8wt Line for fishing the flats for bones...

[Oregonism]

I'm headed to the Bahamas in a couple weeks for a vacation for the wife and the Island we found apparently has easily accessible bonefishing, so I'm going to bring an 8wt, get a guide for a day and then spend the rest of our two weeks finding some nice flats to head out on while the wife enjoys the beach.

Anyways, I need to figure out what line I need to get. I've seen "Bonefish tapers", but some people complain about them and their inability to cast into the wind. I was considering getting some sort of distance or shooting taper, but I'm not certain how far I'll need to cast. I basically just need recommendations on a versatile, easy casting line for warm saltwater fishing, capable of medium to long casting. Any ideas?

[sothereiwas]

Bonefish tapers are great for an 8wt. If the wind is really howling I step up to the 10wt with a Tarpon taper, they are designed to turn over bigger flies and handle bonefish flies with ease even in 20mph winds.
In my two trips to the Bahamas I did complete do it yourself fishing. The fish are smart when they are easy to access.
Oh and Monic clear floaters rock when fishing spooky fish.

Brad

[AndyK]

Originally Posted by Oregonism

I basically just need recommendations on a versatile, easy casting line for warm saltwater fishing, capable of medium to long casting. Any ideas?

I have used the RIO salt water and tropical Clouser lines. Both are great lines, even in the wind.

[Oregonism]

Originally Posted by sothereiwas

Bonefish tapers are great for an 8wt. If the wind is really howling I step up to the 10wt with a Tarpon taper, they are designed to turn over bigger flies and handle bonefish flies with ease even in 20mph winds.
In my two trips to the Bahamas I did complete do it yourself fishing. The fish are smart when they are easy to access.
Oh and Monic clear floaters rock when fishing spooky fish.

Brad

Yeah, I'm going to the island of Eleuthera (sounds like a movie, lol). Everything I've read said that the flats up and around the towns get fished a lot and have spooky fish, but you can drive down the total of 224+ miles of coastline (a long skinny island 112 miles long) and find basically endless, empty flats with basically unpressured fish. They aren't necessarily "easy" to access, but you don't need a boat to get to 'em.

I'd like to get a second spool for when the wind picks up, but I'm only dropping about $300 on a rod/reel, so dropping another $120+ on a spool and extra line might not be plausible. Versatility is pretty important.

I am probably either going to get a light blue line for the sake of camouflage, but also maintaining some sort of visibility.

Oh, and how far do you generally have to cast for spooky fish? I can double-haul pretty well, but I've read that you don't need to cast as far when your wading (vs. a skiff).

[sothereiwas]

I liked fishing my Rio Tropical versa-tip. Since most of the flats in the Bahamas have very little turtle grass you can fish the intermediate tip and increase your chances without having to worry about hanging up. If you can borrow a second rod as a back up. The only trip I took with one rod ended in a short first day on the water and a lot of drinking. Buy a back up line. Even if its one line weight off better to have it and not use it then be SOL. Sierra Trading Post usually has some tropical lines on their site that are great for back ups.

My experience flats fishing has taught me one thing. Be patient, take your time, pick your shots. You will be so much more successful if you make fewer better executed attempts that trying to force mediocre situations. Its kinda like hunting.

Most of the bonefish I have caught were within 50'. Permit, ha, dont get me started

[Lymanator]

I had a recent opportunity to test cast a Wulff Triangle Taper Line on a very fast TFO TICR-X. Like butter! I've never thrown tighter loops with such ease. It really was amazing. Now, my obsessive-compulsive fly fishing psychosis is in full effect. Can't get that line and rod combo out of my head...

I've have the Rio saltwater with clear int. tip and that worked pretty well in Mexico. Also, Cabela's saltwater lines are great for the price. Check out Bear's Den Fly Fishing online. Large saltwater line selection and lots of sale items.

[Oregonism]

Originally Posted by sothereiwas

I liked fishing my Rio Tropical versa-tip. Since most of the flats in the Bahamas have very little turtle grass you can fish the intermediate tip and increase your chances without having to worry about hanging up. If you can borrow a second rod as a back up. The only trip I took with one rod ended in a short first day on the water and a lot of drinking. Buy a back up line. Even if its one line weight off better to have it and not use it then be SOL. Sierra Trading Post usually has some tropical lines on their site that are great for back ups.

My experience flats fishing has taught me one thing. Be patient, take your time, pick your shots. You will be so much more successful if you make fewer better executed attempts that trying to force mediocre situations. Its kinda like hunting.

Most of the bonefish I have caught were within 50'. Permit, ha, dont get me started

Yeah, probably a good call. I might grab a second line to throw in my bag just in case I lose the first. I might check out those cheap Cabelas lines for that. I was actually even considering just taking the cheap SA line off my steelhead rod and bringing that with as a cheap backup. And you mention sinking line, but isn't most of the good water like 2ft deep? I'll be using floro tippet and I've heard that it sinks really fast.

I was mainly concerned that I'd have to throw some crazy distance casts, but it doesn't sound like that. I should probably work on my accuracy quite a bit. I used to be able to hit pocket water from a pretty good distance (30ft+), so I might have that working in my favor.

The rod I'll be using is the Echo Ion, but I've also considered the TFO TiCr. Should I be uplining to slow either these down for the sake of accuracy?

