Extreme Kayak Shark Fishing pt 2, a LULU of a Blacktip Shark

Gus & I go kayak fishing in the 10,000 islands of south Florida, and I hook a good-sized blacktip shark. This video was done with a helmet cam, and it gives you the perspective of being in the cockpit of the 22"-wide sea kayak, as though you were catching the shark yourself. Be sure to watch all 3 parts - it gets better as it continues. All 3 segments will take a whole 15 minutes out of your life - I think it'll be worth it. Please leave comments, but understand... the PETA stuff will be deleted.

One of my concerns, is that beginning kayak fishers will read the reports that I write, watch the You Tube videos, etc., and get the impression that this is an established sport, and that anyone with a kayak and a fishing rod can go out and do it. I do not mean to give that impression.

Fishing for shark, tarpon, amberjack, cobia, etc. from kayaks is NOT for the uninitiated. There are real risks, and real dangers involved. Sure, it's exciting, but it is "extreme kayak fishing".

When you go after these species and other large species, you are dealing with an apex predator that is capable of putting a real hurt on you when things go wrong. You need to know the risks, and be prepared... and even then, things can still go wrong. If you are thinking about doing extreme kayak fishing, then you need to understand that you are taking the risks upon yourself. I understand that, and accept that.

I am not new to kayaking. I have been kayaking for about 15 years, and have experienced extreme conditions of wind, waves, weather, and currents. I am fairly new to kayak fishing - only the last few years - but I bring my years of kayaking experience to the sport of kayak fishing.

Any kayak fisher, fishing in any water, can encounter dangers. There is a lot to take into account when you are fishing from a kayak. You place yourself in a foreign environment when you are floating on a tiny boat out in open waters. You have lines that can entangle you, and you have hooks that can impale you. Even in fresh water, there are fish that can stab you with their fins & cause serious infections. In salt water, you have that, and toothy critters, and stinging critters, plus the possibility of large fish jumping on you - big enough to break bones. These are all real dangers.

Wear a pfd. Have a knife handy to free yourself from entanglement, or to cut away from something that is too much to deal with. Have a first aid kit close at hand, including ways to stop bleeding, and some pliers capable of cutting hooks. If you don't have a VHF radio, or at the very least, a waterproof pouch for your cell phone, get one. Fish with a buddy - that's what kayak fishing forums are all about.

I take some risks - but I am responsible for my own risks. I am not responsible for yours. Before I inspire anyone to go out there and try to duplicate some of the things that I do, you need to have a clear understanding of what is involved - what you might be getting yourself into. Extreme kayak fishing is NOT for everybody.

Here are links to some popular kayak fishing forums - they are all free to join:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SWFLPCKFG/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PCkfc/ (Naples, Fl area)

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Orlando... (Orlando, FL area)

http://www.jaxkayakfishing.com/ (Jacksonville, FL area)

http://z9.invisionfree.com/Williamsbu... (Williamsburg, VA area)

Don

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• action
• water
• sport
• extreme
• kayak
• fishing
• blacktip
• shark
• 10
• 000
• islands
• Everglades
• Florida
• Camp

[JuggernautTactical]

Nice work i do the same here in tampa bay, just got a 5ft black tip sun. If i keep them i pull them on my lap cut the spine and gut them, i use a sit on top and its more pretty stable. I need to get a camera and make some vids

[woodkayaker]

@JuggernautTactical -  Sounds good! When you make your video, please send me a link! - Don

[roughneck10000]

I kayak fish for sharks off the coast of Texas. Loved the video and it would be interesting if you ever hooked into a 12' tiger, or 14' hammer haha. You're lucky that you live in Flordia for the great sharking!

[woodkayaker]

@roughneck10000 - No - never anything that big. Last week I caught a 7' lemon shark, and that was exciting enough for me! - Don

[flamingarrows100]

what action pole do you have and what pound test are you using also how big is your reel

[woodkayaker]

The reel is an old Penn 650 - over 20 years old. 7 1/2' medium-heavy action Mitchell rod - same age. I used 30 lb. Power Pro braid line, and a single-strand 40 lb. test wire leader, with a fairly large circle hook - I think it was a #8? It did what a circle hook is supposed to do - hooked him right in the corner of the mouth. I set the drag light, and used my hand on the reel to slow him down at first. After he tired, I set the drag a bit heavier.

[21stcenturykayaks]

Yes - I was using the Oregon Scientific ATC2k. They have improved on the model recently with the ATC3K. The picture quality is the same, but now it can take a 4 gig SD memory card instead of being limited to 2 gig. These are very inexpensive cameras, and they are waterproof. Oregon Scientific claims that you can snorkel with it (good for your videos - I watched your smiling grouper!), but I haven't tried that.

[Axmanjacks]

Do u have a head-cam or something?