Two fly rods in hand, I strolled along a beach, scanning for shadows on the flats. The tide was wrong, and I knew it, but I was in the Bahamas and had my fill of snorkeling in tiger shark country. I came to a creek mouth and followed it to an inland lagoon. I scanned for bonefish, and my eyes locked onto the shape of a suspended log.
“That seems out of place, but it couldn’t be…wait, yes. That is a goliath barracuda,” my inner monologue said.
I was rigged for such an occasion. I left the bonefish rod on the bank while I waded into the lagoon and stripped a length of line from the reel on my 10-weight. I stalked within casting range, and the fish just hung there. My chest began to pound. I tossed the 8-inch yak-hair homespun fly into the water and, in two false casts, made a pretty good effort past the fish’s head.
On the first strip, the fish turned and tracked the fly. I sped up the retrieve, and the hunt was on, right up to my rod tip, before the ‘cuda engulfed the fly with violence. I strip-set, and the four-foot missile shot off across the lagoon.
It was a race to clear the line at my feet before the rapidly departing fish turned 80 feet of fly line into a snarl. In a defiant breach, the fish crossed the finish line first as the last length of fly line formed a loop around my fighting butt. With an audible “snap,” the fly line broke in half, and the barracuda of a lifetime skipped off across the lagoon.
That was one of several fly-rod encounters with barracuda that have ended in the fish’s favor. I’ve had these apex predators chew through 30-pound wire, wrap me around lobster traps or, more often, ignore my fly completely.
For years, we’ve been told that barracuda are an underrated fly-rod game fish, which is entirely true. But fly anglers are still generally unwilling to dedicate the time to pursuing barracuda when more coveted species like permit and tarpon are available.
Rather than try to convince the saltwater fly-fishing crowd that barracuda should be taken seriously, I will take a different tack and suggest that fly anglers bring a spinning rod with them for dealing with barracuda.
Since I started packing a spinning outfit armed with a wire leader and a surface plug or crankbait, I’ve turned many slow days of permit hunting into action-packed affairs of ferocious eats, acrobatics and, ultimately, memorable lodge dinners or ceviche appetizers. Outside of ciguatera-danger zones in the Atlantic, a barracuda dinner or two ain’t gonna kill ya, and the fillets are flaky and delicious.
I rely on a heavy-action, 3-piece, 7-foot-6-inch travel spinning rod that will fit in my travel bag. My reel is spooled with 30-pound braided line. I can extend the life of my braided line by adding 4 feet of 40-pound fluorocarbon using an FG knot, which slides easily through the guides and is very strong. Fluorocarbon is also very abrasion-resistant and can withstand run-ins with coral.
Plus, it sinks, which will keep a crankbait in the zone and provide more action to a surface plug—and barracuda LOVE action! To the fluorocarbon, attach a store-bought 40-pound wire leader. My favorite barracuda lure is the Tighthead prop bait.
I have yet to meet a fishing guide in the Caribbean who didn’t welcome a properly rigged barracuda rod aboard. As a visual learner, I have often handed the guide the rod and asked them to show me how it’s done. Having fished for ‘cuda on many occasions throughout tropical waters, I can attest that they are not mindless predators. Like any other fish species, there is a right way and a wrong way to present your offering. I have missed multiple fish or failed to trigger a reaction, only to watch a guide on the next flat stick every single barracuda he threw at.
Barracuda hunting is sight-fishing at its finest. When we spot a fish, my goal is to land the lure in front of and just beyond its face. Reel quickly, and if the fish takes chase, speed things up. Set hard using side pressure, and change the rod angle during the fight to keep the fish off balance.
My personal preference for fish species is that they possess three qualities:
- Sight fishing
- Explosive eats
- Good to eat
Barracuda check all of these boxes. And while I would personally spend my entire week at a flats lodge ONLY fly fishing for barracuda, I have yet to meet a guide or fishing partner who will make this commitment when permit and tarpon are on the docket. By bringing a spinning rod, I can get my kicks without interfering too much with the pursuit of a grand slam.
Besides, someone has to feed the camp.