Lately a larger part of the population has
adopted big-game fishing as a weekend activity. Sharks have become a
favorite target, especially in northeastern waters. Their fearsome
meat-eating style incites the great North American game fisherman or
fisherwoman to prove themselves against this ancient creature of the
deep.
A booming shark sport fishing cottage industry has been created
featuring many tournaments and contests, and bringing to the dock
thousands of blues, makos, tiger sharks and bull sharks ready to be
"steak cut" or filleted for a weekend barbeque. Makos & black fin
sharks are the best eating.
In this article we are covering the more common and widely available
sharks. What applies to these more common sharks also applies to the
more regional species such as the great white, hammerhead, bull shark,
white tip, and black tip.
Our article covers the blue shark, mako, and tiger sharks. These are
the most numerous of popular game shark fishing found in North America,
which include, great whites, and hammerheads.
Blue Shark Fishing
The blue shark, preferring cool to temperate waters, is found
throughout northeastern waters in summer months. Blue sharks are most
prevalent off the coast of Long Island and New England, and they range
as far south as Virginia, Maryland, and the Carolinas. Pacific blues
are found as far north as Alaska, and have been consistently spotted in
Chilean waters.
Blues do not generally hunt for larger mammals and such prey -- they
can often be found trailing whaling and shrimp boats feeding on waste
and bait discards. Yet they are among the most aggressive of all sharks
when provoked, and have been known to attack humans when in this state.
Mako Shark Fishing
The Mako shark has an uncharacteristically idiosyncratic-like diet (for
a shark) and is extremely tough to land after hooked. They are
definitely a game fish for saltwater fishermen who know what they're
doing and have some experience. The penalty for inexperience in this
case can be serious injury. The mako is heavily desired among veteran
anglers from Montauk to the Sea of Cortez -- no other shark possesses
or displays the jaw set and teeth of this brute force shark.
Adult mako sharks are world class predators. The mako comes in two
versions, the long fin and short fin. Both subspecies range through the
tropical and warm-waters of the Atlantic and Pacific. The short fin,
however, will often hunt inshore, which makes it the far more common
prey of boat captains and charter fishing trips.
This shark is one of the more dangerous sharks to swimmers, surfers and
surf fishermen. It also seems, from available evidence, to be the more
widely distributed mako, occurring in the Atlantic from Cape Cod to
Argentina, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, and in the
Pacific from the Columbia River in summer to California coastal waters
and as far south as Chile year-round.
Mako have been spotted in the Gulf of California. The long fin mako is
a rarer species that favors the open seas of the Caribbean and Pacific.
Few long fin mako have ever been caught off the Atlantic coast or Gulf
of Mexico. The mako ranks among the most dangerous of sharks.
Experienced fishermen everywhere always approach them with the greatest
of care. They are furious when hooked, and although their 20' and 30'
jumps are exciting, makos will often try to ram or leap into the
enemy's boat.
-- No shark should be brought boat-side or onto the deck until it is
completely exhausted --
-- A living shark brought close to overconfident fishermen can cause
serious injury.--
-- A wounded Mako, like all other large sharks, can bite with strength
until drawing its very last breath.
Bait for Sharks
- The shark is widely available to the sport of fishing, because its
omnivorous appetite shows little discrimination for artificially rigged
bait. They'll eat anything!!! Use cut bait for sharks, in particular
any oily, scented fish e.g. barracuda, mackerel, and oily chum.
Use a slab of kingfish or barracuda under a balloon or bobber & then
suspend the slab of bait into the oily chum. Stagger your baits as to
shallow level, mid level bait, & deep set bait.
Fishing Tackle
- Heavy conventional, stiff rods. Conventional reels and big hooks.
Bring a variety of hooks 5/0 to 10/0 to use depending on the size of
the sharks. J hooks or Circle hooks will work just fine.
How to Find Sharks
- Anchor your boat in channels and around rock piles & reef edges.
Throw out your chum bag & you shouldn't have to wait too long for the
sharks.
