We’re spinning up a lot of bonefish flies these days, and while our bonefish aren’t overly picky, we still like the challenge of tying flies that best imitate what bonefish like to eat.
For the most part, bonefish forage (shrimp, crabs, baitfish, etc.) blend in really well on the flats. Thus, choosing a fly that best matches the color of the bottom is usually your best bet.
However, regardless of their camouflage, one thing many of these prey items have in common are big, bold, beady eyes. That might not seem that significant, but on top of a white sandy bottom, that little big of contrast sticks out like a sore thumb.
Therefore, we like incorporating mono eyes into our bonefish flies. They fish well, make great looking flies, and while they are commercially available, they’re also extremely simple to make yourself. Here’s how..
Step 1: Cut a short length of heavy monofilament. We prefer 20-30 lb. RIO Alloy Hard Mono, but most other clear mono will do.Step 2: While holding the mono concave down, use a lighter or candle to melt the tip by holding near the blue part of the flame. Holding the mono with the natural curve facing down helps the eyes to flare outward, creating a more natural appearance.Step 3: Continue to melt mono to desired size. Take care not to hold mono near the flame for too long as this can cause the eye to melt completely and ‘drip’ off. Hold mono near the flame for a second or two, allow to cool, and repeat if a larger eye is needed. Note: This will not be the final size of the eye (see steps below).Step 4: Color the ‘eye’ with black permanent marker.Step 5: Dip eye in a hard, quick curing adhesive. We used 5-minute epoxy here. Continue to coat until the eye reaches the desired size. Other thick based UV Curing adhesives such as Clear Cure Goo can be used as well.Step 6: Allow the eyes to dry taking care that the epoxy does not drip down the mono. Sometimes this requires the mono to be rolled in hand until the epoxy begins to set.Step 7: Tie onto each side of the shank so that each eye flares outward like so.
