Author: Conway Bowman

Editor’s Note: This story is a continuation from Conway Bowman’s Mako Sharks On The Fly – No Boundaries Part 1 The Tackle Big fish means big tackle! For mako sharks you’ll need the biggest, strongest fly gear. I start with a 12 wt fast action fly rod. All fly rod companies produce these rods for targeting tarpon, tuna and marlin. These rods cast easily but have a very strong butt section for fighting heavy fish in deeper water. It’s the same for fly reels. Big game fly reels with large arbors that can hold over 450-yards of backing are standard…

Fly Fishing Mako Sharks I think the biggest change in fly fishing over the past 20 years has been the willingness of fly anglers to step outside the boundaries of traditional fly fishing venues.  Casting a fly to a largemouth bass or carp is becoming more common place and accepted by the fly fishing community.  We are becoming a much more diverse group in terms of the fish we pursue and this is a very good change. Fly fishing has a reputation as an “old guy” sport. However, for fly fishing to move forward we need to get younger, step…

Conway Bowman catches many different kind of fish, but the one he may be most known for is mako shark and on the fly to boot. Conway shared some of his methods to making a successful attempt at this daunting feat. Conway Bowman Says What does it take to hook, land, and release a 400-pound mako on the fly? Well, first you have to start with a fly reel that can slow the strength and power of a mako swimming away from the boat at 40 mph. This is no joke. Mako sharks are considered one of the ocean’s fastest…

Conway Bowman’s name is synonymous with “extreme” fly fishing. Whether he’s chasing mako sharks with a fly rod on his home waters off San Diego California, slogging through the jungles of Thailand for mahseer, 4×4’ing the coast of Baja in search of giant rooster fish or dodging reef sharks to sight cast at the legendary giant trevally on Christmas Island, Conway tends to take the less traveled fly fishing path. See our intro article on Conway Bowman

Conway gets up close and personal with a blue shark named George off the coast of Southern California while fishing for mako sharks. Learn more about Conway Bowman.