PROJECT ORCA

Project Orca is a massive undertaking to do something that few have done before - not only target and catch a great white shark, but do it from a US beach. (For the next few years, this project is nothing but a pipeline dream but in the future, it will hopefully become a reality)

Background:
My name is Drew, I am 14 years old and in a few days will be beginning my sophomore year of high school (I skipped a grade, hence my younger age). I live in southeastern North Carolina, about 3 miles from the beach, and I fish pretty regularly. I've been into land based shark fishing for the past few years, however with the exception of the last two months, there was no field experience taking place - just research, research, and more research. Finally, I took a week long trip to Bald Head Island and brought the kayak and two older conventional setups with me (two Ugly Stik boat rods, one paired with an Ambassadeur 7000 and the other with a Shimano TR-200, both spooled with 30 pound power pro) - I threw together a few basic rigs, halved some fresh pinfish I had caught (I didn't want to use anything larger for bait since my tackle couldn't really handle anything massive from the beach) and I was set. Between four trips, I only managed to catch a 10" sharpnose and a 43" blacktip, but it was still fun as hell. Afterwards, I decided it was so much fun, so much better than just sitting on the computer researching, that I bought a 9/0 senator spooled with dacron line and paired with a 6'6" heavy action rod with full rollers (the older Shakespeare Tidewater rod). I think I will be replacing the dacron in the near future because about halfway in, the line is tangled pretty badly which prevents line from coming off the spool. Anyways, I took this to Myrtle Beach, SC for a week but unfortunately didn't manage to catch anything, although we had one VERY strong hit which ended up in the weedwhacker line being abraded to the point of snapping (probably by a rock).
I decided that I want to make my mark on the LBSF world, like Rene de Dios, Alfred Dean, or Frank Mundus did. I know that I won't ever be half as good as those greats, but I will strive to be as great as I can in this sport. My goal - to catch Carcharodon carcharias - the great white shark - from a United States beach. To my knowledge, this has been done successfully two times (only counting on the east coast, there are a few more incidents off of California) - one was caught in October 2013 by Jeff Heglund in the Outer Banks of North Carolina (measured at 7 feet 3 inches), and the other caught in March 2015 by Derrick Keeny (of Team Dark Side Sharkers) in Panama City, Florida. There was a well-documented attempt at catching one of these sharks by five of the modern "greats" of shark fishing - our very own admin, William, Blake Smith (of Team Apex), Joshua Jorgensen (aka BlacktipH), Colby Uva (captain of Team Bullbuster), and Tony Medina (captain of Team Seawolves I believe, a generally well known-shark fisherman). Their trip was in 2010, and they came very close (there was a great white about to be tagged right near their baits), however they were asked to leave and unfortunately gave up on the project.

Location:
Since I live on the east coast of the United States, somewhere along the east coast is the preferred location. California would be easier, but I don't like traveling that far, especially if it's going to California (don't know why, but I cannot stand staying in California). North Carolina would be preferred to cut down on travel costs, however anywhere this far south isn't a great place to see a great white. I decided that somewhere with seals will surely have great whites. I wanted a place where driving on the beach is allowed, and where seals are very common. A place where fishing is popular would help too, in case we ran out of tackle or had to respool a reel or fix a damaged rod. Somewhere near to my dear friend (actually my mother's godmother's husband) Mark is very important, as this is the trip of a lifetime and he is basically my fishing mentor - I don't want him to miss out on it, and he doesn't like to travel far. Lastly, somewhere with good accomodations and food is important. That is why Cape Cod, Massachusetts is the destination chosen for Project Orca (the name Project Orca comes from the famous boat in the movie Jaws). Cape Cod is:

• On the east coast[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• A 4-1/2 hour drive from Brooklyn, NY (the location of my mentor Mark) and a 13 hour drive from my city in NC (would be a fun road trip, and flying would only save 2-1/2 hours due to stops and driving to/from the airport)[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• They are known for having seals - and big great whites[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• You can drive on the beach (see here for rules and regulations)[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• There are almost 20 tackle shops in Cape Cod (which is 340 square miles) - which means for every 17 square mile area there is a tackle shop, and generally you will not have to drive much further than 5-6 miles to get to the next tackle shop[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• Cape Cod is home to, by my count, 96 hotels/motels, 17 of which are 4+ stars - there are also over 130 restaurants[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• Not necessarily a positive factor for some people, but the average temperature during their driving season is 59 degrees - that's compared to 71 degrees in my city and 82 degrees in the Florida Keys (I would much prefer to fish in the Keys, but for a great white that isn't a very good choice)[/*:m:1qpqx1re][/list:u:1qpqx1re]

