Meet The Sharks
Page III

Meet The Sharks is an abridged version of chapter #3 from my book "Modern Sharking" and gives a brief description of many of the more common shark species taken by recreational anglers along the East Coast and Gulf Of Mexico. For more detailed information on these sharks and about shark fishing, I hope you will consider purchasing a copy of Modern Sharking.

Hammerheads
(Scalloped, Smooth, Great, and Bonnethead)

Proper shark identification may be a big problem for a lot of anglers, but when it comes to hammerheads even non-fishermen should be able to come close to hitting the nail on the head (excuse the pun) every time. I say "come close" because if someone simply sees a shark with a wing-like head and calls it a "hammerhead," they've only succeeded in narrowing the search down to sharks of the genus "Sphyrna" (from the Greek word meaning "hammer") but they still haven't identified the exact species.

Scalloped Hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini)

Until about the end of the 1990's the scalloped hammerhead was the most commonly caught hammerhead along much of the East Coast. Unfortunately, intensive commercial fishing quickly and efficiently left its impression on populations of scalloped hammerheads and by the millennium encountering just one or two a season became a big deal. Able to grow to about 12 feet long, scalloped hammerheads are not the largest but they're certainly one of the largest of the hammerheads.

Before they were overfished scalloped hammerheads of this size
where a common catch. This photo is from the late 70's and
is courtesy of Dale Timmons, of the Coastal Fisherman.

The first dorsal fin of a great hammerhead is extra tall and the trailing edge of it curves back in a sickle-shape, while a scalloped hammerhead's dorsal fin is not quite as tall and the trailing edge has no backward curve. Looking at the leading edge of the head, a scalloped hammerhead has a slight depression or "scalloped-out" area directly in the center, while a smooth hammerhead does not. Scalloped hammerheads will venture out into deep waters but they're usually encountered in the Continental Shelf waters. In the Mid-Atlantic we usually catch most of the larger ones in 10 to 30 fathoms, and juveniles in the nearshore waters. In more southern waters the larger scalloped hammerheads have a greater likelihood of being taken closer to shore.

Smooth Hammerhead (Sphyrna zygaena)

Smooth hammerheads are quite similar in size and characteristics as the scalloped, and they used to be caught less frequently than the scalloped, but since the scalloped has become so scarce their roles have been reversed along much of the East Coast.

Smooth hammerheads are a bit darker in color and don't have the
indentation in the center of their head as do the scalloped and the great.

With a dark olive/gray color, in or out of the water this shark appears darker than the scalloped. The dorsal fin of the smooth is similar in shape to that of the scalloped but the center of the leading edge of the head is smooth, not indented as it is in the other hammerheads.

Great Hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran)

Reaching lengths of over 18 feet and weights of over 1200 pounds, this species is the largest of the hammerheads. Because of its size and habit of moving into shallow water to feed on large prey, this is the species that's earned a bad reputation for hammerheads in general. While the other species don't deserve such a reputation, the great hammerhead is guilty as charged. This is a big, aggressive species that southern anglers are accustom to having attack and steal huge tarpon and other gamefish right off their hook.

The tall sickle-shaped dorsal identifies the great hammerhead.

Because great hammerheads are most likely to move into shallow water that's adjacent to very deep water, they are more likely to do so in the south - and they seem to have a taste for tarpon. Find concentrations of big tarpon in or near deep channels and you've probably found a good place for great hammerheads. From the Mid-Atlantic north this species is not a common catch because they tend to stay far offshore and out of range of most recreational shark fishermen.

Identification of this species is relatively simple as they are the only species of hammerhead that has such a tall and curved dorsal fin. The head of this shark is also unique in that it is rather straight, not curved back slightly like the other species.

Bonnethead (Sphyrna tiburo)

Even though they're small, bonnetheads can be some of the most enjoyable sharks to pursue on light tackle. They're definitely a warm-water species that will rarely be taken north of the Carolinas. South Florida is prime territory for these sharks in the winter months and anglers who really want some fun should consider pursuing them over the shallow flats down in the Keys.

Bonnethead sharks are a small species of hammerhead often found in very shallow water.

