The Tampa Bay Times

Shark fishing has been a fun diversion from the average charter.  Recently I fished a family from Texas with a 15-year-old girl who was enthralled with sharks and couldn’t wait to get to Florida to catch one.  Her mother explained while booking the trip that her daughter’s keen interest in sharks was leading her to consider a possible career path in marine science.  Knowing this was going to be an educational excursion we started at the mouth of the bay over natural hard bottom where we would catch a variety of species to discuss.  We also caught smaller Atlantic Sharpnose sharks in the 2-foot class that were safe to handle and allow her to touch the skin and observe the sensory ducts in the nose while also noting the protective eyelid that is unique to sharks.  In this process we also caught a few ladyfish that were kept on ice for the next chapter in her learning experience.  We then moved to a man-made spoil off the edge of the shipping channel where I rigged half a fresh ladyfish on heavy wire and weighted it to the bottom. We connected with a 5-6-foot Black Tip shark, which broke the surface and ran circles around the boat putting up the hard fight they are known for.  This turned out to be the catch of her life and proved to be more than was ever expected on her Florida vacation.  The best part for me, and also part of the learning experience, was that all of the sharks and other species, excluding the ladyfish used for bait, were released in good health.

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