There are two locations I have found that appear to be good for sharks - the South Side of Cape Cod for general LBSF (mostly for sandbars and sand tigers), and Chatham for its infamous great whites. I have a feeling that fishing in Chatham would draw too much attention to ourselves due to the fact that the great whites are there and the locals know it, however with so much coastline, I am sure we could find a stretch of beach with no people to fish. To add to this, there are four tackle shops in the immediate vicinity, with the furthest being 12 minutes away and the closest being about 9 minutes. The Hawthorne Motel is oceanfront and rates during the preferred season are as follows:

• Deluxe Motel Room (non-ocean view) - $295 per day[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• Deluxe Kitchenette (ocean view) - $360 per day[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• Deluxe Motel Room (ocean view) - $360 per day[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• Superior Kitchenette (ocean view) - $390 per day[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• Superior Motel Room (ocean view) - $390 per day[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• Two-Bedroom Cottage (ocean view) - $805 per day, rented for seven days at a time (total of $5,635 for a week)[/*:m:1qpqx1re][/list:u:1qpqx1re]

We have 8 people on the trip (read about that soon), so we could get one deluxe kitchenette (so that we are able to cook - would come with 2 single beds) and two deluxe motel rooms (no ocean view, unless people want it - would come with 1 double and 1 single bed) - that would mean whoever stays in the kitchenette pays $180 per day, and whoever stays in a motel room pays just under $100 per day - we could also just go straight with the motel rooms w/o an ocean view, but we wouldn't have access to a kitchen. If we go for a week-long trip, everyone could pool money for the rooms and pay $775 for the whole time if we get straight motel rooms, or $830 for the whole time if we get the kitchenette as well. Of course, we could go with less than three rooms if we wanted as well to save money.
I have found no laws about fishing on either of those beaches, fishing in Cape Cod, or fishing in Massachusetts for sharks from shore - however, in Massachusetts, it is illegal for anyone without a permit to attract or capture a great white shark. I tried to find some online information about filling out a permit, but I was unable to find anything. I was very worried that I would have to start over, but then I re-read the laws protecting great whites - I specifically re-read the definition of the word "capture", which means:
"Capture means to forcefully gain control of a white shark. Capture includes, without limitation, the restraint or detention of a white shark or any act of intrusive research performed on a white shark. Capture shall not include the incidental catch of white sharks during the course of lawfully permitted fishing activity."
So by their logic, the trip has to consist of fishing for other shark species from the beach, which is entirely legal. We have to hope that we will happen to catch a white shark in the mix of the other sharks. Unfortunately, like William's trip, the beaches around this time of year are littered with white sharks, and the researchers are out tagging them. If they happen to come across us fishing while they see a white shark, we will likely have the same result - we will be asked to leave. But we can always come back after they leave.

Time:
In Cape Cod, there are 8 months of the year where driving on the beaches is allowed - April, May, June, July, August, September, October, and November. Given the fact that the great whites are generally there from July to October, that means there are four months in which there is a significantly higher chance of catching a great white than any others. July appears to be the time when the smaller sharks start to show up, and they gradually get larger as time goes on. August appears to be the time of the year when the most sharks are spotted. Given the fact that the average low temperature in Cape Cod after August is in the 50's, July and August are the two months when a trip could be scheduled (the average high is 77-78 degrees at this time). Since it is pretty much impossible to say exactly when the trip would take place, we will leave it at "sometime in late July through August". We can't say how long the trip would last, however a good maximum to me sounds like a month (refer to the section about the crew for details why).

Conditions:
While the goal of catching a great white from the beach is very important, safety is much more important. If the waves in the surf are over 5 feet, we will not be going out. Period. Anything over that carries a high risk of flipping, and falling into the water unprotected with a great white sounds like a terrible idea. Windspeeds over 10 miles per hour will hopefully be avoided, but 10-15 miles per hour may be tolerable (only if we haven't gotten a lot of fishing in).

