Now that it's "really" cold in florida and i have to wear a light jacket to fish at night, the sandbars showed up with tipers, spinners, lemon and some bulls. That s a lot of different species, is it possible that big hammerheads are mixed in with all these fish? Has anyone ever caught a hammerhead on the west coast in winter?
I,m sure someone down the line has,but I would be looking for that 12ft Dusky instead at this time of the year.Years back around Nov.off some of the old piers they used to catch afew.....Dave
"Topwater DM" Dave is correct more likely to catch a huge Dusky since it seems they are making a bit of a comeback and they are winter time sharks.The big hammers prefer the warmer water and plentiful Tarpon but if you get a long hot spell you can encounter a big hammer in places like Longboat Key,Desoto park withthe deep pass nearby or maybe even Boca Grand pass.Remember they like the warm water and slip out and away during the cold snaps,,,LOCKJAW.
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
So you are saying i could catch a dusky from shore??? That would be awesome. William, you say that prime spots for hammer are passes? Thanks for the tips
William is fishing the environment. He's saying the prime spots "in winter" are warm water. When a heat wave hits, inland bodies of water will heat up faster than the ocean. Hammerheads will seek out the warmth of these bays and stay there. But when the weather turns cold, these bays also cool off faster than the ocean. That flushes out the hammerheads, forcing them to seek warm water again. If you happen to be fishing when they are on the move, you've just increased your odds of catching a one. And the place to fish would be inlets and passes.
I'm down in the Ft. Myers area for a week. I've been stocking up on bait for the last day or so. I have a freezer full of Jacks and Ladyfish.
My plan is to stick a big 14/0 out there 4-500 yards with a 10lb Jack on it and forget about it. We fish close to a pass and I am hoping to get lucky ad stab a southward bound Hammer.
Other than that, a Dusky would be awesome, but planing on having some fun with blacktips on small gear. Caught 3 today on my penn 5000 spinfisher. all about 3-4 feet. Dinner tomorrow.
I was pleased to see some snook in the trough along the shore. If it is warm enough for them to be out in the gulf, then maybe there are some Hammers around. I really want a tiger though. The only species that I haven't had much luck with.
Ultimately, I think we are in for Sandbar's, which are still fun.