need some input

[backman]

The only thing meaner than a large mako is one of those 3' pup's. The 6 and 7 footers which are the limits of my ambition get a healthy dose of respect; its those little 3 foot bastards that your trying to unhook cleanly that want not just your fingers but your hands.

When I see one of those big ones I want no part of them - someone else is welcome to the challenge!

[canyongear]

Just remember, most sharks can do a uturn..180 degrees and touch their tail with nose in a blinkie of an eye..

Point being, the safe end isn't always safe...tailroped or not.

[Kamo Gari]

Mine, a 110" at the fork specimen (estimated to be 642 lbs using the NE sharks chart on the site), took two loads of 12 ga # 6 shot to the head via bangstick, then was double gaffed and tailroped. 4 men could not get it in the boat. It was still alive 30 minutes later. By far it was the most powerful, the most obscenely acrobatic and flat out insane fighting fish I have even tied into. A likeness of her is on the wall next to me as I type, actually. Almost every day I look up, smile and say to myself, 'holy shit!'

Any future large makos brought to the boat will be shot multiple times with a large caliber handgun. They are not an animal to be toyed with or treated with kid gloves. Agree on the NE sharks site; it's very informative.

[Wayward Sun]

I've managed a few small makos alone under 6ft and I gaffed the first 1 in the belly and it tore its liver and it died pretty quick so I have been making it a point to inflect damage to their livers any way possable via harpoon gaff or 44 mag

[amarshall]

Will my S&W .38 even phase a Mako?

Do i need a higher caliber for sharks? How about a Remington 870 Marine Magnum shottie?

[hotreels jr]

Shark fished yesterday, was slow. Manged a couple blue dogs around 250 pounds, and pulled the hook on a good thresher, about 300 pounds. Had it close to the boat several times, but the hook pulled.

[Kamo Gari]

Will my S&W .38 even phase a Mako?

Do i need a higher caliber for sharks? How about a Remington 870 Marine Magnum shottie?

Maybe kiwi and watermelon, but I've killed large alligators with a .357 mag. Brained 'em after arrowing and harpooning.

Either one of your arms are sufficient to do in a shark, I would think, but keep in mind that you want to plug them when their heads are out of the water, and shoot for the brain (this sounds fundamental, but in a 'gator, for example, the brain is *behind* the eyes. Many folks have learned the hard way that a stunned gator that has taken a round can come back from 'the dead' if the brain is not destroyed.

On sharks, I would think that you'll have more leeway with the shotty as far as aiming, but I'm thinking you won't necessarily get the ideal penetration as you would with a round out of a bang stick, which is a contact weapon/tool. I have but a very small sample, but on my large mako, two rounds of 2.75" # 6s applied with a bang stick took the fight
out of the shark right quick.

WARNING: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DISCHARGE A FIREARM IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH ANYTHING, OR UNDERWATER. Doing so could be extremely detrimental to your health.

Keep in mind shooting through more than a few inches of water really slows projectiles down. Any future beasts OTW needing taming will get a dose of either full house 158 grain
.357 mag wadcutters or 220 grain .45 ACP ball ammo. Good medicine for man and beast alike. BTW, if you're toting any arms aboard, I'd suggest bring earplugs for *all* crew members. Being deaf ain't a good thing.

[sushi42]

Regarding Makos. I gaff em wherever I can, preferably in the gill area and then look to get another gaff in the tail or a rope, (note that when attempting to tail rope a mako boatside with just one gaff in the head you may lose an arm or end up bleeding to death!). One man holding onto a gaff handle attached to a Mako is allready in deep shit, you better have been in this position before or have someone there who has. These guys are just looking to inflict damage on you or anything else, inanimite or not!

I don't recomend most people attempt to shoot a mako next to boat nor do I even recommend most people carry a firearm in their boat, just looking for something very bad to happen. If you really want to mess with the beast then go out and buy a tailer!

Heres a story to put in your memory, had mako along boat years ago, ended up weighing 275lb. Dragged him backwards for an hour and a half, then left him in water for another hour and half while we started fishing again. Finally dragged Mako in boat and tied fish off to inside stern of boat near head and tail. Another one hour later(I believe were talking @ 4 hrs. now if my math is right) one of the guys decided to smack Mako up side the head with billy bat. Mako came back to life, swung around with his head and somehow loosening the rope and missed the clown with the bat by maybe an inch or two. Sunk his teeth into the teak wood that lined the gunnel and never let go the rest of the ride home! I was just a kid then, have never let my guard down around them since then.

Oh yeah, and I just had one boatside last week that after taking a gaff to the gills and being pinned along-side the boat for a couple minutes finally decided he wasn't ready for a boatride and freaked out, throwing the guy who was holding the gaff handle around like a little rag doll. He got away!! Oh yeah, one last thing, that fish was just a little guy!
Ed-

[Blood Slick]

great info guys. I am a newb, so pardon my ignorance, but can you leagally carry a hand gun or shot gun on board?

[Agitated88]

Paul wrote a great thread on this very subject some time ago. It's loaded with lots of info.

MAKO 101 !!!

Holycrap...INFORMATION OVERLOAD...I've got stuff oozing out of my ears after reading all that. Between this thread and Paul's I think I earned my PhD in Mako'ology! Seriously...very informative!!!