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A sleek, chrome-silver flats fish with a pointed, downturned snout used to root crustaceans from the sand, betraying itself by 'tailing' in the shallows. The Indo-Pacific roundjaw bonefish of Red Sea flats is a legendary fly and light-spin target prized for its searing, line-stripping runs.
Shallow sand and seagrass flats and lagoons
Bright, calm days on clear sand flats with a moving , sight-casting to tailing fish
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Light flats fly rod (7–8 wt) or a light outfit; sight-cast to tailing fish and release them — bonefish are a prize.
Sight-cast a shrimp or crab fly (or a live shrimp) ahead of a tailing bonefish, then release it.
Eating & safety
Harmless to handle, but as a fragile, heavily bony sportfish it should be carefully released to support the flats fishery.
Best conditions: Bright, calm days on clear sand flats with a moving tide, sight-casting to tailing fish
Pound for pound one of the fastest inshore fish, a hooked bonefish can peel 100 metres of line off the reel in seconds.