Milkfish (Chanos chanos) are a perfect example of a completely overlooked fish species that only recently has become a popular target species for saltwater fly fishing. Guides Wayne Hasleau and Arno Mathee worked together to figure them out in the 2000-2010s at Alphonse atoll, Seychelles. When full grown they are a legendary gamefish that jump and fight forever. They feed on algae and fish eggs in shallow water and at mouths of lagoon channels.
Milkfish Mayhem
Our day started with bones inside St Francois... “It’s gone,” Toby said with a melancholy look on his face. We had been well and truly defeated. “Did we make the wrong call on which way…
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Seperately, on Christmas Island adult milkfish have been successfully targeted using different fly patterns, including swimming worm patterns as simple as a brown/tan woolly bugger.
Timing and tides are key for finding milkfish schooled up into dense feeding schools. Stealth, long leaders, and accurate casts are key. A few fly anglers have even caught large milkfish on foot wading shallow flats on Seychelles atolls. Sniping huge milkfish that cruise the flats in small groups would be very cool!
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