Won a bonefish trip to Exuma in Nov., anyone been? Looking for info on specific patterns to take and what the conditions are like there. Thanks in advance.
Yeah I am fishing with P&P. Should be a great trip. 5 nights, 6 days, 3 full days of guided fishing. I won the trip in a benefit raffle for Casting For Recovery.
I'd bring tan gotchas with pearl and pink highlights, turneffe crab and variations, petersons spawning shrimp, and ask Adrian about the "Pfleuger Hoy" a must for tailing and softwater presentations. I fish a saltwater version of my steelhead creeper for tailers in skinny water with great results.
For tarpon... Bahamas tarpon aren't likely to be very picky. I would venture anything that looks like a pinfish, mullet, pilchard, shrimp or crab will get them to explode on it provided you can find them in the mood.
Permit are around, just not very well understood by most Bahamians. With that many days you are sure to see one.
I had a couple shots on Acklins last February. I envy you!
Thanks guys! Wasn't aware that tarpon and permit were viable target there. I've been tying in size 4-8 for bones, will I need some bigger crabs for the permit?
Adrian, could you share some info on that "Pflueger Hoy" fly?
I've never been but I'd make sure I had some shrimp flies tyed w/ tan rabbit strips. Rabbit fur strips have been the most lucky for me. What my Mexico guide likes to do for permit is have on a larger shrimp pattern that will catch bones but also catch permit. He likes shrimp flies for permit b/c you actually strip the fly and where a crab fly has to be motion less. Less guess work if the permit ate the crab or not.
Talk to Drew at Tightlines Flyfishing (sponsor site: tightlinesflyfishing.com) about shrimp for both species. I KNOW tarpon will eat it too, kind of a grand slam pattern.
This fly is described in Dick Brown's book "Bonefish Fly Patterns". It was designed by Bob Hyde who just happens to run the P&P Bonefish lodge on Exuma
I got the one in the pic from Bob several years ago so its as close to original as you could get. Ask him about the fly, he might even have a couple to give you.
For the fly in the pic, the body is tan wool palmered with a cream hackle. The wing is tan marabou (arctic fox is better). The tail is a bunch of pale blue hackle fibres. You can play around with the colors but many of the crabs down there are very pale tan/cream with either a blue or purple shade on one of the claws. You can play around with colors - sometimes hot orange works down there.
The idea of this fly is it lands incredibly softly and can be cast to spooky fish tailing in very skinny water. You need to squeeze it under water to get it well soaked otherwise it will float! A size 6 is about right. If there is any current, cast it a little up current of tailing fish and let it drift down. Hold on tight :smokin:
Thanks again! A friend of mine let me borrow a couple of Dick Brown's books, I'll have to go back through and find that pattern. I like patterns like that, at first glance they don't look like much of anything but in the water they look like lively food.
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