The Daily Routine:
For the most part, every day will consist of getting up in the morning to get breakfast, going out to fish for bait, coming back to eat lunch, going back out to fish for bait (or food, or just for fun), eating dinner, and then getting the shark baits out and once they are all gone, going to sleep and repeating the next day. On the days where it's too windy/rainy/stormy to do any fishing, we can go do some of the "touristy" things in the area, head over to the tackle shops and check them out, or prepare for fishing later - or just hang out. Of course on some days, we will be tired of fishing, so we can do those things as we please - nobody is forcing us to fish all the time, but it is what we made a 5-13 hour drive to do. Various charters can be booked to fish for the many species found around Cape Cod (which can be taken home to use as bait and/or to be eaten), and fishing can also be done from the piers, jetties, and docks found around Cape Cod.

The Crew:
Well, the crew consists of the following people:

• Myself (Drew V.) - the original creator of this entire project, the one with the scientific knowledge of the sharks as well as knowledge of LBSF[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• My father (Mark V.) - the one who got me into fishing in the first place, also a very strong guy who wouldn't have too much trouble bringing a large shark to the beach[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• My uncle (Ronnie V.) - the only biological uncle I have, I'm pretty close with him and definitely want him to come along for the trip of a lifetime[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• My old teacher (Paul G.) - an old social studies teacher of mine, and a very experienced fisherman - he's got a boat, I believe it's in the 30 foot range and I also believe he's got a trailer for it which means that we could most likely tow it if we have a vehicle - he also has over a dozen NC state fish citations [/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• My mentor (Mark M.) - the older man who is always keen to give me fishing tips - and tackle - he's a native of the northeast area, and is retired so he fishes on the daily (no boat, he uses friend's boats though) - can't go without him[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• My old buddy (Glenn W.) - an old friend of mine, we both got REALLY into fishing together about 4 years ago, then we had a falling out, and now we're cool again - his mother has a Chevy Silverado 3500 HD that could easily tow our boat to Cape Cod[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• My two best friends (Corey B. and Thomas C.) - I can't leave my best friends out of this trip - accomodations might be a bit tight with 8 people in one RV (plus a truck and at least one other vehicle), but we can make it work[/*:m:1qpqx1re][/list:u:1qpqx1re]

The ages of everyone are as follows: 14, late 30's, late 30's, 50-60's, 60's, 15, 15, and 15

Deploying Baits
I have two different opinions on deploying baits for this trip - one is that this trip is a great time to explore new methods of bait deployment, and the other is that it's not, because we are here to catch a great white which is already going to be hard enough, so we should just stick to what we know. I think a good compromise between the two is trying new things, and if they don't work, immediately going back to just using a vehicle such as a kayak or jon boat to deploy baits. I have two 10 foot SOT kayaks already, so we can mount them to the top of one of our vehicles and we are set there. Another option is renting a jet ski/zodiac/aluminum boat for the duration of the trip and taking it to the beach. Other methods that don't involve getting in the water with the massive sharks may be safer, which is one main reason I want to try those instead. Methods include:

• A large, powerful potato gun (the main problem I see with this is that the line would shoot out faster than the spool could handle, and the line would snap or the internals of the reel would overheat and be severely damaged)[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• A custom remote control boat
• I think that something like a catamaran with two deep-V hulls or even super deep-V hulls would have an easier time getting over the waves[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• There would be a "box" in the middle, this would hold the bait(s)[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• This thing would need to be self-righting, so a large float would be positioned on top of each catamaran[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• In order to see it well, LED lights would be positioned in a ring around the top of each catamaran (for at night), and there would be a neon yellow/orange paint job on the top (with white on the bottom) for the daytime[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• A battery and a backup battery would be positioned inside of the hull (the hull would be either underwater, under the box for storing baits or inside of the catamarans), giving it approximately a four hour battery life[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• The length of the boat would be about 3 feet long (I am hoping that this combined with the white coloration will deter a great white from accidentally confusing the craft with a seal)[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• The motors would be very powerful, probably up to 30 pound thrust each (still need to research this though, I am no expert in this field)

Hopefully it would have a 600+ yard range[/*:m:1qpqx1re][/list:u:1qpqx1re][/*:m:1qpqx1re]

