Maine's Top Shark Fishing Charter | 8-Hour Trip

Blue Shark

Blue Shark (Prionace glauca) Fish Description

The Blue Shark, considered one of the most beautiful among the shark species, is torpedo-shaped (fusiform) which allows them to cut through the water at insane speeds. Its name comes from its body being a deep blue which slowly turns white as it reaches its underbelly. A Blue Shark’s body is counter-shaded, meaning both its top and backside are colored in a way to make sure predators don’t get it. Despite being part of a group of Apex Predators, Blue Sharks are often attacked by Killer Whales and can be bullied by dolphins.

Like all sharks, a Blue Shark has a single dorsal fin which is essential for its balance in the water. It has a pair of matching pectoral fins. Blue Sharks have a deeply forked tail fin with two anal fins at the bottom with a smaller fin on top. Near their heads, they have deep ridges that serve as their gills. They also have long snouts which they use to detect blood from vast distances. 
 

Blue Shark Diet

Blue Sharks are carnivorous but curiously prefer a more piscine diet. They love eating tuna from which they get their calcium from. Blue sharks also feast on crabs, lobsters, cuttlefish, and squid. At times, if there’s an unlucky seagull, it’ll eat that too. Their triangular teeth allow them to shred through their prey while their torpedo-shaped body is made to catch up with them.
 

Blue Shark Size

Blue Sharks can grow quite big. Male Blue Sharks can weigh 60 to 121 lbs whereas females can weigh from 205 lbs to 401 lbs. On average, a Blue Shark can grow between 7.2 ft to 10.8 ft. However, there were some cases where Blue Sharks can grow up to 12 ft.
 

Interesting Facts about the Blue Shark

• Sadly, the Blue Shark often gets a bad reputation for attacking humans because of its Great White cousin.
  • Over the years, there have been only reported 13 attacks in which 4 have been reported fatal.
• The Blue Shark, because of its curious nature, has made it susceptible to finning.
  • Finning is when anglers cut off the fins of the shark and throw the Blue Shark back into the sea, leaving them to drown to death.
    • Many organizations often tried to stop finning but to no avail. Some still illegally fish for shark's fin due to the high demand for shark’s fin in Chinese cuisine.
  • The Blue Shark is only one of the many species that get finned for Shark’s Fin Dumpling and Soup. Other species include Blacktip, Hammerhead, Porbeagle, Spinner, Mako, Sandbar, and the Bull.
• Blue Sharks are even attacked by their own cousins.
• Unlike other fish, Blue Sharks give birth to live young. They usually have 135 pups a litter, assuming they don’t cannibalize each other in the womb first.
• Blue Sharks are susceptible to parasites especially when they eat Opah or a Longnosed Lancefish.
• To tell the difference, female Blue Sharks often have a bite on their dorsal fin as a result of mating.
   

Blue Shark – Fishing Techniques: How to Fish for a Blue Shark

Blue Sharks are often caught via drift fishing. And just like movies, they use something called chum as bait. Chum is composed of different kinds of fish like mackerel, herring, squid, sardines, tuna, or any other small fish which is then mashed up until it looks like porridge. 

When setting up your line, don’t keep it too close to your ship. You don’t want a Blue Shark suddenly jumping on board! Blue Sharks especially in a frenzy and panic can still destroy things not by chomping but by going in for a body-slam using its weight. Some recommend keeping your line at least 20 feet away so that you can still lead the Blue Shark.

The matter is, a Blue Shark is still a shark. And like a shark, it’s still an apex predator. It isn’t dumb just to bite. But the presence of bloody chum (made from its favorite fish) will have it going nuts. Lead the Blue Shark carefully while keeping the line a good distance away from your boat. Once it snaps onto the bait, slowly reel it in. Make sure your line can withstand at least 200 lbs. If your line breaks, it’s either you caught a large one or you may be reeling in its much angrier cousin who won’t be pleased to find out that it’s got a hook in its jaw.
 

Blue Shark Habitat and Distribution

Like most sharks, Blue Sharks have a preference for warm to cooler waters. They usually swim around the deeper depths where they can find a feast of squid swimming around. Blue Sharks usually swim at around 1,150 ft and often migrate. Some people have sighted Blue Sharks in Norway and Chile. But most of the time, Blue Sharks can be found in places except Antarctica. These sharks have a preference for waters at room temperature – around 12 to 20 degrees Celsius (54-68 degrees Fahrenheit).

Porbeagle Shark

Porbeagle (Lamna nasus) Fish Description

The Porbeagle Shark belongs to the mackerel shark species, this includes the great white shark and salmon shark. It has a stout body and is shaped like a torpedo. It’s blue-grey in color and has a white belly underside. To easily distinguish a porbeagle, check the rear side of its first dorsal fin, you’d find a white patch that is unique to the fish.

They’re mainly found in cold the salt waters of the North Pacific, North Atlantic oceans, and the Southern Hemisphere. They’re known to be opportunistic hunters and a nuisance for some fishermen because they sometimes steal baits. It predominantly eats small to medium-sized bony fish such as bony fish and 

Interesting Facts About the Porbeagle

• The Porbeagle has a special blood vessel called, rete mirabile, which it uses to keep its body warm from the cold waters where it lives.
• Porbeagles are considered a delicacy around the world, especially in Asia.
• No one knows exactly how the name porbeagle came to be for this fish. Some say the name came from its dog-like mentality to fight when caught, hence the name beagle. 

