Meet The Sharks
Page IV

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.

Sand Tiger (Carcharias Taurus)

I guess that every family has a member or two that's…well…a little on the homely side, but who ever said that a fish has to be pretty and conform to some kind of sport fishing standard to be considered as an amazing member of the ocean's ecosystem? They're ugly as sin and don't fight much, but sand tiger sharks are actually one of the coolest sharks a fisherman can encounter.

Sand tigers are not exactly the prettiest sharks in the sea.

Sand tigers are nearshore sharks that are seldom encountered in the deep waters too far from shore. In the winter months they're found from the Carolinas south, but in the summer they'll extend their range as far north as the Gulf of Main. Sand tigers will congregate (sometimes in large numbers) over and around wrecks, reefs, and shoals that hold an adequate supply of bait and these are the areas where most anglers will encounter them.

The habits, biology, and fierce-look of these sharks makes them ideal for display in large public aquariums. Despite their outward appearance, sand tigers are a relatively docile shark that feeds primarily on small fish, rays, and crustaceans. These sharks are ovoviviparous, so instead of an umbilical cord the developing young are nourished by a yolk sack. The embryos are also "oviphagous" which means they cannibalize their smaller offspring while still inside their mother. Eventually each of the two oviducts contain only one pup which are about three feet long when born.

The fact that sand tigers congregate in large groups and produce only two pups every couple years makes this species very susceptible to being overfished, and that's exactly what happened. By the mid 90's populations of sand tigers had been decimated so badly that in many areas where they were once very common they became virtually non-existent. Government regulations finally put a stop to the slaughter when sand tigers became one of the first sharks to be placed on the Prohibited Species List. Since then their numbers appear to be creeping back up, but do to their very slow reproductive cycle it'll likely take a long time before this can be considered a "recovered" species. Recreational anglers must do their part to help assist the recovery of sand tiger sharks by not engaging them too frequently. They might be ugly slugs, but these fascinating sharks need and deserve all the respect and protection they can get.

Thresher (Alopias vulpinus)

There are actually two species of thresher shark anglers might encounter along the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico, they include the common thresher (Alopias vulpinus) and the bigeye thresher (Alopias superciliosus). Of the two, the bigeye is seldom taken by recreational anglers as it's apparently not as abundant and it frequents the deeper waters beyond the Continental Shelf. However, the common thresher is a shark encountered regularly by fishermen in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast and occasionally in the south.

There's no mistaking what you're looking at when you see the long tail of a thresher.

It's tough to imagine a better shark to suit the needs of recreational anglers than the common thresher. Threshers will put up as powerful and exciting a fight as any of the other sharks, including long runs, jumps, and a variety of other tactics that will keep fishermen in awe. Depending upon the location, time of year, and availability of bait, threshers might be found anywhere from the surf-line all the way out to the 100 fathom line. And even though threshers will grow to over 700 pounds, smaller animals are encountered frequently enough that they can also provide anglers with excellent light-tackle opportunities.

You don't have to be a shark expert to take one look at a thresher and realize that it's unique among sharks. The colors are a stunning combination of blue, purple, silver, and white, and the top lobe of the thresher's tail is as long as the entire body of the fish itself. But the tail is not just designed for propulsion, it's an effective tool used to whack and stun the small schooling fish these sharks primarily feed on. An inspection of the other end of this fish reveals a very small mouth with tiny teeth clearly indicating that, despite their potentially large size, threshers are designed to feed on very small prey.

We've hooked threshers on surface baits presented under kites, on float baits, and in the mid-range, but most of our thresher bites typically come on baits fished close to the bottom. But anglers should know that just because they hook a thresher on the bottom doesn't mean that they won't be seeing the shark up on the surface very soon. It's not uncommon for these sharks to pick up a deep bait, and before the hook is even set come racing to the surface and jump. Needless to say, such actions can surprise a crew and cause more than just a little commotion on deck.

A big thresher can be more than 16 feet long.

In recent years it has come to attention that many if not most of the large female thresher sharks taken in the Mid-Atlantic region in late May and early June are gravid (pregnant) with four to six very well developed pups. With so much still unknown about the biology of threshers, and the health and future of their populations, one can only assume that harvesting gravid females cold have catastrophic results on the future of this species. By adopting a policy to release all female threshers caught before July 1st anglers will at least give these incredible sharks a better chance to deliver their pups and perpetuate their species.

