THE FLY LANDED in the right place. You let the small shrimp imitation sink to the proper level, and the bonefish seems to have noticed it. It's time to start acting like a shrimp. You begin a series of very short strips, trying to make the fly imitate the slow progress of a small shrimp that hasn't yet spotted the predator closing in on it. But the bonefish loses interest and turns away as if he never saw the fly.

What happened? My guess is that the fly never moved.

In trying to impart action to a fly, you must think of several factors besides the movements of your line hand. If you have any slack in the line while trying to give life to the fly, the movements of your line hand will only take up some of the slack. The fly, meanwhile, is sitting still; you think that you are moving it, but you're not. By the time you take up all the slack and the fly finally starts to move, the bonefish is long gone.

Slack has several causes. Even if you cast well, the fly line is not perfectly straight at the end of the cast. As soon as the line falls to the water, wind and waves start to push even more slack into it. The boat might be moving toward the fish. If you start the retrieve with the tip of the rod high above the water, you will create a big belly of slack that absorbs every movement of your line hand.

Get ready to impart action to the fly by lowering the tip all the way to the water if possible. All the way — touch the tip-top to the surface. If you are standing too high on the skiff to touch the water with the rod, at least get the tip as close as possible to the surface. Then strip until the fly line is nice and straight. You'll find that now the slightest movement of your line hand will cause a nearly equal movement of the fly. With no slack, you'll be able to feel the slightest, most subtle strike, and you will miss fewer fish.

Now you can make that shrimp walk and talk. Instead of turning and swimming away, the bonefish will respond to the fly.

Shallow Water

Let the fly sink when you fish in water less than a foot deep, but not necessarily to the bottom. In very shallow water, bonefish often take a fly as it sinks, particularly when it gets close to the sand or grass.

If the fish doesn't react, maybe he hasn't yet seen the fly. Give it a bump or two. Just as a blinking light draws more attention than a light that's not blinking, a fly that twitches or darts catches the fish's attention. Be gentle with these bumps; a violent, jerky movement can scare the fish.

If he follows the fly without taking it, move the fly slowly and steadily-no bumps or jerks. Make long, slow strips. This type of retrieve might not seem very active, but the fly's materials wiggle and pulse as the pattern travels through the water.

Remember to fish slowly. Many of the foods consumed by bonefish, particularly crustaceans, move slowly and often awkwardly. Just as a man can't take a thirty-foot stride, a one- or two-inch shrimp cannot take a quick two-foot stride. It would look unnatural to the bonefish.

You have to become the food that your fly imitates so that the impostor, the fly, will play a convincing role. You are an actor imitating a shrimp or a baitfish. Become the food.

Because it is mostly white with some yellow in the belly, my Bonefish Special is meant to imitate a small schoolmaster snapper or yellowfin shad. At least I feel that it does; I don't know what the bonefish thinks, of course. As I strip a Bonefish Special, I am that small baitfish — until the bonefish takes it and the ruse is over. Then Chico the angler strikes back.

If a bonefish is within a few feet of the fly, you might want to leave it on the bottom for a few seconds before you move it, especially if it's a shrimp or crab imitation. Don't be in a rush to move the fly. It is not unusual to see a bonefish come from six feet away to pick up a fly sitting on the bottom.

Deeper Water

Shallow-water fishing is very exciting, but don't underestimate sight-casting in more than two feet of water. If anything, seeing and casting to bonefish in slightly deeper water is even more challenging than fishing on a very shallow flat. Besides, deeper flats often hold bigger bonefish.

When you fish in deeper water, make the presentation with a longer lead that gives the fly time to sink to the bottom or very close to it. Even though you generally use a slightly heavier fly than you would in skinny water, it still takes a bit longer to reach bottom. Don't start the retrieve too early.

It's important to develop a feel for how quickly (or slowly) a fly sinks. Before you start hunting, simply drop the fly in front of you and see how long it takes to reach bottom. You can count if you like — one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, and so on. I do this with all flies, and I really think it helps. Remember that you want to stay at the fish's level or below, because practically all of his prey tries to hide in or on the bottom. Prey does not try to outrun a bonefish; it knows that it can't.

Since a fly for deeper water is usually larger than a skinny-water pattern, it probably imitates something that swims a bit faster. In deep water, I tend to use a faster, more aggressive retrieve.

Mudding Fish in Deeper Water

Although a mud gives me a pretty good idea where the fish are, I still try to spot an individual fish so that I can make the most accurate presentation possible. On a flat deeper than two feet, I try to determine the fish's level in the water instead of letting the fly drop all the way to the bottom; with all that mud around him, a bonefish might not see a fly sitting on the bottom of the flat. When the fish rushes the fly, I watch for the sudden stop that tells me he's got it.

As a rule, I fish minnow flies the fastest, though still not as fast as I'd retrieve a streamer for most other species. I fish crab flies the slowest, giving them little movement and keeping them on the bottom more than other patterns.

Even in deeper water, it's still important to match the retrieve to the mood and behavior of the fish. I move the fly a bit faster for a fish that's feeding quickly, and slower for a tailing fish that's making very little forward progress.

Remember never to work a fly toward a fish, no matter how deep the water is. They are not used to being attacked by their food. Even though the fly is so much smaller than the bonefish, it can still frighten him. The food should always look like it's trying to get away from the predator.

If a fish merely follows the fly, looking curious but passive, try changing speeds. Either accelerate your retrieve to make the prey look like it's fleeing, or stop and let the fly drop to the bottom as if it's trying to hide under the sand or grass. If changing speeds doesn't work, and especially if two or three fish in a row refuse to bite, consider changing flies. I can't tell you which fly the bones will want, but I have learned that changing size is usually more important than changing color.

Capt. Steve Huff fishes for bones almost exclusively with crab flies and shrimp patterns such as his Joe-to-Go, and he's among the great masters at reading the fish's attitude. "I try to get a recognition in the fish's behavior that he has seen or is aware of the fly," Steve says. "Then, if he is very close to the fly, say a fish length away, I may not move it. If he is a couple of fish lengths away, I may twitch it or move it slowly again, just trying to make sure I got his attention." That's good advice, and it underscores the importance of making sure that the bonefish has spotted the fly. If you know that he has seen it, then you can alter your retrieve — speed it up, let the fly drop, or swim the fly slowly and steadily — to make the fish bite. If you're certain that several fish have seen the fly, and if changing the retrieve failed to convince them, then think about trying another fly.

Learn From Rejection

Always take time to talk with your guide and discuss what happened with every fish. Guides are no different from other people; some are more outgoing than others. Very often, a guide who doesn't say much will, when asked, explain that the fly was just behind the fish, that the cast was great but the fish was already a bit nervous, or whatever. You will learn with every mistake and every opportunity. That's how you get better.

I have seen anglers spend several days missing fish, only to find out that the guide knew the reason but was just too shy to speak up. At the end of the last day, the guide finally says, "The fly wasn't sinking fast enough" or, "You need to lead them a little more when they are that spooky." No doubt it's good advice — but it comes too late to do the angler any good on this trip.

Don't assume that your guide has nothing to say. Maybe he's just shy. Ask for guidance and advice. I do all the time.

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