Shark Fishing Tips and Tid-Bits

Size of Blue Sharks: When young, blue (and all other sharks) sharks are such willing feeders that they can be caught virtually every time the bait gets near them, which makes blues popular with high-yield shark-fishing boats. Often the same blue shark will be caught two or three times in the same day. Immature blues run from 30 to 100 hundred pounds. Adult blues, which still comprise the majority catch of the day fleets fishing after shark, weigh between 200 and 350 pounds. 

Size of Mako Sharks: Adult makos reach weights of 400 to 500 pounds and up. The all-tackle world record is a 1,080+ pound mako caught off Block Island in 1979 by Captain Frank Mundus -- he is the legendary shark fisherman who was the inspiration for Peter Benchley's shark hunter in the movie Jaws. 

Sharks Dominate the Seas: The shark dominates the seas because it does one thing very well: It attacks food and eats it. Ironically the shark is the easiest of the big-game catches because it can't stop eating. Shark do not discriminate -- wherever food is available, they will show up first, attack first, and eat the fastest. For the fisherman or shark boat captain this means he can use most any bait, either live or dead, on large obvious hooks with strong but easily seen steel leaders -- the sharks just don't care. 

Some of the Best Shark Fishing Waters: The waters of Montauk on Long Island offer the most consistent shark fishing north of the Caribbean, and the possibility for catching a genuine sea monster there does exist. Blue shark fishing in southern California waters (off Point Conception) is highly popular. Here fishing boats will often take hundreds of blues in a single day. Hammerhead fishing in the Sea of Cortez is booming and popular among California sportsmen. And the Gulf Coast is becoming popular for the bull shark species -- a shark that is just not getting its due as a big mean fighting machine. Bull shark attacks now account for more shark attacks in the Gulf of Mexico than any other species.

Remember... DO NOT bring a shark boat-side or on board a boat
until it is COMPLETELY exhausted -- a living shark brought close 
to fishermen can cause serious injury with a simple flip if it's head!