Tag: Cape Cod

Watch: ‘Taxman’ comes calling as angler battles striped bass

Footage shows the white shark following a hooked striped bass to the boat and, in a thrilling moment, leaving only its head.

A great white shark thrilled anglers recently in Cape Cod Bay by following a hooked striped bass to their boat and leaving them with only its head.

The accompanying footage, captured outside Rock Harbor and shared Sunday by Cape Cod Incidents, begins with an angler reeling the striper to the boat with the shark apparently holding on but not resisting.

“He’s swimming to us,” one angler observes.

“He didn’t let go,” another cautions.

The excitement ramps up as the group realizes the shark is only feet away: “He’s right there!”

Within seconds, though, the angler who was fighting the striped bass is left with only its head, while the shark sounds with its prize.

Apparently, this phenomenon is not uncommon during the white shark seal-feeding season off Cape Cod.

Researcher John Chisholm shared the footage Monday, stating: “I’ve been documenting incidents like this for years. If you have an encounter please report it. Also, take heed when retrieving and releasing fish. Don’t linger hanging over the side of the boat.”

The scene is reminiscent of a similar incident we posted about recently, involving a great white shark that left only the head of a hooked giant tuna off Mexico’s Guadalupe Island.

In these types of incidents, the offending shark is typically referred to as the “taxman.”

–Great white shark image courtesy of ©Pete Thomas

Great white shark exploding on bass a lesson for Cape Cod anglers

Footage shows a great white shark attacking a striped bass just feet from a fishing boat and its wide-eyed passengers off Cape Cod.

A Massachusetts shark researcher on Saturday shared footage showing a great white shark launching an explosive attack on a striped bass at the end of a fishing line.

“Doug Nelson took this footage 5 yrs ago today while fishing with Columbia Sportfishing out of Rock Harbor,” John Chisholm described via X. “We’ve had a few reports of sharks taking bass this year. This video shows just how fast it happens.”

On July 20, 2019, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy shared the same clip under the title, “Air Jaws Cape Cod Bay!”

The footage is reminiscent of a similar Cape Cod “Jaws” incident that was caught on video in 2018.

In that clip, a boy is struggling to reel in a striped bass when a white shark charges from the depths and steals his catch just yards from the stern.

With white sharks feeding off Cape Cod throughout the summer and early fall, Chisholm advises anglers to exercise caution “when retrieving & releasing fish.”

Large tiger shark washes ashore on Nantucket, but only briefly

The massive tiger shark washed up dead this week, but beachgoers were unsuccessful in keeping it on the beach.

A large tiger shark carcass washed shore on Nantucket off Cape Cod, Mass., Tuesday, in a rare event that piqued the interest of scientists.

Unfortunately, the shark washed back to sea despite the efforts of beachgoers to secure the apex predator.

“This is really early to see this species in the area,” shark researcher John Chisholm explained Friday via X. “If you find it please let me know so we can perform a necropsy.”

Chisholm was responding to multiple social-media reports by the Nantucket Current, including the accompanying video post that shows a man trying to pull the massive shark ashore by its tail fin.

“An unusual & sad sight on the south shore this week,” the Nantucket Current stated. “It is relatively rare to see a tiger shark in the waters around Nantucket, and especially in spring when water temperatures are still low.”

Tiger sharks, named for the vertical stripes on their bodies, are found in tropical to warm-temperate waters around the world. They’re among the world’s largest sharks and can measure to about 18 feet.

Tiger sharks are opportunistic predators and expert ambush hunters. According to the Florida Museum, they are second only to great white sharks “in terms of the number of reported attacks on humans.”

As to why the shark might have been off Nantucket in the spring, the Nantucket Current cited a recent study by NOAA and the University of Miami that “found that warming ocean waters had expanded tiger sharks’ seasonal distribution in the northwest Atlantic.”

Tiger sharks are much more likely to be spotted off Florida at this time of year.

–Image via the Nantucket Current

Kaeden Kent is starting to turn a few heads in Cape Cod League

Kaeden Kent is looking ready to show the SEC what he’s been working on this summer

It’s summertime, so you know what sunflower seeds and dingers mean. There’s no shortage of baseball to follow during the dog days of summer, and finding an Aggie putting in working is a regular occurrence. Kaeden Kent is starting to put together some good games while playing a few spots in the infield for the Chatham Anglers.

The Chatham manager Marty Lee see a bright future for Kent and gave his thoughts after a recent game:

“He’s a unique kid,” Chatham manager Marty Lees said. “He’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever coached in 20 years. He takes things personal. It means something to him. Could he take a deep breath here and there, yes. But he gets up there to have success.”

 

Kent is currently second on the team in batting average (.289) and RBI (6), in addition to having a fielding percentage of (.991). It will be great to see him back in the Maroon & White for his sophomore campaign to help the Aggies get back on track.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

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8 unique ways to explore Cape Cod National Seashore

Discover new sights.

Cape Cod is a famous American vacation destination, but there’s even more to the area than you might think. Located in southeast Massachusetts, this beachy area is home to the Cape Cod National Seashore. This National Park Service site was created in 1961 and encompasses over 40,000 acres.

While the serene beaches helped make Cape Cod famous, the region offers more than shores. Visitors who explore the area can find unique habitats, fascinating wildlife, and stunning scenery. Discover new sides to this natural wonder with this list of eight interesting things to do in Cape Cod.

