There's no saltwater game fish that jumps like a mako shark. That's how Conway Bowman puts it, and after more than two decades guiding for them off San Diego, he'd know. On the very first episode of our Guided series, Conway walked through how he got hooked on makos, the exact rig he fishes, and why sight-fishing a popper to a shark is closer to a trout rise than you'd expect. If big-game fly fishing has ever tempted you, here's the playbook.
From Idaho Trout to West Coast Makos
Conway learned to fly fish as a kid spending summers in Stanley, Idaho, then grew up chasing bass and bluegill in Southern California. Makos grabbed him because they were the one big-game saltwater fish on the West Coast you could sight fish to on a fly. Sharks from 40 to 300 pounds circle the boat, you throw a popper, they take it off the surface and make blistering runs, often going airborne 15 to 20 feet.
What surprised me most: a mako's take isn't always a violent slash. Conway describes it as more like a big trout rising to a bug. The shark chases the fly down and sips it in, all happening 15 to 30 feet in front of you. Watching that take is the addiction.
The Mako Rig, Start to Finish
Conway's system is built to land fish quickly and release them in good shape. Here's how he builds it:
- Reel: a large saltwater reel holding roughly 500 yards of line and backing.
- Rod: a heavy saltwater rod; he likes about eight and a half feet for leverage at the boat.
- Line: floating. Most casts are under 30 feet, so he'd rather run a short head with heavy, high-visibility running line than carry a long belly he'll never use.
- Tippet: about five feet of 30-pound. He isn't fishing for IGFA class records; he wants fish to the boat fast.
- Bite leader: roughly three and a half feet of 120-pound stainless steel, with a haywire twist on each end: a ring or barrel swivel on the tippet side, the hook on the fly side.
- Fly: foam-headed poppers, often tied as tube flies. He slides the tube up the wire, haywire-twists on a big hook, and the fly rides high on the surface.
For the really giant makos, the ones pushing 500 pounds, he scales the whole system up accordingly.
Why Poppers Beat Sinking Flies
When Conway started, he fished sinking lines and subsurface flies. The problem: makos are smart. They'd let the fly sink, eat it out of sight, and you'd never see the take. Switching to poppers forced the sharks to come up and commit. His theory on why they hit so hard on the surface: makos eat seabirds, and a popper chugging on top may look like a gull or shearwater sitting on the water.
Conway's Advice for First-Timers
Casting, he says, isn't the hard part. Putting a big fly in the right spot at short range is very doable. What you need to be ready for:
- Setting the hook and fighting a big fish. Know how to put real pressure on a fish and not give up. That skill transfers directly to tarpon and other big saltwater species later.
- Learning the shark. Understand what makos eat and where. Giant makos key on large food items, so he fishes areas that hold big forage, chums them up, and times trips to the right moon and season.
He's watched clients who'd only ever caught trout make the cast, hook a shark, and completely change their fishing lives. Many of them went on to become excellent saltwater anglers.
Conservation Built Into the Fishery
Conway's operation has run catch-and-release for makos for around 20 years, and every client hears why sharks matter to the ocean. He believes that message, carried by a generation of fly anglers, helped build public support for protecting big pelagic species off the West Coast. It's a good reminder that how we fish shapes how the public sees the fish.
Gear
Shark-specific gear like heavy rods, big-capacity reels, and stainless bite wire is best sourced through a saltwater fly shop or a guide like Conway, who will usually supply it. For long days in the sun offshore, I'd pack a pair of Fin-Flank Tarpon Sun Gloves, and keep the glare down with the FFIP Five Panel Cap.
