• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Deneki Outdoors Fishing Lodges

Alaska | The Bahamas | Chile

  • About Deneki Outdoors
  • Our Fishing Lodges
    • Alaska West
    • Andros South
    • Rapids Camp
    • Rio Salvaje
  • Deneki Blog
    • Alaska West
    • Andros South
    • Chile
    • Fish
    • Fishing Reports
    • Fly Tying
    • Gear
    • General
    • Guest Posts
    • News
    • Rapids Camp
    • Rio Salvaje
    • Tips
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs

Mar 18 2017

The Ultimate Quick-Change ‘Cuda Rig

Fly fishing for barracuda at Andros South
No spare ‘cuda rod needed. Photo: Gary Interdonato.

Barracuda (something we see a lot of on South Andros) are a highly underrated fish to target on a fly. Not only are they big, aggressive, and fight really hard, they’re also know for jumping like tarpon and hit flies harder than anything we’ve seen.. What more could ask for in a game fish!?

The vast majority of the Barracuda we see at Andros South are spotted while actively scanning for bonefish. Many of our guests prefer to keep a spare rod rigged specifically for barracuda for such an occasion, however, the time required to put down the bonefish rod, grab the ‘cuda rod, strip off enough line to reach the fish, and then make the cast, is often too late for an effective presentation, not to mention nearly impossible when fishing on foot (unless carrying more than one rod of course).

But, what if you could transform your bonefish rod into a proper ‘cuda rig in a matter of seconds? Well, you can!

A while back we told you about a great tip shown to us by Andros South guest, Loren Irving, learned from Brain O’Keefe, which consisted of keeping a barracuda fly attached to 10-12 inches of knotable wire, with a slip knot on the leader end handy at all times on the flats. The thought process? Upon spotting a ‘cuda, simply take the rig out of your pocket, slip the knot to the bend of your bonefish hook and voila! You’ve got yourself a ‘cuda rig. Brilliant.

We recently expanded upon Loren’s tip using a simple quick-change swivel made for conventional gear called a ‘fast-snap.’ It turns your bonefishing rig into barracuda ready setup in seconds and here’s how it works..

Fast Snaps
Step 1: Pick yourself up a pack of medium (50 lb.) fast snaps found at most big-box tackle shops. Fast snaps can be purchased with or without swivels to prevent the fly from twisting, however to keep the rig as light as possible (for easier casting) we chose not to use a swivel.
quick chance barracuda fly fishing rig
Step 2: Attach 10-12 inches of knotable wire (we like 30-40 lb.) to the end of the Fast Snap using a uni-knot.
quick chance barracuda fly fishing rigquick chance barracuda fly fishing rig
Step 3: Attach a ‘cuda fly to the other end of the wire using a uni-knot and voila! Your ‘cuda rig is ready for action.
quick chance barracuda fly fishing rig
Step 4: While scanning for bonefish, keep your ‘cuda rig handy in your pocket, on the outside of your boat bag, or close by in your pack.
quick chance barracuda fly fishing rig
Step 5: Once you spot a barracuda, pull out your ‘cuda rig and simply clip the fast snap directly to the EYE of your bonefish fly. By design, the fast snap requires no opening or unlocking, allowing the eye to snap on with ease in seconds!
quick chance barracuda fly fishing rig
Step 6: You’re now locked and loaded for barracuda! Chuck it out there, strip fast, and hold on!

More on Fly Fishing for Barracuda

  • Barracuda Fly Presentation
  • Tube Fly for Barracuda
  • Flats Fishing for Barracuda

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. chuck french says

    March 18, 2017 at 8:06 am

    You’re a brave soul to fish that ‘Cuda! Where’s my bluegill bucket?

  2. jack says

    February 20, 2019 at 10:07 pm

    woudn’t the leader snap because you are using a bonefish leader for big cudas?

  3. Web Editor says

    February 21, 2019 at 8:58 am

    We usually use 20 pound for our bonefish leaders. Barracuda have a very fast and powerful first run but they shouldn’t be able to break the 20 pound if your drag is set correctly. I’ve even had success doing this with 16 pound when the bonefish were being spooky and still been able to land the ‘Cuda. Cuda fight hard but aren’t like GTs or anything out there. 20 pound can land the majority as long as their teeth don’t touch any mono!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Plan Your Trip

Let our experts plan the fishing adventure of your dreams.
Contact Now

Search Topics

Subscribe to our newsletter

All Blog Posts

Recent Posts

  • 6, 2025 Father’s Day Gift Ideas Your Father Will Like
  • 4 Reasons You Should Come Experience the Kanektok River
  • No Better Time To Experience Bristol Bay with Rapids Camp Lodge
  • Fly Tying Tutorial: How To Tie The Hippie Stomper
  • 5 Tips When You’re Buying Your First Spey Rod Setup

All About Spey

All About Trout

All About Bonefishing

All About Gear

Best Posts

Footer

Deneki Outdoors

Mailing address:
200 W. 34th Ave.
#1170
Anchorage, AK 99503

Headquarters:
6160 Carl Brady Dr.
Anchorage, AK 99502

US Information and Reservations
800-344-3628

International Information and Reservations
+1 907-563-9788

Email: info@deneki.com

Our Lodges

Rapids Camp
King Salmon, Alaska

Alaska West
Kanektok River, Alaska

Andros South
South Andros Island, The Bahamas

Rio Salvaje
Puerto Montt, Chile

Deneki Outdoors thanks Peter Viau, Tosh Brown, Abe Blair, Kyle Shea and Kara Knight for the beautiful photography used on our sites.

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

#denekioutdoors

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Copyright © 2025 · Deneki Outdoors · Privacy Policy · Site by 21 Designs

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we assume that you are okay with it.Ok