While fishing a Land Based Catch and release shark tournament with my team mates Luis, Brad,  Alex , and my son Seth we had been going out fishing but had very bad luck in the first two weeks of April. I started  by catching  some cudas and some in my group did an excellent job on collecting big baits from other sources such as charter boats. In this post we were fishing from the Florida Keys to Martin County, Florida.

The pic on the left is the pic of a nice 30 pounder barracuda caught on a plug a month before. (Unfortunately that bait did not produce). The other is of a 25 to 27 pounder

This is the kind of bait I like the most. It did yield one blacktip from a bridge by Luis “picua”. A kingfish carcass yielded another blacktip from a bridge, and a dolphin fish carcass yielded a nurse shark. I got a decent lemon also, and then another blacktip on a jack crevale fish belly (10 lbs chunk).

On the first trip (first week of April) the goal was to catch a big shark so we used whole bonitos and big chuncks of Jack crevale fish, big enough to not allow smaller sharks to take the whole thing. Since we were using big baits we lost 3 sharks that day as we were getting prepared to leave I decided to leave the rods for last and pack the kayak first and then the coolers.  On the 12th hour of waiting for something  I was putting the stuff inside the truck and getting eaten alive by the noseeums I then heard a bunch of screams, THE ROD, THE ROOOD!!!!!  It was on, had a bit on my rod. I rushed to it and inmediately set the hook, I spiked the rod in the sand, and sat behind it to fight the shark, it was a big 8’10” male lemon that hit my bait. I rigged using a 20’ homemade 250 lbs test red line wind-on leader, a 950 lbs American Tackle swivel and 4 to 5 feet of #19 single strand wire with an 11/0 hook. As you will see the red balloon that popped is what I use to keep the bait at mid (it is just slightly inflated and at the end of the wind-on leader) then I tie a rock with about 10 feet of string.

Here are some pics:

Alex looking over the rods

Pic of the fight

Pic of the lemon shark

De-hooking the lemon shark

On the second week ( Friday April 10th) we went to a hole that we know had produce some decent sharks in the past. Here is Brad trying it out

After that it was my turn but I got hit quick so no pick of me fishing the whole, it ended being another blacktip.

Here is Brad helping out

A big Thanks as always to my photographer my daughter Nancy

I didn’t fish Wednesday and since on Thursday night the seas were 2 feet or less I went out hoping to get some big baits….I placed a whole stingray at about 150 yards out on the 14/0 but nothing but crabs hit it. Then I took my second big bait out on the 12/0 and as I was kayaking out saw a few Black Tip sharks so I placed the bait about 50 yards from them hoping the current would take the scent out from them and get a bigger shark species and then I threw a bait of my 6/0 in the first gut to have fun with the tips while I waited for the big bite.

A few minutes later Frank (a member from boatlessfishing forum) passed by and we chatted for a bit when the 12/0 started to get a nice run, I set the hook and it felt like a small fish. Frank and my daughter helped me with the belt since I was tired from too much driving and dragging tackle thru the sand. A few minutes later and got a decent Black Tip shark. When the leader was in my rod Frank helped me land it, thanks man. As I was releasing the shark I hit a rock and busted my toe but didn’t realize it just yet (I had a previous injury on it already and this one just made it worst) I fell down and got up grabbed the shark helped it swim back into the water and made sure it swam away. Frank left to do his thing and I took one more bait out, it was a whole 5 pound bonito and a few minutes later I got another Black Tip. Chris (another tournament participant) stopped by and said hi and told me about getting bumped out on the kayak, nice seeing him out there. I kept waiting, this time a bit longer it was 12 a.m. and I was still there. Chris called me, he said he had a big bite so I waited another half hour but nothing happened. No big sharks for me this week but I am happy with landing 6 of them and doing it while fishing only a few hours per day. Off course that shark migration made it a lot easier but I feel that I should have landed more. Here are some pics:

Frank and I with the first one

The second one

Tagging

The tag

The release

My Toe busted, sorry but I just had to put a pic

My photographer (my daughter Nancy)