Porbeagle Size and Speed

The porbeagle is a large fish. The biggest porbeagle shark is 11.7 feet and its average size is 4.9 to 6.6 feet. The average weight of the porbeagle is 300 lbs, and the heaviest caught was 550 lbs. 

No one knows the exact speed of the porbeagle shark, but scientists assume its speed is as close as its close relative, the mako shark, with speeds reaching up to 20 mph.

Distribution and Habitat of the Porbeagle Shark

The porbeagle prefers cold waters in the North Pacific with temperatures of 39.2° to 60.8°F. They mostly stay in the upper pelagic zone with depths of 650 feet (but sometimes they go to depths of  2600 feet). In the U.S., it’s range is from the coasts of New Jersey to South Carolina of the northwestern Atlantic.

They are a migratory species that travel in a longitudinal motion in the northern Atlantic Ocean, from South Carolina to the waters of Greenland. During the day, they’re in the deeper waters and at night they go to more shallow levels. A good time to catch them in the U.S. is during summer, where they are more seen on continental shelves, slopes, and close to inshore. The rest of the seasons, they stay more in the offshore banks. 

Porbeagle Fishing Techniques

Porbeagles are known for their power and endurance which is why they are a popular game fish among anglers. If you happen to catch one, you may even see them leaping out of the water.

As game fish, they often catch through kayak fishing and boat fishing. They can be pretty shy but pouring some chum or oily innards on the side of the boat will help you attract the shark. Fishing porbeagles is pretty simple, just pick the right spot to catch your shark and place your line down up to 30-90 feet (sometimes 300 feet or close to the bottom), then wait for the fish to take the bait.

There have been cases where anglers caught porbeagles with a fly fishing rod. In one instance, an angler named Dr. Fahey used a 14 weight rod (though the broke in half ) with a specialized hook and line. The fight almost took 2 hours but Dr. Fahey was able to catch the massive fish 198-pound shark. So you can definitely fly fish this shark if you want to go for the extreme. 

For the usual, the recommended gears are 7-10 foot rod with a 200-400 lb monoline with a 10 lb weak link to help you get to your desired depths. The heavy line is highly recommended since the skin of this shark is so abrasive that it might break the line during the fight.

A full mackerel is a common bait for porbeagles since it’s their favorite food. Other good baits are squids, herrings, cods, and pollocks.  A good spot for the hook is 10/0 to 12/0 for a large fish like the porbeagle.

Thresher Shark

Thresher Shark (Alopias vulpinus) Fish Description

The Thresher Shark is a popular saltwater gamefish that is mainly found in the open oceans. It is blue-grey in color and it is known for its long tail that can be as long as its body. It is part of the mackerel family, large species of sharks that includes the Great White Shark. 

The thresher shark is a carnivorous fish that feeds on a variety of prey – from smaller fishes like mackerel, bluefish, herring, and needlefish to predatory fishes like the lancetfish. They even eat deep-dwelling fish like the lantern fish. They also feed on invertebrates such as squids and crustaceans like crabs. 

Interesting Facts About the Thresher Shark 

• They’re a sight to see with their long tails and are known to sometimes leap out of the water.
• Thresher sharks use their long long tails to whip to stun their prey and then eat them. The whip-like motion is so strong that it is believed to separate oxygen and hydrogen in the water. The estimated force of their attack is 50mph.
• They are mostly solitary fishes but they would sometimes congregate to prey on schools of fish to increase their hunting chances.

Thresher Shark Size and Speed

The thresher shark is a large apex predator and is prized for its fighting prowess, making it one of the best fish to catch as an angler. They burst at speeds of 30 mph and are estimated to get as big as 20 feet long and weigh 1120 lbs. The average size of this large fish is 16 feet and weighs 510 lbs.

Habitat and Distribution of the Common Thresher Shark

The common thresher shark thrives in the pelagic waters of continental shelves, around 40 - 50 miles away from shore with depths of shallow waters up to 2100 feet but sometimes inshore waters too. They prefer temperatures of 60-70°F.

They are highly migratory species and are scatted around the world. In North America, they migrate from north to south. They can be found in both the western Atlantic and the eastern Pacific oceans. Fishing spots are in the Gulf of California, New York, Vancouver Islands, Washington, Oregon, and as far as the Hawaiian Islands. The best time to catch them in California is during late spring to fall and late summer in Washington.

Fishing Strategies for the Common Thresher Shark

The thresher shark is a rare powerful fish that is sought after by anglers. There are different ways to catch the common thresher shark. The common ways are trolling or cast and reel. Through fish trolling, set the lure to sink between 25-50 feet (use a 16 oz. sinker to get to these depths). Look for bait balls where the shark might be hunting and slowly let your boat drift around 2-4 knots and wait for a bite. You can also fish from inshore via the cast and reel method with the same techniques.

Recommended equipment for this strong fish is a  heavy rod from 12-15 weight and is 7 ½ to 8 feet in length with 50 to 80 lb braid. Thresher sharks have small mouths and teeth despite being large fishes, so use strong 8/0 hooks with 8-10 feet leader of multiple braids to prevent the line from breaking. 

The usual baits for the common thresher sharks are mackerel or sardines. For lures, anglers have had success using marlin lures.