Bonefish like crabs as much as permit, maybe more! I’ve seen them rush 10 feet to gobble one. They’ll take almost any crab pattern, but, since bonefish spend more time in shallow water, grabbing permit flies off the shelf might not work. Below are 6 crab flies, graduated in weight, for a variety of water depths.
The crab (far left in photo) has 5/8 brass Dazl eyes. This is a great fly for deeper water, big fish, windy conditions. It makes a plop, so give it a good lead, 10-12 feet. The crab (far right of photo) has small bead chain eyes. This fly is good for shallow water with a shorter lead, only 5-6 feet. Fish see crabs from quite a distance, sometimes while it’s falling, rubber legs flailing. It excites them. When you know the fish is coming for your fly, don’t strip. Let it sit. That’s what crabs do. They either burrow or stand up to predators – claws out. Eagar to get the morsel before it burrows, they really pounce on it.
If the fish doesn’t react to the fly, he probably doesn’t see it. You’ll need a short strip to get his attention. If he moves to the fly, stop stripping, the fish will do the rest.
Crabs work well on any bottom, including white bottoms, where bones are inherently spooky and not tolerant of a fly that moves too fast, too far.