3 Black Tip Shaks + 1 more 2-8 to 2-10-2009

Went out on Sunday Feb 8th 2009, took my 3 hour drive to one of the designated boundary areas of a land based shark tournament, on the way I got a call from Josh (the tourney director) who told me that the sharks were about 1 mile from where I would normally fish so I went to that spot and got there at 6 p.m.. There were about 15 others fishing the tournament all called by Josh and they were all trying to cast their baits out as far as they could or they tried to get the kayak out as well. It was great to fish with them especially with Pete and Maneater (other tournament competitors) which I camped right next to, sorry people but that beach is long, and I did not want to walk too much I hate walking long distances on sand, and there was indication for a nice drop very close to the beach, normally a “V” shape cut into the sand where the current is a bit stronger. I placed my kayak on the ground and thought to my self; “why would I kayak out big bait just for it to get hit by sharks that are swimming in the first gut? No need to go out that far” So I did it again, I walked my bait out into the water and threw the brick with bait a few feet in front of me. The sharks are already there! They come to patrol the beaches to eat baitfish. They normally use the first and second gut of the sand bars to travel and the first gut is where you walk into the water and all of a sudden it goes knee deep to waist deep.  Of course people were like WHAT THE F#(% ARE YOU DOING MAN? And I told them “just getting the bait in the first gut” this is something normal for people in shark fishing sites, some do it all the time in the Keys… Well, a few minutes later and zzznnnnnnnn a 71 and ¾” Black Tip Shark on the line, winched it in, tagged it, and released it. Most people started to toss their baits out into the gut and then we were all on, at one point there were 5 sharks on and all were landed just about the same time. Many of us lost a few since the sharks were just carrying the baits in their mouth and were not actually biting it. After fishing 4 hours I left as I had to take the 3 hour drive back home and be ready for work at 6:00 a.m.

On Monday the 9th I called my buddy Alex who has been trying to get on a shark for a year already. He was there the night before and did not get a single hit. He did not want to go and was almost ready to quit trying. I spoke with him and asked him if he was wearing any lotion on his hands and then handled the bait? I found it weird that for all this time he has not being able to hook up on a shark. Low and behold he did not admit to the lotion but did say he was wearing cologne and told me that next time he would wear gloves to handle the bait. So after talking to him I convinced him by telling him that the chances for the sharks to hang around for another night were good and we would get there at the top of the high tide and would be able to get the scent out as soon as the tide started to go out. So we had to be there at the right time since I had to drive 3 hour fish for 2 hours and head back home. We got there and I tossed my first bait out and I helped my buddy with his bait selection. I had already explained on Sunday where to toss the bait and he also practiced bringing in a shark with a heavy rock, LOL….he dropped his bait and a few minutes later zzzzzznnnnnn he gets his first shark ever on his 6/0, 50 lbs test line, and 5 foot rod. It was a nice 69.5” total length, 56” fork length, and 35” girth black tip estimated at 85 pounds Black Tip shark, great for a first shark. I grabbed it by the tail and brought it in, measured it, tagged it, Alex took his proud pic with a smile from ear to ear and a “I CREATED FIRE” attitude (proud), I then released the shark. All this happened while the Paxton brothers were filming, it was nice to meet them as well. Great handling Alex you did a great job.

Here are the pics from Sunday (fished 4.5 hours):

The Tag

Alex’s Black Tip Shark

I left in the afternoon to see if I could launch my kayak but there was no luck. The wind was too strong for me, yes I know I am getting old. Went to check things out at several spots and decided on one. I started with my Torium 30 and 4 feet of 80 with 3.5 feet of wire and my 9 foot rod (it’s a bridge rod but hey it does the job just about everywhere I go). My #10 wire was cut off so I said, what? May be there are some medium sharks here. It was still night time and the waves were still too close to each other, so I decided to go stupid and do it old school. I got my 12/0, I walked my bait out until I could no longer walk, and tossed my bait as far as I could into the first gut hoping to make the trip worth it and at least catch a small shark. Half hour into the change of tides (start of outgoing) and the line started to peel with small zzzzzzzzznnnnnnnn’s got the rod, set the hook, and 3 minutes later a male blacktip was in. The BT was green as hell jumping all over. It had a hook on it’s side and as it was jumping that hook fell off and so did mines almost getting wrapped on my legs. I took the shark by the tail held it by the water a bit and measured it. As my son took pics, I tagged it and then released it. Having caught my 9 o’clock small train, I went home at 10:00 p.m. Let’s see how far this BT shark will go, the tag number is B312545…

Here are the pics.

Below it’s the small fight. No need for harness here just the good old sand to make a comfortable fighting chair.

This is the measurement of the shark. Did this one according to NOAA guidelines so it’s 71.5 inches

The tail close up shot

The shark