It probably is our Latin Mediterranean origin which makes us prefer a sunny day to dark, rainy and freezing climates, even when we dedicate our time to fishing. Who could compare the pleasure of a day of saltwater fly fishing in a swimsuit and straw hat to the winter pike fishing, when 5mm neoprene seems to be as thin as paper and your fingers are so cold that you cannot even tie a knot?
The other side of the coin is that the Mediterranean is not as rich and abundant with game fish as its Caribbean counterpart, and considering that it is not always possible to fly over the Atlantic to reach the sands of bonefish infested waters, so we have to tune our fishing to something less exotic. The solution is to distill the experience of our game fishing colleagues across the pond to our own advantage: there are many 'fly fishable' species in our seas and it is really worthwhile giving them a try.

Bonito fishing is one of these angling opportunities, and is creating more and more addicts in the upper part of the Mediterranean sea; larger and larger fleets of fly-fishing enthusiasts are cruising along the coast of the Ligure Sea trying to hit the right day.

Jet-set places like Portofino, Santa Margherita Ligure, Chiavari, Rapallo and San Fruttuoso witness an increasing interest, not for the usual bikini-crowded beaches, but for winter fishing for little tuna, false albacore, mackerels, coriphena (dorado) a few swordfish and some minor game fish which are exciting to hook, especially on light tackle.

At the right time of the year, all the upper part of the Mediterranean sea, from Greece to Spain may offer good sport to the saltwater fly angler, although it is still far from the famed and expensive tropical destinations. The hottest fishing is not necessarily during the hottest months, the largest shools of baitfish come close to shore from sept to march, the winter months, when the water is cooler; some bonito may show up during summer months but this is sporadic.
Bonito (Sarda sarda) is the most abundant species. Their schools roam the coastal portion of the Mediterranean in search of anchovies and sardines and can provide exciting sport for the fly-fisherman: a four-pound bonito can rip 100 yards from your reel in seconds and its explosive power can put your tackle through a serious trial.

Moreover, bonito are not the only available gamefish: false albacore, mackerel, needlefish and other minor species may be hooked. The area is well-known for its giant tuna, but this quarry is a little beyond the fly fisherman's capabilities. Last season we experienced the thrill of a school of large tuna intercepting a bonito school; the bonito were hammering a shoal of anchovies and the large tuna were chasing the bonito. My fishing companion had hooked a small bonito when a large shadow appeared behind it and sucked it down; the reel started its shrill song and the rod was bent through 180¡, but all we could do was tighten the drag and let the fish snap the tippet. It looked like a fish of between 100 and 150 lb fish and the pressure that a 9ft #8 could exert was not enough to even make it change direction. Next time, we will tool up with a 15-weight, appropriate reel and backing ...

The principle is trying to find surface (or near to surface) feeders. Just as with big game angling, seagulls can be the giveaway: when you see a flock of white birds concentrated over a particular area, wheeling, hovering and plunging into the water, there is the probability that a school of fish is surrounding a shoal of baitfish (such as anchovies, sardines, etc.) and this might lead to action.
Fishing can sometimes seem easy; you approach the school (keeping your adrenaline flow under control, even if the water is virtually boiling at the surface), stop the boat at a comfortable casting distance, and start to cast, trying to let your fly swing down the sides of the disturbed water (since you do not want the shadow of the fly line to spook the feeding fish), strip and É voila, you've hooked the first one.

This dreamy vision is not always the whole story, since there is a bunch of different factors to keep into account.

Period of fishing
The season may start as early as September and extend into the month of March, the only variable is the sea which in the Mediterranean can change its mood in half an hour. The best reference is the MFA (Mediterranean Fly Anglers) website ‹ www.medflyfish.com - which has some useful links to local weather forecasts, especially those devoted to the 'Ligure sea' (or Mar Ligure in Italian). The same site also has some useful information about boat rentals and chartering may be available.

Some Brits consider the Mediterranean Sea nothing more than a big lake when compared to the raging waters of the Atlantic Ocean or North Sea: but even a lake trip can turn wild, especially when you try to rule the waves on a 3.5 metre 'nutshell' (which is the average size of boat you can rent), so take the weather seriously and keep an eye open for changes.

Lures
Bonito eat anchovies and sardines: the trick is to offer something similar to the prey in like colours; Surf Candies in off-white and bluish colours and slim, white Lefty Deceivers in sizes from #4 to #2/0 is all you need to cope with 90% of cases. Some smaller flies can also come in handy when you hit a school of mackerel and a larger fly can be useful to induce a false albacore to strike when all else fails, and a few Clouser Minnows with lead eyes can bring offers from deeper down, even if you have a floating line. Chartreuse seems to work well at any time of the day, while black flies are sometimes preferred at dusk or on overcast days.

Excerpt from an article in the October 2003 issue of Fly Fishing and Fly Tying in which Armando Quazzo also discusses Mediterranean fly fishing in detail, including: where to fish and contacts; lure depth; retrieve speeds; direction of travel of the schools; casting and safety; tackle knots; and also a new fly design for baitfish - the Bunch Fly.