Walter & Group.........
From Ed Chamberlain:-
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE
Gordy, et al,
Think the subject has been well covered, but would like to add a recent
experience. Was fishing at Andros a couple of weeks ago and had your shark
situation occur, as you wrote it. I was walking with a guide at the time and
he picked up hand full of sand and threw it at sharks face. The shark
immediately vacated the area and we did not see him again. I have found
splashing rod tip in water often draws the curious sharks (but did not splash
beside their head. Had one almost bite rod tip off when I tapped him on the
tail; amazing how fast they can turn).
As aside, don't think I'd use my flyrod as a wading staff. :-) ( Current
that powerful will be difficult to get a rod with reel down to bottom,
especially on a light rod and one would probably have a 5 or 6 wt rod in that
situation, and I would not care to take chance on damaging the gear. I would
use my wading staff, or abort that wade)
Regards, Ed
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Ed.......
I agree with respect to the sharks. Especially if you make the commotion anywhere but behind the critter.
During the Shinnecock shark tournaments on Long Island, it sounds like a war zone as many anglers throw fire crackers and use shotguns and other ordinance to attract sharks in the open Ocean !!!!
Re: using your fly rod butt section as an emergency staff (when you don't have a true staff) has worked for me. I received many email answers on that one from anglers who also felt that it, "saved the day" for them. This despite the fact that it may load the reel with mud/sand, etc. making it temporarily unusable. Trick (as with a push pole from a skiff) is to suddenly thrust the rod straight down. It will end up a bit down stream from you .... which is where you want it. True, you can't place much force on a 4 wt. rod, but sometimes even that is enough.
Gordy
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From Capt. Greg Rahe (A professional salt water guide for many years) (TCI refers to the Turks & Caicos Islands ):
Gordy,
My answer for question
11 concerning sharks, other than nurses.
Having left the Florida
Keys and my normal, all day in a skiff routine, and migrating towards wading
predominately both in Mexico and the Turks&Caicos, I have come to the
conclusion that you need to show the shark who is boss! Slapping your fly rod
can work for species up to a foot and a half, but for bigger specimens you need
to aggressively charge the shark. In knee deep water, I actually try to run on
the water’s surface, right at the shark. At the expense of spooking your quarry,
lift your foot and stomp down on the water’s surface.
During incoming tides,
all schools of bonefish I have observed in the TCI, from 200 to 3,000 fish, have
at least one, three to five foot lemon shark integrated into the school. Notice,
I don’t say following or shadowing, but rather integrated and accepted by the
school. The bonefish accept him as a symbiotic
partner.
During outgoing tides,
the bonefish here tend to quickly move to three feet of water, regroup, and make
massive muds. Here, all bets are off and you need to be in a skiff as the sharks
look for wounded and/or weak fish.
Just my
2cents
Greg