Over the last week we have had two types of Sharks move into the Keys. Tiger Sharks are on the Hump ( A hill that is in 700 to 800 ft of water that comes up to 250 ft of the surface ) off of Islamorada. These are large 12 to 16ft eating machines with one of the meanest set of teeth that can be imagined. They probably weight in at over 500lbs and maybe as big as 1000lbs. The hump is a great place to catch large Amber-jacks and Grouper. These Sharks are eating everything that gets hooked on its way to the boat. They can be caught using 80 class equipment with strong hooks and wire leader. We only rent these sharks by releasing them by cutting the wire leader as they get close to the boat. They make for a great picture to take home. Like all Sharks they are under allot of pressure due to overfishing and the Long line Industry. One of my observations is that good fishing always means many sharks in the water. They are very necessary to maintain the balance of fish populations on the reef and offshore. It is not just an accident that where there are no sharks the fishing is slow. In the Bahamas where the fishing is excellent in most locations – the sharks are everywhere. Throw some chum in the water and within 30 minutes the sharks are biting off the fish on the way to the boat. Have a good day of trolling and more than one Wahoo or Dolphin will be lost to the sharks. The other Shark that showed up this week on the reef and on the color changes where Whale Sharks! These are majestic animals that have to be seen to be fully appreciated. They only eat very small things so you will not lose fish to them – but they are magnetic for Cobia who follow them around if they are close to shore. They are spotted with white patches and can be over 15ft long. Some appear to be longer than 20ft. They are huge! I once had one come up and then move under a 25ft boat that I was on. My greatest worry was that it would come up and tip the boat over by mistake! Do not kill Sharks! Come out with us on the Big Bite and we will rent one for an hour and take pictures!

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