AlPhONSE ISlANd RESORt - Tailwaters Fly Fishing Co.

alphonse island resort
booking a Trip with Tailwaters
PRE TRIP PLANNING
THE MILKFISH
One of the most sought after species on the flats is called the Milkfish (Chanos
chanos). Although we have learned a lot about how to effectively hook and land
these brutes, Milks still have lore about them. There is a common misnomer that
they are herbivores or vegetarians exclusively. They feed on tiny invertebrates such
as plankton as well as algae. They are not filter feeders, but they do skim along with
mouths wide open inhaling their food (kind of like a whale shark). The hardest part
about catching a milkfish is simply being in the right place at the right time for a
predictable, surface feeding event with a large enough school of targets to increase
the odds (which oftentimes won’t happen for weeks on end).
Most often during large spring tides, milkfish will set up almost like trout feeding
into the strong tidal currents flushing food off of the flats. Lucky anglers encounter
them feeding on or near the surface with mouths wide almost mindlessly
vacuuming everything in their path. Although they will certainly move
to avoid your fly, they will definitely not move to eat your
fly. Anglers fish with algae-like deer hair or craft fur
patterns tied on a #2 Gamu hook and long slow
strips through a school of milkfish. If the
planets align, your fly will incidentally get
sucked in and off to the races you go.