Conway Bowman in a Rare
Moment of Rest
(Click for larger image)

Conway Bowman is arguably one of Southern California's best known outdoor personalities. He's been featured in several national magazines (such as Field and Stream, Men's Journal, and Wild On the Fly), profiled in a book ("Fly Fishing for Sharks: An Angler's Journey Across America " by Richard Louv) and is one of maybe a half-dozen SoCal personalities to ever host a nationally-televised outdoor show ("In Search of Fly Waters," which ran on ESPN2).

Even with all the press and hyperbole', Captain Bowman remains remarkably down-to-earth, easy-going and very approachable. He has a huge store of fishing knowledge, is a master of technique, and is willing to share these things with his clients. Throw in a lot of hard work and hours on the water, and you wind up with a guide who has garnered a reputation as being one of the best at his craft.

41.65 lb Redfish - FF WR on 20lb tippet
 (courtesy Capt. Gregg Arnold
www.e-zfly.com )

He currently holds the 20lb class tippet fly rod record for redfish, which he captured a couple of years ago on a visit to the Biloxi Marsh in Louisana. However, when it comes to his specialty - mako sharks on the fly - he is adamant about maintaining a strict catch-and-release policy with his clients.

The majority of fly-caught makos are well under 200 lbs, and are immature or young fish which have not spawned, or have perhaps spawned only once. As such, they represent the future of the fishery, and deserve to be protected. "The mako shark fishery is too fragile to encourage people to take these younger fish," says Captain Bowman.

We caught up with Conway in Mission Bay, on a rare morning off. Conway owns and operates Bowman Bluewater Guides and Outfitters, which focuses on light tackle and salt water fly fishing. While Captain Bowman still actively guides, for the last five years he has been sharing duties with Captain Dave Trimble. Based out of Dana Landing in Mission Bay, they fish the coastal and offshore waters off San Diego, from the Mexican border up to Del Mar.

They work primarily from a pair of Triton center console boats. When they need extra range, or choose to venture into Mexican waters, they make use of a couple of different 6-pack charter boats that are berthed at Dana Landing.

On top of BBGO, Conway is in the midst of starting another company called "The Ragged Edge Fly Fishing School", which will specialize in high-end personalized "extreme" fly fishing trips. He has a budding outdoor video production company, and has begun to increase his presence in the outdoor show speaker circuit. Suffice to say that Captain Bowman leads a hectic life, and we're very grateful that he could take the time to let us poke around his boat.

Captain Bowman at work
(courtesy Bowman Bluewater
Outfitters -Click for
larger image)

If you make it to San Diego and are looking for a guide, be sure to give Captain Bowman a call. He can be reached at:

Bowman Bluewater Guides and Outfitters
E-mail: conwayxbowman@gmail.com
Phone: (619) 822-6256

So...back to boats. Conway runs a Triton 240 LTS (Light Tackle Series) skiff, powered by a Mercury outboard, on most of his guide trips. While more commonly thought of as large bay skiff. Captain Bowman has found the 240 LTS to be nearly ideal for the types of fishing he does in the open ocean. In the following sections we take a closer look at his ride, its features, and get some of Captain Bowman's comments.

We'll come back sometime in the near future to look at Captain Trimble's boat - a Triton 2486 center console, powered by a 225 HP Honda outboard.