Great White Shark Attacks A Hobie Kayak

[bucketboy]

Hi there snapper, no haven't read it, I dont have time to read novels, I spend most of mine reading scientific journals, studying research into "Why do corn flakes go soggy in milk" and "why does dry spaggetti always snap into three pieces if you bend it". Hard life these sceintists have, what a waste of time and money, just think it could have been used to fund research looking for the Loch Ness Monster.

 

Here's a thought, how about research into the migratory patterns of the Great White and its feeding habits around the UK

 

 

God knows thats Never going to happen

[corydoras]

Hi there snapper, no haven't read it, I dont have time to read novels, I spend most of mine reading scientific journals, studying research into "Why do corn flakes go soggy in milk" and "why does dry spaggetti always snap into three pieces if you bend it". Hard life these sceintists have, what a waste of time and money, just think it could have been used to fund research looking for the Loch Ness Monster.

 

Here's a thought, how about research into the migratory patterns of the Great White and its feeding habits around the UK

God knows thats Never going to happen

 

http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2002.../sharks-19.html

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/innew...sharks2006.html

http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/whiteshark.asp

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/whiteshark/research.html

http://www.whitesharktrust.org/migration.html

 

Loads of work has been done on the migration patterns of Great Whites, but not a lot on their feeding habits in UK waters. This is not surprising, if I were a budding young ichthyologist or marine biologist and I wanted to study White Sharks feeding, I would go and do my research where I knew I might see great whites feeding regularly.

 

If I were to give you say a $100,000US research award to study Great Whites feeding, and your future career depended on the outcome of your research, where would you head for, the Cape of Good Hope or Cape Wrath?

[Mark Crame]

If you gave me $100,000 I wouldn't tell you were I was going!

Edited July 29, 2007 by Mark Crame

[corydoras]

Richi more than likely.

So if he goes out on his 'yak and hooks a half grown Great White? What's next? How is he going to get it in? Has he got a fighting chair on his 'yak? Is he going to be able to cope with something that weighs 2,000lb and can do 20 knots from a 'yak? Genuinely interested now. Leg pulling mode OFF.

[bucketboy]

Hi there cory,

 

Yep your dead right, 2000lb would be a bit of a stuggle, fish around 300lb have been brought to the yak and released another 100lb or so might be possible.

 

I believe short stand-up rods are used (although your sitting down) with the butt in a gimble fighting harness. As for the speed, the drag is set quite heavy and sea drouges are deployed to tire the fish, these are let free as the fish is close to the yak and the drag is eased off.

 

As kayak fishing becomes more popular and techniques improve, the size of the fish landed will inevertable get bigger......2000lb????

 

Bb]

[Mark Crame]

Leg pulling mode off? Mine isn't. Genuinely interested? You're getting into the realms of fantasy here, just like Hemingway in 'Old Man and the Sea'.

 

However that said, a tiny-weeny baby Great White would suffice as evidence, would it not? Doesn't have to be a 2k beastie does it. But, as to how a big shark would be handled, I dare say it would be played until it tired, as per the 175lb Skate Spanner caught last year. Having caught skate/rays that weighed less and sharks that weighed considerably more (but not from a yak) I would put a 400lb shark as an equivalent fight to a 175lb skate. So I reckon a 500lb'er to be possible from a yak. And a yak makes a good fighting chair. A fighting chair, IMO, is an unnecesary luxury. A harness is as far as I would ever go with a fish, and have ever needed to go with a fish. If I can't beat it without attaching myself bodily to a boat then I am not meant to beat it. Besides, you don't want a harness in a yak for safety reasons.

[bucketboy]

Leg pulling mode off? Mine isn't. Genuinely interested? You're getting into the realms of fantasy here, just like Hemingway in 'Old Man and the Sea'.

 

However that said, a tiny-weeny baby Great White would suffice as evidence, would it not? Doesn't have to be a 2k beastie does it. But, as to how a big shark would be handled, I dare say it would be played until it tired, as per the 175lb Skate Spanner caught last year. Having caught skate/rays that weighed less and sharks that weighed considerably more (but not from a yak) I would put a 400lb shark as an equivalent fight to a 175lb skate. So I reckon a 500lb'er to be possible from a yak. And a yak makes a good fighting chair. A fighting chair, IMO, is an unnecesary luxury. A harness is as far as I would ever go with a fish, and have ever needed to go with a fish. If I can't beat it without attaching myself bodily to a boat then I am not meant to beat it. Besides, you don't want a harness in a yak for safety reasons.

Hi there snapper, I have used a fighting chair, only with 130lb class gear, without it any tangle or overrun then you are going overboard. The heavy gear is not because you cant beat fish on lighter stuff but because is is very difficult to set 12/0-14/0 hooks with large skipbaits on lighter lines.

 

I would not use line of over 50lb, in a yak, only then on a short rod. I agree Fighting harness is too dangerous I should have said fighting belt.

 

I have never caught a skate or ray but I have had several shark. From my experience, its not how big the fish that determains the fights more the depth of water, shallow water results in long fast runs, the shark wear themselves out fairly quick. Deep water they tend to dive down then lean on the line and it becomes a tug of war that can take hours.

 

Spanner 175lb skate is a hell of fish caught from a boat let alone a kayak, hats off to him.

 

Bb

 

Still reck'n Grt Whites pay the occasional visit here

[corydoras]

Leg pulling mode off? Mine isn't. Genuinely interested? You're getting into the realms of fantasy here, just like Hemingway in 'Old Man and the Sea'.

