# sharks



## ajbigfish

I know there are topics on these and a know it's a silly question, but is it only great whites you have to worry about or is it all sharks. Also If i see one is there any thing that i can do to get it away.

Thanks Ajbigfish


----------



## badmotorfinger

ajbigfish said:


> Also If i see one is there any thing that i can do to get it away.


Throw bananas at it.


----------



## scater

As a rule you don't have to worry about any of them. I could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times a yakker here has encountered a shark. Aside from one encounter at Long Reef a few years back, none have ever been aggressive. If it spooks you that much you can get a shark shield or give up the sport. Personally I just forget about them and get on with it. I think most people are the same. Spend some time out on the water and I'm guessing you'll forget about them too.


----------



## Squidley

I like Eric's post on offshore safety here: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=35222#p368405
and it has some fairly sensible shark related advice.


----------



## Daveyak

.


----------



## solatree

You got some good tips from Scater, Squidley (who referenced Eric) and Daveyak - and we got some smiles from the others.

I've now had 4 encounters with sharks - all in the same location as it turns out and all this year. The last encounter was with what I am pretty sure was a big GWS - if it was not a GWS, it was big nevertheless - 4m or so. In all cases, the sharks seemed attracted to us because we were catching fish. On two occassions the shark took fish that I had hooked and was trying to land. It was a magnificent experience to see such big fish in their environment. I intend continuing to fish this location despite me knowing sharks hang out there. They hang out there for the same reason I go there - its a good fishing spot ! Previous to these encounters, I'd kayak fished for over 7 years without an encounter (apart from smaller non-toothy sharks likes Banjos, Port Jacksons and Gummys). I'd fished other waters which felt very "sharky" but we'd not seen one - I susect the sharks in those waters had seen us but we had not seen them. The Shark Shield is a great device - it gives wonderful reassurance and allows you to enjoy your fishing if you have concerns about sharks.


----------



## keza

A couple of years ago I seemed to see one every second trip, I don't know why there were more around then but thinking back there were a lot more fish around.
They are beautiful to watch in the water and are curious, they will follow or swim parallel to you but they tend to keep a distance. I tried different thing and found they really don't like it if you paddle towards them.
The only time I felt I was in danger was my own mistake, I was untangling a bird from my line but rather than put it on my lap I did it in the water, as I released the bird and turned away, the kayak was hit so hard I couldn't believe I had managed to stay on. I was then surround by big swirls, I started paddling away from the work up and radioed the others to let them know I was heading their way.
Lesson learned. 
I haven't seen any for a while now but still find them beautiful to watch.
Big ones would be a whole different thing but from what I have heard, the very few kayakers that have been knocked into the water or had the kayak bitten, have managed to get back to shore unharmed.

Remove struggling fish from the water as quickly as possible, try not to have blood leaking from you kayak, bleed fish into a sealed catch bag.


----------



## kayakone

All good advice. They will bump you from time to time (they don't like sea kayak rudders).

Another thing you could do is to *try catching them*. Burley, hold a live fish in the water on some heavy gear, and hang on. If you do that and eat them first, they can't eat you. (max size in Qld is 1.5 m, max take is one shark - no grey nurse or GWS).

This has worked so far, but, if I suddenly stop posting, you'll know this was bad advice.


----------



## anselmo

kayakone said:


> Another thing you could do is to *try catching them*.


That's been my experience of sharks. Just like fish, when you want to see them, trying to catch them usually means that you won't. :?


----------



## keza

kayakone said:


> Another thing you could do is to *try catching them*. Burley, hold a live fish in the water on some heavy gear, and hang on. If you do that and eat them first, they can't eat you. (max size in Qld is 1.5 m, max take is one shark - no grey nurse or GWS).


Best to avoid catching mako's in the kayak too, they can be over keen to get on your lap.


----------



## ajbigfish

Thanks heaps for all the feedback, it makes me feel heaps safer.


----------



## Guest




----------



## ajbigfish

That doco was pretty cool, Dave the main person who filmed it is my dad's cousins husband, so we got some extra cool footage.


----------



## kayakone

ajbigfish said:


> That doco was pretty cool, Dave the main person who filmed it is my dad's cousins husband, so we got some extra cool footage.


Posting it sometime?


----------



## Ado

solatree said:


> I've now had 4 encounters with sharks.


You need to put this into context ajbigfish. As I've stated on here before, what you must realise with these SA guys is:

* They kayak fish in the ocean in SA. :shock: 
* They kayak fish in the ocean in SA at night. :shock: :shock: 
* They kayak fish in the ocean in SA at night and burley. :shock: :shock: :shock:

Personally, I don't want to see one and that's worked for me. I don't fish the ocean before dawn or after dusk. I don't clean fish out on the ocean. If a fish bleeds when I'm dehooking it then I wash out my cockpit immediately and paddle away to a new spot. I wouldn't even think of burleying. I'm not saying any of these things are unacceptable risks, it's just that I'd prefer never to see a shark even if that meansd rarely seeing a fish.


----------



## yakfishar

I'm with you mate not a fan of burleying on the kayak I just figure that's pushing my luck and It's not essential to catching fish. Tried fishing after big dogs gone to bed but it just gave me the willies so i stick to daylight hours. If you wanted to minimise your chance of an encounter then I guess avoid fishing dusk/dawn paddling up to/into bait balls etc but where's the fun in that. If i get a real bleeder come on board I might move depending on the mood of the day. I fish almost exclusively offshore and while I have seen sharks I have never been bothered by one or had one display threatening behaviour towards me.


----------



## Guest

kayakone said:


> Another thing you could do is to *try catching them*.


Be careful. You might catch one


----------



## ajbigfish

Thanks for the feed back, i defiantly won't burly up and try not let the fish bleed. One other question is when I'm chasing busting up schools of bonito and tuna will the sharks be there and will they be more fired up.


----------



## Ado

ajbigfish said:


> One other question is when I'm chasing busting up schools of bonito and tuna will the sharks be there and will they be more fired up.


Of you are amoung a school of busting up Bonito and Tuna then sharks will be the last thing on your mind.


----------



## keza

ajbigfish said:


> Thanks for the feed back, i defiantly won't burly up and try not let the fish bleed. One other question is when I'm chasing busting up schools of bonito and tuna will the sharks be there and will they be more fired up.


They might be there but they are chasing the fish and shouldn't cause you any problem.
Chasing bust up is the hi-light of kayak fishing for me, so don't let the thought of a shark put you off.


----------

