Most fish Bonefish and Permit venture onto the flats with the incoming tide. Get there early, at low tide just before the tide turns and wait. Line yourself up such that the fish is approaching you head-on before casting. Cast to the side of the fish and in front of it, then retrieve with short hops. Remember, he's hunting while on the flats too - if he sees your fly he'll probably take it. This fly is an inverted hook pattern. It is designed so that the hook rides above the shank in the water. The idea is that the hook does not get caught on the bottom. By adding a relatively stiff wing material near the hook eye which covers the hook point, the fly becomes nearly weedless. If tied with sparse materials these flies can be made to sink very fast. This fly will bounce up and down on the retrieve and makes puffy little clouds on the bottom that sends out visible signals to nearby fish who interpret it as, ‘there is something moving down there that maybe good to eat. In nature if you can be seen your dead. Most prey species of the bonefish are very well camouflaged. Your fly must not mimic nature to well for if it cannot be seen you will not catch fish. Because the Gotcha fly rides hook up it consequently does not gill hook many fish unlike the conventional hook down fly. Although the fly was not designed with this feature in mind it has increased the amount of fish that can be caught and released. In nature if you can be seen your dead. 

Subtle colored flies work best on sunny, bright days in shallow water. Bright colored flies work best on cloudy days in deeper water or at sunset. Bonefish patterns should match the color of the bottom in the area you are fishing: light colored flies on light sandy bottoms and dark colored flies on dark turtle grass/coral bottoms. Flies that hit the water with little impact are more effective than those that strike heavy and spook the fish. Bonefish know that if they reach the crest of a flat on an incoming tide they will find the best food waiting for them. Look at your tide tables and find the crest. Sometimes schools of Bonefish will rush towards there as the tide turns and starts to flood. Getting a take is all about placement and delivery in front of your target.. Sometimes it does not matter if your fly is tan or orange. 

On my last trip my guide spotted a single Bonefish grubbing in the mud about 50 feet from the boat in perhaps 18 inches of water. I managed to get a perfect cast to it, started retrieving and felt the line tighten as the the fish took. The normal advice at this point is to keep retrieving, not strike, as the the fish will generally hook itself. it worked. For a couple of seconds the fish jut shook it's head, not knowing what had happened to it. then it took of in a flash. these fish are really fast. In seconds all the fly line and half the backing had gone from the reel. I eventually landed a nice 6lb bonefish. With a slow moving fish I have been able to get a a bite by casting behind the tail (admittedly the first time I did this was by mistake and a short cast). I noticed the fish visible change directions as it heard the plop of the fly. It must have thought that some thing was alive behind it and trying to escape. It wheeled around and went to investigate. It saw the puffs of sand as I retrieved and it attacked. It does not always work but is a good last resort option that has claimed a number of bonefish.

Recent studies have found that although bonefish and permit come to the flats to feed and appear to swim to deeper water when spooked by anglers the main reason they prefer the flats is safety. Barracudas and sharks are their main predators. The water over the flats is just too shallow for these larger hungry water dwellers. Bonefish and permit can therefore feed in relative safety on shrimp and crabs

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT – Casting on the flats
"Bonefish 40 feet 3 o'clock moving left". If you have been saltwater flats bonefish and permit fishing and have had problems getting the fly in front of a moving fish that has been pointed out by your guide, read on. The guide has done his job by finding you the elusive fish from his elevated position and punted you within casting distance. Now all you have to do is land your fly in front of its face quickly without spooking these very jumpy fish. You have to get your casting skill to a level where you can deliver the fly using two false casts or better still a single. Find an old plank and put it on top of a small log. Balance on the plank to mimic casting on a boat. Get a friend to roll a trash can lid, large plastic plate, or hoop in front of you and try to hit it. If you do this in your front yard or local park you may get some funny looks but your skill level will increase so you do not waste the time you spend on the water. Last time I did this in a park I had people come up to me and ask if they could have a go as it looked like a lot of fun.

CUSTOMERS COMMENT – South Andros Island, Bahamas
I’ve just got back for a great trip to the Bahamas. Your pink mini puffs and white gotchas were all the flies I needed. On the first day I saw a school of five bonefish moving towards me and managed to softly drop a pink mini puff in front of them. It only took a couple of short strips and bang my first bone of the week. I kept looking and scanning for more moving shadows in the water. An hour later I see another school of 8 bonefish coming onto the flats from a deep channel. I target the lead fish with a white gotcha a few feet from his nose. He follows inspects and then takes. What a morning. Later in the week I got greedy. I saw the biggest bonefish I had ever seen. It would not take any fly I offered. My guide told me not to waist my time on him and look for younger fish. He has become old and large because from experience he has learnt not to take flies. He has learnt from painful experience.

CUSTOMERS COMMENT – Looking for bonefish
The Crazy Charlie’s worked great. I just want to pass on a tip my guide gave me that worked. When looking for target fish on the flats DON’T look for fish, look for changes in the color of the water. Look for flashes, shadows or movement. Do not look at the water surface look into the water. Try to stand with your back to the wind and sun. The colour of the sea bottom affects the colour of the fish. Their silver sides act like mirrors therefore if it is yellow sand they will appear yellow rather than silver.