posted by admin on Mar 15
Key West Shark Fishing
You may not be filling up the freezer on a Key West shark fishing trip, but you are guaranteed to have a thrilling day. For maximum fighting power and lasting strength, sharks are some of the best Key West game fishing species out there. Sharks have been known to fight for 45 minutes or an hour, if caught on light tackle and handled correctly. Book a flats fishing trip and target sharks if you want long-lasting fights and lots of excitement.
The species you’ll encounter on a Key West shark fishing trip will most likely be Bonnet Head sharks, Lemon, Blacktip, Spinner, Sandbar, Reef, Bull, Hammerheads, and of course the Nurse shark. Hammerheads, Tiger, and Mako are much less common than the other sharks. Mako is an offshore shark, by the way.
The reef and sandbar sharks will be more common on the reef, and the Dusky shark will be offshore. On the flats, you’ll get more Lemons, Bonnet Heads, Nurse, and Blacktips. Sometimes Bull sharks are on the flats, too. It’s lots of fun to catch sharks on surface lures.
Sharks are cartilaginous, like sawfishes, skates, and rays, all of which are closely related to sharks. They are all elasmobranches. In fact, some sharks are more closely related to rays than to other shark species. Speaking of shark species, there are so many, scientists haven’t even catalogued all of them yet.
Sharks have no swim bladder. Instead, they have very oily livers, which gives them buoyancy. The coastal sharks in the Florida Keys area have five gill slits. There are some with six or seven gill slits, but they are found only in very deep water.
Sharks are identified by the size, shape and placement of their fins. The dorsal fin is important when trying to id a shark, as is whether or not it has an anal fin. Teeth also indicate species. If you reel in a shark, remember that it’s measured from tip to tip. If you take a look at the shark’s head once he gets close to your boat, you’ll notice a small hole behind each eye. This is a spiracle, and rays have them too. The shark pumps water through its spiracles and over its gills for breathing. The nurse shark has the most efficient system for pumping water over its gills. It’s so efficient that unlike other sharks, it can rest and keep breathing. Other sharks have to keep moving in order to get water through their spiracles, and will eventually die if they stop moving.
Now that you know a little about sharks, it’s time to get out there and try some Key West shark fishing. Have a blast!
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