Many anglers think of sharks as a nuisance, but not Conway Bowman, the subject of the film MAKO. The San Diego native has built his life around these majestic creatures, pioneering techniques to catch mako sharks on the fly. But this film goes much deeper than capturing a mako’s acrobatic display. Max Erickson, Creative Director at FISKA, along with his team, Jackson Smith and Zento Slinger, sought to capture Bowman’s story in this riveting film. From raising his children on the water to Conway’s journey into guiding, this film tells the whole story of what it takes to catch sharks on the fly.
We had the opportunity to sit down with Max Erickson and learn what it took to put together MAKO.
Flylords: What got the ball rolling on the idea for this film? What did the early concepts look like, and why did you decide to make MAKO?
Erickson: My friend Zento went down to San Diego in the off-season for a quick photoshoot with Conway Bowman and called me immediately after. He talked about the fishery, the tactics, and the kind of person Conway was, and said, “We should probably make a film about this guy”. I did some digging into what kind of media existed around Conway and mako shark fly fishing specifically, and came up short. I ended up jumping on a call with Conway, and things blossomed from there.
Flylords: Leading up to shooting a film like this, what does the pre-production look like? What kind of elements and scenarios are you preparing for?
Erickson: With any film, I like to get to know the character(s) in prep, after all, that’s what makes a film a film, the story, the people. I had several calls with Conway where we discussed his history, his motivations, and his fishery. With a documentary-style film, I avoid making things too prescribed in pre-production. There’s a fine line between being prepared and forcing your will on a story. We developed beats we wanted to hit with the film, then during production, we used those as jumping-off points.
From a technical standpoint, preparing for this was a bit unique. With anything, especially fishing, you go in with a set of expectations and are quickly met with an alternate reality. Shark fishing was no different, but there were a few points that informed how we would shoot this film. 1 – the fish get close to the boat, really close. 2 – these things jump, HIGH.
Going into production, we had all these micro goals, the shots you want to get, “wouldn’t it be cool if…”. One of those was being able to capture the sharks airborne. Because those moments are so hectic and fleeting, I wanted to try to preserve them as much as possible, allowing the audience to appreciate the detail and nuance of these giant creatures jumping 20’ in the air. Every day, we had our B-Cam, a high-speed beast set up with a long parfocal zoom, ready to capture a shark jumping at any moment. Jackson stood by with that camera at the ready, and after a bit of trial and error, we were able to capture some incredible footage of these sharks rocketing from the ocean.
Another goal was to capture the fish hunting us. These sharks are not shy, and they’re willing to get very close to the boat and stick around. This gave us ample opportunity to film free-swimming sharks. The caveat: I wasn’t interested in being part of the food chain. We employed some unique equipment to hang a camera over the side of the boat and keep the flesh out of harm’s way…mostly.
Flylords: What kind of person is Conway Bowman? How essential is someone like him to a project like this?
Erickson: Conway’s a driven, caring man. He has a presence that fills a room, and you can see all of the people in his life magnetically drawn to him. He has a certain sensitivity and care that he brings to everything he does, from his fishing to his children; everything is done with purpose. Having a character that naturally resonates with the people in their life as the center point of a film is incredibly helpful. That magnetism permeates the screen and pulls audiences into the film; it’s one of those intangibles that makes a film entertaining.
Flylords: In short, what does mako shark fishing on a fly setup look like? What are some of the tactics for getting these beasts to eat a fly?
Erickson: Fishing for Makos isn’t exactly what you’d think. There are the norms: you want a stout rod with significant backbone and lifting power, 14wt on the small end, and you can’t go too heavy. A very large arbor reel with smooth startup inertia and a robust frame. Loads of gelspun backing, and a heavy floating line (12+). You’re not casting far, 30’ at most, so having a balanced setup is much less important than having one that can support your quarry.
The leader and fighting techniques are where things get a bit interesting. At the business end, Conway runs stainless steel wire through a tube fly, which is not much more than a colorful clump of marabou and foam, then a 30lb class tippet above the wire.
When you hook a 300+lb mako shark, it’s like hooking a Lamborghini. You’re not stopping that thing with a little fly rod without killing it. The goal isn’t to tire the fish to the point that you can land it and get your hero shot. The goal is to hook the fish, get a few jumps, then let him forget you’re there.
Conway runs a light drag throughout the fight and, towards the end, reduces the pressure he’s putting on the fish; they start just casually swimming forward while he pulls the boat up next to the fish, grabs the leader, and breaks them off. So many people say they don’t want to deal with landing a 150lb tarpon, get the eat, get the jumps, let him go. It’s the same deal with Makos. And let’s be real, you don’t want your little fingers anywhere near that smile at the end of the fight.
Flylords: What makes a mako shark such a desirable game fish?
Erickson: The visuals, the entire game is predator vs prey, and you’re playing both roles. These fish are coming to you, to hunt you down. It’s the opposite of any other fishing I’ve experienced. Make all the noise, get them mad, make the shark want to kill you, then feed it some feathers. And man, when they jump, it’s just inspiring. Looking UP at a mako shark, that’s pure adrenaline.
Flylords: What were some of the dangers of filming a project like this? Any close encounters?
Erickson: You’re a little boat in the middle of the Pacific trying to look like food. What could go wrong? The most dangerous thing we did was hop in the water with a shark. But honestly, the fish had been around the boat for a while, maybe 30 minutes, and wasn’t showing signs of aggression. Zento dove in with his camera in an attempt to get some photos from a unique perspective away from the boat, but the shark seemed put off by him. Who knows, maybe he didn’t shower that morning. But generally speaking, if you play it cool and stay smart, it’s a safe game.
Flylords: What did the process of trying to find these sharks look like?
Erickson: Conway does a few things. He’s looking for specific fathom lines or contours deep in the Pacific, where these fish run like highways. He’ll set up a drift where the boat floats freely along a certain contour, dragging a chum slick. By the end of the drift, which will last hours, you’ve covered miles and miles of water. He also uses acoustic techniques like banging a special rod against the hull of the boat to create a rhythmic low-frequency sound that travels a long distance in the water.
Flylords: What were some special camera tactics you and the team employed in order to shoot this unique concept in a unique environment?
Erickson: Aside from the stuff I talked about earlier, we decided we wanted a shot of the shark eating the fly, from the fly’s POV. So we rigged a GoPro to a boat hook pole and teased some fish with that. It was really tough to get the shot because the sharks were so keyed in on the electromagnetic frequencies of the camera. They kept avoiding the fly and just eating the camera. I fought one fish for a minute or so, trying to shake the camera out of its mouth. Came back with some scars, but we ended up with some awesome shots.
Flylords: Going into this, what were your expectations? How were they met/ surpassed?
Erickson: I expected more fish, eager to eat a fly at any time. What I learned is that just because it’s the apex predator doesn’t mean it’s a killing machine. The sharks have a curiosity and intelligence that make them a really fun target. You have to play the game, you have to feed the fish, you have to convince them that they want to eat your fly. It starts as a close-quarters chess game and ends with an F1 race, and all hell breaks loose.
Flylords: Do you think there is a fly-fishing film like this out there? If not, why?
Erickson: I don’t think so. This film is an exploration of fatherhood and partnership through the lens of mako shark fishing. It’s a curious duality starring a unique fish. I think people will really enjoy it.
