Hang Time: Mako Sharks on the Fly with Conway Bowman

In This Episode

• Fly fishing for mako sharks off San Diego – Why the waters of Southern California are among the world's premier destinations for sight-fishing these incredible apex predators.

• Meet the mako: The cheetah of the ocean – Incredible speed, intelligence, razor-sharp teeth, and spectacular aerial displays that rival anything in fly fishing.

• When the hunter becomes the hunted – What it's like when a giant mako circles the boat, looks you straight in the eye, and sizes you up for its next move.

• Man overboard in a shark feeding frenzy! – Conway's terrifying story of a client falling into the water with five sharks circling the boat.

• A shark jumps into the boat! – Conway and his son Max face a thrashing mako on deck during Max's very first day as a deckhand.

• Hooking a monster mako from a kayak – How a game of rock-paper-scissors led to Conway being towed toward Hawaii by a giant shark.

• The ultimate third date – How Conway introduced his future wife to fly fishing by surprising her with a mako shark adventure.

• Giants of the Pacific – Encounters with makos weighing 500 to over 1,000 pounds, including one enormous shark estimated at 1,500 pounds.

• Finding sharks in the vast Pacific – Reading underwater structure, currents, tides, water temperatures, and seabird activity to locate feeding makos.

• The importance of patience and preparation – Why Conway keeps detailed fishing logs, studies seasonal patterns, and follows his mentor's advice to "stick, stay, and make it pay."

• Chumming and teasing giant predators – Using fresh bluefin tuna, hookless teasers, and carefully timed presentations to bring makos within casting range.

• Sight-fishing with surface flies – Why Conway's foam flies imitate seabirds and how he triggers explosive reaction strikes from cautious sharks.

• Setting the hook and triggering spectacular jumps – Specialized strip-striking techniques, rod positioning, and the secrets behind those incredible aerial displays.

• 600 yards of backing in under a minute! – The incredible speed and power of a hooked mako and why chasing these fish with the boat is sometimes the only option.

• Rods, reels, and rigging for monster sharks – Custom one-piece fly rods, powerful reels, steel leaders, and specialized tackle designed for the ultimate saltwater challenge.

• Knowing when to call it quits – Why Conway sometimes deliberately breaks off a giant mako rather than spending hours fighting a fish that may be impossible to land.

• Understanding mako shark behavior – How these intelligent predators hunt, why they attack differently from great whites, and what makes them so fascinating.

• A family legacy on the water – How Conway's father inspired his passion for fishing and how he's passing that love of the ocean along to his own children.