Sharks On!

A cool breeze was coming in off the Gulf as the sun was slowly setting toward the west. It was a beautiful Southwest Florida evening, the kind that reminds residents why they came here in the first place. The stunning sunset drew many residents and visitors to the beach to watch the flaming ball retire for the day. It was the kind of evening that’s great for shark fishing on the beach.

 

Jeff Gabrick and Brandon Nagle of Sharks On Charters were setting up the gear which included 8 heavy action Penn Reels and heavy duty terminal tackle. The rigs are baited up with whole mullet or large chunks of cut fish, then placed by paddling the bait via kayak 100 to 200 yards out. Then the waiting game begins.

 

The anglers for the evening were Aaron Massey and Jim VanPelt. Only a few of the baits had been set when the first reel began singing. Aaron was up first and he quickly got into position. He clicked the drag off and set the hook. Moving up and down the beach, Aaron worked the reel furiously. Eventually there was an unmistakable shark fin just off the beach. Jeff and Brandon closed in and safely drew the fight to a close.

It was a beautiful 3 ½ foot long lemon shark. Jeff went to work removing the hook, which had sunk deep in the lower jaw. Working very quickly, yet safely, het cut the end of the hook off to allow removal instead of leaving it in. There was a brief round of picture taking and Jeff had the shark back in the water. He installed a research tag and released it within 3 minutes of landing the shark. It was a very impressive and professional catch and release of a top predator.

Jeff and Brandon finished setting out the remainder of the baited rigs. They were commenting on what a good sign it was to have action that early in the evening, when another reel went off. This time it was Jim VanPelt who grabbed the rod and quickly set the hook. This rig had been set further out which meant that much more line retrieval. Jim began to reel, working the rod up the beach and away from the other lines. For what seemed a long time, Jim worked the reel, feeling only nominal resistance as the shark ran parallel to the beach. As the fish was reeled in closer to the beach, he began to fight more heavily. Finally there was a big splash just off the beach. Another juvenile lemon shark, although bigger than the last.

 

The flurry of activity was just like the first one. The hook was quickly removed and a tag installed. A quick round of pictures was next and the shark was released. It was a very efficient process. It was not quite two hours into the evening with two sharks caught. “It’s a really good sign to have activity this early” Jeff Gabrick said.

 

The night ended for me and I headed home. The crew caught another shark after I had left. It had been a good night indeed as they had great luck and I witnessed another stellar Southwest Florida sunset. If you are interested in shark fishing with the guys from Sharks On Charters, contact Jeff or Brandon on their Facebook page under “Sharks On Charters”.