A few weeks back, I was lucky enough to spend several days on the Mayan Riviera, way south along the Mexican border with Belize. I was chasing bonefish and permit, mainly, but I tied a few flies for bigger, toothier critters—sharks and barracuda. I’m of the mind that, because I was prepared for these fish, I didn’t really see many. We saw a few sulking ‘cudas on the flats, but over the course of a week, we never saw a single shark.
And now that I’ve come back, and after watching Conway Bowman in the video below, there’s a really good chance that I wouldn’t have been prepared for a shark after all.
In the video above, Bowman demonstrates the correct rigging for chasing sharks—he’s earned his reputation as the best guy to go to if you’re interested in casting to mako sharks off the coast of San Diego, so ignoring his advice if you’re serious about sharks is pretty silly.
And now, thanks to this short Orvis video, I’ll be better prepared for the next round in the salt.
— Chris Hunt