SHARKS ON THE FLY
How it’s done – the facts not the fantasy.
Targeting blue sharks on fly tackle has lost a lot in translation over recent years. Some anglers took to using fly-rods with fly-reels loaded only with braid, rather than proper fly-line, and adding 15ft wire traces carrying whole mackerel baits. Calling this fly-tackle is stretching the truth by a country mile.
The other side of the coin is when it is exaggerated into something akin to targeting a 15ft great white with tackle not really achievable or affordable by those of us who live in the real world. The reality is neither of the above.
Although I’ve fly-fished both fresh and saltwater virtually my whole fishing life, I left it late to target a blue shark on the fly. When I set out to do so, I read as much as I could on the subject, but decided to think it through myself to adapt a system in which I could be confident – one that presents the fly to the shark in the purest way possible, adhering to a true fly-fishing ethic, and with the shark’s well-being in mind.
ROD CHOICE
One myth to instantly dispel is that we won’t be casting the fly to the shark conventionally. The tackle, by fly standards, is too heavy for normal casting and, on most boats, it would be too dangerous. The best we can expect to do is to roll cast the fly out a few yards, then maybe feed a little more line out by hand to sink the fly and reach the fish. Mostly, then, the fly will be presented very close to the boat and pitched at a selected fish we can already see cruising within range.
The rod needs to be a 9ft 12-weight, ideally, with a progressive fast-taper action. I like a 9ft rod, but no longer, as it has the length to help keep the line well away from the hull and propeller should a shark try to swim and fight just under the boat. The tip and mid-section will absorb the power of a running shark, but some stiffness in the butt gives you a leverage point to really work the fish hard using the full power flow of the blank. I use a Greys GR70 Salt for this reason as an example, but you can use any 12-weight with a reasonably fast taper.
The addition of a small extension to screw into the butt is a feature of some rods, and these are useful as they raise the height of the reel on the rod. It gives the angler a better fulcrum point with the rod braced against the upper hip to help put pressure through the rod directly to the fish.
THE REEL
In normal fly-fishing, the reel is usually fairly redundant, other than for holding line. Up against a big, fast-running blue, the reel has to perform as it should. It is not strictly necessary, but a disc drag is smoother to release line on demand, and smoother as it heats up when a lot of line is taken at speed. They are also capable of a more incremental setting and finer adjustment than standard drags.
I use a Partridge disc drag reel, no longer in production, that I’ve had for a long time, but you don’t have to spend the earth. You can pick up the now discontinued Shakespeare Trion 12 for under £40 second-hand, if you shop around, and these were a very much underrated reel with a reliable drag and more than up to subduing a big blue shark. A quick look on the internet also showed brand new reels in the £60 bracket that are adequate.
FLY-LINE
The reel needs to be loaded with 300 yards of 30lb braid backing. It is thin, but strong, so does not suffer too much water pressure when a lot of line is out and a fish runs deep. Remember, though, that braid, under tension, can cut through fingers like cheese wire, so bear this in mind when playing a fish.
I put 15 yards of old 20lb mono on the spool first for the braid to bed on to and avoid spool slip. This is tied on with a timber hitch knot for security. Knot the mono to the braid using backto-back grinner knots. With the braid wound on to the reel in an even manner, on to the end of the braid tie in a big 10-inch loop using a figure-of-eight knot. This allows you to pass the end of the loop through the connection loop on the fly-line, pass it over the fly-line spool, and then pull the two loop connections together. The big loop, under tension, will pass through the rings without a problem.
As for fly-lines, a floating version is the most useful, although I do carry a spare spool with a sinking line as well.
Even with a floating line, the tip end of the flyline will sink anyway when using a big fly and a
short section of wire, but it doesn’t matter.
At both the reel end and the tip end of the fly-line, the connection needs to be strong and reliable. I looked at several methods but chose a long nylon braid salmon tube loop. Feed this up the line as far as it will go.
Add a dab of superglue to the nylon braid and line near the top. Now slide on three inches of plastic tubing (supplied with the loop) over the nylon braid loop to just over the very end of the nylon braid tube.
The nylon, as it tightens, grips the line incredibly tightly. After using this for some years, I’ve never had one give at all, even after catching four sharks in quick succession. I do constantly check it, though.
THE RIG
A lot of thought went into how to rig between the fly-line loop and the wire biting trace. I eventually settled on using 10 feet of 80lb fluorocarbon due to its high abrasion-resistance should it come into contact with the rough, abrasive skin of the shark.
Again, I opted for a loop-to-loop connection to the fly-line off the fluorocarbon, forming a small loop with a crimp. Before closing the crimp, I bulb the end of the fluorocarbon with a flame to avoid any chance of the tag end slipping back inside the crimp under pressure.
The connection between the fluorocarbon and the wire trace needs to be more robust. To achieve this, I tie in a doubled loop using a Flemish loop and, after pulling this down as small as it will go, I crimp it in place.
A Flemish loop is formed by passing the fluorocarbon line through a crimp, then bringing the tag end back over on itself and taking it in and out of that formed loop three times, then back in to the crimp. This creates a double thickness of line that will withstand prolonged contact with the hard wire.
