Thread: Releasing Sharks from Pier?

It is also unlawful to land a shark on any of the beaches in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.
There are a few spots over towards Fort Morgan, but there isn't a lot of public beach access or parking. People shark fish at Fort Morgan, but be careful to not get locked in when they close the gate.

Originally Posted by andycorum

What if you hook a small shark is it okay to bring them on the pier like any other fish?

When they are this small, you can't pop 'em off. Thought this was a catfish at first! LOL
Just remember, they all have teeth!

BDL1969 (this is not an argument, just a comparison)
Tough to compare sharks to wolves...but
Imagine if you were out squirrel or rabbit hunting and as soon as you shot one a wolf came running over and grabbed it before you could get to it.
Can't shoot the wolves (big or small) so I am sure after a while you would get frustrated
It gets pretty frustrating hooking a king or spanish and having it get sharked before you get it to the pier

Tough to compare sharks to politicians...but
Imagine if you were out lookking for healthcare coverage and as soon as you find what you like, a politician cames running over and passing a ridiculous law making it unafordable befor you can get it.
Can't shoot the politicians (big or small) so I am sure after a while you would get frustrated.
It gets pretty frustrating hooking a king or spanish and having it get sharked before you get it to the pier!

I like watching the sharks eat too....fun playing with them and your bait, just keeping it right out of reach

Originally Posted by ironman172

I like watching the sharks eat too....fun playing with them and your bait, just keeping it right out of reach

"burning" your bait back as fast as you can reel and that joker is right behind it LOL..

My concern is that sharks can be conditioned to feed on the easy prey of fish being landed and they may lose some of their ability to hunt and obtain food. The next easiest thing for them to eat in the absence of a struggling king mack is someones kid in the surf. I would think the experience of being hooked, hauled out of water for a few minutes and hook dug out of them MAY condition them to feed elsewhere during daylight hours. I'm in the camp of limited harvest to control their numbers as well.

OK I get the point guys! Sheesh!

It really WAS bad last year. I even had them chasing bubble rigs back to the pier... reeling it as fast as I could. It's bad enough losing them to smart assed Spanish... but trying to out-reel a shark was wild.

In reading the law no body should be fishing at all. It says "use any type of shark fishing gear" thats a fishing pole aint it?