Sharks part 1

Shark fishing is one of the most exciting forms of So. California angling you can do. The fish are big ( makos and threshers ) fight hard, jump frequently, and taste wonderful, and there are plenty of them out there.

Unlike marlin, whose anglers average one fish every three days, I have caught 15 large sharks in a day ( 14 released ) and average 5 to 6 a day. These are large slow growing fish, and most should be released, keeping a small fish for dinners for a couple of days, and letting all the larger breeding specimens go to repopulate the ocean. Most of the smaller fish end up being food for the big boys anyway, so if I am going to harvest one, it will be one of the small ones.

The larger fish are too precious to the ocean environment, to catch once and eat. If you want a picture, leave the fish in the water and after taking a couple of pictures, cut the wire near the mouth and let it go. Do not bring the fish into the boat, his thrashing around on the deck can seriously injure or kill the fish even hours later. Please treat these special fish gently, ( all fish are special, and need to be treated gently before release, so they can live to fight another day ) so our children and grandchildren can have the thrill of catching one of these magnificent

creatures.

Tomorrow I will get into tackle and tactics for success in shark fishing.

P.S. We are having a banner year on mako sharks, they are in close this year and in the best numbers I have seen in 15 years. Only a short run is required to get to the fish. To plan charter, see my ad at the top of this page.