leopard sharks or sharks in general

[joe123321]

whats that supposed to mean? just curious

:rcard :rcard :rcard :rcard :rcard

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 :rcard . 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]

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]

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!

 

[spearfishjunkie]

iv never heard of eating makos, but over here elephant sharks and gummys are the way 2 go if we ever see one of them on a dive we always go for em

 

[Antony]

Go 4 it they r really fun to shoot and no that hard but make sure u have a big boy and lots of line because the hunt lasts a fare bit of time lol, And if lots of sharks start to come dont worrie untill they start acting eraticly, and just stay close to ur buddy and lay flat on the surface, if u have big fins on u will look pritty big including ur gun!

 

[capetownguy]

hey Lenny
a dive buddy of mine has caught a pyjama shark before about (1metre long). he bled it first (which with sharks/rays is a definate must!) and fried it in batter, he said it tasted awesome. grabbing them can be funny sometimes...i was once diving with him and he grabbed a 1 m long one and i heard him shouting to me to come pull this shark off him (diving in buffels i thought it was a bronzie) luckily it wasnt! hehe the shark turned around and grabbed his arm (these sharks can be quick!) he said it was like a bulldog never letting go! eventually i got its jaws open and it swam off leaving a bruised arm and a nice round hole in his suit! rofl rofl rofl
ive shot a 14kg ray in buffels once (i will never do it again..i was lank heartsore for some reason) we cleaned it and got a lot of meat! it tasted awesome, i have a photo but for obvious reasons im not gna post it..
enjoy your hunting!

 

[Lenny]

Yeah they're not so skaam as the skaam haais! ROLF I've grabbed many to find them sinking their teeth into my wetsuit. hehe, But I haven't yet had the guts to actually shoot one, I kinda feel sorry for them cos they are so slow and graceful. Not like fish! Maybe this crayfish season when I get a big one tangled in my float line while it's chomping my bait bags, and I'll actually be pissed off enough to shoot it.