Tag: Fishing

WATCH: Fisherman pets mako shark to prove point

Keith Poe spends much of his time offshore, trying to lure large sharks close enough to his boat to bait and tag for research.

Keith Poe spends much of his time offshore, trying to lure large sharks close enough to bait and tag for research.

What does the Southern California-based fisherman do with smaller sharks attracted by his chumming technique?

The accompanying footage shows Poe gently grabbing a free-swimming mako shark by its dorsal fin and stroking its back as casually as one might stroke the back of a dog or cat.

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“Come on, girl. Come here,” Poe says, reaching toward the 6-foot shark. “We’re gonna get you some pets. Come on, come on. Yeah, get you some pets.”

RELATED: Rare ‘super cow’ tuna caught off Cabo San Lucas

It’s a definite don’t-try-this-at-home moment, not advisable for anyone without vast experience working with sharks.

Poe, who tags apex predators for the Marine Conservation Science Institute, has caught an estimated 5,000 sharks and understands their behavior as well as anyone.

A much larger mako shark sent to freedom after it was tagged. Photo: Keith Poe

He told For The Win Outdoors that he was chumming in the San Pedro Channel off Los Angeles when the small mako shark appeared.

“She was just hanging out,” he said. “I was hand-feeding her and petting her for several hours while waiting for an adult shark to show up. I never [bait] them unless they’re mature females 9 feet and up.”

He said the shark was never aggressive, and that he shared the video because mako sharks “are always thought of as such vicious animals, and it’s just not true.

One of the sharks tagged recently off California. Photo: Keith Poe

“They come up to the boat all excited ready to kill something because that’s necessary to eat usually. But after a while they calm down and you get to know their real personality.”

One of the largest mako sharks Poe has tagged is named Cinderella. Her movements can be tracked via the MCSI’s Expedition White Shark app.

“When I tagged Cinderella, an 11-foot, 4-inch mako, I spent a long time with her, feeding her before I caught her,” Poe said. “It’s part of an effort to reduce capture shock. As a result, after I caught her, and tagged and released her, she stayed at the boat for an hour-and-a-half eating out of my hand.”

Poe, who recently had an 18- to 20-foot great white shark “hang out with me for five hours,” said he typically sends the sharks he tags away with an affectionate stroke of the head or back.

Call it a perk.

–Images showing Keith Poe working with sharks are courtesy of Keith Poe

Ice fisherman bags limit with farm tools, becomes Internet star

Video showing a man ice fishing in Kazakhstan, exhibiting a style of catching that’d be illegal in the U.S., has gone viral on Twitter.

Video showing a man ice fishing in Kazakhstan, exhibiting a style of catching that’d be illegal in the U.S., has gone viral on social media, perhaps because of its raw and simplistic nature.

The footage, shared last Sunday by Twitter user Starshina73, has been viewed more than 7 million times.

The unidentified fisherman, accompanied by two pet sheep, is the picture of confidence as he chops a hole in the ice, baits the water with pellets, and hurls his pitchfork through the hole to impale four hefty fish (perhaps carp), one after the other.

The rest is a display of efficiency: The fish are cleaned with another farm tool and hauled over the man’s shoulder, on the prongs of his pitchfork, back to the farm, where they’re carefully seasoned, butterflied with twigs and dried over an open fire.

All in a day’s work, the man gestures at the end, with two thumbs up and a broad smile.

–Image is courtesy of Gabit Rahimberlin

Avid angler’s striped bass catch is pending world record

A West Virginia angler drove more than 400 miles to the coast to fish for striped bass and came away with a pending world record.

A West Virginia angler drove 400-plus miles to Chesapeake Bay recently to fish for striped bass and came away with a pending world record.

Alex Foster caught the 48.03-inch striper on Jan. 7 in rainy off Cape Charles with Sho-Nuf Sportfishing. Photos and measurements have been submitted to the International Game Fish Assn. for consideration in the all-tackle length record category.

The current IGFA length record is 117 centimeters, or just over 46 inches. Foster’s fish taped out at 122 centimeters.

After the  catch, Sho-Nuf Capt. Clinton Lessard wrote on Facebook: “Alex Foster landed this massive 122-centimeter striped bass to potentially set the new IGFA All-Tackle Length World Record.

