# Are sharks affecting fishing in Myrtle Beach?



## Gary Carrier (Oct 11, 2012)

I keep seeing reports from the piers about a lot of sharks being in the water. Since the great whites are moving closer to land, could the smaller ones be clearing out the surf fishery in Myrtle Beach? This is the shark feeding frenzy of shark half way out of the water in the surf feasting on bluefish in North Carolina? Any thoughts?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liijgHmbBzg


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## surfmom (Nov 3, 2012)

they knew where to find a good meal


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## Elgreco (Aug 12, 2014)

Bluefish do the same thing to mullet and menhaden.


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## RjTheMetalhead (Dec 3, 2011)

I think all the fishing are drowning.


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## cutbait91 (Nov 9, 2009)

the sharks aren't affecting the fishing on surfside pier they are affecting the catching! two weeks ago we had 7 kings coming 2 the gaffs all ate by sharks 2 of them were mine!


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## scannon0 (Sep 3, 2014)

It has been that way the past two days. I was at Springmaid and Apache. You gotta pull them over the wood quick if you plan on keeping it!!



cutbait91 said:


> the sharks aren't affecting the fishing on surfside pier they are affecting the catching! two weeks ago we had 7 kings coming 2 the gaffs all ate by sharks 2 of them were mine!


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## The Skink (Mar 9, 2009)

I have worked 3 different piers since the early 80s. The sharks have always been around the piers. Usually, as the bait schools move south...the shark tend to leave. The piers attract more tourists now then they did in the earlier days. The shark are easier to spot from a pier. Plus, social media has helped to escalate the sightings. they have always been there, we are the intruders


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## Scooter2001 (Nov 2, 2009)

The Skink said:


> I have worked 3 different piers since the early 80s. The sharks have always been around the piers. Usually, as the bait schools move south...the shark tend to leave. The piers attract more tourists now then they did in the earlier days. The shark are easier to spot from a pier. Plus, social media has helped to escalate the sightings. they have always been there, we are the intruders


Agree, they have always been around the piers. Steve were you working at Surfside when Bucky hooked the spinner that launched and landed on the surfer. That was one of the wildest/funniest things I have seen (probably not for the surfer).


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## steelerfan (Jul 15, 2013)

I remember seeing schools of baitfish getting slashed in the surf last years. I told my kids it was bluefish or Spanish. They believed it until the 5 foot spinner jumped into the middle of the bait chomping his teeth. We were still swimming hours later. The worst thing for shark attraction is the girls with their belly button pierced. I told my daughter it was like hanging a lure off her stomach. She settled for a henna tattoo. Lol.


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## SpringmaidKeith (Jun 30, 2013)

steelerfan said:


> I remember seeing schools of baitfish getting slashed in the surf last years. I told my kids it was bluefish or Spanish. They believed it until the 5 foot spinner jumped into the middle of the bait chomping his teeth. We were still swimming hours later. The worst thing for shark attraction is the girls with their belly button pierced. I told my daughter it was like hanging a lure off her stomach. She settled for a henna tattoo. Lol.


yeah, sparkling things attrack a few "things". imitate bait fish. nice choice with the tattoo. I like your 'hanging lure' comment, K. Reel quick fishermen/women. Gary, as far as I know, no JAWS seen here. I was told by many people who have dived & snurgled(sp) from yrs of doin it, to take there silver watches/jewelery off. & yeah Elgrego, Bluefish are agressive also.....false shark attack, but I'm sure it still hurt. Skink has been around a lot longer than I have. any questions.....ask him, sorry dude, your IM box might blow up some day, I'll buy you dinner, Keith I would have loved to see the surfer haulin A. They dont care about the surfing laws with the piers. 300ft, but I believe it changed to 75yds from a pier in 2013


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## pam3417 (Oct 4, 2014)

What are the rules on piers as far as cleaning your catch and throwing the left overs into the water. It would seem that if a lot of food is going into the water the sharks will take avenge of it. And if I was a smaller fish I would not hang around a pier with a lot of sharks. If you don’t want the stray dog to hang around stop feeding it.


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## The Skink (Mar 9, 2009)

Scooter2001 said:


> Agree, they have always been around the piers. Steve were you working at Surfside when Bucky hooked the spinner that launched and landed on the surfer. That was one of the wildest/funniest things I have seen (probably not for the surfer).


