Monster sharks. You may have seen the ESPN coverage of the Oak Bluffs Monster Shark Tourney…and you’re hooked! You may have seen us on TV this year. Well, I love this fishing. Matt and myself watch the videos we take of our trips and say “I could do that every day”. Seeing a shark come into the slick is exciting. Then feeling how powerful these great fish are is something you won’t forget. “I’ll never go regular fishing again.” Said one of my customers this summer—after the first shark they reeled in. They then landed 9 more that day! In 2007, we had two days in which we landed over 20 sharks. On boat days, several were between 250-300 pounds and there were a few greater than 300 pounds!
And shark fishing is so much like hunting....except you can be loud, talk, use the bathroom, move around, and do it over and over! And how great would a nice set of mako jaws be, mounted on a piece of driftwood next to a buck, bear, or antelope on your wall? Awesome!
We target blue sharks, makos, porbeagles,and threshers in our waters. They get big — a 300 pounder is a great fish! In 2007, our largest blue shark was over 400 pounds and we landed a 250 pound mako and we also landed a 300 pound mako that was the same length as the 250#'er! Fat shark. Mean fish.
It’s also a great trip for entertaining and catching up with good friends.
This is a great time for you to relax and get to know each other, especially
if it’s a “business” trip or if you haven’t caught up in a while. In fact, I look at shark fishing as
as great golf-alternative. I spent 10 years as a financial advisor and a lot of time on the golf course with customers.
If I knew then what I know now, I would have taken them shark fishing. Why? You have a nice ride out to talk and get to know each other
better. Once the fishing starts, you sit around, snack, have a few drinks, talk, and wait for something exciting to happen.
Then you look like a hero as your customer goes toe-to-toe with a huge, strong, fast beast. I mean, anyone can take them golfing! And
your fishing trip can be tax-deductible!! So, you shave a 1/3 off of the 'real price' of the trip! It's a blast.
I laugh thinking about getting someone a lottery ticket as a gift. Why? If that ticket makes them a millionaire, you get to say to other people,
"You gave them a sweater? I gave them a million dollars!" The big difference with shark fishing, however, is that they have a great time regardless.
But...if they get a huge shark, they get to remember that you took them on a trip of a lifetime! Just some food for thought.
We get the drift going by chumming, spreading fish oil, and other methods and then establish a set pattern of baits that work at several different depths. When the shark hits or we see one enter the slick, we try to put everything in your hands. We believe in safety-these are sharks! You’ll never forget your first big shark!
We start the day at first light and we fish the fertile waters south of
Martha’s Vineyard as well as the shark waters east of Stellwagen. South of Martha's Vineyard, the sharks move
in starting in June. Once July starts, we start seeing sharks east of Stellwagen Bank more regularly. (Porbeagle sharks are more common in our waters
in May and June and once again in the fall).
I've seen a bunch of shows this winter on fishing for sharks and one thing that I can't believe that I see
is the lack of concern for safety for customer and crew alike. I think that we are ahead of the curve in safety with sharks and tuna--
we keep a safety line from the person to the boat! In case someone slips and goes overboard, we don't have to worry!