Bonnetheads will feed on a variety of small fish and mollusks but they have a strong taste for shrimp and crabs. Anglers who fish the flats will often find these sharks very plentiful (sometimes in less than two feet of water) and have the opportunity to sight-cast shrimp, crabs or even flies to them.

Shortfin Mako (Isurus oxyrinchus)

Most saltwater fishermen need no introduction to the mako shark. Makos have the profile of a cruise missile, and their habits and activities would indicate that the comparison is accurate for more than just their looks. Makos are fast, and deadly. Evolving into the speed machines that they are, they ended up with a sharply pointed nose that must easily slice through the water when they need to get somewhere quick. Behind their snout are two very large eyes that obviously belong to a hunter that relies much on its sight to help it navigate and find its prey in an environment of relatively clear water. Like other species in the "mackerel shark" family, the eyes of a mako appear totally black, as if the entire eyeball was a gigantic pupil.

Behind and below the eyes a mako sports five gill openings that are proportionately larger than those found on most other species of shark. Makos need the larger gills to allow a higher volume of water to pass through and provide oxygen levels needed to sustain the mako's extreme energy level. Makos and other mackerel sharks have a "lunate" tail which means that, just like most other fish, the top and bottom lobes are much more similar in length than that of other sharks. It's this unique tail design that allows makos to demonstrate the speed and power that they do.

A mako's tooth and jaw design is ideal for snagging and shredding prey of al sizes.

Sport fishermen have taken makos in excess of 1200 pounds, but along the East Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico makos over 500 pounds are exceptional catches. Most recreational anglers will encounter makos that range in size from 30 to 300 pounds. Smaller makos are more likely to move inshore while the bigger ones tend to stay out beyond the shelf waters, but both sizes can show-up anywhere at any time. One August morning we were fishing three miles off Ocean City Maryland, and having a lot of light tackle fun with four foot dusky and sandbar sharks. We couldn't understand why the last three sharks gave us a brief fight and then broke off, until a 500 pound mako swam up to the back of the boat. Apparently, the big guy was snacking on our smaller sharks. Needless to say we switched from light to heavy tackle really quickly! The big mako took our bait five feet off the transom, and we actually had to move the boat away from the fish before we could set the hook.

Large makos like this 684-pounder may be a once in a lifetime catch,
but when they get this size their meat tends to get tough and loses
much of the popular mako flavor, so anglers must decide for
themselves if boating such a shark is the ethical thing to do.

Makos have are often described as the best fighting of all the sharks. While I agree that (pound for pound) it would be tough to find a shark that fights any better than a mako, when I think about spinners, hammerheads, threshers, blacktips and a few other species, I'm convinced that most of the top contenders will put up a fight that's at least as good. Makos, however, do have one advantage - they can launch out of the water like a missile from a submarine. And that's probably the best way to describe it, too. They don't jump like other fish, but makos typically launch straight up five or ten feet with no problem. Some people will say they'll go twice that height. I might have seen 15 feet, but I think a 20 foot launch is a bit of a stretch. Anyway, whatever altitude they reach it's always impressive - very impressive!

Longfin Mako (Isurus paucus)

The mouth area of a longfin mako is a dirty-gray to almost black.

Because long fin makos typically stay out in the deeper waters beyond the Continental Shelf and are apparently not as abundant as the shortfin mako, recreational anglers seldom encounter this species of shark. Most of the time anglers think that maybe they have caught a longfin because the mako they are looking at beside the boat has longer than normal looking pectoral fins. To this I can only say that on every longfin I've ever seen these fins didn't just appear to maybe be a little longer than usual - they were much longer. So much longer, in fact, that there was no doubt I was looking at a longfin. So if there's a question at all, it's probably a shortfin. Longfin mako lack the beautiful color scheme of the shortfin. Instead of silvery sides, the longfin's colors go from a deep dark blue (almost black) back to a dark gray on the sides and then a white underside. However, the most distinguishing feature between the two species are the colors of the underside of the snout and lower jaw. On a shortfin this area is a vivid white in color while on the longfin it's a dark gray or almost black

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