• Kanemano's cardboard box method listed here[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• The ORCA - an RC kayak (if this were to be utilized, the only thing I would do is attempt to make the range on it longer than 400 yards - probably over 600 yards to be safe)[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• Finally, deploying baits with a large balloon rig - the floats used on boats kept at docks to prevent them from getting scratched up would work better than a balloon because they could handle a much larger bait[/*:m:1qpqx1re][/list:u:1qpqx1re]

The Tackle
I don't exactly think a 9/0 could land a great white from the beach, unless it was a very small juvenile. I think a 12/0 could probably handle one, but around Chatham they are known to be BIG. I would think it is safe to say that a 14/0 could handle one (especially because the biggest IGFA-condemned fish ever was caught on one), but if I go and spend $500-$600 on a new 14/0, I might as well put the same type of money into a used 16/0 and get one while I still can. It would be a bit more, but I have always wanted one and right now, there are two on eBay - one for $650 and one for $750. Figure I could possibly find one for $600, and it would be around $750 to get it and get it spooled, depending on what I fill it with. My 9/0 right now has dacron, and I will also hopefully get that respooled at some point. As for a rod, there are a few heavy stand up rods on eBay for around $150 or a bit less that would probably fit the bill. I think for spooling, braid seems like a very expensive thing to do, so 100 pound test Sufix tritanium or 130 pound mono should give me 1100-1400+ yards of line, depending on which of those two I were to choose.

The Rigs
This is a very strict (for me at least) catch and release fishery. We especially need to take that into account with a threatened and protected species like the great white. The rig needs to be an absolutely perfect rig so that no gut-hooking takes place, and so that nothing breaks which would leave one or more large hooks in the fish's mouth. At the same time, we are fishermen and something that will allow for a proper bait setup and a very solid hookup is necessary. I tried to make a custom rig to suit both needs, combining a standard two-hook rig with the famous blocker rig, however it is not a feasible design in either category. So, a custom, extremely powerful rig that I have designed should be a great rig for a great (white) shark. It was designed to be a double-hook rig so that a very large bait could be fished, which would theoretically deter the smaller sand tiger and sandbar sharks - this rig is truly designed for a large great white, in the 800+ pound class. It is built as follows:

• This is a wind-on leader, which I have little to no experience in making, so I watched the IGFA video on how to do it and came up with this (modified to suit the needs of this rig)
• Start out with supplies: heavy monofilament (600 pound test in any brand would probably work fine), dacron (about 8 feet of it, Tackle Direct sells Tuf-Line dacron up to 250 pound test so go with that), splicing kit, 220 grit sandpaper, a sharp-ass rigging knife, wax rigging twine, and some sharp scissors (a large pair and a smaller pair) - you may also want a bit of super glue[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• Start by doubling an 18" length of your dacron leader material[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• Thread the appropriate needle from the splicing kit into your dacron[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• Once you've got 8-9" of the dacron threaded onto the needle, pierce the dacron with the other end of the needle[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• After that's done, wet the tag end of the looped section of dacron and feed it through the small wire loop at the end of the needle[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• Then, pull the entire needle, complete with tag end/needle eye, through the dacron where you just pierced it[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• Next, take your fingers and slowly smooth out the dacron towards the loop end[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• At this point, take your scissors and cut off the excess dacron (where you pulled it through), and make sure the end gets tucked snugly back inside the dacron[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• The next part moves to the opposite end of your 8' length of dacron - this is where the monofilament goes inside[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• Take one end of your monofilament (you should use approximately 16-20 feet of the 1,200 pound test) and use your knife to cut the end at an angle so that it will fit into the eye of the appropriate splicing needle[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• Take the 220 grit sandpaper and smooth out the end of the monofilament that you've cut[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• Put the end of the monofilament in the end of the needle[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• Use the needle to go through the very end of the dacron, just like on the other end[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• Once the END OF THE MONOFILAMENT is about 2 feet up the dacron, stick the tip of the needle through the dacron and pull it out, leaving the monofilament inside[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• A tiny bit of the monofilament will come out when you pull the needle, so push it back inside of the dacron line [/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• Again, just like on the other end, take your fingers and slowly smooth out the dacron overtop of the monofilament line[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• The final step in the splicing process involves the wax rigging twine[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• Start by taking a small, sharp pair of scissors and trimming the edges of the dacron (where the monofilament comes out) so there are as few frays as possible[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• Then take about 2 feet of your wax rigging twine, double it over, and serve it over the dacron and monofilament connection, starting it on the dacron side (this will be done with half-hitches moving towards the monofilament)[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• If you'd like to (I would definitely do it just to be safe), you can take some super glue and dab it overtop of the wax rigging twine, after you have finished the half-hitches - this is not necessary, but if you would like to make things more secure, go ahead and do this[/*:m:1qpqx1re][/list:u:1qpqx1re][/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• The next step is to take about 30 inches of the 600 pound monofilament and double it up, twisting it around the end (not anywhere near the dacron) of your wind-on leader and crimping it down for a solid connection[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• At the other end of the doubled-over 600 pound mono, crimp both together with a stainless steel rigging thimble on the inside to reduce abrasion on the leader due to friction (don't do this until you get your swivel inside of the loop + thimble)[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• This rig utilizes a breakaway sinker - the easiest way to do this is to take 5 feet of 20 pound test monofilament and tie it around a paver's stone or half of a cinder block - always lift the sinker when lifting the rig so that your breakaway line doesn't snap before it's supposed to - the breakaway line should be attached to the doubled-up line with a knot of your choice[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• Next should come your swivel - for whatever reason I don't trust swivels (even though I've never seen one fail), so only one is included in this rig - I don't like forking over the money for ball bearing swivels, so a Rosco barrel swivel will suit the needs of this rig well - I wouldn't want to chance one of these breaking, so I would use a 12/0 swivel - that's approximately 1,500 pound test[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• The final step is your wire trace with the hooks - start out with 6 feet of 3/32" steel cable from Lowes/Home Depot (couldn't find any single-strand wire strong enough, and no fishing companies made cable strong enough either) crimped to your swivel (thimble in place here as well), and at the end of that, crimp on a 24/0 Charlie Brown circle hook - I wouldn't trust anything smaller to handle a shark that is likely over 10 feet and potentially in the 16-20 foot range[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• After the first hook is crimped on, take a 2 foot trace of the same cable and crimp it in the eye of the hook, and then put another 24/0 circle on the end of that[/*:m:1qpqx1re][/list:u:1qpqx1re]

