# Sharks on fly (monsters on little fly rods...)



## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

I posted this on another site and thought that a few here might enjoy learning what we do to get sharks on fly. Hopefully - not too big in size.... The really big ones are in the "unstoppable" category. Great fun but hard on your gear...

Not exactly the most realistic looking fly... but all of our shark flies are tied up as bulky as possible -think six to seven inches overall with at least eight of the biggest, widest, "feather duster" cheap saddle hackles - and that's just to start with... Add a short trace of #6 wire ending in a tiny welded tuna ring and you're ready to pick a fight...



Here's the best part... you want the entire fly to be exactly the same color as that bright orange life preserver.... and NO you wouldn't even think about taking a swim where we fish (even if it's only four feet of water...). The heavy jungle coast of the Everglades with its dark waters might just have more sharks than anywhere else I can think of...

Here it is.. The Bloody Rooster.. we fish it with a 12 or 13wt (and I keep my fingers crossed that we've chummed up one under 100 lbs...). We're drawing the critters to my 17' skiff with a few fish carcasses (always as fresh as possible - I like them kicking as I cut them...) then toss the fly at what shows up... as the current (you must have some current!) disperses the scent and draws sharks up to your skiff...









We do these normally on a 4/0 or 5/0 Mustad 34007 hook with a wire weedguard to be able to deal with times when there's a lot of grass in the water...

Someone once asked me what this pattern was supposed to be and I have absolutely no idea... When I first started filling orders for fly shops, one of them specified a big, garish orange fly for sharks... This is what I eventually provided... I've had orders for them in red/white, fl. chartreuse, and a few even more exotic colors. Remember that red or orange looks black when it's more that four feet under the surface - so lord only knows what a fish sees... Unlike freshwater where you're often feeding fish that are holding in a current -then pick and choose what to take and what to ignore.. We're much more actively tossing flies at fish that expect to dash out and ambush a passing food item - or in this case only making a cast at fish that are coming to the chum... or passing by while in migration mode...

Here's the key thing to remember if you want to hook up a big toothy critter on fly...

In fact, a shark can't see what's right in front of them, but they see pretty well to the side. Their ability to hunt down and strike is much more following scent and/or sound to find prey and attack. I tell my anglers to only cast as the fish approaches and to do their best to keep the fly beside an eye while stripping to keep pace with the approaching animal... That bright color is much more to benefit my angler than anything else. You keep stripping until the shark moves it's head slightly - and the fly is simply gone... Come tight and the fish will do the rest -if you can keep all the line around your feet from snagging you (or anything else..) as it flies up to the rod -then away from the skiff... I also advise my anglers that after strip striking a fish (any fish, from one pound to bigger than you are...) not to try to use your line hand to apply any pressure as the fish surges away. They need to manage the line as it comes up off the deck until everything is tight and the reel is turning. If you try to apply any drag with your line hand with loose line on the deck -the fly line jumps about and will almost certainly be a problem (understatement)... I've held onto more than one angler's belt while they hopped around on foot trying to clear line that caught on more than one obstacle.. their feet, the reel, and everything else under the sun... it's something we've all gone through - but you learn... One last thing to remember - if you've hooked up a spinner or blacktip shark immediately back off your drag to almost zero when you see that first jump.. When they're jumping and spinning any drag will part your leader since they're just going so fast that water pressure alone might break you off. Don't re-set your drag until the fish quits its craziness. You will have lost half or more of your line and backing - but that's what it takes to stay connected to a spinner.... and can they ever fight...

Hope this helps... by the way we never bring sharks into the boat - they're worked alongside and I grab a pectoral fin once they settle down (with the fish still in the water they don't raise hell the way they do when you try to drag one onboard... With the fish controlled it's not hard to remove the fly from its jaws with an 18" de-hooker - then let him swim away, pretty much un-harmed...


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## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

Nice post.

I try to keep at least one rod rigged with a shark fly and noticed the wind while trailering would shred all those big feathers off. So now I bury the fly up inside the fly rod tube to protect it from the wind.


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## stussing (Oct 29, 2018)

Thank you for posting this information.


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## fiddlefish (Nov 13, 2017)

Interesting and informative, thanks!


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## Randall (Dec 1, 2017)

Sight fishing them in the keys is also fun.


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## EvanHammer (Aug 14, 2015)

Thanks for posting this Bob - I've been meaning to ask the forum about shark flies.

If you were fishing for smaller sharks (say 3-5' blacktips) would you tie smaller flies that would cast better on a 10-11 weight or still tie the 6-7" flies?

Do you think the chum is important in getting them fired up? I cast to a bunch of sharks this summer and most would track the fly but not eat - curious if having blood/chum in the water would have changed their behavior or if I just need to tweak the fly/presentation.

When you're shark fishing do most of the sharks you cast to respond to the fly or do you have to cast to quite a few to get an eat?

Thanks!


