Put your next tropical fly-fishing adventure on the fast track with the king of speed.

Mean, nasty, and extremely plentiful around the world, barracudas may be the most overlooked game fish available to saltwater fly rodders. What other species will streak like lightning to a fly stripped in shallow,
crystal clear water, then greyhound across the surface or leap uncontrollably once hooked? The angler is virtually guaranteed of seeing his backing ripped through the guides of a 9- or 10-weight rod, all while either standing on the bow of a flats boat or wading in calf-deep water. Best of all, barracudas are found in some of the most beautiful locations around the world.

 Most people encounter barracudas while either fishing for bonefish, permit, or tarpon on the flats. And while many guides would rather pass on the opportunity to throw at this shallowwater marauder, veteran anglers carry a spare rod rigged with a wire bite guard and ’cuda fly already attached. There are a variety
of techniques for targeting the species. Suffice it to say that opinions vary greatly when talking to the experts about the best approach, but here are a few proven methods.

Follow the Leader
Anglers targeting barracudas usually use a monofilament leader that is 7 to 10 feet long. Your tippet should be 15- to 20-pound test, and an easy, universal leader consists of five feet of 30-pound
monofilament blood-knotted to four feet of 20-pound monofilament, which is then connected to an eight-inch piece of wire bite guard. There are basically two choices for the guard: hard or supple wire.

Hard wire (such as Malin, American Wire, or the like) has one distinct advantage in that it is nearly impenetrable to a ’cuda’s teeth. I favor hard wire, as it tends to hold up better than the supple
type after landing a fish. Hard wire can also be unkinked using a wire straightener, such as the Straight Mate Leader Straightener. The downside is the hard wire’s inability to effectively turn over a fly. Nonetheless, I use either 30- or 40-poundtest hard wire, cutting off enough so that once finished, I have an 8-inch bite guard. Make a small haywire twist on one end of the wire leader; then tie a Uni-Knot with the 20-pound monofilament tippet up against the wire bite guard and behind the haywire twist.

Match the Hatch
Most anglers who go to their local fly shop for advice on fishing for barracudas will almost certainly be told to take along a variety of needlefish patterns, and for good reason. “Needlefish are the primary diet for barracuda on the flats. If I had only one fly to throw at a big barracuda, it would be a needlefish,” says Ruoff. When it comes to needlefish patterns, Dave Skok’s Nasty Needle, Umpqua’s Cuda Fly Tandem, and Rick Ruoff’s Cuda Fly immediately come to mind.

Dave Skok ties his Nasty Needle on a 2/0 long-shank hook. His favorite colors are chartreuse and gold, orange and copper, and sea-foam and silver. “Everyone likes chartreuse as a color when fishing for ’cuda. While it can be extremely effective, I prefer the sea foam/silver combination because I believe it matches the hatch (needlefish) best,” says Skok, who is undoubtedly one of this sport’s best young saltwater fly tiers. “Throw the fly about six to eight feet in front of the ’cuda. Let it drop for a second, and then use a fast retrieve.” He prefers to place the rod under his arm and use a hand-over-hand strip. If he continues to get refusals, Skok recommended using Lefty Kreh’s sweep tactic to induce a strike. Ruoff offers a slightly different opinion on retrieve. He said, “I prefer a fly that rides high in the water. That is why I palmer hackle around my needlefish pattern. I want to keep that fly in the ’cuda’s vision. A barracuda will feed similar to a tarpon, always coming up and never going down to a fly. I also prefer a small hook, nothing over a size 2, because of a barracuda’s large, hard mouth.”

Others prefer a tandem rig, such as Umpqua’s ’Cuda Fly, a long, thin needlefish pattern incorporating two hooks rigged tandem with hard wire threaded through Mylar tubing. The back “stinger” hook is a couple of sizes smaller than the front hook, and is there simply in case the fish misses the front hook by overshooting the fly due to its speed.

Not all ’cuda flies need to imitate a needlefish. Lefty Kreh’s Shark and Cuda Fly looks like nothing more than a big bucktail streamer with a gold flash tail. But it’s deadly. “Barracuda have great eyesight. That is why red, yellow, and orange are such productive colors in clear, shallow water. They can see it! It is definitely an attractor pattern. You need a fly that will float high in the water column and can be kept in motion without bringing it to the boat.” Lefty noted that once a ’cuda sees the boat, the game is over.

“I like to lead the fish by ten to twelve feet. I make the cast, then quickly drag or sweep the fly seven to eight feet in front of the barracuda’s vision, and then lift it out of the water. I repeat this tactic again to ensure I have the ’cuda’s attention. The third time, after making the cast, I just employ a short twitch of the rod, always taking the slack out and all the while keeping the fly moving. Most of the time the fish will rush the fly.” Lefty says this is the most effective method he has used when tossing subsurface flies at barracudas.

Most anglers know that barracudas love to eat bonefish, and my own Magnum Baitfish fly—originally tied as a herring and bunker imitation for stripers—tied in light gray over white does a great imitation of th silver ghost. I have tied them with and without tandem hooks and have been successful both ways. It is much easier to cast a fly that has only one hook, so when fishing a tandem setup, make sure the second hook is smaller. The Magnum Baitfish has been especially effective catching big ’cudas in the Bahamas as well as the Yucatán and the Florida Keys. The Flash ’N Slinky material is tied sparsely but will still give the fly enough profile without inhibiting the cast. It also sinks very slowly, keeping the fly high in the water column. The 600SP hook keeps the fly tracking straight all the time. I like to throw my fly about four to six feet in front of the ’cuda and immediately begin my retrieve. Try using a short, quick retrieve to impart the most action on your fly without bringing it to the boat too quickly.

Surface Action
Casting a popper is undoubtedly the most exciting way to catch a large barracuda. The strike is both explosive and visual, and the popper’s durability makes this fly a must-have item in your arsenal. Chico Fernandez has been fishing for barracuda his whole angling career, and he loves to throw poppers at them. “It is very important to make the longest cast possible when throwing poppers or subsurface flies at barracuda. Try to position yourself to make a downwind cast, which will help make it easier to throw a big popper or bushy streamer with a wire bit guard attached.”

Chico said he prefers a quick retrieve when fishing for big ’cudas. However, if you continue to get refusals, try a varying retrieve that will impart a jerky motion to your fly. While any popper should do the trick, most experts agree that a cut-faced popper will spit the most water even while only slightly twitching the rod. This keeps the fly in the strike zone the longest and away from the boat so as not to spook the ’cuda.

As you can see, there are many varying opinions offered by the experts on how best to prepare oneself when targeting big barracudas. Not all the experts agree on which fly or specific techniques should be employed. Experimentation as well as trial and error are certainly some of the most important tactics a fly rod angler should use. Once you figure out what works best, you will have become a more skilled and competent ’cuda hunter. One thing everyone agrees on is that hooking a big barracuda is a thrill that every saltwater fly angler needs to experience at least once in his or her life.