The biting wire is 24 inches long and rated at 175lb. Slide a crimp on to the wire, pass the tag end of wire through the Flemish loop, pass the wire tag end into the crimp, pull the loop small, but not too small, and crimp in place, making sure the tag end is just protruding from the end of the crimp.
Alternatively, you can use the Flemish loop on the wire to give a Flemish-loop-to-Flemish-loop connection.
To attach the fly, slide a crimp on to the loose end of the wire, pass the tag end through the eye of the fly and back into the crimp, pull the loop small, but keep it fully open, and crimp in place. The open loop gives the fly more movement. The fly is sacrificial. If it catches one shark, it has done its job.
The best crimps are the figure-of-eight ones, with two separate tubes for the wire to fit in. Only use proper crimping pliers that fully fold over the crimp for maximum security.
This tackle set-up has caught me a fair few blue sharks up to a lengthed-and-girthed 65lb. It’s ultra-tough, showing no wear and tear, bar minute scuffing on the fluorocarbon, which is just minor contact with the shark during the fight. It’s simple, easy to re-rig if need be on the boat, and does not impede the action of the fly to any great degree when stripping it in front of a shark.
HOOK AND FLY PATTERN
I tie my own flies, and it’s easy, but you will need a cheap vice. The hook pattern is a size 7/0 O’Shaughnessy pattern. It has a thin chrome finish that corrodes very quickly, which is noticeable after a single day’s fishing, but it adds flash to the fly, which I feel is important.
Incidentally, I chose a hook that corrodes quickly in case I ever inadvertently lost a shark. I also file the barb down to leave just a bump. The bump will keep the hook in place should a slack line occur, but the hook still comes out just like a barbless pattern. It also means I need to apply less pressure to sink the hook into the shark’s jaw.
This is also the time to sharpen the hook point. It needs to be sharp, but do not thin the point too much, as sharks have tough mouths and a fine hook point could potentially bend as it pulls home under pressure. A three-sided knife edge is the best hook point shape.
The fly is back-dressed, meaning the materials used to create the fly are tied from the middle to the rear of the hook shank, leaving the forward shank bare.
Run a length of heavy black thread (rod whipping thread in D size is okay) from the mid-shank position back to not quite where the bend of the hook begins. Tie in two big orange or red cock hackles, more if you think it needs it. These extend well beyond the bend of the hook to form the tail. Add red marabou in layers to build up the body section, and add in some strands of silver/blue tinsel for light reflection.
Finish with a long whipping of black thread and seal it with several coats of Sally Hanson Hard as Nails nail varnish. The total length of the fly is about five inches.
Some anglers use specialist tube flies, but these are much more expensive to lose and more timeconsuming to tie. My fly pattern is designed to be expendable, and it just works, and it’s easy to tie with basic materials.
Red, I’ve found, is by far the best colour. It tends to imitate a chunk of bloody mackerel as it drops, but then the marabou comes alive as the fly is worked. Blue sharks love them. You can also add some extra Crystal Flash fibres for added sparkle.
THE SKIPPER’S ROLE
The skipper’s initial role is the same as with any shark trip. It’s his job to have enough chum available to keep the slick fresh for the duration of the day. The scent lane needs to be as strong at the end of the day as it was at the beginning.
Ideally, the chum trail needs to be wide, and cover as much depth as possible. Four bags or drums of chum are usually employed – one on each stern corner, one off the bow section, and one on the up-tide side of the boat amidships. This latter bag or drum sees the exiting chum scatter under the hull and displace over a wider area to help widen and thicken the slick.
While the skipper is doing this, either a crew member or one of the anglers can periodically cut up small 50p-sized chunks of mackerel and flick them individually over the side every 30 seconds or so. These sink much deeper than the chum and will fetch up any deeper-swimming sharks that can miss the slick. This is especially useful on a day when sharks might be more scattered in numbers, say, after a recent gale when baitfish shoals have been broken up into smaller pods.
When a fly-angler takes centre stage, the skipper will make sure the decks are clear of clutter, ready any landing equipment, and have tagging gear close to hand. This to minimise the time the shark is out of the water for any recording of information.
If the sharks are hanging back away from the boat, a good shake of the drum or bag will draw them in close as they become excited by the increased scent.
ON-BOARD ETIQUETTE
Something to be aware of is the on-board etiquette of fly-fishing for sharks. If you’re part of a normal four to six-person group, and most of us will be to keep costs down, who all want to catch on the fly, then it’s fair to draw lots and take it in turns over one or more trips until all have caught.
If you’re with a group of sharkers fishing conventionally, then it is best to strike a deal that sees them catch their share on normal gear, with you waiting towards the end of the day, then having an hour or two to try your luck with the fly. They don’t necessarily have to stop fishing, but if you hooked a fish it would be bad form for them not to retrieve and give you a free playing field. Whichever course you choose, make sure things are properly agreed, and clear to all, especially the skipper.
Catching blue sharks on the fly is something anyone can do and, with some thought, for minimal expense. Even a small 20lb blue will give you some real fun and is a good way to warm up, but if you set yourself targets, aim for a 50-pounder on the fly and it will give you a fight you’ll never forget. ■