When sight-fishing for shallow, salt water species like bonefish, permit and tarpon on a fun-in-the-sun vacation getaway a certain inconvenient truth quickly hits you. You will be spending far more time NOT fishing than actively casting a line. As your flats guide quietly polls the boat over the dazzling sandy expanses in less than a metre of water, searching the glare for a ghostly shadow.
As the fish are constantly in motion searching the skinny water for crustaceans, the flats fly-angler spends a lot of time with his fly hanging limply from his hand and fly-line coiled at his feet then waving his rod. So when the shout from the polling platform finally comes the cast - or "shot" as it’s called in flats fishing - must be quick and accurate to a target that’s all but invisible to inexperienced vacationing eyes. So don’t mess it up.
Searching the flats for a cruising bonefish.
The best way to prevent a wreck is preparation. Make sure there is ample line beyond the rod tip to load the rod efficiently. You will only get one, maybe two, false casts max to intercept the cruising bone. Assure the line coils are loose to prevent binding in the rod guides and a blown opportunity. Also be aware of any bolts, stow handles or cleats on the casting deck to tangle the line. And whatever you do, do not step on the line.
If you do get a take, do not, repeat DO NOT, "trout-set" the fly by raising the rod tip. Because you will likely get yelled at and double the humiliation by probably losing the fish as well. Get used to the hook-placing technique called the "strip set", imprint it on your brain, practice it at home before boarding the aircraft.
Once the hook is set the last place the bonefish wants to be is on that flat and chances are it will run right into your backing. Stepping on the line will trigger a break off. So will not clearing the line and letting it wrap around the reel handle. And a rapidly spinning reel handle can become a lethal weapon when it comes in contact with a knuckle. So stay safe, be prepared and give it your best shot.
