There is no denying that many sharks make great tucker. Good ol’ “flake” has been a fish-and chip shop staple for as long as I can remember.
“Shark depredation” is the fancy term for having your prize catch “taxed” by the men in grey overcoats before you can get it into the boat. This is becoming a big issue in local waters, and I hear all the way along the East Coast. This growing shark problem is no doubt the result of a combination of factors. Many sharks have clearly “learnt” to follow boats and key in on fishing activities. There’s clear evidence that populations of certain species (bull sharks and black tip reef sharks), in particular, have increased in numbers due to changes in bag limits, keeping sharks only under 1.5 meters and a bag limit of one per angler, with a boat limit of 2 sharks. On the one hand, this is a sign of good management of fisheries regulations and can also be due to the lack of interest of anglers enjoying a fillet of locally caught shark. For those who haven’t tried shark, I encourage you to give one a try, as always, bleed and ice after capture for best results. Maybe with a bit more interest from anglers, we may be able to balance the system.
Sarkis and I enjoyed a day on the bay with a mixed bag of fish, responding well to good fishing habits, Early start, burly, light lines, fresh assortment of bait and keeping noise to a minimum. Baits used were school prawns, squid, pilchards, yabbies, and a couple of live herrings for the Mackerel. Most fish were landed with a 7-foot rod 2 – 4kg with 6lb fluorocarbon main line, Mackerel 30lb braid with a 30lb leader with gang hooks. An afternoon session casting lures found an early school of tailor, by far one of my favorite fish to catch and eat. With explosive runs and leaps, many tailor were lost in the battle. So, if you find yourself being bitten off, you may have crossed paths with a school of tailor. Floating pilchards, trolling and casting metal lures are the three main styles used to find and catch tailor. All signs point to a good season ahead.