The Giant Bonefish of Biscayne Bay
Many anglers daydream about fishing the Seychelles, Abaco or Oahu for a chance at a giant bonefish. It’s a reasonable dream knowing that the all tackle record for bonefish was caught off the coast of Africa, four past world records on the fly were from Bimini and there have been a few previous records from Hawaii. What most of these daydreamers do not realize that some of the biggest bonefish in the world are in Biscayne Bay and the Upper Florida Keys. Twenty- one (21) of the current thirty-eight (38) IGFA world records are for bonefish caught in Biscayne Bay & the Upper Florida Keys. Six (6) are from the Bahamas, Four (4) are from the middle & lower Florida Keys, Two (2) are from Los Roques in Venezuela and there are currently ZERO (0) world records from either Hawaii or the Seychelles. Why is that? Well for starters the Seychelles & Hawaii are both a bit more remote, somewhat expensive to get to and therefore less frequently fished.
There is also the law of numbers and probabilities, the more remote places that have fewer anglers, fewer fish caught overall and therefore fewer world records. There is also the veteran fisherman factor. Many travelers that venture to these remote places are not casual fisherman and are of the “been there & done that” jaded angler society. They are competing with themselves. These are the type of men and woman that would not stop fishing to bring the fish to a weigh station. Bringing a prize catch to an official weigh in station would also mean sacrificing the fish.Killing a large, old fish is not what most fly anglers do, especially fly anglers who care about the environment, ecosystems and catch & release fishing.
Biscayne Bay & the Upper Florida Keys have giant bonefish! There are fish in the 12-15 lb. class with the most common being 6-7 pounds. Why isn’t this well known? It is, actually and has been known as one of the best fisheries in the world for many decades. The fishery has taken a slight downturn seeing fewer fish, more anglers and many more recreational boaters. The explanation for the decrease in numbers of fish is multifactorial. Some blame the increase in boat traffic & jet skis changing feeding behavior of the flats species. Some blame the freeze of 2010 which was responsible for the destruction of many grass flats and thinned numbers of several species of fish. Hardest hit were the snook which do not tolerate very cold at all. Others feel that the fish are there just as they always were but they’ve been fished hard that they spook easily. Even if the numbers have declined, there are plenty of large fish to be found. This doesn’t really explain why it’s not at the top of the day dreamers list.
There are some places is the world where bonefish school in groups over 1,000 fish and you can catch a 2-3 pound bonefish on almost every cast. Biscayne Bay is definitely NOT one of these places. We may only see 5 fish in a day but average weight is easily over 5 lb. There are big solitary hunters and sometimes pairs, and the occasional group of 6-20 fish on the deeper flats by channels. Many of those fish per day will be in double digit weight range (over 10 lb.) which qualify easily as trophy caliber but they very difficult to catch. It is hard to beat stalking a giant bonefish dragging along the sand hunting prey with back arched and tail in the air as it sucks crustaceans off the bottom. This is a common site in Florida. Don’t get us wrong, this is something that you can & will see in places like Oahu, Molokai, Abaco & Christmas Island but the accessibility of many these places is not nearly as easy as getting to southeast Florida. Biscayne Bay is very easily accessible from Miami and most charters are very familiar with the upper keys as well. When selecting a rod to use a 9 weight is generally considered the best choice by both seasons anglers and almost of our guides. There is usually a barrier to casting well as there is minimal structure to knock down the winds which can gust from 5-20 knots at times.
While you have options to fish both ocean and bay side which allows you to hide from the wind at times but many of the flats are away for the many mangrove islands and uninhabited keys. Using a 7 or 8 weight might not provide the power to punch through 15 knots of wind which is usually hitting you head on when fish show. Leader material is a standard tapered leader that is at least a 10 foot long. Recommended tippet material is nothing lighter than a 12-15 lb. tippet material. The most common practice is to buy a standard lead- er and tie on 12 inches of 12 lb. fluorocarbon tippet material. A blood knot is best when adding tippet to leader. The flies are a bone of contention among guides and anglers alike. Some use crabs, some shrimp but size and color selection are highly variable. Contrary to popular practice in many other bonefish destinations larger hooks are just fine in Biscayne Bay. Orange, Rust, Browns & green all seem to be a popular colors for accents using a base color of tan. Veverka’s mantis shrimp, epoxy flies, Borski’s bonefish slider all produce here.
