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Sharks on a fly

2K views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  JR SPEY 
#1 ·
During a lull in the bonefish action during my last Bahamas trip, three or four small sharks were working the flat and I thought hooking one of these guys might be interesting while awaiting the return of bones. They were obviously looking for something to eat but showed no interest in my bonefish fly nor a crab pattern and only gave the barracuda needlefish fly I showed them a brief look. I don’t know my sharks but am told the most likely ones to find on these flats are juvenile lemon or black tip sharks if I remember correctly. I’ve tied up a few Lefty’s Shark Flys in red and yellow and have them rigged with wire for my trip down next week. Can anyone offer some advice on how to hook up with sharks on the flats? Or is this whole idea something that would best be abandoned (as many of my ideas turn out to be)?
 
#2 ·
Sharks

Lemons can be a fun catch. Blacktips and spinners are incredible. Another common shark on the flats is the nurse shark, which is near impossible to entice to a fly. The toughest part is casting a shark fly (often referred to as a half-chicken) with a bonefish rig. You'd be best off taking along a 10-12 weight and rigging it specifically for sharks. The key is the same as for most other flats fish. Cast it close enough so that the fish sees it, but not so close as the spook it. Sharks do not have particularly good vision so you really have to make the effort to get it close to them. Set the hook as if you are tarpon fishing and don't forget to bow if the fish jumps. Blacktips and spinners jump a lot. If you determine that the sharks are nurse sharks, don't even bother with them. Good luck with it and let us know how you do. I like to see sharks on the flats as that means there's likely bonefish, too.
 
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