SaltwaterFlip Flop Bonefish
The Flip Flop Bonefish is a versatile saltwater pattern designed to target bonefish on tropical flats. This shrimp imitation features a craft fur body and tail that provides excellent movement in the water, paired with bead chain eyes for weight and a natural swimming action. The distinctive pink mono eyes tipped with UV resin add a realistic touch that mimics the eyestalks of natural shrimp, while pink Super Floss legs provide additional movement and attraction.
Year Round
Intermediate
Bonefish
Dec 2025
Overview
This Charlie Craven pattern from Charlie's Fly Box showcases an effective approach to bonefish flies with its unique mono eyes tipped with pink UV resin. The combination of the bead chain weight and the buoyant craft fur body creates a fly that settles slowly to the bottom while maintaining an enticing, fluttering action. The craft fur provides remarkable movement even at rest, mimicking the natural motion of a shrimp trying to escape. The pink accents throughout the pattern serve as trigger points that bonefish find irresistible.
Materials
Hook: Tiemco 811S, #4
Thread: UTC 140, shell pink
Weight: Bead Chain Eyes, large silver
Eyes: Hard Mono, 15lb (with Pink Solarez)
Tail: Craft Fur, tan
Flash: Krystal Flash, copper and black
Body: Craft Fur, tan
Legs: Super Floss, pink
Behavior & Presentation
Natural Behavior: Shrimp dart backward in rapid bursts across flats, their translucent bodies flashing as they flee toward structure. They become highly vulnerable when crossing open sand between grass beds.
Where Trout Eat It: Fish patrol grass edges and sand transitions where fleeing shrimp expose themselves.
How to Fish It: Strip in short, erratic bursts to replicate escape behavior, pausing to let pattern settle on bottom.
Best Water: Work grass edges, sand channels, and shoals where shrimp migrate between zones.
Strike Type: Expect aggressive takes during strips or as pattern settles.
Fishing Strategy
Rigging Suggestions: Fish on a 9-foot leader tapering to 10-12 lb fluorocarbon tippet. Use a weight-forward floating line for most flat fishing situations. The bead chain weight is ideal for skinny water where heavier flies would spook fish.
Seasonal Timing: Effective in tropical and subtropical bonefish destinations. Prime fishing often occurs during periods when conditions are most stable.
Pro Tips: The tan craft fur provides excellent camouflage on sandy flats. The fly sinks slowly with an enticing flutter thanks to the bead chain weight.
Entomology
Shrimp pulse backward through shallow flats using rapid tail flips when threatened, stirring up small clouds of sediment that mark their escape route. Bonefish actively hunt these crustaceans in skinny water because shrimp provide exceptional nutrition and represent a primary food source on tropical and subtropical flats.
- Organism Type
- crustacean
- Life Stage
- general