WHY YOU Shouldn’t PHOTOGRAPH BONEFISH
YOU MIGHT FEEL LIKE YOU Need A PICTURE OF YOUR
TROPHY BONEFISH. WE GET IT. IT IS A BIG ACCOMPLISHMENT
TO BRING IN A BONE OF, SAY, EIGHT-PLUS POUNDS.
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But then, take a glance online: there are already more than enough pictures of
hefty bonefish. Google “images for bonefish,” then scroll to the bottom of a very,
very long page. What’s the message there? “Show More Results.” Here are five
good reasons why you shouldn't add yours to the pile.
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LACKS FOCUS AND
A PROPER FRAME
OF REFERENCE.
1
Truth be told, what you really enjoy is chasing bonefish. That, and the
warm smell of mangroves in sunlight, the splash of salt water behind
your knees, the way the wind lifts your hat when you turn to watch
a flock of flamingos. A bit subconsciously you’re trying to sharpen
your perspective, compensate for glare, and avoid casting shadows.
But, strip the fly into a proper hookset and the universe becomes
whole. Your world and its maddeningly persistent fractures? Gone.
Peace and wholeness remain.

It is, though, hard to maintain this feeling when you’re trying to ensure
that your treasured fish is released in good shape. That’s when reels
fill with sand and rod tips snap like twigs underfoot.

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2
POOR WHITE BALANCE,
WHATEVER THAT IS

2
A fish that’s docile enough to be held is a tired fish, easy prey for
sharks and barracuda—or even an ambitious pelican. Apply as
much pressure as your tippet can stand—which will often provoke
an absolutely blazing first run. As soon as practical, slip the hook
from the jaw without removing the fish from the water. Spared
the additional stress of photography, your bone’s odds of survival
just rose a notch.

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3
“RELEASE ME NOW—
OR I TELL YOUR
FRIENDS ABOUT
THE GUMMY MINNOWS.”

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3
The fact is that even when you get lucky enough to produce
a reasonable photo, the picture is often lacking a certain something,
that indefinable quality which elevates an image to the next level.
Perhaps you focused on the wrong quadrant, failed to deploy a
polarizing filter or, worse yet, neglected to clean that filter, so your
almost-good-enough photo is marred by a smudge of SPF 35. Such
errors cannot be fixed in dreams or in Photoshop.

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WHAT DO YOU
MEAN BY
“FOREGROUND”?
4
Let’s face it: top-quality picture-
taking is a job for the pros. And a
pro-quality camera can be fragile,
expensive, heavy—or all three. You
don’t want another thing to stress
about while yearning for oneness. If
you don’t mind expense, buy a better
reel with a smoother drag. If you
can handle more weight, carry beer
and ice.

The takeaway? You and everyone you

love will be happier if you abandon
the quest for photographic virtuosity.
attention to detail—to become the next
Brian O’Keefe or Val Atkinson. So give
it up now. Forget about capturing that
luminous instant when the dying sun
ignites all the colors of the world.

Focus instead on the Zen of stalking

You likely don’t have the time or the
talent—much less the obsessive
finicky fish in shallow water. Empty
your mind of envy and comparison.
The last thing you should be thinking
about while hooked to a big bone is:
Can I land this beast before the light
fades? Live in the moment, baby. Keep
the line tight and the rod tip high. And
be ready to run if the fish reaches that
coral head on the far side of the flat….

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AND, FINALLY:
OBJECTS IN HAND
ARE LARGER THAN
THEY APPEAR
5
Bonefishing is not a competition; it’s a way of life. Keep your
gaze moving and your feet still. Appreciate the parade of mullet
and cowfish. When the fish gods toss you a bone, admit no false
casts and no false pride. You can’t become one with the universe
when you’re trying to one-up that guy who goes to Belize every
winter. What you’ll remember when you’re too old to wade
are those indelible moments of absolutely blank, thought-free
transcendence. No photos required.

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