I’m just wondering…partly in light of what happened today near Panama City, Florida…how many of the saltwater anglers here on FAOL have had a close encounter with a shark while fishing?
It seems to me that if you’re fishing in the right places, so will be the sharks…in other words - where the fish are.
Also, what seasons, etc. are the best/worst times of year for shark encounters along the FL coast?
Fishing the Ozarks
SilverMallard:
This is a very good question
I fish the Tampa Bay area a lot. I have lost fish within 10 feet of me to sharks, I lost a fin once while diving to a nurse shark, the water was cloudy and my “black fins” looked like food. I think that is one of the reasons the clear fin is so popular now. I tend to watch the water carefully I do not like to fish in water I do not know. In the first Florida fish in one of the FAOLers saw a large Manatee. That could have just as easily been a shark. We have a number of close calls here every year. I tease everyone about training rookies to fish by letting them wade deeper than I do. But it is not true. I tend to keep my wading to less than waist deep. Sometimes we get to wading in a little deeper water, but for the most part I keep on the shore side of the first sand bar. I will not wade the past the first sand bar because that is where the sharks are without a doubt. If they are inside the first sand bar it is because they are chasing bait… If you have ever seen sharks feeding you will understand.
I caught 15 hammerhead sharks once that were about 18 inches long. Then I realized that mommy was some where close and I got out of the water. Here are some of the things that you must not do when wading.
NEVER keep fish on a stringer, I did that once when I was young. I no longer own that stringer.
Keep quite, sharks will come see what the fuss is all about.
If you catch a fish and it is bleeding MOVE.
Do not chum while wading, even I am smarter than that one.
Do not let deep water get between you and shore. Some wade past the first sand bar. I have seen people a mile or more out… But they are in very shallow water, sometimes they have to swim between sand bars. That is dangerous.
I do not fish near places where fish are cleaned. I was sitting on a boat once near a fish house. When all of a sudden I saw fish as long as my arm jumping out of the water in what only could be called panic. Seconds later I saw something over 10 feet long chasing them. It could have been a shark, I never saw it surface.
When is the best time to stay away from the water. WE have sharks in the bay all year long. I would never suggest not being extremely careful. USE common sense and never fish some place you cannot get to safety in seconds. I like what D. Micus does, he uses a yak to get to his fishing places… Then he gets out and fishes. While I am sure the shark could attack D. Micus, but the sharks I have met are not aggressive, the are just hungry. Remember we are in their feeding grounds. We are the ones that need to be careful. One sure fire way to tell if sharks are feeding in the area is talk to the local bait shops, they will tell you if any sharks have been caught. Like I said we have plenty of sharks… I saw a tarpon over 200 lbs once get eaten by a shark while he was hooked. This shark was over 20 feet long. I am not worried about sharks of this size, they cannot get to me in the depth of water I wade. I am more worried about sharks that are 4 to 6 feet long. They can get into very skinny water.
There are plenty of salties on this board, I would suggest going with one of them when you come down here to fish. Or a guide, but someone that knows the water, and the personalities of the sharks in our water.
I am positive that D. Micus’s sharks are different than mine are. Trust me I would not go into his area without knowing what he knows about the fish and the predators in his area.
I have been salt water fishing for almost 40 years, I have all my fingers and toes. Why, because sharks scare me to death, I respect them and know that they would eat me in a heart beat, only after taking a bite would they regret the taste.
I also have the same respect for any large predator.
No matter how many shark attacks there are I will continue to fish the salt. Pay attention and use your head.
[This message has been edited by Harold Hattaway (edited 27 June 2005).]
Sharks are a fact of life if you fish in salt. Harold hit most of the points, though I’m not quite as wary of sharks as he is. I have waded with many sharks up to about 4 feet and found them to be no threat if you are careful. I even stalk sharks up to that size. Over 4 feet, I try to stay away from them, but don’t worry about them to much. Over 6 feet, I get out of the water.