That will finish off the monster rig. It's expensive, with the leader line being a few dollars, the cable being a few dollars (just for one rig, same with the mono), the wind-on being somewhat difficult to make, and the hooks being $10 each, but if I were to actually fish for a beast like this I'd be insanely pissed off if I missed him because of something like too small of a hook or the cable being bitten through

Fighting A Great White
Well, this hasn't really been done from the beach with any great white over 8 feet to my knowledge, so the 10+ foot shark I'm after is going to be a VERY strong customer. I have been on a workout routine for the past month or so, and I am going to be sticking with a personal trainer for at least another 3 months to really get a routine down. I want to bulk up for other reasons (one of them being that I am a 5'2" little fella, bulking up would be nice), but I have found a few workouts that I will also like to do twice a week in order to strengthen up to battle a big one and not cause physical damage (during the fight, at least):

• Lower body: front squats, kettlebell swings, deadlifts, and lunges will keep my legs strong enough to attempt to stand up for a good period of the fight, as well as to endure long hikes to fishing spots and such (although those aren't exactly as important)[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• Back strength: good mornings, hyperextensions, pull-ups, bent-over rows, and lots of barbell dead lifts will hopefully make my back very strong so that during a fight, it won't get injured[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• Core strength: cross-body crunches, planks, situps, and medicine-ball twists will keep my core strong - strong core muscles are the best insurance you can have for protecting your spine (apart from good technique)[/*:m:1qpqx1re]
• Upper body: snatches, barbell shoulder presses, push ups, bench presses, upright rows, and clean-and-presses will keep my frontal upper body strong enough to make long-distance casts (with any spinning gear used for catching bait/smaller sharks) as well as to pull when fighting the big one[/*:m:1qpqx1re][/list:u:1qpqx1re]

