The FL Sportsman and Bonefish

My one Florida Bonefish

My one Florida Bonefish

There was a really interesting article recently in the Florida Sportsman about bonefish in the Keys. Bones have been in decline for years in the Keys. All the guides down there will tell you the same. The article talked to some of those guides but also had some signs of hope. Smaller bones are being seen and smaller bones turn into bigger bones and it is not totally inconceivable things might turn around.

When I was down in the Keys a couple years ago I remember hearing about the decline. One-time bonefish flats had become redfish flats and the bones just weren’t around.

The culprits for the decline are mostly the usual suspects. There are water quality issues and the devastating cold from a few years back. There has even been talk about netting in Cuba impacting Florida populations.

As always, I’d love to hear from the folks who live there and fish those waters. You see any hope or just a steady decline?

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3 comments

  1. I don’t fish the lower Keys, but do fish the upper ones & primarily Biscayne Bay. Numbers are way down in this area as well. Have seen more & more schools of smaller bones roaming around. The Shamoo sized bones are still present, but not in the numbers that were here pre-freeze of 2010. Finally had a major cold front come thru with near freezing temps & the coldest day of the year being yesterday. Going out this week to see if that woke everyone up.

  2. Think what you want… It’s man made global warming, habitat pressure and you can’t cast worth c….

  3. Ya know… my casting isn’t too bad.

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