Thread: Shark fishing

Originally Posted by Robert(Tato)Piteo

Need some volunteers to chum up the sharks Tuesday afternoon to make sure they are there for the 6 o-clock opening. Did anybody see anything about limits and baits yet? Did see that pier regulations are still in place as far as size of Reel and Rod. Wish I could be there to watch and good luck to the 10 that get drawn.

We can't "chum", but I might be chunking a bubble rig and in no hurry to deck my fish.

Here's the email!!

Gulf State Park Pier to Offer Limited Shark Fishing

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is implementing a pilot program for a permitted managed shark fishing season at the Gulf State Park Saltwater Fishing Pier. The first two events will take place on the south end of the pier – called the octagon – from 8 p.m. to midnight on Tuesday, June 19 and Tuesday, June 26, 2018.
The octagon will close to routine use 30 minutes prior to these events, and reopen to routine use 30 minutes following them. During the events, the octagon area of the pier will be designated for the exclusive use of the participating anglers and their designated assistants.
The managed shark fishing events will be limited to 10 anglers per occasion, with each having one rod and reel in use. Each angler may have two assistants, so a maximum of 30 individuals are allowed on the octagon area during these events.
No other anglers or pier guests will be allowed within the octagon area during this time. The remainder of the pier will be open to anglers and other pier guests as normally provided.
Angler gear shall remain the same as presently provided under existing pier rules, and anglers are required to provide their own gear, including release poles to facilitate the release of undersized catch.
After monitoring these two events in June, the agency will evaluate the program and make decisions about additional events for the following months.
Alabama State Parks Director Greg Lein said the limited shark fishing days are in response to requests from pier anglers. “We surveyed pier anglers about their satisfaction with fishing from the pier, and many of them expressed concern that they are not able to catch other species because of the abundance of sharks near the pier. Anglers often catch sharks inadvertently and are required to cut the line when that happens. We’re offering these initial shark fishing opportunities on a trial basis,” Lein said.
Anglers interested in shark fishing on the designated dates can apply in person at the pier, by phone to the park pier management during regular business hours, or online. Applicants should be prepared to provide contact information for notification of selection to a pending managed shark fishing event. Applicants will be selected in the order in which they apply.
Additional information will be posted online. To stay current on the most up-to-date information for these events and other pier events, visit http://alapark.com/Gulf-State-Park-Fishing-and-Education-Pier
To register for participation as an angler for these Managed Shark Fishing events, visit www.alapark.com/shark-fishing or call the pier manager at (251) 967-FISH.
Alabama State Parks is a division of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The division relies on visitor fees and the support of other partners like local communities to fund the majority of their operations. To learn more, visit www.alapark.com.

I will be in town on the 26th. I have a gaff, it's sharp, and I know how to use it. I've applied for the permit, but it looks pretty "iffy" that I can get one of the 10 on the day in question. Just volunteering to be a "helper" in case I'm not a lucky one.

Now for the downer part of me....it will be our luck that neither mackerel nor sharks will be anywhere in sight on either day...kind of like when the news crew showed up back in May.

I will be down June 20th-27th

I won't apply but I look forward to watching on the 26th

Hey Guys... This is progress and we need to thank the Officials for trying this out. If things go well perhaps we will see more of this type thing. Let's not criticize this initial effort but be appreciative of it. I personally think it is intelligent to limit the number of people on the Octi for this trial run. Good luck guys...........

Originally Posted by Nimakdm

I'm assuming they are doing it on a Tuesday as it is one of the slower days, as well as why at night as it was the "safest" times to test how this all will work. I'm sure if some idiot gets himself bit it will end the trial pretty quickly. There is still liability to be worried about. It's an awesome first step. I'm torn on the locals first suggestion as it's the tourists who bring a lot of money and exposure to the area and this could just help to increase that.

It's not against tourists, as i'm a tourist, the locals/regulars with the proper gear can make this work for the rest of us. They will have failures/issues, and resolve them, then pass the knowledge on to use tourists that don't know what to expect... Say you're up for Tuesday, and you hook the 1st shark a 70" blacktip, how are you getting him measured, then harvested? I imagine going to be a bit different than sticking a gaff in a king or ling.

The locals have the best chance to put on a safe show for the powers at be. I think, this is a good move in the right direction, maybe soon it'll open up like this every tuesday or every other tuesday.

Originally Posted by eym_sirius

The rules say you have to be a member of a team of three (maximum), one fisherman and two helpers. You sure your shoulder is up for the shark-gaff challenge?

Read it again...You don't have to be a team of 3, you can if you want
"The managed shark fishing events will be limited to 10 anglers per occasion, with each having one rod and reel in use. Each angler may have two assistants, so a maximum of 30 individuals are allowed on the octagon area during these events."

You don't have to have "assistants" but you can

I'm guessing this "release pole" business is something that somebody just put in because they thought it sounded like a good idea. If they "require" each angler to have one this is not going to work.

EDIT: Maybe they'll go along with one for everybody to share, but how do you come up with one by Tuesday?

Edit2: Maybe somebody can talk them into saying "release pole OR tail rope" and let us haul them up to unhook them (of course breaking off is the easiest).

I'm an old fart, but I'll be anybody's "assistant" if they don't have two already.

Edited for dumb content.