Screen shot courtesy of Water Wolf.
Barracuda are incredible gamefish, but they’re often overlooked in favor of the “sexier” critters, like bonefish, tarpon and permit. But, at least in my opinion, they belong atop the list for flats fish on the fly, simply because, well, they’re just mean. I almost think they deserve to be caught, just to teach those ill-tempered jerks a lesson, you know?
A few years back, and buddy and I were chasing bonefish and permit in Mexico’s Ascension Bay, and I had managed to luck into a small-ish permit while fishing over a deep blue hole in the bay. As I fought the permit, I noticed a significant barracuda keeping an eye on the fight, and when it started to charge in and try to attack my hooked prize, I was plenty cheesed.
“Hey man,” I said to my fishing buddy at the time, “grab that rod with the streamer on it and catch that damn ‘cuda do it doesn’t eat my permit.”
He tossed the shiny streamer into the bay, and shortly after I caught my first permit, he caught the big barracuda. While I was damn proud of my catch, I was secretly envious. Those teeth. That speed. I’d never seen anything like it.
The film Water Wolf doesn’t allow for site embedding, but if you’re jonesing for an incredible inshore gamefish and want to check out a great short film on chasing barracuda on the fly, this is “must-see” internet webcasting at it’s finest. And, if you like the film, you can actually donate the cause so more like it can be made.
— Chris Hunt