BONEFISHING

February 1999 Table of Contents - Current Issue of The Abaco Journal - Abaco Bahamas' Home Page

BONEFISH FOR BEGINNERS
by Jack Hardy

A list of the reasons why visitors come to Abaco and why Abaco has so many second home owners would be very long. Among them would be the pristine beaches, beautiful cruising grounds, the quaintness of the settlements, the friendliness of the natives, the glorious climate... and the fishing. We may soon have to turn the list upside down and put fishing first.

The islands of Bimini, made famous by Ernest Hemingway, have long been called 'The Bonefish Capital of the World'. It's time for that title to be transferred to Abaco. In May 1998, the top four anglers in the Ministry of Tourism's Catch & Release Tournament caught 86 bonefish between them using fly tackle and adhering to strict rules. A few days later a visitor to Abaco, Lazaros Vostitsanos, landed a bonefish which was well over a pound heavier than any other ever caught anywhere in the world in the same category of tackle. Using an 8 lb test spinning rod - the standard test line for bonefish - Mr Vostitsanos brought in a bonefish weighing 17 lb 2 oz! At the time, the World Record using an 8 lb test spinning rod was 15 lb 12 oz. We understand the IGFA have revised the figures slightly on their examination of the fish and tackle, but the catch is still a candidate for a world record.

So not only is Abaco the most beautiful and friendly of places with wonderful yacht cruising waters: it is undoubtedly the Bonefish Capital of the World.

Fishing is the world's most popular recreational sport. The rich and famous in their multi-million dollar boats love billfishing, and Abaco provides for them too. More than half a dozen premier spring tournaments are held on Abaco and in May1996 a blue marlin weighing 1,030 lbs was caught by Rick Smith during the Treasure Cay Championships.

Most fishermen prefer stalking the smaller denizens of stream, lake and sea and bonefish have fast become the number one target of their fancy. It's easy to see why.

Sport fishermen love a challenge. Putting a line overboard to catch supper is not fishing. Fishing is obeying exacting specifications, using as light a tackle as possible and stalking a wary prey. A real fisherman handicaps him or herself so that once a catch is made there are no excuses - the fisherman has won. And which is the wariest, most difficult to catch salt water fish of them all? You've guessed it. The very name of the bonefish - Albula vulpes (White fox) - says it all.

Bonefish are unique. They have no near relatives in the animal kingdom and their habits are very different from those of other fish. Bonefish travel in schools which act as organic entities. One twitch from a lead fish and the whole shoal switches direction instantly. They move from deep to shallow water according to tidal urges and feed in muddy shallows that are scorned by most other fish. Their diet is mostly small molluscs and crustaceans and their mouths are toothless, adapted to crushing their prey. They do, however, swallow small fish and most lures and feathers used to catch them are based on imitating a small fish.

Introducing the lure to bonefish is where the art comes in. Flyfishers use a very small lure and a soft line which can be cast close to the school. Spinning rods need a heavier lure to carry the line and the lure needs to be cast further from the school as it tends to splash and 'spook' the bonefish. Both types of fishermen will cast ahead of the bonefish, trying to anticipate where the school will run next.

When conditions are right, bonefish feed very readily. It is usually a juvenile that will take the first cast or two. Impetuous youth is not confined to human beings. The bigger fish, which grew to be bigger by not eating feathers with hooks in them, tend to wait until their patience runs out. The longer you can keep one school interested in your lure, the greater your chances of landing a big one.

Records aside, the glory of bonefishing lies in the tremendous muscularity of its runs once it has taken the bait. Bonefish are the sprinters of the fish world. They take off out of the blocks at full speed. They smoke your reel. And they are strong. I've probably hooked a couple of bonefish close to world record size in my life but they kept on going until I ran out of line. The last time that happened I stood transfixed for several minutes afterwards. I had tangled with a champion, and the champion had won. By a knockout.

Every settlement on Abaco, with the exception of Spring City, is a fishing community to some degree. In the 1960's, scalefish gave way to crawfish as the leading source of income. We are now in the process of a new fishing phase. Sport fishing - and particularly bonefishing - has lured several fishermen who know their local waters intimately, into the market of guiding visitors and tourists to their dream catch.

Go back a couple of dozen years and you would find that bonefish were usually netted. There was a ready market for them in Nassau but legislation now makes it illegal to sell bonefish in Nassau - or to net them anywhere. Many fishing books list the bonefish as inedible, but don't tell that to Bahamians. The many wiry bones that permeate the flesh of the fish are a deterrent to fast eaters, but those who take the care to scoop boneless morsels from the carcass are rewarded with a fine-textured fish of exceptional taste. On Abaco, bonefish is used in the traditional stew fish and also baked.

Ready to go bonefishing? There's a list of professional guides from all parts of Abaco following this article that will look after your needs. Where on Abaco should you fish? Anywhere there are tidal flats. The four fishermen who brought in those 86 bonefish were all miles away from each other in distinctly different areas. And what are your chances of hooking a record bonefish? Better on Abaco than anywhere else in the world.

ABACO BONEFISH GUIDES

Terrance Davis, Dundas Town: 367-4464
Shelton Gardiner: 365-0117
Maitland Lowe, Hope Town: 366-0461
O'Donald McIntosh: VHF 16
Carey 'Pope' McKenzie: 365-8656
Paul Pinder, Sandy Point: 366-4061
Patrick Roberts, Sandy Point: 366-4286
Orthnell Russell, Coopers Town: 365-0125
Justin Sands, Marsh Harbour: 367-3526
Ronnie Sawyer: 365-4070
Bonefish "Town": 367-7123

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