Blue Shark on the Fly – Into the Blues
Captain Zac Grossman
I actually waited for many years until the right customers were aboard my charter boat to target the sharks we saw every day off Montauk with a fly rod. I didn’t want to just hand a fly rod to someone who wouldn’t appreciate it or understand it. I also didn’t want to help anyone get a world record by “trick fishing”. I’ll explain what that means later. Practically every day that I took customers offshore in search of sharks our chum slick would bring blue sharks. While this species was not one of the “glamour” species we always hoped for, they were as close to a sure bet as big game fishing can promise. Invariably, they were the first to show up in the chum slick and were perfect for light tackle enthusiasts and first time shark anglers as well. This is not because they are weak or easy to land, they aren’t, but because they are visually exciting and easy to bait. They will come right to the chum bucket and try to eat it (chum bags just aren’t good for shark fishing in the north because of this species). Their curiosity, and susceptibility to the “catnip” effect of chum in the water, makes them fearless, bold, and very hungry. Often as many as a dozen would be milling around the boat, inhaling the intoxicating mixture of oils and pieces of ground menhaden leaking out of the holes in the bucket. That is what makes them so visually exciting.
The customers would be pointing in every direction as these beautiful creatures glided by within arms reach. They are deep blue on top, white belly underneath with very long pectoral fins, and a high upper tail lobe; they look like jetliners in flight. They will bite anything that falls in the water to see if it’s edible, especially when so many are swarming around the boat inhaling the tiny morsels of chum that whet their appetites without slaking their hunger. This makes them extremely easy to get a hook into and is why they are a perfect target for a fly fishing angler. While these fish are not fussy, many fly anglers do take great pride in “matching the hatch” and so tie up big bushy flies composed of brown, tan, and red material. This “matches” chunks of coarsely ground, aged menhaden leaking out of the bucket. Ultra sharp 4/0 to 6/0 hooks do the job. Just cast the fly out a little further than the length of the leader and let it sit. A blue shark will come over and inhale it. The same works for an actual chunk of fish, which is what we used in this situation to get our regular anglers hooked up. We used light tackle for these fish; 15lb class spinning and 30lb class conventional. Blue sharks average about 100 pounds in the spring and 200 pounds in the fall, with some getting well up into the 300’s.
They are by no means a pushover once they really “get the point”. Until real pressure is put on them, a hooked blue will often come right back to the boat hoping to find another meal. Thus the birth of “trick fishing”. A look in the record books shows amazing catches both in line class and tippet class as light as 2 pound test. Does anyone actually believe an angler can land a hundred pound gamefish of any kind on 2 pound test? The “trick” is to let the shark grab the fly or bait, then with the minimum amount of pressure (seriously, how much can you apply with 2 pound test?) the angler just stays attached, letting out line when the shark wanders further out into the chum slick and reeling in the slack when it returns to the chum bucket.
That’s when the excitement begins; not for the angler, for the mate. A potential record has to be subdued completely. To apply for the new “length” records one has to lay the fish out next to a ruler for photographs before being released; try that with a live shark. To apply for a weight record, it has to be weighed on a certified scale on land. If it is a fly rod record then a flying gaff is not allowed, so the poor mate has to go toe to toe with a green fish that hasn’t even burned a single calorie. A really savvy mate knows about using a custom tailer or a bottom weighted noose rope, but the average mate will use a straight gaff. Boating 8 to 10 feet of angry, twisting, turning muscle that is fighting for its life is certainly worthy of video footage. I think the mate is the one deserving recognition from the IGFA. This scene never took place on my boat. I catered to anglers seeking the thrills and legitimate challenges of offshore fishing, whether they were experts or novices.
A fight with one of these sharks on spinning tackle would last up to an hour, as it should, fly tackle the same. Setting the hook hard multiple times would result in a long powerful run to start the festivities and no amount of chum in the water would bring that fish back to the boat without a fight. When I finally had a couple of real fly anglers on board (you can tell because they always bring their own gear, “just in case”), I was delighted to help them succeed.
I showed them the current record book and explained how some records are set, pointing out that I would not do it that way, but would help them feel the excitement of really fighting so large a game fish. Since the “cast” would be barely longer than the leader there was no need for a well constructed, tapered system that would turn over the fly in flight. We only had to worry about it breaking due to too much angler pressure or being wound around the shark’s body if it rolls. Back then (1980’s and 90’s) I used a 100 pound test mono leader with a 1 foot shock leader of 174 pound test piano wire. Now, I would opt for 200 pound test braid with the shock leader. Most fly anglers were fine with this as the thrill of fighting one of these creatures on such tackle was fun enough. For those who insisted on having a regulation tippet (often after already beating a blue on my leader to get the feel of it), we tied one in. Unlike the “glamour” species of the north east, the highly edible and usually aerial makos and threshers, you can actually go out and target blue sharks and expect to have success, at least in attracting and hooking them. After that it’s up to the angler and the tackle.
I would suggest at least a 12 weight outfit with a reel loaded with an appropriate amount of backing for big game offshore fishing. I suggest taking pictures that include you standing by the gunnel, leaning over a bit, with the fish in the water and fly visible. To be more intimate than that requires tail roping the shark and either holding that rope or cleating it off. NEVER take your eyes off the shark. This species has a long thin body and has been known to bend around and bite its own tail to get free of that rope; you don’t want to be holding it or leaning on that cleat. Pose carefully and have fun. This species is common from the New England states down through New Jersey. Fly fishing for blue sharks is exciting, visual, and easy; landing them not so easy. Increase your odds by quizzing a potential captain. Enthusiasm about the idea is really important, experience may not be so easy to determine.
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