Tiger (Geleocerdo cuvier)

Great whites can grow larger, but of all the species the average shark fisherman is likely to catch, tigers are the largest. Recreational anglers have landed tigers over 1700 pounds, and given the opportunity, this species can reach more than a ton. That's a lot of fish, and a good reason to keep the light tackle stowed in the cabin when a big tiger is in the chum line.

A tiger shark's unique markings make it easy to identify.

Tigers are warm-water sharks that may be found in any of the nearshore or offshore waters along the entire East Coast and Gulf of Mexico (not to mention the rest of the world) as long as they have temperatures of 70 degrees or better. Like most species, large tigers will typically tend to stay farther out in the deeper water while the juveniles will more likely be the ones encountered closer to shore.

The Tiger's big head holds an exceptionally large jaw adorned with a set of unique serrated teeth that hook sharply to the side. This tooth design allows tiger sharks to feed on sea turtles (a favorite prey) and actually crush through the shells without breaking their teeth in the process. Tigers are probably the species that years ago prompted someone to label sharks "the ocean's garbage collectors". Stomach contents of these sharks have reviled enough animate and inanimate objects to show that they don't always show much discretion in what they eat- no wonder they get so fat!

Tigers were once a common catch in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, but like so many other shark species, their number have slipped dramatically. They're still occasionally taken in the northern latitudes, but these days the Southeast and Gulf provide anglers the best opportunity to encounter tiger sharks. The poor quality and taste of tiger shark meat makes this species of no use for food, therefore, there is absolutely no reason why any recreational fisherman should do anything but catch-and-release this species.

Lemon Shark (Negaprion brevirostris)

The lemon shark is a very common year-round species in the waters that surround Florida and much of the Gulf. In the summer they'll extend their range as far north as the Carolinas. Even if they've never fished for sharks, most who have spent time on the shallow flats of the Florida Keys know the lemon shark because, besides the nurse and the bonnethead, they're one of the most common to see freely swimming about or sometimes laying on the bottom.

Lemon shark are often taken from small boats in shallow, topical waters.

As their name implies these sharks will sometimes appear yellowish/green in color but they might also be more brown or gray. Lemon sharks will grow to over 10 feet and 400 pounds, however, most fishermen will encounter animals at less than 200 pounds. In fact, the shallows are nursery areas for this species and anglers will often find juveniles under 10 pounds swimming among the mangroves in less than two feet of water.

Pound for pound lemon sharks may not put up as much fight as the blacktips, bulls, spinners, or some of the other sharks they share the same waters with. However, anglers can still expect a decent battle from these fish and like most sharks, the lighter the tackle the better the fight. By anchoring their boat in a position so that the current takes the scent of their chum across the shallows to a deeper channel or cut, anglers can draw lemon sharks onto the flat and have a great time sight-casting to individual sharks as they come within range. Lemons arevery opportunistic feeders that will take a variety of bait and can also be coxed into taking plugs, jigs, or even flies.

Basking (Cetorhinus maximus)

OK friends, the only reason I'm mentioning anything about basking sharks is so that when anglers are out there fishing for other types of sharks and they encounter one of these giants that they know what they're looking at. Many years ago basking sharks used to be netted or harpooned commercially for their oil, but today they are a prohibited species. To feed, basking sharks swim with their huge mouths open and strain plankton from the water with their gill rakers. Since they eat plankton there's no sense in sport fishermen trying to catch them anyway-unless they have very-very small hooks!

Basking sharks are gray-brown in color and a notable characteristic is the five enormous gill slits that are so long they almost encircle the entire head. These sharks can grow to over 30 feet long and it's this huge size and their basic profile that often confuses anglers and has them thinking that they might be looking at a great white. To help fuel the misidentification, these sharks have a habit of swimming up on the surface where they are easily observed and will sometimes even make a few curious circles around a boatload of shark fishermen. You can imagine the adrenalin surge when an angler who has been watching a chumline for a few hours looks back and suddenly sees 25 feet of shark pass the back of the boat! Didn't we see that movie plot somewhere?

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