Milkfish Chanos Chanos - Bangus

When it comes to a proper fight on fly, one would naturally think of GTs, sailfish, and barracuda. You wouldn’t necessarily think of a big-eyed algae feeder being as much of a challenge. But the silvery milkfish has proven to be quite the feisty fighters when targeted. Let’s have a look.

This torpedo-shaped species with its deeply forked tails and white underbellies has made quite a name for itself as a spirited fighter on fly. Found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, the milkfish (Chanos Chanos) can grow up to 1.8m in length and weighs roughly 14 kg (31 lbs). It is one of the few toothless species on the flats and also the only living member of the Chanidae family. Having such a large territory also gives it a number of different common names – Awa (Hawaii), Bangus (Philippines), Bandeng, or Bolu (Indonesia).

Milkfish caught

Milkfish favour reefs and shallow lagoons which make the atolls around Alphonse Island a natural haven for them. Here they can be spotted on the flats and in the lagoons feeding on algae patches in small pods. When feeding, their tails protrude from the water, a tell-tale sign of the milkfish. When doing a fishing trip with Alphonse Fishing Co. guests will be accompanied by our expert guides who will know exactly how and where to target these shimmering beauties. In fact, the first techniques of how to target this species were developed here at Alphonse Island and the lagoon of St. François. Fly fishing for milkfish is a great experience and they put up a hard fight that offers a unique challenge as they are not predatory and thus the fly needs to be kept as still as possible, unlike with other species. The most effective flies used to target milkfish have been the Milky Dream, Wayne’s Milky Magic, and a Pillow Talk with tungsten eyes as they mimic its food source. Luring the fish onto the fly takes patience and it’s going to put up a fight, but raising that Fork-tailed Devil out of the water is going to be well worth it.

Stand your chance to battle a Milky on the flats of Alphonse, Astove, and Cosmoledo Atolls – Book