It is apparent to me and by the reports posted in the BHC thread that the shark fishing on the south east coast of Florida has slowed down the last week or so . There have been alot of teams in the club south of Hobe sound soaking baits and coming up short of there expected catches compared to say three weeks ago .Many nurse sharks few blacktips and no bulls and no hammers means that the bite has definetly changed right now.
The slow down coincided with the Big Hammer Challenge and I ask myself what is different ,what has changed?
The answers to the observent shark fishermen are hidden in the change of the seasons,the changes in the blacktip migration(the blacktips have moved off the beaches)the water has continued to warm slightly.The moon is almost full and maybe that has some effect but that depends on the species;some species like the hammerhead actually use the moon to radar over the sands looking for rays aided by the light of the moon.
Whatever the reason for the slow-down your Team should be looking at all your options and adapting to stay competitive.If the blacktips are not there and the big hammers that follow them have moved off then look for areas with other prime food sources for big sharks such as schools of tarpon or kingfish near the beaches or big schools of jack crevalles.Target beaches close to inlets where the flow of water in and out carries the food the shark prey on.
If one beach that is sandy does not produce MOVE and go to a rocky beach,if a beach with shallow water does not produce MOVE to one with deep a trough,if the beach with a rough surf is not producing for you try one that has flatter water but maybe is closer to an inlet or reef outcropping,and lastly if the beach is not producing try the intracoastal waterway where the huge bulls come to spawn and lay there pups.If youre used to yakking out baits 2oo yards well change it up and yak em 5oo yards on the biggest reel you have -they may be further out then usual. Hit a bridge or a local pier ,,,,call around and see where the sharks have been spotted.do your research and stay competitive.
ADAPTING is one of the the key words to success in land-based shark fishing and often it takes mindful observation of conditions affecting the sharks do some vigorous study and research to find what is working and what is not at any particular moment .Competive shark hunters are always looking for an edge ; searching to find new ways of getting better and there is no way to get better then learning to identify the suttle changes, seeing the clues ,learning the signs that scream "MOVE YOUR CAMP"!!!
SOUTH FLORIDA SHARK CLUB -President SFSC-Founding Member est 1983 SFSC-Website Administrator BIG HAMMER SHARK TOURNAMENT -Founder Rene Memorial Sharkathon -Founder NMFS Shark Tagger
Thanks for the insight Will, and its obvious that something is going on for my team as well. We fished the first three nights in a row of the BHC at two different spots, thinking that we would have a good chance at success. We used the freshest and biggest baits of the entire year. We have had one small run and it lasted about 2 seconds. We scouted out intercoastal spots and bay spots. We have put in a serious effort so far during this tournament getting bait, kayaking in rough seas, staying up for three nights without sleep, one night Chris got drilled by no-see-ums, and have absolutely nothing to show for it so far. It is not the start that Team Getcha Getcha Sharkon expected, but we will not be discouraged or let down due to a few bad nights of fishing during a 30 day tournament. We will be getting back out there, where ever we have to go and drive to, and land a monster like we always planned on doing AND WE WILL DO IT THIS YEAR.
GETCHA GETCHA SHARKON!
Yeah I'm not in the Tourney but I spent all night Friday Night on a Keys bridge with fresh Tuna's and AJ's and got blanked. The only Fish hitting were the Tarpon's. We had fun with them but they were BIG!!!! I can't say i'm a big fan of the Full Moon. Good luck to all fishing the tourney. Hang in there, the Fish are around and it will pick up.
Things are going to pick up dramatically now that the full moon has passed...
i must say.. the first night was rather slow. but yesterday i lost a nasty shark on a 9/0 and it wasn't your run of the mill blacktip. Things are gonna pick up. Particularly the few times i fish my "local" spot, the big runs come almost exactly at sundown, then it turns off.