Question For you southern Boys?

[SportFishStaff]

My neighbor brought me some bluefin today, Boy it was yummy.
As he was telling me his fish stories for the other day. He told me something that got me thinking. They had a nice Mako in the spread chasing his lures, while tuna fishing. He also talked to the mate today that he fished with two days ago. Today they had a big Mako sky and eat his Big Bird teaser.

I spoke to guys down there that last year had big makos swimming along the temp break eating bluefish like a fat kid in a tasty cake factory.

So How come no one really targets them slobs down there. I like tuna too but nothing gets the blood pumping like a missle full of teeth sky rockets off the transom.
I'd imagine you might not make many friends drifting the breaks with the tuna boys trolling, But hey I think there's one very successful shark troller one this board that has a few books on it and i'm sure it would work down there.

So whats the deal guys?

[Procastinator]

Sharking down here is quite a workout. We end up catching more and bigger sharks down here without even trying than we caught up north trying. On thurs. we saw dozens of huge hammerheads cruising the surface while we were jigging. The sharks off Cape Lookout are thick and they come in all shapes and sizes. Bulls, true tigers, dusky, blacktip spinners, Mako, threshers, browns, and many more. Some days it is actually hard to get a grouper or amberjack to the boat because the sharks are eating them on the way up. Our last day that we fished for bluefin we trolled up a Mako on the planer rod, but, it was not much of a fight on a 130.

[obxfish]

Its very true. I fish out of Oregon Inlet, and other than a few inshore charters that shark fish in the summer when it gets slow, really not much interest down here in shark fishing, especially offshore. Some people shark fish off the beach at The Point, but never seen anyone targeting sharks offshore. Plenty of them though.

[Fishfinder]

I run plenty of inshore light tackle and fly shark fishing trips for the under 150 lb. range sharks. Plan on using the larger tackle this year around the Cape for some of the larger tiger sharks that frequent the area. They are usually in the 400 to 800 lb range. I really don't know why Makos are not targeted by the larger boats. A little bit too far for me to travel in a smaller boat.

Capt. Joe Shute

[SportFishStaff]

I run plenty of inshore light tackle and fly shark fishing trips for the under 150 lb. range sharks. Plan on using the larger tackle this year around the Cape for some of the larger tiger sharks that frequent the area. They are usually in the 400 to 800 lb range. I really don't know why Makos are not targeted by the larger boats. A little bit too far for me to travel in a smaller boat.

Capt. Joe Shute

Capt. Joe,
You guys get some bruiser down there, Them big tigers are a blast to catch and release. We get sme warm water sharks inshore up here throughout the summer months and a few guys market trips for them. It's a great way for newcomers to get into the game of offshore fishing. Nothing gets the blood pumping when a big ole shark comes to the slick.

With all them false albacore and tuna stacking up, I know them big mako's are there just never hear much about them being targeted.

[Captain Michael Buffington]

we catch them and big suckers too. Our big girls are around mostly in the colder months. I started out fishing on a hard core port aransas party boat and makos were our gold medal fish of the day. Theres nothing that makes my hair stand on end like a big old mako doing cartwheels.

Mike

[SportFishStaff]

we catch them and big suckers too. Our big girls are around mostly in the colder months. I started out fishing on a hard core port aransas party boat and makos were our gold medal fish of the day. Theres nothing that makes my hair stand on end like a big old mako doing cartwheels.

Mike

Mike I should have made it East Coast southern Boys. I know you Gulfers catch them Big Girls and Target them also.
But every year I hear them Blue finners talk about big makos eating and finning along the edge they are trolling. I for one like you get the goose bumps watching a mako perform.

Hey by the way its the colder months how come you aint out there targeting them
Thanks Tim

[Captain Michael Buffington]

Funny story from way back...

So we are on a twelve hour trip on the Gulf Eagle out of port a fishing the rocks anchored up. We have a bunch of oil field workers on a company charter and they wanted "redfish" aka red snapper.

Theres about twenty of them and me and Bobby are doing our rounds unhooking and stringing fish, untangling lines, ect. About 15 minutes into the redfish killin I walk by this big ole guy in carharts and work boots and he hollers "Mike this blueback son of a bi#ch just ate my redfish"...I stopped in midstep(you hear a lot of stuff on a texas cattleboat but this was a first)and turned around to Bob(big ole boy)and ask him whats up. Well he says "this big ole bluback fish just swam up from under the boat and ate my whole rig, redfish and all".

Working on charter boats certain phrases customers repeatedly say have a different meaning after awhile. An example is "hey look at that shark"...First thing I do is start looking for a cobia rod. That being said I just wasnt ready to believe what I was thinking in the back of my mind so around I go again only to make it about halfway around when I hear Bob cussing bluebacks again.

I hollered at Cpt. John and grabbed a 9/0 with our mako rig attatched and hooked a bonito slab on and piched it over. I got bit just as it got out of sight and set the hook and watched a 200lber start doing her thing behind the boat. I got one of our regulars all set and turning the handle only to hear Bob screaming and yelling at a blueback...

We caught 3 that day and only kept the first one but Bob refused to fight one. He is definitely not a Mako fan

I have never had that many around at once. There were more than 3 judging by Bobs temperment at the end of the day.

PS Tim...Still trying to make enough to do it whenever I want

Mike

[SportFishStaff]

PS Tim...Still trying to make enough to do it whenever I want

Mike

Great story..... Yeah I hear ya, Doing the same myself. I got 4 months before I can chase them "Bluebacks"

[Fishfinder]

Tim, it could be with the ever shrinking offshore fisheries, thanks to the feds, you might see more guys fishing for Mako and other sharks.

Capt. Joe