Eleven Angling: Shark & Barracuda from the Eleven Mothership

When fishing southwest Andros Island from the Eleven Mothership, you will see sharks and cuda every day. I always make sure my guide has a rod with a wire leader in the skiff. The trip is definitely about bonefish, then tarpon, then permit, but for a change of pace and some great fun, I usually cast at a few medium-sized lemon sharks and never pass up a big barracuda.

By medium-sized, I mean around five feet long. No giants, they are way too strong and time-consuming. A nine-foot, nine weight rod with a floating line is perfect. Your guide will add a stout tapered leader and 18 inches of wire tippet. To that, he will tie on a fairly big popper. Streamers work as well, but a popper grab is by far the most exciting. The cast can be in front of the shark cruising a bonefish flat or drop off and popped a few times to get their attention. The pops and retrieve are not fast – just keep the popper in front of the shark’s nose. Because of their bottom-side mouth, they need to get on the side of the popper, where their vision is better and do a rolling take. They might miss the popper a couple of times as their wake pushes the popper away. Just stay slow and steady and they will keep trying. Once hooked, the tranquility ends. Sharks go nuts. There is a lot of thrashing around, water flying and then they take off. Don’t be surprised if there are a few big jumps, too. Landing a shark is no big deal. We usually beach them in shallow water. The guide knows their little tricks and can get the popper out and release them.

Catching barracuda is quite different from sharks. They want the same popper or streamer but ripped as fast as humanly possible. A slow retrieve is not going to get their attention. I prefer a cast that lands at least 15 feet away from the cuda. The take is a blur of silver and a huge explosion, followed by a reel screaming run. When big barracuda jump, it can be a long, twelve foot, arcing leap. Pound for pound, a large barracuda may be one of the most exciting fish to catch. Obviously, with both sharks and barracuda, the guide and angler do not need to get near their razor-sharp teeth. Tailing a barracuda is easy, and a glove helps. Once secured, pliers can be used to remove the popper or streamer. Many hardcore fly anglers have no problem grabbing a spinning rod for cuda. It is very effective to say the least.