[NWFloridian]

I can't speak to the line issue. Your best bet is to go to the fly shop and cast a few. What I can speak to is fishing the flats. Growing up in Florida, that was one of my primary gigs. A couple of things... First, you're going to encounter wind. Head wind, tail wind, sideshore wind, offshore wind--you'll get it all. To paraphrase one of the guides I've fished with, you need to be able to cast 70 feet with accuracy in any wind condition. I've been to the Bahamas many times. With the exception of early in the morning, you're going to encounter minimum 10-15 mph winds, with many days gusting into the 20s. That's a LOT of wind if you're not used to it. Practice your double haul and be able to deliver a fly in cross winds. Accuracy is important in flats fishing.

Another thing... you'll want to lead the fish. If you drop a fly on a bonefish's head, he's going to spook. Determine their direction and drop a fly within 5-10 feet of them. Make sure that you're on line with their trajectory.

If you can, fish for carp before you go. I know, I know... they're carp. But if you want to simulate fly fishing for bones or reds, carp are pretty darned close (except for the fight). If you can catch carp consistently on the fly, you'll be able to catch bones.

Seeing fish on the flats is a real skill. Fishing with a guide for a day or even two is a good idea. If you've never done it, bones can be VERY hard to see. Look for shadows, movement, and nervous water. Don't necessarily expect to see fish. If you're lucky, you'll see some tails.

You might also see barracuda, horse-eye jacks, snapper, and other flats species. A second 10 weight rod rigged with a big streamer or a popper isn't a bad idea. You can also fish the channel edges when the tides are out for all kinds of cool fish.

Practice your casting before you go and have fun!

Dave

[Oregonism]

Yeah, that sounds like good advice (very similar to a lot of articles/threads I've been reading). I plan on heading out to a football field this evening to get a better estimate on what kind of distance I can put out, and hopefully encounter some sort of wind. I know how to double haul pretty well, but keeping it accurate will be a bit of a challenge. I won't be able to pick up my new rod until about 4 days before we leave, and I'll hopefully be able to spend some time every evening casting it before I leave, to get a better feel for it.

I've been reading a bunch of stuff on the net and have a few books on hold at the library, so hopefully that will help. I know I'll be getting a guide for at least one of my first days to help me get the feel of spotting and presentation. I'm just really excited to head out solo. I've always thought that you had to have a super expensive guide, and spend thousands on tackle to go bonefishing and that I'd never be able to get out and do it. Now I'll be able to go and fulfill a dream I've had ever since I read a bonefishing article in Field&Stream when I was like 12

[Oregonism]

So I was just looking at RiverCity's website, and apparently they offer a free Airflo line with the purchase of an Echo rod. I pretty much have my heart set on the Echo Ion, so this would be an easy to save $60+ to put towards a nicer reel.

I was looking at their Ridge Bonefish taper, does anyone have any experience with this or any of their other lines? I've heard good things about Airflo, I just want to get a line that can be both delicate and not fall on it's face in the wind... probably asking too much.

[XXXLTD]

Originally Posted by Oregonism

So I was just looking at RiverCity's website, and apparently they offer a free Airflo line with the purchase of an Echo rod. I pretty much have my heart set on the Echo Ion, so this would be an easy to save $60+ to put towards a nicer reel.

I was looking at their Ridge Bonefish taper, does anyone have any experience with this or any of their other lines? I've heard good things about Airflo, I just want to get a line that can be both delicate and not fall on it's face in the wind... probably asking too much.

On Eluthera, try Bolara Bay, all I can tell you is turn towards the ocean at an old gas station, when you reach the beach walk left. Many tailing fish. Terry

[sothereiwas]

The Ridge is a good line. To tell you the truth the only saltwater line I really disliked was the SA Tropical taper. It is a softer compound than the species specific lines from them and its noticeably softer and stickier

[Oregonism]

Originally Posted by XXXLTD

On Eluthera, try Bolara Bay, all I can tell you is turn towards the ocean at an old gas station, when you reach the beach walk left. Many tailing fish. Terry

Did you typically use Gotcha's or Crazy Charlie's, or something else? I only have a limited idea of what I'm supposed to use, so I was going to tie up a bunch of Gotcha's in variations of tan and light pink and different weights. I've read that bonefish aren't actually all that picky.

And yeah, I think I'll go for the Ridge. If it's free, it's free. Does anyone have any info on any other airflo saltwater lines? This is actually the only one I see on their website, but it might fit the bill.

[Nick6547]

Bonefishing ain't rocket science, don't fall into the trap of thinking too much about it. Most ordinary fly lines are fine, especially if you are wading. You only really need a "tropical" line if it is going to spend time lying on a hot boat deck in the sun. You'll find that most of the shots you get are less than 60', so make sure you can throw an accurate cast that far. And make sure you can do it with one or no false casts. It's no use if you spend a bunch of time waving your rod around, the fish will be long gone. When it's windy you will not see the fish that far away, think 40-50' max. Sometimes you only see them 20' away. Work on your short sidearm casts. In the wind, use a 9 or 10' leader. If it's calm use 14' or more. Use a size 4 tan gotcha. Have a range of weights for shallow or deeper water. Strip strike.