A Fisherman’s Tale… What I Accidentally Hooked

Well, this was an interesting week to say the least. Light tackle surf fishing was really slow for me, even though it appeared many anglers across So Cal were still catching quite well. The water temp has just barely dipped back down below the 63 mark, so maybe that’s what slowed the bite for me. Anyway, I had no guided fishing sessions booked, so I figured it was about time I committed to testing the shark bite. I’d tried a couple times in the last month with no success, but his time, it’d be different… very different.

I went out for a late morning session to fish a rising tide. It was a new spot for me and I loved the way it looked. The surf was relatively mild, the current was manageable and seaweed was medium-light to light. In other words, conditions were solid so I got straight to sharking.

Straight to Sharking

While my bait soaked, I tested the light tackle bite. As mentioned earlier, it was slow. I tried sand crabs… nothing. Mussel meat… nothing. I looked back at my rod and the classic, casual passer-byer was standing there trying to tell me I had a fish on. The current often times makes it look like a fish is on (to the untrained eye), and this was just that. Either way, as he walked away, I was switching out my mussel chunk for a sand crab while watching my rod. Right then, it tips once and bends over as line begins to fly off the reel.

I pick up the rod and it looks and feels like a really solid run. Some 5-seconds go by and I’m beginning to think it’s a solid soupfin. It’d make sense with the water temp being in the 61-63 range and the season being late-spring. It’s also been a while since I experienced a shark run, so I’m not crazy confident in my guessing game. I tighten my drag just a little, lean back, and let my circle hook do the setting.

The Breach

As I get settled into the fight, it’s still taking out a lot of line, but not at any sort of ridiculous rate. It seems powerful and it’s definitely a shark, but what kind? It slows slightly and I lean back a little in an attempt to turn the head. That doesn’t happen. It takes off again, and as I look out over the water, I see it. It’s two-thirds out of the water, it’s big… really big, and it’s gray. Oh, and also, it’s REALLY BIG! It’s a dang great white!

In the moment, I was shocked. I didn’t know if I believed what I saw or not. It looked to be about 8 or 9-feet in total length and I realized I was fighting something a lot bigger and more powerful than I was geared for.

I wade into the water about waist-deep in fear of being spooled, but the shark keeps taking out line. Not at an absurd rate, but I’m a little adrenaline-packed and maybe not fighting as technically as I should be. It slows down one more time, and I decide to try another head-turn. Right then, I lose all tension and my line goes slack.

I Just Wasn’t Prepared for That

Upon reeling in my line, I saw that my top-shot of 50-pound mono was shredded about 8-10-feet back. I usually use a 4-foot strand of nlyon-coated monofilament for abrasion resistance (on top of the top-shot), but it was too early in the season for me to take the time to put that on. Obviously, that decision came back to bite me in the butt. I also wasn’t wearing my GoPro given that I wasn’t sure if I’d catch anything. Nonetheless, it was a moment I’ll remember for a lifetime! I can’t say I was mad. I really didn’t have much of a game plan so maybe it’s best that it snapped off.

Legalities:

I want to clarify a few things: I understand that the targeting of great white sharks is absolutely illegal. I was not targeting great whites, nor do I plan to… ever. No matter how specific you try to be in targeting a species, there will always be by-catch. Additionally, there’s a small chance that rather than a great white, it might have been a Mako. Either way, I kept fighting in the hopes that I could safely dehook the animal (or cut the leader as close to the hook as I could). Now that we’ve got all that out of the way… let’s continue.

After that, I got my bait back out there and had two more quick runs. Both resulted in medium-small bat rays. I decided it was time to wrap it up and I headed home.

Be Sure to Check out my YouTube channel! The video below is a little taste of what to expect at Surf Fishing In So Cal:

Leopard Sharks Are Back

I went out the next day in hopes of finally getting on that leopard bite. I’d seen a few anglers catching them in the LA and OC area, so I figured we were next. Still waiting for that first leopard run of the year, my confidence was ehh. When I fish for sharks, I’m usually fishing light tackle simultaneously with my shark rod in a holder. Every once in a while, if the current is too much, I’ll either give it up and continue light tackle, or I’ll hold the shark rod and walk with the current.

