Are you looking for the perfect bait for bonefish? Bonefish are considered one of the most sought-after game fish in the world. They’re prized for their fight and their delicate flavor. Anglers travel from all over to try to catch these fish, but there is one big problem: they are notoriously picky eaters. Even the slightest change in bait can make all the difference in whether or not you catch a bonefish. In this blog post, we’ll share our top tips for using bait for bonefish and give you a few ideas for some of our favorite lures. We hope you enjoy!
How To Choose Fishing Bait For Bonefish
How to choose fishing bait for bonefish is a question that comes up almost every day. Without a doubt, the most popular animal used as bait for bonefish is a live pogie or white grunt which can be caught on a hand line. I prefer natural baits over any other type of real or artificial bait because I can make them myself out of materials that are local to where I fish. You can often buy them from locals or you can catch your own bait fish for free, which saves money.
I consider pogies to be a great bait for bonefish and use them a lot when I fish the flats. While there are other baits that can sometimes produce well, such as shrimp or crabs, none of these will ever out-produce a lure or artificial bait.
You can also stuff pogie belly’s with ground-up shrimp or crab to increase the attraction of these baits. You can also stuff pogies with fingers of squid for scent if you wish, but I don’t think it is necessary. Pogies are very oily fish and they will drip an oil trail as you swing them through the water which will attract bonefish by itself, at least in my experience.
Even though I am a huge fan of pogies, they are not my first choice when fishing with fly rods or light tackle in general. One reason for this is that a light rod will often not be strong enough to hold a bonefish after it has been hooked and landed on a 7 or 8 weight rod. Pogies are very strong and tough, so they will usually put up a good fight.
Bonefish have very strong mouths and they will often run into the backing of the reel on more lightweight rods if they get hooked well or put under some pressure by their angler. They can easily take out more line than you can reel in on a light tackle setup and this is often how they get away. Another thing to keep in mind on ultralight tackle is that smaller bonefish will often hook themselves and break off before you even know they are there, so be careful when using it with lighter rods.
I suppose another reason I don’t choose pogies as my primary bonefish bait is that the area I fish has a lot of pogies and they are often so plentiful that you can catch them with your hands. To me this means there is usually no reason to use them as bait, since I can catch enough for free. It also means I will lose a lot of expensive lures to the fish that are hitting with their mouths wide open on pogies. This happens often in this area and is very frustrating, but I understand it is just part of fishing for bonefish.
I have seen bonefish caught on just about every type of artificial bait that is commonly used in saltwater, including pogies and shrimp. To me this means there is usually no reason to choose one over the other when fishing for bones with flyrods or light tackle in general, such as spinning rods.
I have tried all kinds of animal and plant-based baits for bonefish over a large variety of locations, hooks, and time periods. This has allowed me to catch lots of fish so I can check how the bait works under different conditions.
I have spent a lot of time fishing for bonefish with all kinds of lures, including artificial flies, jigs, top-water plugs, skirted soft plastics, curly tails on jigs and even pogies! I have found that if you are using light tackle then it is important to select a lure of the right size.
Rods of lighter weights are very useful for catching bones on baits of all kinds because you can cast long distances without too much effort, which allows you to cover more water on your flats fishing trips. For this reason I prefer using lures that are around ¾ inches in length or smaller.
I try to avoid lures that are too large when fishing for bones because larger baits have a lower hook-up ratio with lighter tackle. Larger bonefish can be very powerful and will easily break off or pull out of the mouth if they get hooked on a more buoyant bait like a popping cork or flyrod popper. This is why I like to use small baits when fishing for bones; they are less likely to get broken off and if they do then the fish will not be able to pull out of your fly line or mono leader because the diameter of the line has more friction.
Best Bait For Bonefish
Many anglers have their favorite go-to lures or baits when fishing for bonefish. They are usually made up of various colors, shapes, and sizes depending on which one best imitates the food sources in an area. But one thing almost all bonefish lures have in common is that they are designed to be fished near the bottom of the water column. This is why they are often referred to as live bait lures even though some may be designed with lifelike appearances that look nothing like a real fish.
Live Bait Lures
The designs of live bait lures also increase their hooking efficiency by adding hook points on both sides of the lure, hook points below the lure, and even a belly hook. They also have a rear weight which allows them to be cast or trolled from boat or shore with ease. When these factors are combined with the natural movement of the lures they result in higher rates of hook ups than dead bait fishing. And because they generally look alive when fished properly, they are also more effective at hooking bonefish when compared to other types of artificial lures.
