Dec-Jan-Feb 2016 issue of Fly Fisherman.

Flats fishing