# Big shark hanging around pirate park beach, scarborough



## Foxxy (May 12, 2008)

So I was lucky enough to be able to sneak out for a quick fish on Tuesday morning this week, an absolutely stunning day with clear blue water and almost no wind.

I proceeded to catch very little whist watching a couple of lads on hobies of some sort nail all kinds of species flicking little bream lures.. Hard to believe these could out fish zman elec chick curl tails and gulp prawn imitations , so I'm putting down to a bad mojo day

Sick of this mocking, I headed out, about 200m off the south end of pirate park, where I spotted a big, black, mobile object . - so I mosied over for a better look. I started slowing down a couple if meters away from it when I realised it was wider than my hobie adventure and not that much shorter!

I nervously let it move away from me and fished on convincing myself I had just sighted a rare penninsula dugong, as what 4m shark would be in 5m of water at little old Scarborough?

After a couple of hours of conserving the local fishing stocks, I headed back to pirate park with the intention of .. Perhaps trying a few bream lures out over the reef.. Ahem. ..

Anyhow, I spotted my massive friendly dugong again, about 500m off the beach,' this time from about 50m away and after a bit of wildlife watching had to give up my delusions of friendly wildlife when I clearly saw the dorsal fin cut out if the water..

Now, I likes sharks, don't mind diving with them and think they are both cool to see and good to eat.. But that little number was. Just too fn big for me to be comfy sitting next to in my little orange piece of plastic.

Made for an exciting day despite the total lack of fish.. Maybe the snapper didn't like him either!

So if you want a challenge, grab some heavy gear, live bait a turtle and hang on!


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## RhubarbTheYeti (Oct 28, 2013)

On the positive side, it didn't show any nasty intent, so worried about nothing.
But then again, if it was me sitting on my piece of plastic - brown pants


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## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

salticrak said:


> I like your style of writing,now go and catch some fish and put a report. ;-) I think with the tuna migrating south the sharks follow them in numbers. I will be taking my shark shield out again for sure. Any idea what species of noah?


A big one with teeth. :shock: viewtopic.php?f=45&t=65717

Thanks for the warning Tom. That makes three sharkings in a week, plus your sighting - also a very big shark. It is only about five ears ago that one of Jimbo's mates was a couple of hundred metres off Redcliffe and caught a few good snapper. He had a good one beside the yak, and picked up the leader to lift it in. Suddenly, in an explosion of spray, a 12' tiger shark bit his snapper in half, missing his hand by only a foot. He shat himself and dropped it.

"Hang on," he quickly thought, "there's plenty of good flesh left." So he picked up the leader again and proceeded to lift the remains aboard. But the tiger was back in a flash and took the rest, missing his hand by inches this time. He shat himself again and went straight for shore.


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## grinner (May 15, 2008)

I'm no expert but people have told me female tiger sharks do "patrol" in a sort of set course. (ie they go round like an F1 car, just doing lap after lap, checking out certain locations)
I would think there would be some data from tracking devises whether this is true.


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## Franky124 (May 16, 2013)

I was out there with Bruus the weekend before Adder Rock, and did see what I would classify a giant Shark straight out from Pirates about 150-200m at sunrise, definitely got me scared! So I'm not sure if the Trawlers were around then?


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## Bretto (May 23, 2010)

I've never seen a shark out there over a 1m. I hear a lot of stories though. Maybe this Sunday I'll get my turn. Weather is looking good for it.


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## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

Bretto said:


> I've never seen a shark out there over a 1m. I hear a lot of stories though. Maybe this Sunday I'll get my turn. Weather is looking good for it.


G'day Brett. I've seen two fins of substantially sized sharks in three and a half years...estimated 2 metres. I've been bumped twice by what could have been sharks (doubt they were turtles). Sharks bump sea kayaks too in a similar fashion - a partly side on thump, often at or near the rudder.

I've also caught about five in that period: One on bait, and four on HB's. The biggest went 1.5 m, the next 1.4m, and the rest around 1 - 1.2 m.

