MONSTER TALES -BHC 2012 Big shark stories

remember Makos swims fast too..they can get easy 50 mile per hour

me and my dad (team reel krazy) went out this morning but only had bout 2 1/2 hrs to fish. we got there at bout 6:30 and had 3 baits out by 7:00am i didnt bring my 12/0 cuz i didnt feel like i had a decent bait for it.fisst i put out my dads 50tw with a redfish carcass on it bout 250 yards out. then i put out my 9/0 out with a whole bonita on it bout 250 yards and put out the 6/0 with a sheepshead carcass bout 150 yards. i got back from running the 6/0 and before i could even check my phone my 9/0 was getting fried. never had a run like that before i gave it a sec and i setup and it felt like a car on the other end. i only had him on for a few minutes before my line went flat not sure how i got cut off....wasnt a bouy and i dont think bottom. may have been tail cut cuz my leader was only bout 12ft of 400lb malin. lessons learned now leaders will be longer and ill get him next time. i guess the frozen did the trick today

What makes a great ,Great in land-based shark fishing?

I don't want to go down the same road but recent events demand that i put pen to paper on this subject.Some shark fishermen believe that if you have mastered one or maybe two disciplines in this sport you have become great but i believe more substance/expierience are required for that qualification.If you have become a great shark fishermen on piers but have never fished a bridge or a Jetty can you become great ?Maybe you can become great on that one platform but if you have not ventured beyond your comfort zone and attempted to fish in other platforms then my friend you have limited your growth as a land-based shark fishermen,,,,,and on a personal level I must state if that person gets insulted from my respectful observation which was not meant as an attack but just a rebuttal and to him I say "you my friend have fallen short of your potential by staying on one or two platforms".I consider myself a land-based shark fishing historian of sorts and in my opinion the truely outstanding land-based shark fishermen are gutsy and seek out new ways to savor this sport and they do that by trying different platforms be it Pier,Bridge,Boat,Beach,Jetty, or even a Dock, whatever it is they want to SEE and DO not watch from afar.As a shorebound angler the more you do these different platforms the closer you become to becoming a true GREAT and Legendary shark fishermen.

Somewhere in this site I wrote previously of who I considered to great based on the number of platforms mastered and again I will point out only ONE Master here and his name is James Fuqua or Jd Hammer as his friends like to call him based on the number of hammerhead sharks he has caught over the more then 40 years in the sport.James Fuqua is the elder statesman and oldest of all SFSC members and he is a dedicated master of the sport.His list of accomplishments and catches as a land-based fishermen could fill volumes of a book that should be written because he is a truly unique character with tons of knowledge and techniques learned over the decades.You can't learn these things in a book they have not been written about our sport has always been in the shadows of fishing and those have written about it have had limited resources or expierience enough to write deeply about the sport.The need to adapt to every different circumstance while fishing from the many different platform hones the angler to a sharp edge-and that takes years.The things JD could teach are techniques and insights that can only be attained by Seeing and Doing and overcoming the challenges the land-based sharker faces during different seasons .There is no substitute for hands on training and this man has had more time fishing then anyone I know including local famous highly acclaimed charter boat captains.

Jd on a monster hammer that spooled his Penn 16/0 at Singer Island in February

Again I will state here that one incredible catch does not make you a GREAT shark fishermen and getting stuck on one platform LIMITS YOUR POTENTIAL to become a great.No details are needed the angler that I refer to knows who he is I will not lower myself to attacking anyone by name on a shark fishing forum that distinguishes itself for being respectful and adult like.My one piece of advice to this angler is Just Watch Jd Hammer and Try and emulate him and you May one day become a GREAT but it takes dedication,one minded focus and sacrifice.I myself do not consider myself a GREAT, but rather a Pupil still learning from masters and a dedicated to the protection of the sport he loves and those worthy of being called Great in it.

Last night was an example of Jd Hammers greatness in this sport .We were three Teams fishing side by side no one had a shark yet and we are fishing at a beach with 3-6 foot breakers with sea weed rolling down the beach pushed by the furious waves/current messing up some of our lines .At around 1:30 am Jd Hammer instructs his team to pack up they are moving to another beach,,,mind you this is one hour away from dead low tide .I thought he was crazy to move at this hour of the night to a beach 20 miles away to encounter maybe the same exact seaweed and dangerous high surf rolling down the beach.I will make this short and sweet ----they found a much smaller surfline ,no seaweed and almost right away they caught a bull shark and an almost 10 foot hammer at sun up.One day I hope to have that instinct and touch and be a GREAT,,, as for now I am far away and so are you dear one .

waves that develop outside the breakers and become a crashing wall often carry wads of seaweed and potential danger in them


morning shows the weeds that rolled thru all night and the line on the big Penn 16/0 slanted due North full of the messy stuff

The only hit of the night came on the Shimano Tiagra wide 5o with 5o lb test .This shark inhaled the bait and woke me up from lala land and took off east for West End Bahamas and I knew I was outrpowered right away .Fought the big shark for close to half an hour but every time it got close to the surf it would peel the line back out and in the end within 75 yards of the beach the the line parted above the 20 foot rig and 10 feet of double line.Out again tonight looking for that ONE MONSTER ,,,,,,,on my 14 or 16 that is.