Salt Water Fly - Madagascar style

[Wiets]

After searching high and low for fish, by boat and dugout, scuba diving and spearfishing and flyfishing, travelling far and wide - we ended up mostly empty handed. So did many others we met along the way - some with very nice and sophisticated outfits. All the fisherman visiting Nose Be in Madagascar would probably account for no more than 20 fish caught by line in the whole week that we were there.

At about 10H00 on the last day of our visit, we bumped into this old local fisherman with his dugout. We walk over and to our surprise found that he had about 12 decent size fish of about 4 to 10 kg's apiece in the boat.

He uses the hand tied fly pictured below (the line does not even connect to the eye) and holds it in his hand as he rows. The forward motion of the boat and the jerking effect as his hands move to and fro is what he described to be the secret. No fishing rod and no reel. He would simply row from early the morning and he would catch fish along the way.

Needless to say and to show you guys, I traded one of my "guaranteed killer" flies for his only fly - the one as per picture below. Talking of feeling stupid - here is this guy with only a line and hook outsmarting us all with ten of thousands of Rands in kit.

[KevinC]

What a pleasure... that fly actually looks quite deadly... reckon it will have a good action.

[rols]

wiets
i've got an old canoe lookalike. promise, the action is the same as his. will throw in a heap of flies. will swop my boat for yours. will add chris williams as "rower fish lurer" no deposit on chris though. what you get is what you get and non refundable "on the boat"

[Lardbeast]

Caught Dorado with a shredded Checkers bag tied to a hook and towed alongside a yacht. They shelter under floating objects and dash out for anything that takes their fancy.

[Jasper]

I have caught a longfin tunny on a banana peel tied to a hook!! ... made a perfect (if not durable) skirt