The flies in my box have slowly evolved over the years with a couple of new ones creeping in, but overall they have tended to be the same flies adapted slightly for whatever conditions I’m facing. As my fishing partners can attest I bring hundreds of flies with me on trips but I now have my bonefish box down to 58 flies. This Fly Series will cover my favorite six patterns, what I like about them, where I use them and some subtle changes I may have made along the way. Included is a YouTube video on how to tie each fly along with the patterns recipe. Pop’s Bonefish Bitters As one of my top six patterns, this small crab pattern has proven itself time and time again wherever I’ve used it. Originally designed by Craig Mathews, (Blue Ribbon Flies) and named after one of Turneffe Flats famous guides, Winston “Pop’s” Cabral a Bonefish Bitters can be an ideal selection when the fish get fussy. I have tied and fished them as small as size #12 in Mexico and Belize and as large as size #6 when fishing the Bahamas, Cuba or Turks. I make the head using epoxy coloured to match the bottom. In Mexico and Belize I lean toward the olive and brown shades but include a sandy colour in the larger sizes to match the white and tan coloured flats of the Bahamas. Over the years I have played with the design and colours as all fly tiers tend to do but have kept pretty close to the original design. I still use Zelon as an underwing though I see many tiers no longer include it. I’ve played with the rubber legs but have come back to the brown, green or tan (to match the head and bottom) sili legs. I use natural coloured deer or elk hair for the olive, amber and brown patterns and a lighter blond or cream colour for the sand/tan flies. The one thing I have changed ever so slightly is the length of the deer hair. In the original pattern it is relatively short ending just at the point of the hook. I extend it beyond the point to enhance its weedless qualities. I also tie with very stiff deer or elk making the fly almost weedless. Which brings me to where and when I use the fly. If I am fishing over turtle grass or other bottom cover the Pop’s Bonefish Bitters is often my go to fly. It tends to be weedless and emulates the small crabs found within the grasses. The other time is when I get a refusal on a conventional style shrimp imitative pattern like a Gotcha. I don’t switch to a different colour Gotcha I completely change-up and go to a crab pattern, either a Bitters or a small Raghead Crab. My retrieve with a Bittters is differnet than with a shrimp pattern. I move it with small 2-3″ strips or a hand weave so it’s not jumping but rather crawling along the bottom. The important thing is to make sure the leader is fully extended and you are tight to the fly in order to feel the pickup. Click here to see a YouTube video of the Pop’s Bonefish Bitters being tied. Pop’s Bonefish Bitters recipe: Hook: Regular saltwater hook sized 6, 8 & 10 Thread: Color to match epoxy head 6/0 Head: Small bead chain coated with epoxy or fabric paint or UV glue in Olive, Brown, Amber or Tan Legs: Sili Legs in brown, Olive, Brown, Amber or Tan to match the head Wing: Zelon underwing to match head color and stiff natural colored deer or elk for the Olive, Brown and Amber colors and blonde or light color for the tan head.
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