Bonefish are experts at using the tides to their advantage, which allows them to maximize their benefits in the tradeoff between feeding and avoiding predators. I guess you’d expect this from bonefish – they’ve been perfecting this for millions of years. Like many predators, bonefish try to get away with as little travel as possible in their search for a meal. There is no reason for them to expend energy swimming long distances if there is no need

The integration of helicopters into fly-fishing culture in places like Bolivia, Spain and New Zealand has been a truly welcome addition to the sport. The use of helicopters to access more remote and productive rivers and streams has enabled anglers to get deep in to the back country, without the arduous grind of hiking through thick bush and over big mountains just to get to the river.

As we move through the fall and our fly boxes stuffed with Parachute Adams and Pheasant Tail Nymphs are being opened less frequently, my thoughts turn to the saltwater game and the excellent bonefishing available throughout the Caribbean as the warm waters on the flats start to cool down after the long hot summer. I love bonefishing in the mid to late fall and often land my biggest fish of the year during this time frame.

Where I fish for smallmouths in the Great Lakes, I’m looking for the kind of structure that will draw and hold fish during the warm summer months. Early summer I’m looking for transitions zones where bass are feeding and congregating post spawn, on their way to their summer feeding grounds. Mid to late summer I’m looking for any kind of structural anomalies, like ledges, points, and drop offs, with easy access to deeper water. Smallmouth Bass are the ultimate ambush predators so finding structure is going to be the key to successfully finding and targeting smallies with a fly rod.