“Alex was trolling a live eel and fought the fish for 15 minutes prior to measuring and releasing it! Congratulations, Alex, on potentially your first IGFA World Record.”

The length record is designed for anglers who prefer to release fish they believe might warrant record consideration.

Foster’s striper weighed 58 pounds on an uncertified hand scale before it was tossed back. (Newly passed state regulations do not allow the keep of striped bass longer than 28 inches.)

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According to the Virginian-Pilot, Foster has had the length record in mind for some time. His 445-mile drive from his home in Charleston, West Virginia, to Chesapeake Bay was timed to coincide with the run of striped bass along the coast.

“I’ve most definitely been targeting this record,” Foster said. “I’ve put a lot of time and effort into this fish.”

For the sake of comparison, the IGFA lists as the all-tackle weight record an 81-pound, 14-ounce striped bass caught off Westbrook, Conn., in August 2011.

–Photos showing Alex Foster and his striped bass are courtesy of Sho-Nuf Sportfishing 

Rare ‘super cow’ tuna caught off Cabo San Lucas

After hooking two enormous yellowfin tuna and losing both, a group of anglers out of Cabo San Lucas boated the fish of a lifetime.

After hooking two enormous yellowfin tuna and losing both – one after a 4-hour fight – a group of anglers out of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, boated the fish of a lifetime.

Steve Hammerschmidt, of Huntington Beach, landed the 365-pound ‘super cow’ after a battle of 2-plus hours last Tuesday in the Pacific, 30 miles north of the resort city on Baja California’s tip.

Veteran anglers often refer to yellowfin tuna topping 200 pounds as “cows.” Tuna topping 300 pounds are “super cows,” and catches of these giants are quite rare.

However, even larger yellowfin tuna exist within their range in the eastern Pacific. The world record yellowfin – caught south of Cabo San Lucas in 2012 – stands at 427 pounds.

Hammerschmidt was fishing aboard Castigo with owner Larry Jacinto, Capt. Sean Sadler, and mate Adam Cargill.

According to Rebecca Ehrenberg of Pisces Sportfishing, which posted about the catch on Facebook, the anglers had received information about the presence of large tuna from the crew of the San Diego-based Red Rooster III.

After arriving at the spot, they hooked a tuna estimated to weigh 380 pounds and lost that fish after 4-1/2 hours, in the darkness, just 15 feet from the boat.

Cargill told Ehrenberg: “We were devastated after we lost this fish, but we were ready to get  right back on it first thing in the morning. The next day I rigged the line with a natural flying fish I had, and immediately had an explosion on it. Again, huge fish, but we missed it.”

Cargill then baited a line with a fresh sardine, handed the rod to Hammerschmidt, and the hookup was nearly instantaneous.  After 2 1/2  hours the fish was safely on board and the veteran anglers celebrated their largest catch to date.

The tuna measured 84 inches and had a cow-like girth of 59 inches, leaving the group with enough fresh ahi to feed a small community.

–Images are courtesy of Sean Sadler and Pisces Sportfishing

Fisherman catches 50-year-old grouper, and some flack

A fisherman caught a 350-pound grouper that biologists determined to be 50 years old and a value to its aging program. Some aren’t happy.

A Florida fisherman landed a 350-pound Warsaw grouper off Southwest Florida that biologists from the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute determined to be 50 years old and a valuable asset to its aging program.

“Biologists from FWRI’s Age and Growth Lab estimated the age of this fish at 50 years old, making this the oldest sample collected for our aging program,” the institute reported on its Facebook page. “Acquiring the otolith from this fish was extremely valuable as samples from larger and older fish are rare.”

Otoliths are commonly known as “ear stones” and help biologists determine the age as well as growth rates of various fishes.

The catch was made by Jason Boyll of Sarasota on Dec. 29 while fishing in 600 feet of water.

“Almost as exciting as seeing this guy boat-side was the look on everyone’s face and the excitement when I got this otolith,” Boyll wrote on his Facebook page. “So happy @fwcresearch was able to process this.”

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Not everybody was happy. Many comments under the institute’s post were critical of the catch of what the FWRI called “a big old fish.” One called it a tragedy; another said it is “so wrong.”

