Capt. Jon Ray shows a sizeable Lake Michigan golden bonefish taken in Grand Traverse Bay. This style of flats fishing has opened up a whole new arena for Great Lakes Anglers. Carp like this are available to fly fishers on hard bottom areas throughout much of the Great Lakes. Be sure to take an 8-wt rod and a reel with a solid drag system and a lot of backing. These fish are fairly opportunistic feeders, so most creepy crawly looking flies have potential. Keep the flies fairly small- up to 3" or so length and use a strong hook. Crayfish, damsel nymphs, Hex nymphs, and at times even Buggers will work. These fish run slower than a bonefish, but with a LOT more endurance, kind of like a diesel locamotive.



Capt. Jon works with Hawkins Fly Fishing Outfitters and also has his own photo/video production company, Mangled Fly Media.