You would be suprised how many sharks are actually out there. I have stalked sharks as they swam along the first sand bar and have had to quit casting as the pass swimmers. Needless to say, the swimmers never knew they were there.
In most instances, sharks attack humans by mistake. It is not wise to thrash around like a wounded fish, or to swim in bait schools. Unfortunately most swimmers aren’t aware of what is going on around them.
[This message has been edited by dunfly (edited 27 June 2005).]
A second attack happened 90 some miles away-- This time the boy was fishing in waist deep water- think he lost a leg but survied.
Bill
Yeah, that’s the one I was referring to because the young man was fishing. The first was the girl who was wakeboarding that was killed near Destin.
Fishing the Ozarks
SilverMallard
I have fished that water, and while I never saw a shark I knew they were there. That is a beautiful place to fish. I would not stop fishing there just because someone got attacked… Like I said in my first post, I would be very cautious. I guess it is just second nature now.
I am surprised by an attack there, when I fished that area it was crystal clear. Maybe the weather had it murky. I would like to know what the water was like. Glad this one lived. We are getting very little information on this one. Do they know the type of Shark on this attack?
I did not even know the young man lived until I saw it hear.
Harold
[This message has been edited by Harold Hattaway (edited 27 June 2005).]
The water was merky and he was using live bait–he had to have the leg removed in the hospital.
I have two young grand daughters that scuba dive and are happy to see sharks.
Bill
A friend Jeff K. was surf fishing in Baha on the Pacific side with a gal client. She had caught a sizble fish-a 30# Pargo and Jeff waded out into the surf to land the prize for her. He clamped the struggling fish under his arm and began to fiddle with getting the hook out so that he could hold the fish up for pictures. Just then a huge shadow came out of an incomming wave. A passerby on the beach screamed & fainted as the large hammerhead hit Jeff. The angler screamed too and there was a large splash and a bunch of bloody foam. Then as things calmed down there stood Jeff; covered in fish blood-fishless and very stunned. He wasn’t sure what had happened and couldn’t tell if he was bleeding or not.
The Hammerhead made-off with the ladies fish. Jeff was unscathed!
RL
HOLY CRAP!!! Are there sharks in our waters? Just kiddin’. If most flew over our beaches, inlets and passes, they would never go in the water. Down in the ‘Glades (Gulf side) I have had 4’ black tips swim within a few feet of me. I had a friend of mine poke one with a new, custom Sage and the shark turned and bit the tip off the flyrod…pretty funny actually. “Shark Jousting” just ain’t caught on down here. Four of us watched a 10 foot bull shark cut 150 lb. tarpon in half one morning around Pavilion Key grass flats in about four feet of water.
Murky water that’s scattered with baitfish is a “stay clear” zone for those of us that fish the saltwaters down here. Our bull shark is to us what the great white is to the New England and Australian folks.
Harold and Dunfly are right on target.
As far as a close encounter, I was picking a jack out of the water one afternoon in the area of Boca Grande and had a shark cut the fish in half at my finger tips. Scared the hell out of me. It he had hit a half an inch further I wouldn’t be typing this.
I encounter sharks while fishing occasionally.
Ya know…I’d always thought I’d like to fish the salt with you guys…but I think I’d prefer my rattle-tailed-cotton-mouthed snakes, and the occasional bear on my trout streams, to your sharks. Whoa!!
Trouts don’t live in ugly places
Aw heck, Betty…it ain’t dat bad, ya just gotta sweet-talk 'em…
Most of the sharks I meet are in the fly shops. 
Don
I only have a few years fishing experience and fortunately haven’t had any bad encounters. I’ve had a couple that were a little close though.
