​Team Island Hookers
Questions. Which tend to be asked with frequency.
What is "Land Based Shark Fishing"?
As the name suggests, "Land Based Shark Fishing" (LBSF for short) is fishing for sharks from land, instead of from a boat.
How do you do it?
You get a team of guys together who both know what they're doing and have the proper equipment. Catch a big fish and put a big hook in it. Then you'll need to drop it out in deeper water. You can accomplish this by either putting the bait on a kayak and paddling it out that way, or swimming it out, or if you're going for a smaller shark (4-8 feet), you can just walk it out into waist or chest deep water. Sooner or later a shark will swim by and notice a snack conveniently located beside him. Then the fun begins! Once the shark is reeled in, you can get a quick picture, measure him and tag him for scientific research (if you have the proper equipment). But you'll need to get him back in the water within a couple minutes to ensure his survival. Then you pull him back into the water from which he came, and help him on his merry way. After which time he has quite the story to share with his fellow sharks, who probably won't believe his tale of getting kidnapped by aliens and experimented on for science.
Is it dangerous?
No, it's not dangerous at all, if you use common sense and know what you are doing. Thanks in large part to the ridiculous motion picture "Jaws," sharks have an unrealistic reputation among the general American populace as dangerous. Simply put, they're not. Every time we release a shark, you'll notice we get in the water with it and hold it while guiding it out to deeper water (even if it's 12 feet long).
True, when we write the accounts of our fishing trips, we often weave humor into the stories by invoking these innacurate cultural myths, but this is simply for entertainment value. The worst thing that's likely to happen is a sunburn.
Take it from me, I've still got all 9 fingers.
What do you do with the sharks once you catch them?
Once we land a shark, we release it alive back into the water from whence it emerged. If we have the proper equipment, we measure and tag it first for scientific research. Land based shark fishers are one of the biggest allies of shark scientists and conservationists. The NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association) has developed the apex predator tagging program for use by land based shark fishers.
Can anybody do this? Could I join you?
Since Land Based Shark Fishing is a team sport, there is room for anyone to participate in some capacity. Even if you just want to show up and watch, or sit home and read a fun and exciting fish report!
If you're going to be around Saint George Island one Saturday evening and would like to join us, or if you just want to be updated on our latest shenanigans, email us at:
Are there really sharks that close to the shore?
Abolutely, all the time. Here's how the ocean works: Along the shore, fish die and fall to the bottom. Sharks play a vital function in the ocean's ecosystem by cruising the ocean's shores eating these dead fish. It's not unusual to walk along the beach and spot five to six foot sharks a few feet from the water's edge.
If you are in the water at all, you are well within a hundred yards of multiple sharks. People swim with them all the time. In fact, people swim with them every time they swim in the ocean.
By the way, there are also a lot of other creatures swimming between your legs whilst escaping your notice - stingrays, jellyfish, etc. Ignorance is bliss.
Do you attract sharks to the beach where people swim?
NO. WE DO NOT. EVER.
There are two reasons for this:
First, we do not fish crowded areas in which people are swimming.
Second, as amply stated above, there are ALREADY sharks along the ocean's shores at any given moment. There is simply no need to "attract" any sharks to the beaches we fish - THEY ARE ALREADY THERE!
As a third relelvant observation, I would add that we generally run our baits several hundred yards out from shore. Anyone swimming THAT far out is called a scuba diver!
Fourthly, we do most of our fishing at night (largely because that's when people tend to cease and desist from swimming!). Anyone swimming several hundred yards out from shore at midnight is called...drunk. Or a scuba diver. Or a drunk scuba diver.
Do you "chum" the water to attaract sharks?
NO. WE DO NOT. EVER.
As stated above, we do not fish crowded areas in which people are swimming, and there are already plenty of sharks around without any need to "attract" them. Unfortunately, many people have seen television shows depicting deep sea shark fishermen on ships "chumming" the water to attract sharks to thier boats. We are NOT deep sea fishers fishing off boats twenty miles out at sea! We are land based fishers, fishing off the shore. There is no chum involved. Ever.
Here's what happens naturally, if we decide not to go shark fishing today:
A fish dies and falls to the ocean floor. A few hours later, a shark chances to swim by and notices it, then eats it.
Here's what happens if we do decide to go shark fishing today:
The SAME fish dies and falls to the ocean floor. We put a hook in it and leave it where it was. The SAME shark swims by and eats it.
Get the picture? We do NOT attract sharks to the beach.
I'm only gonna say this one more time. We do not attract sharks to the beach where people swim. We simply show you what is already swimming between your feet while you are blissfully unaware.