 

However that said, a tiny-weeny baby Great White would suffice as evidence, would it not? Doesn't have to be a 2k beastie does it. But, as to how a big shark would be handled, I dare say it would be played until it tired, as per the 175lb Skate Spanner caught last year. Having caught skate/rays that weighed less and sharks that weighed considerably more (but not from a yak) I would put a 400lb shark as an equivalent fight to a 175lb skate. So I reckon a 500lb'er to be possible from a yak. And a yak makes a good fighting chair. A fighting chair, IMO, is an unnecesary luxury. A harness is as far as I would ever go with a fish, and have ever needed to go with a fish. If I can't beat it without attaching myself bodily to a boat then I am not meant to beat it. Besides, you don't want a harness in a yak for safety reasons.

I agree, even a juvenile at 200lb would still count, at least it would for me. I just wondered WTF one would do if one did get into a decent sized one from a kayak, even if one were equipped with a rod with say 150lbs test? What would you do, would you cut the line or go for it? I would probably fill me dry suit :yucky:

[Mark Crame]

Well, for a start I wouldn't use tackle of that strength. I personally can't exert that much pressure on the line and to do so would pull me out or the kayak over. I would more than likely be on my 40lb braid with the drag set to a comfortable level. I'd be there for a long fight and would be having a lot of line out as well as being towed around (a human drogue?). I would certainly not be using hooks of the size BB has mentioned either. Were I after shark specifically then a 6/0 would suffice.

 

Now, I am not a shark fishing expert - far from it - but I have caught a few and seen a lot. I have lost a few too, usually hooked by accident. All of those I've caught have been on small hooks, probably 2/0 in the main, and all in South Africa. A good while back, last summer I think, I posted this account of the capture of my largest:

 

Back when I was 18 I worked for three months for my Aunt in South Africa, she had just started a game fishing charter boat business (Sensational, Shelly Beach, Fishing the Protea Reef). Mostly we trolled Rapala CB10 Magnums for Yellowfin Tuna, sometimes drifted for them with pieces of sardine, sometimes bottomfished for Yellowtail or 'Reds' with pieces of sardine etc. Drifting or trolling we used 20lb mono and a 20lb wire trace. Bottom fishing was 50lb mono with 20lb hook lengths.

 

"Now, this is not a word of a lie, but a few years back, 15 or so, in South Africa (Protea Reef), we hit a shoal of yellowfin tuna, usually around the 15kg mark at that time, and all 6 rods went. We were using Rapala CB10 Magnums on Shimano TLD-15, 20 and 25 reels (this is all from memory so numbers may be slightly out!) and 30lb line and trace, bar one reel loaded with 20lb line and 20lb trace. Well, I picked up that one and all I can say is thank God for lever drags!! All 5 tuna made it into the boat and I still had line running out. In the end we turned the boat and followed until we were above the fish and I started pumping it up to the surface. After an hour we finally got it up. A 350lb (+-) Zambezi (Bull) shark. Presumably it had taken the Rapala by chance while heading for a tuna, and fortunately for me it had got it just in front of the teeth. Damage to the lure was the rear trebble pulling slightly out to one side of the tail of the lure. The particular Rapala was 'chartreuse', that sort of flouro yellow. I still have the lure at home somewhere, and another in my lure box - but never caught another fish on one!!! I guess Waveney pike aren't as hungry as Bull sharks. It was my biggest fish ever, and I still shake my head at the fact that I actually got it up on that tackle - but I did and that's true. We often had sharks in SA without wire traces, when they took baits meant for other fish and didn't swallow them straight down, surprising how many were hooked in front of the gnashers."

 

I had a 150lb Ragged Tooth (Sand Tiger) while bottom fishing for Yellowtail, without a trace, again it was brought up to the boat. I had a few requiem sharks on mono, to around 100lb, etc. All in I had 5 sharks of which only the Zambezi had any wire on it. These were all hooked eirther in front of or in the teeth themselves, deep hooking would have had the line cut in no time (as has happened to me elsewhere). It was a very common occurrence for us to have sharks brought up to the side purely on mono, and the biggest I saw was an 18ft Tiger (50lb bottom trace with 20lb hook length) which was also the first 'live' shark I saw - this came up around 10ft from the side of the boat and i rapidly sat on the other gunwhale - it was cut off after 5 minutes as it was no good to us."

 

Now, being of a sensible disposition, were I to catch a shark from the kayak it would at some stage be cut off. This may be at the end of the fight when it's alongside and beaten or, in the case of a biggie, at an earlier stage. However, I would need to see or photograph it first if possible so it would be game-on until things got dicey or I got tired. So to give a direct answer I'd go for it, until approaching my limits when it would be cut off.

[bucketboy]

You caught some nice fish there snapper, I agree large fish can be caught on light gear but for me it is a matter of scale, a 6/0 and 30lb line with no trace for shark is the same as size 14 and 2lb line for 30lb pike, yes it can be done but why would you want to.

 

On my last trip to the Bahamas, I went to Rum Cay where there is an under water mountain that rises from 5000ft to 150ft. this is an abundant area for Yellow fin Tuna. It is not that hard to hook into a fish but much more difficult to get to the boat, yes pound for pound tuna fight as hard as any fish, that is not the problem, sharks attack the tuna as you bring them in. No matter the size it will be hit if not boated quickly, light gear does not allow you to do this. In addition after seeing several tuna around the 75lb mark being cut in half by one strike even size 14/0 are small.

 

That said there is only a finite amount of pressure you can apply when in a kayak so by default you would be useing lighter lines, I would use braid 80lb with a 40-50lb mono topshot to act as a shock absorber, a 200lb leader (its easier to grab by hand) a wire trace and hooks around 8/0-10/0

 

Still in that there are no shark in the Nene and I have free access to a big game boat in the Bahamas it all becomes a bit pointless

 

Bb