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These two anglers had just landed this 5 foot long Blacktip during a shark tournament they were fishing
Photo by Ed Snyder |
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A neat looking shark the Blacktip is among the family of Shark most recognized by people as being typical to that of sharks
Photo by Ed Snyder |
(Jan. 01, 2004 - Gilchrist, TX)... The large gray fin suddenly appeared amid a group of wade-anglers slicing the surface heading directly for a stringer of fish looped around one anglers waist. As the group watched in shocked disbelief the shark attacked the stringer of specks and began slashing and rolling, throwing water, fear, and panic onto the group of anglers who were now trying to avoid the sudden terror of a shark attack. The aggression happened so fast that surrounding anglers really didn’t have time to react. But the unlucky angler who was having his catch mauled by the shark wisely gave up his stringer to the hungry shark and quickly backed away. The marauding shark then swam off and disappeared into the deep waters of the channel with the stringer of speckled trout.
Of the requiem family of sharks, the Blacktip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus) belongs to a group of sharks having body shapes and behavior patterns most recognized by people as being distinctive to that of a shark. Suitably named for their black tipped fins, they are, however, often mistaken for the blacktip reef shark, which are very similar. Blacktip reef shark have similar, but noticeably lighter coloring with a dark band on their flanks. In addition, the snout of the blacktip reef shark is shorter and more rounded and have much larger rear dorsal fins. Blacktip shark have Bluish-gray, dark gray, grayish-bronze or gray-brown bodies and white or yellow-white bellies with a white band running along their flanks, help to distinguish the blacktip from other sharks, as do their dorsal, pectoral, anal, and lower caudal fins that also have distinctive black tips. Their forward dorsal fin (shark fin) is high, and located about even with the trailing edges of there relatively long pectoral fins. Their rear dorsal fin is much smaller. Lacking interdorsal ridges, the Blacktip have extended gill slits with long, narrow snouts that are pointed and slightly v-shaped. Their jaws have several rows of sharp, serrated teeth for crushing and slashing their food, which are replaced when lost, broken, or worn out.
Native to tropical, subtropical and the warmer temperate waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, blacktip are also found in the western Atlantic as far north as Nova Scotia or as far south as southern Brazil, which includes the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. In eastern Atlantic waters they range from the Mediterranean Sea to Zaire. In eastern Pacific waters they can be found from Baja California to Peru and the Galapagos Islands. In the central Pacific the blacktip are found in waters around Hawaii and Tahiti, or in western Pacific waters they roam from China to Australia. In the Indian Ocean, they’re found from South Africa to India to China to Australia. This also includes the Red Sea and island areas of the Philippines, Borneo and New Guinea.
Although Blacktip are found in a variety of inshore and offshore waters which may have extreme coloration differences, they prefer clear water and will locate around continental shelves, or drop-off areas of surf near offshore structures. They can also be found swimming within freshwater river mouths, brackish estuaries and lagoons, as well as bayous, swamps, and bays. Adult blacktip tend to form in same gender groups, or schools, with males locating in much cooler and deeper water than females. But young blacktip will school up in mixed-gender groups found in the shallow waters along beaches or passes.
Every two years, female blacktip migrate to inshore waters to give live birth to young, or pups as they are called. Being viviparous, they reproduce from internal fertilization with conception occurring in late summer or early fall, which has a gestation period lasting from 10 -to- 12 months. In late spring or early summer, the female delivers anywhere from 1 to 10 live offspring, which at birth are between 16 to 30 inches in length.
Big feeders, Blacktip need large quantities of food that requires quickness, and a well-developed sense of smell to aid them in tracking large schools of prey fish. Although they can feed at all depths, they prefer feeding near the surface. Wade-fishing anglers are very much aware of this and often find themselves being encircled by âthe gray ghostâ while wade-fishing the passes, cuts, bays, or surf along the Texas Gulf Coast. Experienced wade-anglers will have their catches tethered to 25’ float stringers, or tucked away into wade buddies. And for those novice anglers who don’t take care to do so will soon find their wade-fishing experiences upgraded to the shark encounter level, as all shark are attracted to the stress vibrations and fish scent given off by their catches. It is very important for waders to keep their catches either out of the water, or far from their bodies by using 25 foot long float stringers that can be quickly de-tached if a shark moves in to take their fish, for it is a very foolish wade-angler who argues with a hungry shark.
