The Fish You Never Saw! – Spotting Bonefish in Cozumel

When I learned that I would be moving to Cozumel to become a partner at Flyfishing Uno Mas, I thought to myself, "This is going to be great! With all the time I'll be spending on the flats, I'll finally learn how to spot Bonefish!"

I was convinced that with enough time and experience, I would become an expert at spotting fish.

Boy, was I wrong!

Captain Mike is constantly reminding me, "Don't cast until you see the fish!"

That's easy for him to say. He's been spotting Bonefish on these flats for years.

My usual response is, "My 76-year-old eyes do not see the fish!"

Sometimes I see them. More often, I don't.

Whenever Captain Mike spots a Bonefish, he'll point toward the water and say, "Cast over here. Can you see the fish?"

Now, the good news is that he's telling me where to cast, even when I can't actually see the fish.

The bad news is that he expects me to know exactly where those fish are!

I have a confession to make.

At first, whenever he asked if I could see the fish, in my excitement to make a cast, I would tell him, "Yeah, I can see them!"

Of course, I couldn't see a thing!

It didn't take Captain Mike very long to figure that out.

All it took was a few casts over the top of the fish, sending the entire school of Bonefish scattering across the flats, for him to realize that I wasn't being entirely truthful about my fish-spotting abilities!

Now, before you start thinking that I must be completely blind, let me explain something.

When the sun is shining and a school of Bonefish is moving across a light sandy bottom flat, I can see them just fine. Almost anybody can see Bonefish under those conditions!

But that's not what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about standing knee-deep in the water on a flat covered with dark grass, staring across what appears to be a completely lifeless stretch of water.

No movement, no shadows, no sign of anything swimming beneath the surface.

And then Captain Mike, standing there beside me, points toward that same stretch of water and asks, "Can you see those Bonefish?"

I'm looking exactly where he's pointing, and I don't see a thing!

And sometimes it's even more amazing than that!

We'll be slowly wading across a flat that, to my eyes, shows absolutely no sign of life. Nothing moving, no shadows, not even a ripple to suggest there might be a fish anywhere in sight.

Then, out of nowhere, Captain Mike will casually announce, "Hold on, they're about 100 yards out and moving this way. Can you see them?"

And I'm thinking, "You gotta be frickin' kidding me!"

I can't see a Bonefish 40 feet in front of me, and he's telling me there's a school of them a hundred yards away!

How in the world does he do that?

I've often asked Captain Mike how he manages to spot Bonefish at distances where I can't see the slightest sign of life.

His answer is always the same.

"Amigo, that's why I'm your guide!"

And you know what? He's absolutely right!

After all these years, I've come to appreciate that there's a world of difference between knowing how to cast a fly rod and knowing where to cast it.

I may never develop Captain Mike's extraordinary ability to spot Bonefish, but I've learned something equally important.

When your guide tells you there's a school of Bonefish moving this way, you'd better be ready to cast—even if your 76-year-old eyes can't see a darn thing!

For anglers visiting Cozumel for the first time, spotting Bonefish can be one of the biggest challenges of flats fishing. That's where an experienced local guide like Captain Mike makes such a difference. He knows these waters, understands how the fish move, and can often spot fish long before the rest of us have any idea they're there.

Come visit us and let Captain Mike give you your very own eye exam!

We look forward to having you come fishing with us!