Dana Skunk and South African Sharks

I fished Dana Point with my South African shark assistant, Donovan this morning. Our day started off warm, grey, and glassy. But, soon turned to windy, rainy, and barely fishable. In other words, we got skunked. However, speaking of sharks, Donovan-- who grew up Shark-fishing in Durban--reflected back on that Mako we caught the other day in La Jolla: Back in Durban, they would have kept that puppy Mako alive, put 2 hooks in it, thrown it off of either North or South Durban harbor entrance piers to fish for "Zambezees." Meaning, Bull Sharks. Normally, a Bull hasn't a chance of catching a Mako, but once that Mako is stressed and on the end of your line, it's easy prey for the big boys. Typically, the Bulls range from 500 to 1000lbs. The entrance piers are each a mile long. Hooking an average Bull would tax the angler for a couple of hours. And, after a long walk, the fight would end on the shore at the base of the piers. Zambezees weren't the only sharks fished for. There were plenty of "White Deaths" (or Blue Pointers) and Grey Sharks. Donovan shared this image with me of Wyn Moxley with his huge 1,480lb White Death Shark hooked on the South Pier and landed on the stretch of beach at the base of the pier. Wyn used a bamboo rod, 18 cord flax line and whale meat for bait. It took him 2 hours to land his catch. Huge sharks aren't the only target of Durban anglers. Shad, salmon, 'couta, snoek, kingfish, queenfish, garrick and skates are commonly found in these waters. And you thought we have it good? (Lamb, you like?)