Fly Fishing for Mako Sharks

August 10, 2007

Jason Lozano (the rep for Scott Fly Rods and Patagonia, etc.) and I went on a Mako Shark fly fishing trip with Capt. Conway Bowman of Bowman Bluewater Fly Fishing. We left Dana Landing near San Diego at about 7am and headed a few miles off-shore to set up a chum slick and see if we could bring in any Mako’s close enough to fly cast to.

After the slick was out for about an hour the action started. We spotted the first Mako cruising the slick and Conway cast a teaser to it. When Jason was ready he cast his fly near the teaser as Conway reeled the teaser out of the way, within seconds the 70+ pound Mako turned on the fly and tried to take a bite out of it. It all seemed to happen in slow motion as the shark opened its mouth and all those teeth engulfed the fly. As the huge fish turned with the fly in his mouth, Jason waited a second or two until the time was right, then he strip set the hook, and the fight was on! Typically these killer fish like to run and jump when hooked, but this time Jason’s fish decided to head for deeper water, straight down, probably at least a hundred feet. Very exciting. After a few minutes Jason was able to get the toothy shark up near the surface, but he was having no part of that, down he goes. This happens over and over, about 5 or 6 times in all, each time the 12 weight rod is bent over to what must be near its breaking point. After about 20 minutes or so the fight is over and Jason has won. Conway makes sure it’s safe to get near the fish for a clean release and does so. One fish landed and released safely, hopefully more to go.

About 20 minutes later we’re watching a seagull swimming around the slick without a care in the world. All of a sudden, there’s fin, a large fin. We all jump up and I start shaking, it’s my turn on the fly. This is only the second Mako I’ve ever seen but Conway says it’s a big one, and he’s seen many thousands. Conway estimates this fish at over 150 pounds just because of the size if its dorsal fin. I’m shaking more. The shark is about 100 yards out and is apparently annoyed at the presence of the seagull. He’s herding the bird out of what he must believe is his territory, he hasn’t eaten the bird, he just wants the bird gone.

During all this I’m getting some line stripped off a 14 weight Scott rod and preparing to cast, while shaking like a dog pooping peach seeds and trying not to fall out of the boat. Conway is casting the teaser and we’re hoping the fish gets within casting range of the boat. FLASH. There he is. After the teaser once, twice, on the third swing Conway instructs me to cast. I make my presentation, (thank God it wasn’t a #16 elk hair caddis) and Conway yanks the teaser out of the way. Strip, wait…wait…wait… NOW!! KILLER, the fish is on! When he takes the fly Conway is thinking it’s not the same shark we were looking at chasing the bird, bit it’s bigger than the last one, maybe 80 or 90 pounds. It’s all the same to me, I’m on the process of fulfilling a dream I’ve been having of catching a Mako Shark of a fly!!

This fish turns out to be a bull dog. He doesn’t go far, just down and out of sight of the boat, then he just sits…and sits…and sits, not unlike a huge brown in the EW that eats your nymph and doesn’t move for a while, because he doesn’t have to.



He takes me back and forth over the front of the boat 8 or 10 times, during this I’m figuring he knows I don’t have much for sea legs and is trying to get me to fall out of the boat so he can take a bite out of me. I manage to stay in the boat and after about 10 minutes or so he starts to gradually come up to the surface. Conway is a little tense about releasing this fish too soon, if he still has too much fight left in him things could get a little dicey, literally.

Conway decides all is well and it’s time to release this 80 pound flesh eater, all goes well with the release and WOW, I’ve just landed my first Mako shark on a fly rod!! One more dream crossed off the list! Now I’m really shaking. I can barely un-wrap my fingers from the cork grip of this fly rod, simply un-believable.

I gotta tell you, this is one of the most exciting trips I’ve ever been on. These were the only two Mako’s we got to the boat, were fortunate enough to land both of them. The rest of the day was uneventful except of course for the fish tales, beautiful weather, and camaraderie. Conway is an excellent host and a wealth of information about sharks, I asked lots of questions and was able to learn a lot about this magnificent species. I would highly recommend Capt. Bowman if you’re ever interested in taking a crack some extreme fly fishing for Mako Sharks.

If you’d like to learn more about a trip like this contact Capt. Conway Bowman at www.bowmanbluewater.com, you won’t regret it, tell him Ken’s Sporting Goods sent you!