Sharks are not afraid of shallow water, particularly in low light conditions such as dusk and dawn, and overcast days or drizzly days. There have been several attacks in Oz in knee deep to waist deep water. I think Scott's caution is justified. Here is Jimbo's mates account from earlier in this thread:



kayakone said:


> It is only about five ears ago that one of Jimbo's mates was a couple of hundred metres off Redcliffe and caught a few good snapper. He had a good one beside the yak, and picked up the leader to lift it in. Suddenly, in an explosion of spray, a 12' (3.5 metres) tiger shark bit his snapper in half, _missing his hand by only a foot_. He shat himself and dropped it.
> 
> "Hang on," he quickly thought, "there's plenty of good flesh left." So he picked up the leader again and proceeded to lift the remains aboard. But the tiger was back in a flash and took the rest, _*missing his hand by inches this time*_. He shat himself again and went straight for shore.


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## Plasman (Aug 27, 2008)

Pretty sure it was DrJed and myself out there Tuesday, we're you in the orange yak? Caught a monster catfish off the shallow reef with a few wrasse, longtoms, pike, wrasse and bream. Also had a huge cod 25g+ chase a bream that was following my lure but no sharks though. Saw a couple of tuna jump too.
We both got smoked on the outer edge of the reef by snaps on a pinnacle which was disappointing but still a fun day out..............no sharks though :shock:


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## Foxxy (May 12, 2008)

G'day plasman, yep I was in the lurid orange kayak.. You lads inspired me to get me some little lures. I first saw the big fella about five minutes after you guys headed south. He was very uninterested in me I think, just doing his thing.

Lazy, there were 2-4 trawlers out there, pretty close in. There massive numbers of birds working behind them and I was wondering if anyone has attempted to fish behind them in a yak? How fast do they move? I don't have any issues with the shark other than it scaring the poo out of me but would love to see trawlers pushed a bit further off shore, as I believe they create an ecological wasteland (although one optimised for prawns)

Salti, I figured it for a tiger because it was so big but I never saw it clearly enough to id it. And mate, I'd love to catch some fish to crow about on here but seem to be racking up stories of the one that got away at the moment. Stay tuned though!


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## sweed (Oct 1, 2011)

That is a serious sized shark Foxxy.Just reading Trevors report,same thing happened to me earlier this year.
I was drifting across one of my marks up towards the stick when something nudged the back of my kayak,I turned
around to see what was going on couldn't see anything other than an upwelling about 3ft dia.about 6ft.out to the
side of my boat.I was in turtle country and convinced myself it was probably one of them.Usually when you startle
them they take off with a big splash this thing didn't.Anyway had one more drift through and outter there. :shock:


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## BIGKEV (Aug 18, 2007)

Lazybugger said:


> Don't really care because I fish there and don't want the shark beside me. I take that little 4yo girl you would have seen at straddie swimming there. And finally i really do believe the increased trawler activity has bought this shark in. While I accept there will be occasional shark sightings in the area, this is too much of a coincidence.
> 
> Don't need to kill the shark but we do need to stop trawlers in that area.


Trawlers work this side of the bay at this time of year annually for the banana prawns. These are the bulk of the product you probably buy in 8 months time from Morgans for Christmas lunch.

They'll also follow the pro crabbers around also as they empty their old bait from pots.

They will also only hang around a healthy ecosystem with a good food supply such as the snapper you want catch at Scarborough, so if you want the snaps then the bigger fellas won't be much further away. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

If you aren't comfortable with the thought of sharing the water with its inhabitants, then keep yourself and your family away from it.


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## anselmo (Aug 26, 2008)

kraley said:


> BIGKEV said:
> 
> 
> > If you aren't comfortable with the thought of sharing the water with its inhabitants, then keep yourself and your family away from it.
> ...


Indeed



Lazybugger said:


> Don't need to kill the shark but we do need to stop trawlers in that area.


Also, This


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## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

anselmo said:


> Lazybugger said:
> 
> 
> > Don't need to kill the shark but we do need to stop trawlers in that area.
> ...


You can do that by joining Sunfish North, _*the*_ recreational fishing body that petitions government about preserving angling for all recreational fishermen, _and _their children forever.

Our hard-working member of Sunfish North on this forum is Beekeeper (Jimbo), and his mates, many of whom are in or approaching their 70's. They have achieved much to date, but moving the trawlers further out is a project that requires new blood, new members, and new input. The trawlers have the whole of Moreton bay to trawl...why let them dig up the bottom and kill everything so close to shore (about 300 metres off Redcliffe Point; about 500 metres off Osbourne Point)?

If you are serious about helping this to happen, contact Beekeeper for details on joining Sunfish North and helping to make this happen ($ 20 annual subscription).


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