Owner of Nautilus Reels, Kristen Mustad sent me a couple of pictures of a bonefish tongue. This particular fish fell victim to the cold snap back in January and was given to one of the Nautilus employees by a bonefish researcher.
All I can say is… WOW.
That is a bonefish tongue
Side view.
Perfect for crushing that little crab against the bonefish’s crushing plate on the top of its mouth.
Now you know… and “knowing is half the battle.”
- If you liked the story above, check out these stories below
- Interview with Kristen Mustad - Nautilus Reels (0.991)
- Nautilus Reels and BTT (0.987)
Tags: bonefish, bonefishing, Kristen Mustad, Nautilus Reels, tongue
Um…that is too weird! What the heck do they eat? Do they need to grind their food? Also, why are bonefish called bonefish? I have always wondered.
Well, they eat all sorts of things, but mostly things like shrimp and crabs. They have a crushing plate on the top of their mouth, but no teeth. They suck in the food, crush it and swallow it. They will eat urchins sometimes even. The bigger they get, the more they eat other fish.
They are called bonefish because they have A LOT of bones. They have a free floating set of bones that makes the words “Bonefish fillet” a big of fiction. For that reason they are generally not eaten and were considered a trash fish for a long time. They are eaten in Hawaii and other parts of the South Pacific (and a few other places). In Hawaii they are called Oi’o. They are generally eaten in a fish cake. It is pretty clear now, however, that the value of the fish is far greater as a target for recreational, catch & release anglers than as a food source and many governments have moved to prohibit the killing of bonefish (Belize, Bahamas, Christmas Island).
What can I say? Writing this blog every day has been a great education.
Here on Aitutaki they target the Kio kio, bonefish, in their nets. It is killing off generations of the future of these fish. We are trying to get things handled here but it is more than an up hill battle. Hopefully we can get this sorted out and soon. With that said there are big bonefish here to get on a fly rod. Come on down and join me and we’ll chase these monster fish.