Everyone loves tailng fish. Just the sight of a massive bonefish with it's dorsal and tail out of the water is a sight to behold. Experienced bonefisherman know that tailing fish are not always easy though. Especially if the bonefish are over eight pounds. I've always said they tail with one eye up and one eye down! The last time i was on tailers, my client hooked the first fish we saw and that fish was nearly ten pounds. So with that image in mind, on friday i pulled up to one of my favorite flats at first light with Jason Duke. Idling up, we could see dozens of fish tailing! We quickly anchored the boat and waded quietly in the direction of the flashing. The tide was very low and getting lower. He made some great presentations with the skimmer jig and had some very interested fish but we just were unable to connect. later in the day when the tide rose we threw at cruising fish that seemed to be everywhere but after a couple of follows the bonefish just were unwilling. We tried light and dark jigs. Luck was just not on our side. All the bones we saw were very large, not an easy proposition by any means. It was Jason's first time bonefish and he learned a lot in a very short period of time. I was impressed how positive he stayed the entire 10 hours we waded, a true sportsman! He'll get them next time.
Capt. Terry Dufield fished with James McClelland for three days last week. James is an avid flyfisherman and seasoned world traveler with bonefish up to 12 pounds under his belt. The first day was very nice with bluebird conditions and light wind. After numerous shots at tailing fish with no luck, they moved to a deeper flat that was loaded as well. James, armed with a Duffer Crab fly pattern, latched into an eight pound fish that screamed off long runs. The bone tried to find the jagged edge of the flat but James would have nothing of it and turned the beast back to the boat for a quick picture and released. Day two they got a late start but saw many fish the entire day but came up empty. The fish here are very large and not easy, similiar to the florida keys. Day three, they managed a very nice six pounder and cut the day short as James was very tired.