Lastly, a strong fighting belt and harness will be making its way into my arsenal soon, and it will be crucial to have when fighting a monstrous shark from the beach. Just figured I'd share this with you, the average adult great white is about 11-13 feet for males and 15-16 feet for females - a shark that size could weigh anywhere from 1,150-1,700 pounds. A mature female great white could reach 20 feet and up to 2,450 pounds with a bit of time, and the giants of the great whites are females that can reach 4,300 pounds. Even a 1,000 pounder could drag someone who doesn't know what they're doing into the water with ease. To train for this, I plan to tie the line to the bumper of a truck and try to stay still standing up while the truck drives away. I'll start almost on freespool, and slowly work my way up until hopefully, I have found a technique that will allow me to stand up and "fight the truck" on max drag. I thought about some type of fighting chair or lean post, however I think that is sort of "cheating" for LBSF - IMO it is supposed to be stand-up (or sit down if you get tired) fishing where there is nothing but you, a big rod, a big shark, and the beach. If I train enough, I can get to the point where I could learn to fight one of these things from the beach, I have no doubt in my mind I can do it.

Landing A Great White
As soon as we hit the beach, the roles are to be determined. Someone will be on the video camera, and someone will be on a nice camera for a few good photos. If we're out at night, someone needs to have a spotlight at the ready, on the shark for our main man, the leader man. That is already a four-man crew needed, and we aren't finished. I don't think I will be able to get out of having to help haul the shark into very shallow water, so somebody will have to hold the rod and unstrap the belt/harness from me (or whoever the angler is). The sixth and probably seventh person will be tail-roping the shark to bring it into the shallower water. That leaves one person on shore to start getting stuff ready - a sledgehammer, bolt cutters, a sharp knife, and pliers/a dehooker. Once the shark is brought up to the beach, somebody will get the hammer in the shark's mouth and keep it there, and a second person will attempt to remove the hook with pliers or a dehooker - if it's in a bit tougher, a small incision can be made, and if it's in the cartilage of the jaw, the bolt cutters come in and the hook is pulled out in two pieces - if it doesn't come out in 10 seconds with the pliers, an incision will be made and we will be able to tell pretty well if it's stuck in the cartilage of the fish's jaw. The whole time, as many people as possible will need to restrain the shark so that the hook can be properly removed. After the hook is out, it's picture time. The angler will have their picture taken solo with the shark in very shallow water and the rod in their hand, with them on one knee. A group photo will be taken, again the angler will have their rod in hand. A final photo with the shark in shallow water will be taken - the angler on the shark's back pulling the snout up to get a mouth shot. After that is done, a tag will quickly be placed in the shark, it gets measured, and then the shark will be dragged out, the tail rope can be removed (it will be removed at some point before actually, probably before the pictures are taken), and a few people will get the shark swimming back to the water. After that, everyone passes out from exhaustion or excitement or both, and in the morning we realize what just happened, we replay our videos, action shots, and pictures of us with the fish, and celebrate, make a few calls, whatever. After that, we pack up and head back to NY/MD/NC.

Baits
Baiting for a big great white from shore isn't something that has really been done - well, in recent years. We know the old greats like Frank Mundus would take chunks of a whale carcass and use them as bait and chum, and turtles would be used, and whole large fish would be used. However these aren't exactly available to everybody, so we have to base our baits off of something else. But what? Well, I considered basing the baits off of the baits used for shortfin mako sharks - however, there's one problem - those baits are generally used for offshore fishing, where you can pitch it to the fish after you have been chumming vigorously. We all know that chumming from the beach is an irresponsible practice, and I did consider it however I weighed in the various factors and considering the fact that many people in Cape Cod don't like their town being known as the "shark town" already, chumming the water is a highly irresponsible thing to do - so fishing a fresh, bloody bait and hoping that the great white picks it up is the only way to go. So, what baits to use? Well, I thought about it a bit and decided that the most common big shark baits were bonito, jacks, stingrays, and mackerel (bigger spanish/cero up to parts of king mackerel). So, let's replace bonitos with the resident tuna species off of Cape Cod - the bluefin tuna. we can go to marinas and pick up some big carcasses, or we can go on a chartered trip for them if we decide to. Jacks can be replaced with striped bass, as they are similarly-sized species and Cape Cod doesn't really have any large jack species. Stingrays can stay stingrays, although they will be incidental catches of very large ones. For mackerel, there aren't any larger species up there so the bluefish will fit the bill nicely - they are also a common mako shark bait. Baits from 5 to 30 pounds will be used

There it is - Project Orca, entirely laid out for you (I think). Did I forget anything? Any comments, questions, concerns? Thank you to anyone who took the time to read this!

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