The FLIES
Maldives Fly box
GT FLIES
Whether you tie your own flies or buy them, make sure the hooks are of the best quality available. Fly fishing for GT is hard work so when you finally hook that fish of your dreams, you don’t want to lower the odds of landing it because of a hook that can open or break. Our preferred hook models for the Maldives will be included in our Pre Trip Planner, along with suggestions for our favorite patterns.
We basically divide our GT-flies into a couple of different categories:
Darker flies are often great for fishing the surf and where waves roll onto the reef and create foam and white water. They stand out much better than lighter flies and are easier for the fish to see. Often, they also fish well near coral or rocks, even in calmer conditions.
Lighter-colored flies, like tan/white, are often better for flats, sandy points, and edges with a light bottom. In these conditions, the fish easily see the fly, and a lighter pattern is less intrusive than a dark one.
Try to tie – or buy – flies that are not too heavily dressed. Bulky flies might look great in your fly box but they are harder to cast. Distance can be important, and the combination of deep wading, wind and heavy tackle isn’t helping your casting. Don’t make it even harder by casting overdressed flies. Five extra meters on your cast is better than an extra 5 centimeters of fly.
Our guide will usually have a few trusted flies for sale if needed. But make sure to bring a small selection of the go-to patterns.
FLIES FOR OTHER SPECIES
When fly fishing a shallow flat, the go-to fly is a crab pattern. Crab flies are the best patterns for triggerfish, and most other fish on shallow flats – like spotted trevally, smaller bluefin trevally, and the occasional bonefish – will eat them, too. It’s also worth bringing Clousers, Gotchas, and a couple of trusted shrimp patterns.
For the surf, smaller baitfish patterns will produce more hookups from bluefin trevally and other smaller species so if GT fishing is slow, downsizing can speed up the action a bit.
Bigger fish, like barracuda, shark and red snapper, will eat the same flies as GTs do, so no need to bring special flies for these species.