In this case, the current didn’t seem bad at all, but for some reason, I had had to cast and recast multiple times as my bait was carried south then north. I casted out again and set my rod in the holder. After about 15-minutes, I checked the line again and it was beginning to drift south again. So, I picked it up. Not sure how much longer I’d be willing to go on like this, I held it for a few minutes, and that was all it took.

I Love That Sound

I feel my rod start to dip sporadically. It dips with good tension and then it goes slack.

It’s always fun to hold the rod for one of these hits for a couple reasons. One, the initial run is just awesome! But secondly, sometimes, you’ll feel them playing with the bait a few minutes prior to them really taking it.

As it goes slack, I remain calm and wait. Then, it takes off! Szzzzzzzzz! Line is flying off the reel! I tighten the drag, lean back, and we’re set. A couple of minutes go by and I’m confused again. I haven’t gained much line, it’s cruising like a ray, but I know how the run felt, and it felt like a shark.

Thirty minutes into the fight, I haven’t seen it once. I’m leaning more on the ray side than shark side now, but still unsure. Just a really weird start to the sharking season for sure. When it’s finally close enough, I see a dorsal fin and it looks fairly big, but not crazy big. I’m thinking soupfin, but I have no clue in reality.

45 Minutes Later

It takes another 15-minutes for a total of about 45-minutes and I’ve wandered a good 250-yards down the beach from where I hooked her. I’m finally able to work her in with a wave as I run down and grab the tail. It’s a leopard shark! Easily my personal best.

Since she worked me down the beach, I didn’t have my phone, nor my tape measure, so I couldn’t get a perfect measurement. I was able to lay my rod next to her and put a mark on it with some wet sand, but who knows how accurate that really is. Luckily a friendly bystander took a photo for me and sent it to me later.

I’ve weighed a couple sharks in my lifetime and the heaviest I weighed was a 56-inch, 33-pound female. This was at least 5-pounds heavier and between 59 and 63-inches. My personal best length to date, is 61-inches and I’m confident this one was bigger.

I caught one more leopard shark that evening and it was refreshing to get back on the bite. As far as the whole great white thing goes, it was cool and I’m grateful for the experience. Believe me, if you so choose, my only proof is my word.

Surf Fishing Forecast

The surf got really rough last night here in San Diego and it looks like it will be rough through Monday. Tuesday should start to mellow out with Wednesday and Thursday offering the best conditions. Saturday through next Monday might be a little rough again, but I’m not going to bother forecasting past that.

Although today was cold and stormy, the rest of the week should remain relatively warm and sunny. I don’t see the water dipping back down too much unless we get some major upwelling either this weekend or next. If that occurs, we could easily drop back below 60.

Thanks for reading and good luck to all this summer! Another beautiful summer is headed our way in Southern California and I can’t wait to see what this year brings! If you’re looking to learn a little bit about how I go about shark fishing, you can skim the gear below or read the linked in-depth article. Remember, you can always book a guided session with me too.

Below is my shark fishing setup. If you make any purchases through these links, you’re playing a role in supporting this blog via amazon affiliate. There’s no extra charge to you and I thank you all for helping me to make this all happen.

• Rod: Fiblink Moonsniper (12 or 13 feet)
• Reel: Penn Battle 6000 or 8000 (II or III)
• Mainline: 50-pound braid
• Top shot: 100-pound nylon coated mono
• Shark Rig: (Buy Here)
  • Wire: AFW 90 lb Nylon Coated Wire Leader Line
  • Hooks: 7/0 Circles
  • Swivel: 3-Way Barrel Swivel
  • Crimps: AFW #6 Crimps
  • Weight: 8-ounce pyramid or 6-ounce sputnik