Pursuing Wintertime Bonefishing
by Capt. Barry Hoffman
(page 2)
The
winter time weather has another effect on bonefish. It is during this time
of the year bonefish can be found in schools of fifty to over two hundred
as they migrate along the shorelines of the upper Keys. The larger numbers
of fish may be due to the cold water driving bonefish out of Florida Bay
northward as well as the bonefish of Biscayne Bay southward. There are
generally two schools of thought as to why they do this. One, it is simply
a migratory pattern the fish get into to find a more tolerable water temperature.
The second is that it is part of a spawning ritual. Although very
little is known about the spawning habits of Albula vulpes, it is believed
these large schools may spawn offshore as well as inshore while on the
flats. While on the move in these rolling masses, the release of the roe
from a female, encourages the males to fertilize them while swimming alongside.
This is known as broadcast fertilization. Occasionally while releasing
a bonefish, these large, pre-spawning fish will release their milt.
The initial stages
of the life of a bonefish begin as the eggs are fertilized. The fertilized
eggs hatch into an eel-like and transparent larva. These larva spend
several months drifting in the offshore ocean currents where they reach
a length of about two inches. At that time a unique process occurs. The
bonefish larva shrinks to about three-quarters of an inch, then begin to
form tiny fins. The bonefish will also change from its previous transparent
color to silver. The bonefish will then begin to grow again.
At this point the larva looks much like a miniature bonefish. Once they
reach about an inch in length, they seek the safety of the mangrove roots
where they’ll begin their life upon the
shallow flats.
Back
to the fishing. One important aspect to consider while fishing these huge
moving schools is to find a point that the bonefish will have to navigate
around while traversing the shoreline. As the fish make their way
up and down the edges of the oceanside flats, there are shallower points
they will invariably have to swim around. Find one of these points, and
stay on it. The bonefish will usually reveal themselves by a surface
wake as they move in mass. They can be tough for a novice to detect.
They are simply a pattern of waves that doesn’t match the conditions of
the wind. Usually the larger schools will ‘push’ a large section of water
as they move erratically across a flat. These ‘pushes’ of water can
be seen from three hundred feet or more on a calm day. While fishing
in these huge schools you may be able to cast over and over again right
into the moving fish. However, some days the fish are moving quickly
and without want of anything placed in their path. Other days the fish
are less hurried and more apt to take a fly or bait.
You can
contact Capt. Barry Hoffman at:
Email: guide@flatsguide.com
Or, visit his Web site
http://flatsguide.com/
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