One item of interest for wade-fishing enthusiasts was written about in a popular Texas newspaper. But with a slight curve. The outdoor writer noted that during the warmer spring months, when anglers could be found bunched up in large numbers wade-fishing the beachfronts and bays for speckled trout, that those who weren’t wearing wade-suits would have to relieve themselves every now and then in the surf. This is true as partially submerged bodies absorb water while fishing, which in turn causes the call to nature by un-suited anglers. But the writer took further note (whether serious or not) that when waders relieved themselves that they were actually releasing fluids into the water that had the same scent attractions as blood, which would actually cause the shark to follow that scent to its original source. NOW, the reaction to this published report was witnessed as you could see those wade-anglers who read the article as apposed to those who had not. For those of us who did, myself included, when natures call urged imminent release we would move about 15 to 20 yards away from our fishing areas BEFORE discharging our fluids, then wade back to our fishing areas, but with nervous, wary eyes.
Once scorned and disregarded as trash fish by most saltwater anglers, shark unlucky enough to be caught would usually suffer mortal slashings by unappreciative anglers before being thrown back to be eaten by crabs, or other sharks. But these past few decades have initiated great attitude changes as shark were upgraded to that of popular sport & food fish among anglers who learned to enjoy their aggressive fighting nature, as well as feast on their rich and flavorful flesh. In fact, blacktip shark increased so much in popularity that the Texas Fisheries Dept; had to move to protect and regulate fishing for them by allowing only one shark per day at a minimum keeper length of 24 inches.
Taken close to shore on medium-light tackle with 20 - to 30- pound test lines and wire leaders necessary due to their sharp teeth, the blacktip give good credence to their fighting ability that often matches that of spinner sharks. Drifting or slow trolling with fresh cut baits are common methods used, especially when chumming with ground up bait fish for laying out shark slicks. Surf-fishing for them off of Gulf piers or along the beachfronts is also very popular with surf anglers using 12’ to 14’ medium/heavy rods rigged with 30 lb test casting line and 50 to 80lb leader line attached to 3’ wire-leaders rigged with 2/0 long shank hooks. Four to five ounce Sand-weights are used here to help keep the rigs from being rolled by strong surf currents. Best baits are fresh cut mullet or ladyfish, but whole, baby stingray are also used with good results for larger shark. Shark fishing the Rollover Pass beachfront areas usually starts about April and runs through the summer months. The shark encountered during this period are Blacktip, Bull, Sand, and Spade shark. Shark tournaments also run through this period and for more information on these events contact The Dirty Pelican Fishing Pier at (409)-286-5854.
Because of their natural aggressiveness and razor sharp teeth, extreme caution must be taken when boating or landing any shark. Although blacktip very seldom attack humans they can be very dangerous when provoked, so it’s strongly advised to avoid any confrontation that will cause a confrontation with these denizens of the deep.
Having cartilage instead of fishlike bones, the shark are fairly easy to clean by skinning its sandpapery skin and then steaking or filleting the flesh. Most people save the dorsal fin and cut out the jaw full of teeth to dry as souvenirs. The rich, full flavored shark meat can be prepared in several tasteful ways, such as broiling, grilling, or sautéed as seafood cuisine, but my preference is to just roll shark fillets in Cajun style seasoned fish fry then deep-fry to a golden brown. For those of you who have never feasted on shark before I guarantee you that your first encounter with it as table fare will be completely different from those reactions upon viewing the movie "JAWS!" ....Dadum, Dadum.
(Writers Note; I actually watched the shark attack mentioned in the beginning paragraph of this article from the back porch of the North End Bait camp located on Rollover Pass Bay. The wade-anglers mentioned were a group of about 11 waders who were fishing one warm Spring May morning for Speckled Trout that were running. The anglers were loading up their stringers and wade-buddies with some rather nice fish when the shark moved in. The whole shark incident didn’t last but maybe (five) seconds and after the shark disappeared the waders returned to their fishing positions to reload their rods with fighting trout. Wade-anglers are absolutely crazy, I know as I’m one of them. I’ve been sharked twice in my years of wade-fishing but still enjoy the sport. )
This article sponsored by Hazel’s RV Park on Rollover Pass (409)286-5228.
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This early morning sunrise scene off the Rollover Pass Beachfront with wade-anglers fishing and dog swimming could make a good promotional poster for a shark attack movie....... DaDum, DaDum, DaDum!
Photo by Ed Snyder | | [Click to enlarge image]
A happy angler who had just landed this 5 foot long Bull Shark during a shark tournament he was fishing
Photo by Ed Snyder |
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