Long Island Bonefishing Lodge

Part 5,    Rods, Lines & Leaders

The Long Island Bonefishing Lodge recommends rods from 7 to 9-weight.  I found a

A Deadman’s Cay Bonefish

7-weight fly rod to be a great tool, and frankly next time I’ll bring a 6-weight.

Why light fly rods? As long as the wind isn’t howling, a saltwater 6 or 7-weight fly rod has no problem accurately delivering a size 6 or 8 fly. Second, these lighter fly lines make a much gentler presentation. A major plus. And third, given the size of the average bonefish on Deadman’s, these lighter rods are a hoot.

I used Rio Floating Bonefish lines; at no time did I feel the need for an intermediate fly line. My leaders were 12 footers made from Rio Saltwater Hard Mono (a royal pain to knot). They straightened out nicely, even in the wind, which helped with accuracy. My tippet was 32 inches of 1x Seaguar Grand Max Fluorocarbon (awful expensive). At a thin .012″ it tests out at a whopping 18.5 lbs, and worked well.  Was that pricy stuff totally necessary? No, 10 or 12 pound mono will likely suffice.

Another Deadman’s Cay Bone

Bonefish are called the “ghost” of the flats for a good reason, but here at Deadman’s Cay they are not that hard to spot, because of the light bottoms and transparent shallow water. Check out the released bone in the next picture. I caught it in water barely covering its back. In following picture you see the difference over a darker bottom.

A Deadman’s Cay Bonefish over a white bottom

A Deadman’s Cay Bone over a darker bottom

In Part 6, I’ll tell you a few more things about Deadman’s Cay