Afraid of the Reef?
/Fly fishing for Bonefish in Hawaii has its own challenges to include getting wrapped around the reef or going over the edge. I’ve had countless bonefish wrap the reef, and after losing a lot of fish because of the reef monster, I’ve developed a way to land the fish even when you think all hope is lost. It is fairly simple, slack the line, and get to the snag as fast as possible. Moving fast is key to success! Yes you might have to run. The longer the line stays on the reef the more time it has to rub and snap your line.
Also important is the strength of your leader. My leader is 12 foot in length. It is comprised of three section of floral carbon connected by double surgeon knots. The formula for the leader is as follows:
5 Foot at 40 lb test
4 Foot at 30 lb test
3 Foot at 25 lb test
The first section is connected to the main fly line using a perfection loop in a loop to loop connection. Stay away from nail knots. When you catch a bonefish the tension on the nail knot will strip the outer coating leaving you fishless. Trust me it’s not worth the headache especially if you are on the water trying to fix your fly line. If your premade loop to your fly line is missing just tie a perfection loop on the main fly line, or add the premade loop knots to the fly line. The premade loop knots. The key is to stay away from nail knots. Check your backing to fly line connection as well. Make sure it is a loop to loop connection. I’ve had clients lose their entire fly line.
The second section is 4 foot at 30lb tied with a double surgeons knot. Then tied to the final section with a double surgeons knot of 3 foot at 25 lb test. A double surgeons knot is super easy to tie and fast. The uni knot works as well and looks cleaner, but the double surgeon is just as strong and way way easier to tie. I’m over 40 and my eye sight isn’t what is use to be. I can tie a double surgeon without looking at it. The fly is tied to the 25lb test tippet using a perfection loop. The total length equals 12 foot.
Prior to tying my own leader, I used the pre-tappered leader by scientific Angler. Usually tapering down to somewhere around 15 lb test. It wasn’t until I started to fish with the late Ed Tamai that started to tie my own leaders. We started to fish together often, and over the years I learned a lot from Ed. He taught me the formula I fish with today. He was very generous with his knowledge and always kept things simple. He often fished with broken reels where the drag didn’t work, or a rod he bought at Bass Pro on his mainland trip for $30 dollars. As if the fish were not challenging enough to catch, he always made it harder and tested the limits of fly rods and reels. Some of his set ups were on the edge of breaking or already broken, just to add a little flare to landing these fish. Proving if not to us to himself that he could do it. Mastering the fishery. He made it look easy.
He developed his own technique with the hooks he used. Often he would use size 6 or 8 TEMPCO hooks and he smashed down the barbs. He always needed an extra challenge. He bent the hook near the eye to give the hook a little more area for the fish to be hooked.
Ed Tamai was a great friend and legendary guide on the flats. He was known as the “Fish whisperer.” Many times we would all be fishing, and Ed was the only guy catching fish. On one particular trip he and I were separated by 20 yards. We were on Rat Island on the Diamond head side near the edge walking toward the ocean. He hugged the ledge and I stayed in line with him. He hooked 7 bonefish in less than 30 minutes, and I hooked 0. Ed was that good.
I asked Ed, “what is the sacret catching Oio (bonefish)”?
His response was in classic Ed form.
“Ok. Ok. You know how you pick mangos. You look at the mango tree. You see the green one, ah that one not ready. You see the super ripe one, too ripe shitty. Then you see the one. The perfect mango ready to eat. That’s the one you pick. Just like catching bonefish.”
Ed always had a way of making you understand a complex problem. Bonefish arn’t mango’s, but the idea of understanding what bonefish would eat versus a bonefish that didn’t that was the key. The ripe mango versus the green mango. You wanted the perfect mango or the bonefish that you knew was hungry ready to take the fly. It took years before I finally saw it and got better at identifying the small movement the bonefish would make. The way it swam, and the way the bonefish reacted to the flies. A lot of small things that added up to the perfect mango.
If you had the privilege of fishing with this legend, you may have rode to the flats on his yellow boat, nicknamed the Yellow Bus. Hands down the best guide and most experienced fly fisherman in the state at the time. He taught all of us something. Now passing on the leader formula with the world. He is also known for his fly called the ET Mantis. Unfortunately in July of 2024 he passed away due to cancer. His legacy lives on through the knowledge we pass to the next group of fishermen. I’ll miss our off island trips, parties, fishing and golfing with the boys. Ed always kept it real and a true friend to so many.
Over the years I’ve increased the strength of the leader because of the places I fished. Over time I realized that the diameter of the leader doesn't really matter as long as the fly is presented properly. Having a strong leader gives you more time to free the line from the reef or obstruction. The extra strength is the difference between landing a fish and not landing a fish. Remember to slack the line if you see the fish swim to the rocks. Keep this in mind the next time you are fishing.