I love to wade down in the keys and you often have small sharks (bonnetheads, baby lemons, etc) follow you around your feet. Fortunately the bigger sharks I’ve seen have all been nurse sharks and they’re usually pretty skittish. I did have a 6 or 7 footer get within fly rod range though. Crystal clear water, I could see him coming. He wasn’t coming towards me (no aggressive behavior); I was just in his path. I smacked the water with my rod right over his head and he spooked off. Still, crystal clear water and he didn’t see me until he was within 9ft. If the water had been murky I probably wouldn’t have seen him at all.
I don’t like to wade murky water. I’ve done it but I’ve never liked it. One time I was wading Hobe Sound (near St. Lucie). Water was murky but there were baitfish all over the place and lots of fish hitting them. Couldn’t resist. I could see just enough to follow the contours of the sandbar. I had mullet swimming all around me. In my head I kept saying “what am I doing?” I kept wading though. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I see this large, brown shape heading straight towards me throwing a wake. In my mind I said “oh well, this is bad, shouldn’t have gone wading”. I turn to face it and it does a fast 90 degree turn about 5 feet from me. It was a manatee. Thank goodness. I headed closer to shore after that. But man, those manatees can move & maneuver when they want to!!
Ken
Couple-three years back, we’d just caught 4 small bluefin and were bleeding and icing them. After packing them in ice, I reached over the gunwhale to fill a bucket and rinse the decks down, when a decent-sized mako, who had no doubt been picking off the tuna heads and offal, zoomed up from under the boat and latched onto the bottom half of the bucket. I ripped it out of his teeth and turned around to face my buddy, who claims I was ‘absolutely gray’ and speechless for a couple of minutes.
I sitll remember he just stopped my heart.
The bucket was bitten through in at least a half dozen spots.
Why do suppose pirates have peg legs?
I live 6 miles from Destin, and if the tourists from up north knew how many sharks inhabit our shores, they would vacation in Iowa…
I fly fish the salt because the voices in my head tell me to…
Harold, when i wade i carry a large knife in my teeth. I’ve been in life and death battles with numerous large sharks. You need to slit them below the gills before they latch on to you…
actually, no shark activity to speak of up my way. Commercial fishermen way off shore will occassionally get a great white, but it’s rare. first time i saw any sharks up here was when i was shark fishing with josko, a good 20 miles off shore. even then it freaked me out to see the fins in our chum line! God bless you Flordia guys!
Dave,
I was wondering about your neck of the woods because I just can’t see the Cape Cod and Martha’s Vinyard fly fishing set braving shark-infested waters for a chance at a striper or bluefish.
Fishing the Ozarks
You guys want to get a thrill, we have a pet that lives off shore from my Tampa Bay, I have never met this little guy but from what I hear he is quite the gentleman. He is a 35 to 40 foot whale shark. I have 2 friends that have met him and they dearly love seeing him. The do tell me that fishing is the pits if he is around, but can you imagine being in a 22 foot boat and this fellow swims under the boat.
Ask Flats Dude about the shark that was caught off the pier he loves so much over here. That shark was longer than my bass boat. You should see how they fish for big sharks, They use one or two truck tire inner tubes as shock absorbers, a length of loggin chain, and hook that looks like it could hold a semi. Then they tie this all to the pier with huge rope. I have even seen one guy using a wrecker as a rod and reel, I have always wondered if that were legal. Never asked though. We do have big sharks around here. And I love to see them, but not when I am wading. Like I said the big ones do not scare me too much, they displace a lot of water and you can see them, it is those little 4 to 6 foot ones. They can be a pest.
Now D. Micus come on down and bring your yak, there is plenty of places to fish where I have not met any sharks. Usually they are afraid of the gators in those places. NOW that is a sneaky animal.
Now if the weather would just clear up I might go fishing. OFF THE BRIDGE
Harold
Harold, funny you mention the gators. A friend of mine was telling me about a big croc he saw in Flamingo with a nurse shark in it’s mouth.
They also get tigers there pretty frequently but that doesn’t seem to stop the tourists from swimming in the creeks!