8 replies to this topic

[BenCantrell]

Really glad we have a saltwater section.  I'll post the first hook & line report, hopefully others will join in.

 

 

Last Saturday I caught this 69" soupfin shark from a beach near Encinitas, CA.  It was a very exciting catch because it was the first shark I've caught from shore, and it's the biggest fish I've ever caught, period!  I was fishing with a 10' medium-heavy rod and a baitfeeder spinning reel.  My main line was 40 lb braid, but at the end I had a length of 100 lb mono and another length of 135 nylon coated steel leader followed by an 8/0 J-hook.  Bait was a big chunk of mackerel.  We kept her close to the water to take photos.  In fact, some of the waves came up far enough to lift her off the sand briefly, which was a little unnerving with all those teeth close to my leg.  After the photos, I dragged her back into the water, pointed her away from the beach, and watched her swim away.  It was an experience I'll never forget.

 

 

Here's some info on soupfin sharks:

https://www.monterey...s/soupfin-shark

[Matt DeLaVega]

Really cool, you maniac. Was it tempting to make some soup? 60 pounds?

[BenCantrell]

Someday I'd like to bring a shark home to eat.  I bet those steaks would be awesome!  And regarding soup, I love making bone broths in the slow cooker.  I wonder how much nutrition you could get out of all that cartilage?  It'd be interesting to see how much value you get out of one fish.

 

The guy I was with estimated it at 70 lbs.  Not sure if he was being generous or not.  60 lbs for sure. 

[Matt DeLaVega]

Well glad that my estimate was close. Great fish Ben!

[zooxanthellae]

"which was a little unnerving with all those teeth close to my leg."

 

Peru flashbacks?

 

That is a cool catch, and a fish I'd never even heard of until now, thanks for sharing! 

[Moontanman]

Someday I'd like to bring a shark home to eat.  I bet those steaks would be awesome!  And regarding soup, I love making bone broths in the slow cooker.  I wonder how much nutrition you could get out of all that cartilage?  It'd be interesting to see how much value you get out of one fish.

 

The guy I was with estimated it at 70 lbs.  Not sure if he was being generous or not.  60 lbs for sure. 

 

 

Some sharks are quite good to eat, I once caught a 125lb Black Tip shark from the beach. The bait was very near to where people were swimming! She tasted very good, we had a fish fry! 

 

I've had people come up and start swimming right where I was shark fishing and sharks I hooked jumped out the water while I was fighting then nearly hitting the people! 

[BenCantrell]

Yeah, swimmers + shark fishing can get ugly.  I remember seeing in the news that someone got bit when a guy hooked a big shark on a pier and then walked it down to the beach to land it.

 

In southern California, the surfers own the beach during the day.  There's no point trying to share the space with them.  Fishing line and surfboards don't mix, and there are way more of them using the water.  Once it gets dark and they pack up, you can have the beach pretty much to yourself though.

[Chasmodes]

Awesome catch and pics Ben.  Great report too.  How exciting!

[Isaac Szabo]

Nice catch Ben!