I was there! Bucky Buckner hooked the shark and it jumped and landed square on top of Maurice White while he was paddling on his board. I'll never forget that.Maurice live about 3 houses south of the pier in a big white house. He was the local hero surf bum. Luckily he didnt have any cuts on his back, just bruises. Do you remember when Gary Comer submitted all of Bucky's fishing rodeo submissions as "Bucky Bucknerski"


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## Scooter2001 (Nov 2, 2009)

The Skink said:


> I was there! Bucky Buckner hooked the shark and it jumped and landed square on top of Maurice White while he was paddling on his board. I'll never forget that.Maurice live about 3 houses south of the pier in a big white house. He was the local hero surf bum. Luckily he didnt have any cuts on his back, just bruises. Do you remember when Gary Comer submitted all of Bucky's fishing rodeo submissions as "Bucky Bucknerski"


Don't remember that, but that is a classic. I need to stop by and see you at the store sometime. Moved away to Columbia 20+ years ago and don't get down nearly often enough. Actually heading to the coast today. Have rods in trunk. Where should I go, Pawleys, GC, pier? NOt sure. Short window this afternoon and evening.


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## The Skink (Mar 9, 2009)

pam3417 said:


> What are the rules on piers as far as cleaning your catch and throwing the left overs into the water. It would seem that if a lot of food is going into the water the sharks will take avenge of it. And if I was a smaller fish I would not hang around a pier with a lot of sharks. If you don’t want the stray dog to hang around stop feeding it.


The sharks do take advantage of the food supply. Sharks are hunters of opportunity. They don't spend a lot of time chasing potential food. It is not an efficient way for them to hunt. Stopping people from throwing remains over the rails sounds good on paper but almost impossible to enforce. Just think what the trash cans would smell like if they threw the guts into them. its a Catch 22 situation


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## Elgreco (Aug 12, 2014)

Sharks are pretty smart. Why waste energy chasing fish when easy food falls into the water.


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## The Skink (Mar 9, 2009)

Scooter2001 said:


> Don't remember that, but that is a classic. I need to stop by and see you at the store sometime. Moved away to Columbia 20+ years ago and don't get down nearly often enough. Actually heading to the coast today. Have rods in trunk. Where should I go, Pawleys, GC, pier? NOt sure. Short window this afternoon and evening.


I would fish either jetty. North side from Huntington or south side from GC. Live Bait.....Bigger is Better


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## Gary Carrier (Oct 11, 2012)

cutbait91 said:


> the sharks aren't affecting the fishing on surfside pier they are affecting the catching! two weeks ago we had 7 kings coming 2 the gaffs all ate by sharks 2 of them were mine!


Could you guys that see the kings caught send some pictures? Nothing more exciting than seeing a pic of a big king mac!


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## stumpy (Aug 15, 2010)

I always liked to fish Apache Pier, especially during the spot run. I dont fish piers anymore 1st Because of tourists and 2nd, because got tired of competing with sharks. I fish now from the surf/sand or on a boat and not once have I lost a fish to a shark. Fishing from any pier for me and losing to the sharks is the norm.


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## flathead (Dec 18, 2003)

I used to belong to the Surfside Pier Float Fishing Association and still remember some of the old members. The last time I kingfished Surfside, October 1994, we had sharks attacking our 5 gal. live bait buckets, which each held 6-8 menhaden, bules, mullet, etc. We've seen them get their teeth stuck in the 3/8" holes in the bait buckets. That thrashing is a sight to see. Lots of old pics around here somewhere of 8-12'ers swimming in between swimmers about waist deep in the surf and nobody even had a clue they could reach down and touch one. As Skink says, they move with the bait, especially in the fall. One rule I've always had with my family is no one swims in the ocean from 4:00 PM to dark, especially on an incoming tide. Sharks will herd baitfish into the surf zone and slash them to pieces, then eat the scraps. The fall mullet run is one good time for this. If you're in that zone you could become an unintentional victim.

BTW, fishing near the fish cleaning tables pays dividends. The largest flounder I've ever seen caught from Surfside were caught by some young fishermen from Winston-Salem, NC, fishing right under the tables, with 5/0 hooks on Carolina rigs using whole bluefish bellies. They vacationed the same time every year and fished that same way every trip down.


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## Elgreco (Aug 12, 2014)

The past 2 days I've been at springmaid, I haven't seen nearly as many sharks as usual. Lots o jellies though.


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