Barracuda Fly Fishing key west

"Barracudas are not Steelhead!"


My first British Columbia Steelhead was a great and beauiful thing, but my fishing
buddy blew his stack when I compared a Steelhead to a big Barracuda on fly.

Steelhead are an amazing animal, born in the mountain streams, venturing to the Pacfic
Ocean and feeding, growing, for 2/3 years before returning to the exact river-tributary
finely to the little creek that they were conceived in, to start the next generation.
But unlike their Salmon cousins they dont die after spawning, but return to the Ocean,
they will be back in a couple years, Bigger.

I will be back to B.C. many times before I'm in the ground to bow to Mr. Steelhead.

Steelhead are not Barracudas

A big Barracuda is really a super fight on fly fishing tackle, like the Steelhead they
can be very difficult to feed a fly.Why?, because they are in my opinion one of the most
intelligent saltwater fish in the tropics.
Barracuda have excellent vision and know the difference between a juicy Needle fish
a handful of chickenfeathers.
In the gin clear Florida Keys flats they are very hard to fool, only his predatoral instincts
show his Achelles ......Fin.

I have observed many attempts to fool barracudas with braided needle fish imitations
and high speed, two handed retrievals.

Once in awhile this catches a barracuda, Once in awhile!


So what works? Well for me more often, a large Alf minnow fly and this method.

Make your best long cast to either side of the Cuda's face, dropping the fly
4/5 feet from his head, beside his head, not out front!
Remove the fly as he turns toward it quickly, by lifting the line, while your driving back
watch him and land it on the opposite side of his face, repete but, this time quickly in
2 ft strips let him not miss this opportunity!

Barracudas have to be worked up and off gard to get the instinctive strike.

If he takes he will go all directions @ 50mph, jumping!

If this doesn't work.............go find a Steelhead.


mike chaserkeywest