leopard sharks or sharks in general

[getawayFK]

Originally Posted by matesz H2O

whats that supposed to mean? just curious

I guess it is that most spearos frown upon spearing rays or sharks... But again every1 has his own style of hunting, his preys of preference, and the ethics they abiding to... As long as you are "ecologically hunting", that is you aren't targeting species that are threatened, or wasting your catches, then I believe there shouldnt be any problem...

For example, I would personally have no problems with hunting turtle in my area if they werent threatened or they were a delicacy for me... But they are neither, so I don't


Again that's my opinion and many here could disagree with me.

Cheers

[deckhand mike]

Matesz if you are still thinking about shooting some sharks this summer let me know! We can hit up some good spots I know down south. Most spearos frown on shark hunting becuase they are rare, however leopards are plentifull and with no commercial harvest of them in California the population is huge. We can post pictures afterwards.

[Lenny]

We have millions of these harmless catsharks, we call the pyjama sharks. They are usually any thing from 40cm - 1m. I used to just catch them with my hands for the fun of it and then let them go. But I've always wondered whether one can eat them, and what do they taste like, how would you prepare and cook them? It's totally legal to catch them in South Africa. It's not like theres any conservation concern, there are millions of em. I've just never really met anyone interested i them. Anyone eaten one?

Pyjama shark (Poroderma africanum)

[deep thinker]

Hey another sefrican. Saw them bein cleaned at strand harbour the other day. Havent personally had one though...

[miles]

Hiya

Deepthinker, those sharks that were being cleaned at Strand harbour was most likely Vaalhaai, also known as Tope. Galeorhinus galeus - Species Summary


They commercial target them and they're normally sold to the fish buyer, gutted and be-headed. Their weight should be between 2-8kg's cleaned, in order to achieve maximum price, wich varies from R10.00 to R15.00 per Kg. Sharks smaller than 2kg's and larger than 8kg's, only get R2.00 to R3.00 per Kg. Very common by-catch when fishing for Cob. Also targetted when other line-fish are scarce and the commercial fisherman have no other alternative.

Regards
miles

[joe123321]

Originally Posted by matesz H2O

whats that supposed to mean? just curious

That.

[Lenny]

Nobody said anything about hunting Great whites, or endangered sharks.

From What I understand if leopard sharks are in anyway as common as our catsharks/dogfish then they by far out number the main species of reef fish targeted by spearos. In SA the Galjoen and Roman are in far greater danger of being over fished than sharks. But frankly no one will lift an ethical eyebrow when I go shoot one of them!

Miles maybe you could tell me a bit about this: Usually when I see anglers catch pyjama sharks they generally throw them back. That's what makes me wonder if they are worth hunting. I mean are they good eating?

[deep thinker]

I wouldnt go after them on purpose and if you did kill one in self defense, ie it was a you or it situation, Id take a few teeth and leave it in the water but I didnt say that . Reason for this being that you are actually not allowed to be closer than 20m from these animals unless you are accompanied by a liscenced operator. Also should you kill one and get caught there will be some heavy fines and possibly jail time to pay... I stand under correction on the proximity distance though.
Lots of fish and chip shops fishcakes are mixed with sharks meat, or so Ive heard. So not bein a big fan of those Ive never had the inclination to eat shark but Im sure should it be prepared correctly it could taste good.

[miles]

Hiya

Lenny, i've got no idea whether they taste good!! Looking at the britsh fishing magazines, i see many anglers with dead catsharks/dogfish, so i'd assume that they are edible.

Since there are so many good tasting fish on our coastline, almost all anglers simply return those pesky catsharks/dogfish.

The only shark that i know that is targetted as very good table fare is the MAKO. How-ever, this is a pelagic off-shore species, which you'll most likely NOT encounter in False Bay.

Regards
miles

[colt.45]

just shoot one and tell us how it turns out.

[Spaniard]

Dogfish are sold here in the fish and chip shops but marketed as rock salmon or even rock cod. Taste is OK but nothing to write home about. I don't think many UK spearos bother them.

[ocean_314]

Man you southern California guys are lucky. The only big fish to hunt up here in N calfiornia is lingcod which is easy to aproach. Lots of 2 to 4lb rockfish also easy to aproach.

[Lenny]

Yeah I think I'll stay well clear of Makos thank you.
But when the weather plays along I think I will go give the catshark a try.

[aesthetic]

Originally Posted by matesz H2O

hey guys i just wanted to know what the situation is on catching sharks. personally i love the taste of shark. i just have never eaten leopard shark. and i wanted to know how hard it is to catch them. do they try to attack you when you shoot the i dont plan on shooting anything over like 5-6 feet. here in california its legal to shoot any shark over 3 feet. there sint to much out here but there are quite a bit of leopard sharks around here. i see one about everytime i go out, some are smaller than others. so any advice would be really helpful.

hey!

you live very close to me. if you see this, send me a PM, maybe we can arrange to go hunt sometime.

[aesthetic]

Originally Posted by Polystigma

Hey, I am NOT telling you not to hunt them. Just letting you know what the facts are. But if you do, I suggest you do no post a picture of you with one on the net. Because people will bitch and whine at you.

As a side note the first fish I ever shot was a Electric Ray aka Torpedo Ray. I nearly died after he shocked me. My legs were paralyzed and I could not swim. I made it out alive and will never shoot at any type or ray again. However, he did taste good.

So you do not find hunting Calicos hard huh? How big was the largest Calico you have ever shot? The larger ones 5+lbs are very difficult to hunt. They are very smart and cautious. Probably one of our most difficult fish to hunt.

And what about White Seabass? In about 1 month the Seabass will be moving into the kelp beds. They are difficult to hunt and probably Southern Californias most highly prized game fish.
During the summer yellowtail will also begin to show up. These are not so hard to hunt. But they get big and are very powerful. Capable of wrapping up and drowning a diver.

For Seabass and Yellowtail a large gun is needed. As they are large fish. 110cm minimum if using a Euro gun. And 55in minimum if using a American type gun.

As I told you before. Next time we do a shore dive... You are invited to come along. We will probably be looking for seabass or large calicos.

i would love to come along sometime also.. however, im not using a gun yet.. just practicing the art of the polespear for awhile

still, i would love to come out sometime.. send me a PM or something next time you guys are heading out!