The bonefish rig Captain Joe Gonzalez uses is an eight-foot light-action spinning rod, two feet of twenty-pound mono leader, a small split shot, and a 2/0 offset bait-keeper hook baited with a tail-clipped live shrimp, cast long and twitched to fish that often sense a bigger boat early. In this How 2 Tuesday I sit down with legendary Biscayne Bay bonefish guide Captain Joe Gonzalez, who rigs a little differently than most Keys guys, and he walks through his exact setup. Press play above and follow along.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
Gonzalez likes an eight-foot light-action spinning rod for bonefishing with live shrimp. The extra length gives him more casting distance, which matters because he often fishes a bigger boat, an eighteen-foot Marquesa, where bonefish sense the boat sooner than they would from a smaller skiff. The longer rod also helps him cut through the wind. He trades a little accuracy for that distance, noting a seven-foot rod is more accurate in close quarters but the eight-foot wins when he needs to reach fish for bonefish and permit.
He keeps it simple. He uses a twenty-four to thirty inch piece of twenty-pound test, just regular monofilament, not even fluorocarbon. He cinches it down with a uni knot or a clinch knot. He also adds a split shot, anywhere from a number four to a number seven depending on depth and wind, about three inches above the hook. It is a no-frills, durable rig built for day-in, day-out bait fishing on Biscayne Bay.
Gonzalez uses a 2/0 offset hook with a bait keeper, the small prongs on the shank that hold bait in place. He bites the tail off the shrimp, then threads the back half of the shrimp onto the hook, impaling it on the barbs. Clipping the tail makes the bait more aerodynamic and head-heavy for extra casting distance, and it releases scent into the water. He likes the offset bend because when a bonefish eats the shrimp and turns to move off, the offset helps the hook find the corner of its mouth.
You wait. Gonzalez stresses that you do not set the moment you feel or see the bite. The worst thing you can do is try to set right away. Instead, let the bonefish pick the shrimp up and start moving off. Once you know it has the bait and is moving, then you come tight and set. With a bait rig fished off the rod holder, the angler should do nothing until the fish has the whole bait, then reel into it. Less is more.
A booger rig is essentially the same live-shrimp bait rig, often fished off a rod holder while the boat works the flat. Gonzalez says some anglers look down on booger fishing as cheating, but there is real science to it. You still have to know where the bonefish lanes are, how the fish move with the tide, and where to position. The keys are the same as with any bait presentation: fish it off the rod holder, and when you get picked up, wait until the fish has the whole bait in its mouth before coming tight or you will usually miss.
A longer rod lets you cast farther with lighter weight, which is a big advantage when fish detect the boat early or when you are fighting wind. The tradeoff is accuracy. Gonzalez notes you will not have the same accuracy with an eight-foot rod as with a seven-foot rod. He uses a seven-foot rod in close quarters, a six-and-a-half-foot rod in the backcountry, and saves the eight-footer for situations that demand long-distance casts to bonefish and permit.
Joe Gonzalez is a legendary bonefish captain out of Miami and Biscayne Bay, and he does things a little differently than I do and than a lot of the Keys guys. That is exactly why I wanted him on. When someone with his track record rigs against the grain, it is worth listening to the reasons. He explains every choice in the episode, so press play in the player above.
A lot of Gonzalez's setup comes back to one problem, fish sensing a bigger boat sooner than they would a small skiff. His answer is reach: an eight-foot rod, a tail-clipped shrimp that flies, and a presentation built to cover distance. He gets into how he balances that against the accuracy you give up in the episode, so press play in the player above.
The 2/0 offset bait-keeper hook is the heart of this rig, and the way Gonzalez fishes it is all about patience. He waits for the fish to commit and move off before he ever comes tight, whether he is sight fishing or working a booger rig off the rod holder. He explains the timing of the eat in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Here is how Captain Joe Gonzalez rigs for live-shrimp bonefishing. He walks through each piece in the audio.
I walk through each of these in the episode. Press play in the player above and follow along.
What I love about Joe's rig is that none of it is fancy. Regular mono, a split shot, a good hook, and a shrimp prepared with a purpose. The skill is in the presentation and the patience, not the gear.
If you fish for bonefish with bait, take a hard look at the offset bait-keeper hook and the discipline to wait out the eat. Those two things alone will put more fish in the boat. Press play in the player above.
Captain Joe Gonzalez · Biscayne Bay · Miami · bonefishing · live shrimp · 2/0 offset hook · bait keeper · split shot · uni knot · clinch knot · booger rig · Mark Croka · Hells Bay Marquesa · permit · How 2 Tuesday · Saltwater Experience
How 2 Tuesday is my weekly series where I break down one fishing skill at a time, from knots and casting to gear, tactics, and the habits that make you a better angler. Watch and listen to every How 2 Tuesday episode from Tom Rowland.
I'm Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast's How 2 Tuesday series I break down one practical skill or lesson at a time, from fishing technique and gear to the habits that make you a better angler, in short, focused episodes you can put to use right away.
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