Shark Chased Fish

[JohnMckroidJr]

Frequently a King Mackeral will skyrocket to attack a bait, but I have never had one jump after it was hooked.


As it turns out, the King jumped to avoid being eaten by a shark! Once I saw the shark, I free-spooled the fish so that it could outrun the shark.



Surprising me, the King Mackerel headed straight for my kayak. With the Hammerhead not far behind in hot pursuit.



The shark took one look at the kayak and veered off never to be seen again. I have lost my fair share of fish right at the kayak to sharks, so this was a welcome change. After I was convinced the shark was gone, I put the reel back in gear and landed the fish.

[SoCalEDC]

Cool pic. Do you mount a go pro on the bow or something? You always have pretty sweet photos from that angle.

[JohnMckroidJr]

Originally Posted by SoCalEDC

Cool pic. Do you mount a go pro on the bow or something? You always have pretty sweet photos from that angle.

Thanks. You can see the GoPro mounted in the Hobie sail mast holder. It can swivel and extend if needed. It's a PVC/Scotty/Selfie stick hack. In the way for many anglers, but I have gotten accustomed to it. When I revive a sailfish, I will boom it out. I take stills out of 4k video clips. Being able to select a still out of video can make a big difference in the way the glare reflects off the fish.

[MITCHELL]

Good thing 😎 must be nice to be so close to the fish 🐟market 🤣

[kayakfisherman]

What an insane story!!! I gutted and gilled a
yellowfin tuna on the water once, and I had
a hammerhead slamming my kayak!

Nice job on the fish!!

[JohnMckroidJr]

Originally Posted by MITCHELL

Good thing 😎 must be nice to be so close to the fish 🐟market 🤣

Yes sir, we are fortunate to have a sharp drop off from Nth Miami to South West Palm Beach -- a 60 mile stretch of coast offering bluewater kayak fishing within 2 miles of shore in SE Florida.

Originally Posted by kayakfisherman

What an insane story!!! I gutted and gilled a
yellowfin tuna on the water once, and I had
a hammerhead slamming my kayak!

Nice job on the fish!!

Thanks Yanni. Awesome that you have taken a Yellowfin Tuna off the kayak! They are uncommon off SE Florida and that is on my bucket list. I have also had a few hammerheads slamming my kayak. Sometimes by surprise, Sometimes while trying to land a fish. I bleed all the fish that I bag and surprisingly have yet to have a shark assault occur during this process.

[stevie951]

Originally Posted by JohnMckroidJr

Thanks Yanni. Awesome that you have taken a Yellowfin Tuna off the kayak! They are uncommon off SE Florida and that is on my bucket list. I have also had a few hammerheads slamming my kayak. Sometimes by surprise, Sometimes while trying to land a fish. I bleed all the fish that I bag and surprisingly have yet to have a shark assault occur during this process.

Ok Yanni, John... Colors of your kayaks to add to the shark attack vs color of kayak argument
Bruce does not care if fish are friends, or food once he smells blood

[MITCHELL]

And it came back for seconds on that paddle.
Women swimming was lifted out of the water.
Had 3Yt cross hatched on a Malibu double,hatches were to small to put in side at la Jolla launch, got a different kayak after that. One with a big hatch door.
What does the small boat charters look like for wahoo there where your at. Mr JohnMckroidJr

[JohnMckroidJr]

Originally Posted by stevie951

Ok Yanni, John... Colors of your kayaks to add to the shark attack vs color of kayak argument

Stevie my last few kayaks have been yum yum yellow for higher visibility with other humans. Most sharks are color blind, and I am more concerned about getting hit by a negligent boater than any interaction with a shark. I consider the amount of interaction that I have had with sharks as a result of the amount of time spent on the water regardless of the color of my kayak.

[JohnMckroidJr]

Originally Posted by MITCHELL

What does the small boat charters look like for wahoo there where your at. Mr JohnMckroidJr

Small boat charters are $100-300 per person for a morning group fishing trip. Wahoos are an exceptional catch in SE Florida.

They are frequently targeted a few days before and after full moons. Theories are that they feed more voraciously because of the larger tidal changes and that they are hungrier because they spawn on the full moon cycles. Anglers monitor charter boat's Instagram for indications. They are mostly an incidental catch.

Common methods include high-speed trolling skirted lures, medium speed trolling Nomad or Rapala type lures, Slow trolling live baits or planner trolling bait strips.

Planner trolling bait strips is the bread and butter method employed by most charter boats. Typical planner catches include Mahi, King Mackerel, Little Tunny, Barracuda, Blackfin Tuna, Amberjack, and the occasional Wahoo. It is a lousy way to catch a fish as the passenger only winds the fish up to the planner. Once the planner is at the rod tip, unless the boat has a removable planner, the next 90ft of a leader is hand-lined by the deckhand up until the fish is gaffed. The boat is never stopped so the fish does not have a chance to throw the hook.

High-speed trolling singles out Wahoo as the boat is trolling too fast for other species. It is very successful in the Bahamas and far offshore in NE Florida. It is hardly sportfishing as boats are never stopped at the strike, and once winched up to the long leader, the fish are handlined to the gaff.

The most rewarding Charter taken Wahoos are incidentals on the kite. The fish is often seen skyrocketing on the bait prior to hook up. Fish are reeled all the way to the gaff from a stationary boat.

I have friends that have been fishing in Florida by boat and Kayak for a decade and have yet to catch a Wahoo. Others have success within their first few trips and then have been at it for years without repeat success. If one wanted to travel somewhere to catch Wahoo, they would probably have better luck either in the Bahamas, Mexico, or Hawaii.

[MITCHELL]

Wouldn't mind flying across the USA never done that and the fun in it for me is I would be using my custom made lures for wahoo or what ever's hungry.
Bucket list stuff.

[MITCHELL]

Originally Posted by MITCHELL

Wouldn't mind flying across the USA never done that and the fun in it for me is I would be using my custom made lures for wahoo or what ever's hungry.
Bucket list stuff.

Testing my lures, But I can only go 4 1/2mph in my canoe.So far all good.

[JohnMckroidJr]

Originally Posted by MITCHELL

Testing my lures, But I can only go 4 1/2mph in my canoe.So far all good.

There are over a dozen kayakers with the alma/outboard engine mod in SE Florida. They troll up to about 5 knots and many of them have tried trolling Nomads and other similar lures. I have seen success with that method for the kayakers in Puerto Rico, but yet to see any locally. The majority of our kayak catches are taken slow trolling live baits or vertical jigging. Planners are a bit more work to use, but at 4-1/2knots they would be worth trying in SoCal. It would be very satisfying to take some fish on your own homemade lures -- Probably easiest to see that success on a long-range trip or Baja camping. Your lures turned out nice!

[MITCHELL]

Originally Posted by JohnMckroidJr

There are over a dozen kayakers with the alma/outboard engine mod in SE Florida. They troll up to about 5 knots and many of them have tried trolling Nomads and other similar lures. I have seen success with that method for the kayakers in Puerto Rico, but yet to see any locally. The majority of our kayak catches are taken slow trolling live baits or vertical jigging. Planners are a bit more work to use, but at 4-1/2knots they would be worth trying in SoCal. It would be very satisfying to take some fish on your own homemade lures -- Probably easiest to see that success on a long-range trip or Baja camping. Your lures turned out nice!

A good long range trip and you eat fish 🐟for a year. Or more. Tightlines amigo.