What to do with a shark?

[jedi_angler]

What do you do/how do you handle it if you catch a shark (say, at AI)?

(yeah, yeah, I know.... "carefully". but really, the thought scares me. I wouldn't know what to do with it to get it off my line and back in the water where it belongs.)

jedi

[FL FISHERMAN]

Wouldn't mess with it much unless you are experienced or dumb enough. Some people gaff them and some drag them by the tail very carefully. I wouldn't recommend trying to get your hook back. Just cut your line and kick back in water if you don't want it.

[gasurffish]

We use circle hooks . They are usually easy to get out using long nose pliers and someone holdingthetail.. If not cut the line and push them back in. On smaller ones somnetimes have to revive them to get them going.

[Kozlow]

Here's a good way

Handling Sharks
Sharks should be treated with the utmost respect. Try not to handle the sharks tail. There are two reasons for this. First reason is your safety. By holding onto the tail of a shark, it can use leverage to turn it's body and head and possibly bite you. Second reason is that you can cause added stress to them. When you hold them by the tail, you force their internal organs forward.

If you were going to pick up a shark, I suggest cupping you fingers over the pectoral fins and press your palms together. On smaller sharks, you palms would be pressing up against the dorsal fin. Larger sharks your palms will be pressing against the body. Try to keep the sharks body parallel to the ground or the head pointed in a upwards direction. For larger shark, I suggest not trying to pick them up. The best thing to do is to leave them in the water, but at a depth were the body is beached to impair movement. If you take them completely out of the water, the weight of the shark could crush the internal organs.

http://www.tx-outdoors.com/extreme_s...ging_Shrks.asp

[Crabby_84]

OK...seriously you gotta be kidding. If you are going to want to release the shark DO NOT GAFF IT. A bleeding shark is a dead shark. The best way to release a shark ,that i have found out after landing hundreds of sharks, is this put your strong arm mine is my right over the dorsal part of the shark right about above the gill slits. With your wieght push down then basically sit on the shark or put the rest of the shark between your legs***Do not do this with a spiny dogfish*** for obvious reasons. With you hand holding the sharks back right above its gills and your body controling any sudden movement from the rest of the body get out your pliars and cut your leader as close to the hook as you feel comfortable...hopefully pretty close. The hook will fall out or rust out very fast prolly within a day. Sharks mouths are extremely tough....and if your shark had a hook in it , it would be like trying to tear a hook out of really hard leather....your hook will get messed up and so will the shark. Hooks cost like 4 bucks a pack. And you will have released your small shark so it will grow up and come to my part of town .


-crabby

[FL FISHERMAN]

Yeah sorry about not clarifying don't gaff unless you are keeping it. They also make this little bat that many people use to beat the shark to death, of course if they are going to keep it.

[THEGAME]

I watched a guy the other day catch a 50+ pounder from a boat. he turned the shark upside down, held its tail with one hand and had his other hand on its back just behind the dorsel fin.He claimed it puts them in a transe ( sleep ). Who knows. I have only caught 30 inch and smaller sharks.

[shaggy]

Or, you can be like me and make a "rookie" mistake. Get the shark in past the breakers, after wearing him out, and try to bring him in close enough to do what you gotta do, only to not be prepared for one last run, whizzzzz goes the line, and with a major umph for statements sake, snappppp, goes the line. But the fight was still fun. Never have had too much trouble getting a circle hook out of a shark with a nice set of pliers though, and sometimes shaky hands. :jawdrop:

[FL FISHERMAN]

Don't worry shaggy you will get another chance at that bad boy. I think next year in the summer I am going to go to AI on a SHARK ONLY hunt now that I have my permit for orv area. We should get together, hell we should get together in a few weeks and try some striper and monster blue fishing at AI. Let me know when you plan on heading out there again next month or later this month.