Amid cold snap, ‘frozen shark’ discovered on Cape Cod beach

Amid record-breaking cold temperatures in the Northeast, a large shark washed ashore on a Cape Cod beach and became encrusted in ice.

Amid record-breaking cold temperatures in the Northeast, a large shark washed ashore on a Cape Cod beach and became encrusted in ice.

The image of the “frozen shark,” as some are describing it on social media, provides a stark illustration of just how cold it has been.

The shark rests on one side, mouth agape and bristling with teeth, on a mostly deserted beach turned white by sub-freezing temperatures.

The image was captured Saturday afternoon by Amie Medeiros at Cold Storage Beach in Dennis, Mass.

Experts have identified the shark as a porbeagle, a species similar in appearance to great white sharks. Porbeagle sharks can measure 12 feet and weigh about 500 pounds.

Despite the timing of the stranding, the recent cold spell likely had nothing to do with the death of the shark. (The air temperature was 10 degrees when Medeiros snapped the photo.)

As Cape Wide News reported, the image reveals a severe injury on the shark’s side.

©Amie Medeiros

John Chisholm, a Massachusetts-based shark researcher, tweeted that he was “pretty sure this is one that originally washed up last week and has been moving around with the big tides.”

Chisholm alluded to other mysterious porbeagle shark standings that occurred earlier this winter. “Unlike the others, this one is a male,” Chisholm added.

Medeiros told FTW Outdoors that as of Sunday morning nobody had arrived to collect the carcass. “It’s still there, stinky now, and people have taken its teeth,” she said.

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Vols’ pitcher earns Cape Cod Baseball League weekly award

Vols’ pitcher earns Cape Cod Baseball League weekly award.

Tennessee freshman pitcher Wyatt Evans is competing in the Cape Cod Baseball League in 2022.

Evans is pitching for the Chatham Anglers.

He has appeared in six games for Chatham, earning one win, while totaling 20 strikeouts in 18.1 innings pitched.

Evans was named the T-Mobile Pitcher of the Week after pitching 5.1 shutout innings and recording nine strikeouts against Brewster July 19.

Founded in 1885, the Cape Cod Baseball League is a collegiate summer league located on Cape Cod in Massachusetts.

Ten teams compete in the Cape Cod Baseball League, divided into East and West divisions.

In 1985, the Cape Cod Baseball League became the first collegiate summer league to use wood bats.

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Tennessee players to compete in 2022 Cape Cod Baseball League

Tennessee players to compete in the 2022 Cape Cod Baseball League.

Founded in 1885, the Cape Cod Baseball League is a collegiate summer league located on Cape Cod in Massachusetts.

10 teams compete in the Cape Cod Baseball League, composed of East and West divisions.

In 1985, the Cape Cod Baseball League became the first collegiate summer league to use wood bats.

The 2022 season will begin June 12 and is slated to conclude Aug. 2. Playoffs are scheduled to begin Aug. 4.

Cape Cod Baseball League teams have posted player rosters ahead of the season. Four Tennessee players are listed on team rosters.

Tennessee players set to compete in the Cape Cod Baseball League are listed below.

Surreal footage shows rare orca encounter off Cape Cod

Commercial fishermen off Cape Cod were accompanied by a solitary orca Sunday afternoon in what was described as an extraordinary encounter.

Commercial fishermen off Cape Cod were accompanied by a solitary orca Sunday afternoon in what was described as an extraordinary encounter.

The footage posted below, which begins with some salty language, shows the large male orca, or killer whale, surfacing behind the Finlander II as the fishermen dragged for scallops.

The footage was captured in overcast weather by a crewman.

Orcas, while they inhabit all of the world’s oceans, are rarely seen off Cape Cod.

Capt. Asher Molyneaux told Boston.com that he believes the killer whale is “Old Thom,” who generally travels alone and is spotted infrequently.

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The 30-foot mammal was documented off Cape Cod in 2016, according to Boston.com. Sightings of Old Thom also have occurred in the Bay of Fundy off Nova Scotia.

Molyneaux said it’s not unusual for sharks and large whales to appear alongside the boat, but added that Sunday’s sighting was extra special.

“They’ll all come around the boat, that’s not uncommon at all,” he said. “But I’ve never seen a killer whale, that’s for sure.”

Orcas are the largest members of the dolphin family and can measure 30-plus feet and weigh 10-plus tons. They are top predators and prey sources vary depending on the region and the orcas’ ecotype.

‘Very chunky’ great white shark leaves researchers in awe

Cape Cod-based researchers were astonished recently, while reviewing footage, to spot a male great white shark with such extraordinarily girth.

Researchers were astonished recently, while reviewing footage, to spot a male great white shark with such extraordinarily girth.

The largest and fattest white sharks are females, especially during pregnancies. (They can measure nearly 20 feet and weigh 5,000-plus pounds.)

The accompanying image was captured by the Cape Cod-based Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, which commented this week on Facebook:

“There are some sharks that make our data team stop and take a double-take. One of our data team members was analyzing GoPro footage, they came across this very chunky, male, white shark.”

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White sharks are ambush feeders that prey largely on seals and other pinnipeds. They’ll also feast on whale carcasses if the opportunity arrises. So it stands to reason that male sharks might exhibit considerably more girth after mealtime.

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy added: “Our data team can assume that the shark recently ate due to the size of its stomach.”

–White shark image courtesy of Atlantic White Shark Conservancy