“This is actually sad,” someone wrote. “A fish like that should not have been killed.”

“Catch and release is the way to go,” another added.

Though biologists acknowledged the value of acquiring such a specimen, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said it “does not encourage the targeting of Warsaw grouper since the status of the population in the Gulf is unknown.”

The Warsaw grouper is characterized by an elongated dorsal spine, and is the only grouper with 10 dorsal spines, one less than all the others. They are found in depths from 180 to 1,700 feet.

Photos of the catch and otolith courtesy of FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.

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Angler sets record with surprise catch off Maryland

Jeff Rosenkilde was fishing off Maryland recently when he hooked what he thought might be a tuna, until he saw that the fish was purple

Jeff Rosenkilde was fishing 75 miles off Maryland recently when he hooked what he thought might be a tuna, until he saw that the mysterious-looking fish was purple.

It turned out to be an enormous big-scale pomfret, a species typically found farther south, that earned Rosenkilde a state record.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources this week approved the 22.1-pound catch, made on Dec. 28, as the state’s first-ever record for the species.

The catch could also qualify as a world record – the current record is 21.6 pounds – if International Game Fish Assn. rules were followed during the landing of the fish.

RELATED: Great white shark catch off Hilton Head described as ‘perfect’

Rosenkilde had not responded to an inquiry from For The Win Outdoors at the time of the post, but he told the Maryland Department of Natural Resources that the pomfret took a whole squid at a depth of 1,000 feet.

“At first I thought it was a big-eyed tuna, but it had a purple, iridescent color,” he said.

Rosenkilde, who is from Monkton and was fishing with four friends, wrote on Facebook, “No love from the tuna. But we did catch a huge pomfret and a nice [swordfish]. We currently are the pomfret kings of Ocean City.”

Big-scale pomfret reside throughout the Atlantic, mostly in pelagic waters, and prey largely on shrimp and squid. They’re mostly solitary, so recreational catches are somewhat rare.

The IGFA states on its website that the world-record pomfret was caught in 2004 off St. Augustine, Fla.

–Images courtesy of Jeff Rosenkilde and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Fisherman makes surprise catch, and it’s huge

Fishermen on a charter boat 75 miles off New Jersey were not expecting this catch.

Fishermen on a charter boat 75 miles off New Jersey expected to catch sea bass, pollock, bluefish and cod, so it was quite a surprise what regular Joe Welsh reeled to the boat earlier this week.

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Welsh of Hopatcong landed what was estimated to be a 475-pound mako shark, the biggest fish ever caught on the 125-foot Jamaica out of Brielle, N.J. The two previous bests were a swordfish and bluefin tuna of undisclosed weights.

Sea bass to 7 pounds are what fishermen typically catch on this trip with the occasional cod to 30 pounds. But a mako shark, and one that size? Not a typical catch.

“We have caught large sharks at this time of year before, but not quite that big,” Capt. Howard Bogan told USA Today/For The Win Outdoors. “Normally we see more large sharks on our Canyon tuna trips in September and October. But during the winter when we’re on the offshore wrecks, there are bluefish, bonito, weakfish and other species that sharks like to eat.”

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Prior to the catch, a number of fish being reeled in were getting bitten off and fishermen assumed it was by bluefish, at least until Welsh’s catch, according to the Asbury Park Press.

Welsh, fishing in his usual spot at the bow of the boat, was reeling in a dogfish when the unexpected occurred.

“The shark followed the angler’s line up and ate the dogfish he was reeling in,” Bogan told FTW Outdoors. “He put up a little bit of a fight but then swam close to the boat where we were able to gaff it.”

Bogan said on Facebook that “by the time the tail rope was on the shark, three gaff hooks were straightened out, and the other gaff poles practically exploded.”

Even Bogan was a bit surprised by the catch, particularly because of its size. He said on Facebook, “When I saw that he had a large mako hooked up, I never expected [it] to get anywhere near the boat.”

The fishermen who went home with tasty shark fillets were no doubt happy it did.

Photo of Joe Welsh and skipper Howard Bogan behind him courtesy of Howard Bogan.

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Bizarre catches by Russian fisherman

A commercial fisherman started photographing weird catches that come up in the trawling nets, and some of the fish are out of this world.