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

My first shark on fly was in the Yucatan fishing with a guide for bone fish. I had a rod on the boat rigged with a big red tarpon type fly tied on light wire. After catching several bones i saw a shark cruising the flat. I grab my rod and hit it the head with the fly. He sucked it in and after a battle the guide boated a 3' black tip. He promptly put it in his cooler to eat later


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## State fish rob (Jan 25, 2017)

Great post!


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Yes to a bit smaller flies for smaller sharks with a 10wt rod... World of difference when sharks can smell “fresh kill”... and come all fired up. That said, we find that little lemons and bull sharks up inside the ‘glades will bite anything presented properly in the same areas you’d sight-fish reds or snook in... no chum needed, matter of fact we toss the same 2/0 clouser style fly at them...


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## EvanHammer (Aug 14, 2015)

lemaymiami said:


> Yes to a bit smaller flies for smaller sharks with a 10wt rod... World of difference when sharks can smell “fresh kill”... and come all fired up. That said, we find that little lemons and bull sharks up inside the ‘glades will bite anything presented properly in the same areas you’d sight-fish reds or snook in... no chum needed, matter of fact we toss the same 2/0 clouser style fly at them...


Thanks!


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## mwolaver (Feb 6, 2014)

Can only add one item. After fishing for sharks on light tackle and fly for almost 40 years in south florida, I've settled on a very sharp J-hook with the barb broken off or squeezed down. The release is MUCH easier and they seem to stay buttoned fine. I use the extra long ARC dehooker and it is quite easy. Thanks Capt Lemay. Great info.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Great point about the hook... Anyone that uses a circle hook on sharks will find it almost impossible to remove from a live shark's jaw -but with a standard J hook it's a snap if you can get one to settle down for just a moment...


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## Pbertell (Apr 22, 2015)

Thanks Bob great post!!!


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## RaspberryPatch (Dec 17, 2016)

Like to see pictures of the tools to redhook them? I have attempted to cast them, but the process of release has held me back.

I seen people beach them and then use bolt cutters to reduce the hook and throw them back, but I am not convinced this is good.


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

If it’s not to big turn it belly up and they calm down to remove the hook


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

I just have my angler work them up alongside - and when they calm down (quit shaking that head...) I grab a pectoral fin and roll them over-exposing those jaws... With my angler holding the line tight and me holding the fin.... it's a simple matter to run an Arc de-hooker down the leader to the hook and pop it loose.... For those who've never handled sharks try to find old episodes of the 30 minute Madfin Shark tournaments TV shows. You'll see every way under the sun on how to release a shark and get that hook back (they get extra tournament points for a retrieved hook...). The hook remover I use is about 18" long and that's a pretty safe tool if you're careful... Get careless and you'll end up getting hurt... Note: those tournament types have to measure their sharks so they grab the tail.. that really fires up a shark... If you leave the tail alone, once they settle down they're pretty easy to handle - as long as you leave them in the water...

Don't worry if you can't get the hook out - just cut the wire as close as possible then allow the fish to swim away - that hook won't bother him at all... We've caught and released many small bull and lemon sharks that have more than one rust mark in the corner of their jaws where they got away from an angler but kept the hook as a lip ornament...

Many folks who fish from shore use really big, heavy hooks (much too big, much too heavy in my opinion) since they're already using very heavy gear... If you're shorebound and not able to chase a shark making a long run you need heavy gear... So that's why you see them using bolt cutters, etc. When my anglers are using spin or conventional gear - they're never using line heavier than 30 lb - and most days only 20lb line... That allows us to use much lighter hooks... My standard rig uses just an Eagle Claw #85 5/0 hook and we beat sharks up to ten feet long and rarely ever have a hook failure... When we're fly fishing the hook is rarely more than a 4/0... usually a Mustad 34007 (or a 3407, not stainless and a bit stronger than a 34007 hook...). When I want a very strong hook we go to a 3407SS hook (no it's not stainless - these old style hooks are double strength (heavier wire...). Of course these style hooks need some serious sharpening before even tying the fly...


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## RaspberryPatch (Dec 17, 2016)

lemaymiami said:


> I just have my angler work them up alongside - and when they calm down (quit shaking that head...) I grab a pectoral fin and roll them over-exposing those jaws... With my angler holding the line tight and me holding the fin.... it's a simple matter to run an Arc de-hooker down the leader to the hook and pop it loose.... For those who've never handled sharks try to find old episodes of the 30 minute Madfin Shark tournaments TV shows. You'll see every way under the sun on how to release a shark and get that hook back (they get extra tournament points for a retrieved hook...). The hook remover I use is about 18" long and that's a pretty safe tool if you're careful... Get careless .......


Captain Bob LeMay,

Thank you, I now of a much better understanding of how to release them.


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## Imago (Aug 9, 2018)

Sharks don't seem to be highly regarded by the sport fishing community. Why not? Seems strange given their iconic status, size and fight.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Down in the ‘glades they’re so numerous that you have to work to avoid them... Not much of a challenge with bait and a real nuisance if you’re trying to catch a big snook, grouper, or cocoa on live bait.

Catching one with a fly -that’s a real challenge...


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