SaltwaterBonefish Scampi
The Bonefish Scampi is a proven pattern for bonefish and other flats species. It imitates a small shrimp and the bead chain eyes give it a little weight to get it down in the water column, while the marabou tail gives it plenty of movement.
Year Round
Intermediate
Bonefish
Apr 2025
Overview
The Bonefish Scampi is a proven saltwater pattern tied with a tan or pink synthetic wing (often Craft Fur or Rabbit), paired with pearl Krystal Flash, bead chain eyes, and a dubbed or wrapped synthetic body. Rubber legs add subtle movement, while the light color palette mimics shrimp in tropical flats. It's tied to ride hook point up for weedless presentation on sandy bottoms.
Materials
Hook: Tiemco 811S, size #4-#6
Thread: Pink UTC 140
Eyes: Silver Medium Beadchain Eyes
Tail: Pearl Minnow Body Flash
Body: Pearl Flat Diamond Braid
Wing: Tan Zonker Rabbit Strip
Wing2: Pink Craft Fur
Flash: Pearl Krystal Flash
Behavior & Presentation
Natural Behavior: Translucent shrimp hop along sandy bottoms in erratic bursts, suspending briefly between darts when threatened, their pale bodies catching light as they flee across exposed flats.
Where Trout Eat It: Bonefish target these shrimp in shallow sand pockets, turtle grass edges, and coral rubble zones where cruising fish sight-feed on movement.
How to Fish It: Short strips with pauses to imitate the hop-and-glide escape pattern, allowing the fly to settle on sand between movements.
Best Water: Focus on grass edges, sandy channels, coral structure, and shallow drop-offs where shrimp cross open areas between cover.
Strike Type: Aggressive takes as bonefish tip down and crush the shrimp, often visible as a flash or puff of sand.
Fishing Strategy
Rigging Suggestions: Use a 9-12 foot leader with a 12-20 lb fluorocarbon tippet depending on conditions and fish size. Adjust leader length based on water clarity and fish spookiness.
Seasonal Timing: Effective year-round in tropical and subtropical waters, with prime fishing during warmer months from April through November when bonefish are most active on the flats.
Pro Tips: This fly sinks slowly and is highly visible thanks to its bead chain eyes and marabou tail. The natural breathing action of marabou creates irresistible movement that imitates a vulnerable shrimp.
Entomology
Shrimp in tropical flats exhibit translucent coloration and hop along sandy bottoms in short bursts, often suspending briefly before darting to new positions when threatened. Their pale bodies and erratic escape movements make them highly visible to cruising bonefish, who prize them for their soft shells and rich caloric density during molting periods.
- Organism Type
- crustacean
- Life Stage
- general