However, there is at least one type of live bait lure that has the potential to be even more effective than the others. It’s called a “jump bait” or “paddle tail lure.” When you consider all of its features it makes perfect sense that it would be the best live bait for bonefish. And when you look at how one is designed and fished, its design even makes it look like it should be effective at catching other species of fish as well.
Bonefish are known for their voracious appetite and ability to adapt quickly to changes in their environment so they can take advantage of new food sources. Because of this they are known to eat almost every type of live bait when they are available. But when you look at the way a jump bait is designed, it’s easy to see how it would be appealing to any fish that has ever eaten something that was long and skinny with a large tail on each side. Because these lures only have one hook it is located in the back so it will stick in the bonefish’s throat when it attempts to swallow this long and skinny bait. However, they are designed with two large paddles that resemble a couple of wide tails each with their own wiggle action that draws attention just like regular live baits.
But the design of jump baits also allows them to be used in deeper water than regular live bait lures so they can still be fished when the fish are holding near deep channels rather than over shallow flats. And because they are long and skinny, anglers don’t have to work hard to keep them off of the bottom or suspended near the top of the water column. They can simply cast them out, make a couple of twitches during the retrieve, and they will bounce off of the bottom or occasionally touch down to see if there are any fish-holding below them. If no bites are felt after a few retrieves, all it takes is one twitch before setting the hook. And when you add in the wiggle that is created by the front and rear paddles, it’s easy to understand why so many anglers consider jump baits to be one of the best live bait lures for bonefish.
Jump Baits
One of the most popular and effective brands and styles of jump baits is made by the folks at STP (Strike Tiger Products). Their 11-inch jump bait has a stout, sharp hook that’s located in the back of this long and skinny lure. It also has two strong stainless steel treble hooks on the front which create even more attractive when it bounces off of bottom or touches down to suspend near the top of the water column. And because of its design, it can be fished in very shallow or deep water when other types of live bait cannot.
Bonefish are known for their ability to quickly adapt to changes in their environment so they can take advantage of new sources of food. And even though they are capable of eating almost any type of live baits, some species of fish like to strike this type of long and skinny jump bait because it resembles a species of forage fish that they would naturally prey on. This type of bottom-hugging live bait is not only appealing to bonefish but also permits and other shallow-water species that will rise from the depths in order to feed on these types of baitfish.
If you’re fishing the flats and your fly line is on the surface, it’s hard not to notice a tailing bonefish that’s slowly moving along and occasionally touching down on the bottom. It may not appear to be held in one area for very long but if you can get this type of bait out near its location, chances are good that it will turn and move in your direction to investigate. And when you make a couple of twitches with your rod during the retrieve, it will bounce off of the bottom and create even more attractive as it moves toward the fish’s location.
As soon as this type of jump bait gets its first taste of the hook, it quickly dives down to the bottom where it will continue to run and cause a commotion. And because of this erratic action, both bonefis h and other types of fish that feed on small forage fish like these jump baits. When purchasing or rigging up your favorite brand and style of jump bait, make sure you attach a heavy-duty stainless steel leader material to the front treble hooks. This leader material should also be about 2 feet long with a heavy-duty double/triple hook rig tied to the end of it so you can use it as an additional live bait lure when bonefish or other species are feeding around deep channels.
Bonefish and other types of fish will often follow this jump bait in the same way they would follow a small forage fish. And the only time you will get bit is when it makes close contact with one of them. So if you can’t get a bite on this type of lure, after a few retrieves add in another live bait that’s fished on or near the bottom to see if that brings any more bites. For the record, when it comes to rigging up this type of jump bait I like to add a 3-way swivel tied in between the lure and the leader material that is attached to its front treble hook assembly.
Conclusion
Bonefish are a prized game fish, and anglers around the world go to great lengths to catch bonefish. In this post, we’ve shared some tips on how to use bait that is likely to appeal to these fish. Whether you’re an experienced fisherman or just getting started, try out some of these baits the next time you head out for a day of bonefishing. And remember, always practice catch-and-release when fishing for sport – it’s the responsible thing to do and will help ensure healthy populations of game fish for future generations.