The bonefish, or ‘white fox’ as its name translates to, is not the sort of species your average Aussie angler would come across very often, but it is one fish you might travel a long way to have a cast for, especially if you are a salt water fly enthusiast. Bonefish are mainly found on sandflats where they forage in groups, from as few as three or four fish, up to schools numbering in the hundreds. They move out over the flats, often in such shallow water that their dorsal fins break the surface – a sight sure to set the heart of any angler racing.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES

The bonefish superficially resembles the whitings, and the two might sometimes be confused, especially in northern Australian waters. Both whiting and bonefish are long and silver with an underslung mouth, but the bonefish may be distinguished by its single dorsal fin, paired pelvic fins under the middle of the body and its deeply forked tail.

DISTRIBUTION AND MOVEMENTS Bonefish occur right round the world, mainly in the tropics. Their preferred habitat of shallow, sandy flats means that they are coastal when near continents, but also occur patchily in similar habitats around islands and atolls, often in remote mid-ocean locales. Well known bonefish grounds include the Florida Keys, the West Indies, Christmas Island in the mid Pacific, and also in the eastern Indian ocean, and the Seychelles in the northern Indian. They occur around the northern half of Australia, as far south as Moreton Bay. There are always exceptions to the rule, though, and one highly unusual capture of a bonefish in the Sydney area a few years back certainly raised a few eyebrows. NSW Fisheries biologist Aldo Steffe, a keen angler, hooked what he thought was a good sized jewfish (mulloway) while bait fishing in Port Hacking. After a long tussle, he got the surprise of his life when he landed a 3.6kg bonefish.

REPRODUCTION

The larvae of bonefish, rather than being tiny, quickly grow into long (60mm), transparent ribbon-like fishes with very small heads, called leptocephalic larvae. After weeks or even months in this state, during which time they apparently absorb nutrients directly from the water, they completely metamorphose, halving their length and finally coming to resemble small adults. It is during this long larval period that bonefish probably disperse throughout their broad, cosmopolitan range.

SIZE AND GROWTH

Bonefish apparently grow to different maximum sizes in different regions. Off the southeastern USA and in the Caribbean, the largest fish have weighed just over 7kg whereas fish taken off Hawaii and western Africa have topped the 9kg mark. The largest bonefish recorded in Australia weighed just over 10 pounds (4.66kg) and was unexpectedly caught on a fish bait off Swains Reefs in Queensland.

Best estimates of growth indicate that bonefish reach a size of about 23cm by two years of age, and that most are mature at about four years of age, by which time they have attained a length of about 45cm. They are a relatively long lived species, apparently living up to 20 years old.

SPORTING AND EATING QUALITIES

The bonefish is without doubt one of the great sporting fishes of the world. Its sheer strength and speed are legendary, leading to it being revered by anglers. Even though bonefish are supposedly delicious to eat, they are not called ‘bonefish’ for nothing, and are full of fine bones. Most anglers would therefore agree that the best way to enjoy this fish is to savour the thrill of the chase, the accuracy of the cast and the exhilaration of the fight. Releasing it and watching it swim away is then simply the icing on the cake.