Roman Fedortsov works as a commercial fisherman on a trawler out of the port city of Murmansk in the northwest part of Russia. He began photographing the bizarre catches his boat made and started posting the photos on social media.

He now has more than half a million followers on Instagram.

These strange-looking fish are out of this world. Behold…

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Great white sharks show off Hilton Head; first catch is ‘perfect’

Great white sharks that generated so many headlines off Cape Cod during the summer and fall are beginning to show off South Carolina.

Great white sharks that generated so many headlines off Cape Cod during the summer are beginning to show off South Carolina.

Capt. Chip Michalove of Outcast Sport Fishing logged his first tag-and-release of the season Sunday off Hilton Head, involving a young female shark that “took off like a bullet” after the hook was removed.

“She originally grabbed the bait right behind the boat, but missed the hook,” Michalove explained on Facebook. “About an hour later she came back more aggressive and took it all. Perfect hook set and perfect tag application.”

And perfect photo.

The junior apex predator measured only 8 feet, but opened wide to reveal a classic set of great white shark choppers before she was set free, allowing for a spectacular image capture (top and bottom images).

Salt Creek Outfitters accompanied Michalove to gather footage for a documentary and afterward stated, “Man are we glad we did, this shark put on a show for us yesterday and she wasn’t afraid to show off her smile, either.”

Michalove, who has a scientific permit to tag white sharks, told For The Win Outdoors that white sharks are just beginning to arrive off Hilton Head.

“They’re right on time this winter,” he said. “The water is much colder than usual so I was curious if they already went by.”

Michalove said early arrivals tend to be juveniles, with adult sharks showing a bit later and ranging “for a few months” between South Carolina and Florida.

“By Christmas or early January we get a 14- to 16-footer, like clockwork,” the captain said.

The sharks do not have thousands of seals on which to prey, as they do during the summer feeding months in coastal waters off Cape Cod. Michalove said they’re more opportunistic beyond Hilton Head, “looking for anything sick, dying or weak to eat.”

–Images showing the great white shark caught and released Sunday are courtesy of Outcast Sport Fishing and Salt Creek Outfitters

Young boy out-fishes fishing guide dad with 42-pound catfish

Kris Flores said he always thought his son would out-fish him one day, he just didn’t expect it to be so soon. Not bad for a 9-year-old.

A 9-year-old boy reeled in a 42-pound blue catfish on Elephant Butte Reservoir in New Mexico on Sunday, beating his father’s record by 6 pounds, which is impressive considering he’s a fishing guide.

The catch was not far off the state record of 54 1/4 pounds for a blue catfish, but it proved to be a record for the family and Muddy River Catfishing.

“I always knew my son would out-fish me some day, I just didn’t expect it to be so soon,” Kris Flores told USA Today/For The Win Outdoors, referring to son Alex.

Scouting the lake to find active catfish for upcoming guided trips, Flores had been fishing all day with his family and was about to call it quits just after sundown when the big blue catfish bit.

“Alex was quick to get to [the rod] and started reeling,” Flores told For The Win Outdoors. “At first, he didn’t think the fish was very big, but it didn’t take long for the big blue catfish to realize he was hooked. That’s when the fight started—the rod bending and reel screaming.”

The video showed that very moment.

“Alex fought that fish until it came up from the depths,” Flores told For The Win Outdoors. “I fumbled around trying to get it into the net.”

It was challenging because the rod was in a rod holder, so the end of the tip was more than 2 feet beyond the reach of the net.

“But finally it swam in,” he said.

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Alex told KRQE that as soon as he started reeling it in “it didn’t feel that heavy, but then as soon as it got heavier, as soon as the rod bent, I should say, I knew it was a big fish.”

Everyone on the boat was excited as photos were taken with the fish.

“The fish was definitely too heavy for him to hold so I had him sit down and then I placed the fish on his lap for the photo,” Kris said.

After a couple of photos, the fish was released.

Alex nicknamed the fish Wailord (a whale) after the largest of all identified Pokemon characters. It was apropos as Alex’s fish was the biggest among the 25 caught that day.

“I’m pretty proud of my son handling that fish all on his own,” Kris said.

Photos courtesy of Kris Flores.

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