If you’re a bonefish addict, I’m sure you have a Bone Jovi or two in your fly box. Granted they’re rarely the right choice on a shin deep, crystal flats where a sparsely tied number 8# fly is king. But where the water is touch deeper the Bone Jovi is a proven killer, especially for bigger bones. You know: those monster gray ghosts. They often enjoy a fly with some meat on bone.
Bone Jovi
This season I discover by accident that redfish love the Bone Jovi too. One day it caught two nice “tailing” reds – pretty much back-to-back. Makes sense, doesn’t it? The Bone Jovi is a shrimp imitation and reds eat shrimp. There you go. But what seals the deal is this: Typically I hook reds in the lip. These two reds, however, over ran the fly, swallowing it deep. Clearly they really, really wanted it.
“Tailing” red on a Bone Jovi
Nothing super fancy about the Bone Jovi. Its a drab colored fly, barred wing, with rubber legs and a lead eye. Be sure to tie the wing full and the legs long. Both help the fly land softly. That can be very important in many situations. When fishing for reds in knee deep water, I suggest a size 6# or possibly an 8#. In thigh or deeper water, I would go with a size 4# simply because it sinks faster.
This is an easy fly to tie. But if you’re looking to pick them up, I purchased mine from Discount Flies. Excellent quality and a very friendly price.
