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Fishing Tackle
Venezuela : Saltwater fly fishing for bonefish, Los Roques
29 April 2009
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Perched like a shimmering jewel some eighty miles off the coast of Venezuela, the Los Roques Archipelago National Park has the reputation for being one of the world’s premier bonefishing destinations. Plenty of fish, very healthy average sizes, masses of pure sight fishing opportunities, and of course, wonderful tropical weather. This place is a fly fisherman’s paradise.
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There is often a cooling breeze blowing over the flats wherever you might travel to for bonefishing, so the need to be able to cast medium to long lines accurately and powerfully is a serious advantage (hence me spending far more time behind the cameras than in front !!). Know your gear, know your own skill levels, and most importantly, invest a little time and money into professional fly fishing tuition if you need to BEFORE you go. Believe me, you are going to catch more bonefish if you can cast effectively and efficiently.
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Professional fly fishing instructor and guide Nick Hart with the proof of the pudding : a prime example of a fantastically proportioned Los Roques bonefish. Nothing beats sight casting to tailing bones in less than calf-deep water and then watching that fish follow your fly on the strip, often nailing it only a few metres in front of the adrenaline-pumped fisherman. Watch that loose line on the first run !!
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As a fish, the bonefish fascinates me. How can a species of fish be so comfortable feeding in such warm, skinny water ? Was there ever a fish seemingly so perfectly designed to be chased with fly fishing gear ? Gripping them gives one a clue to just how much muscle is contained along their sleek flanks, and witnessing their turn of speed is simply remarkable. It gets me every single time : a truly “honest” fish, what you see is what you get.
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There are vast shoals of minnows that collect around Los Roques which in turn attract hordes of pelicans, some large tarpon, cruising jacks, and some staggeringly large bones which have adapted to feeding on the never ending bait source. James Warbrick-Smith cast at some right out in front of our hotel before breakfast one morning, and was rewarded with this pig of a bone, over the magical 10lb mark, and didn’t it give him the run around !! Instead of running out into deeper water, this monster fish decided to run through all the mooring lines and under the boats, with James in hot pursuit. He did so well to land it.
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The minnow-fed bones get really thick set and heavy, indeed there were some outsize bones milling around which we estimated to weigh around 15lbs !! You have to see the quantities of bait fish to believe it, and these clever bonefish will even track, chase and ram into diving pelicans that come up with mouthfuls of minnows. A couple of guys on the trip were also smoked by some big tarpon they hooked just before supper, once again right off the pier in front of the hotel.
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In my humble opinion, photographing on the flats goes against all the generally accepted “rules” of photography (early morning and late afternoon light etc.). The higher the sun climbs in the sky and the harsher the light becomes, the better the photographic opportunities that present themselves. A higher sun illuminates the skinny water and the shapes of the flats, and allows for the deeply polarised skies that are often framed with perfect white clouds. Nothing beats being able to shoot with wide-angle lenses for such long periods of time. That higher sun also gives the fisherman a far better chance of seeing already well camouflaged bonefish moving around.
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The fishing around Los Roques is based around the use of these quick, shallow draught boats for getting around. Most flats fishing is done on foot, wading with your guide, whilst the boat and boatman remain anchored up, away from the bones. Fish the flat, call in the boat, and move on the next spot; it is great the way so much ground can be fished so effectively and efficiently. These unique “pancake” flats are dotted around all over the place and seem to just rise up out of nowhere.
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As well as over two hundred pancake flats of all shapes and sizes to fish over, Los Roques also has stacks of huge “conventional” flats, beaches, lagoons and deeper water to fish as well. Get the rod up high when a bonefish screams off to help save the line from cutting on any coral, and pile the pressure on the fish if they venture near the mangroves. This particular flat seemed to go on forever and threw up lots of bones.
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Nick Hart with his last cast bonefish of the trip, held triumphantly aloft before being gently unhooked and released. Perhaps nothing pleases me more than seeing fly fishermen so determined to protect the welfare of these magnificent fish. Some days bones will leap upon any fly and some days they will drive you mad with their wariness, but few other fish of the salt inspire such devotion and passion as the bonefish. Get yourself out to Los Roques for some of the finest fly fishing on this earth.