Shark Fishing in Nova Scotia

[Truck_1_0_1_]

So Nate asked what fish we have in Southern Ontario and after going off on a fishing tangent in JN lol, I thought to post my most-recent charter (I try to go on one, every vacation I take), which I took on my 2 week vacation, driving in Eastern Canada: Blue Shark fishing!

The day starts at 6:00 am, catch bait around 6:30 (we caught 20 Macks and 3 Pollock in about 4-5 minutes, with just a handline; our captain knew the spot perfectly):

   

Then, we get to the shark grounds around 8:00ish and out goes the chum bucket/pieces of fish. While we waited for the sharks to come, I did some ground fishing and caught 2 Acadian Rosefish (a type of Rockfish, similar to Ocean Perch/Snapper) on one drop:

   

On the second drop, we get the first shark and the rod that I used had a metal butt, so without a harness, it dug into my gut/crotch area (not the sensitive parts lol) and had a wicked bruise for 13 days after this. After a good 7-minute fight or so, she comes aboard, the second-biggest Blue Shark of the day and a beautiful female:

   

She was tagged, measured and released, then a card is filled out, in order to track and study the sharks (it is illegal keep a shark in Canada, once caught) and mailed back to the research facility in the States (captain works with the US, in studying them).

[Truck_1_0_1_]

Not 5 minutes after that one, another comes in. A much-quicker fight and the smallest shark of the day, a Porbeagle:

   

Tagged and released and then I mention to the Captain that the rod is killing me () and he switches it to a softer butt. I catch another Blue, another Porbeagle (no pics) and then another, smaller Blue, but still great:

   

This one, I was able to hook myself, so that was great (I typically hook everything myself, but the Captain was adamant that he hook most of them, as the hooks are barbless and it's difficult to do it quickly-enough) and on the day, I hooked 5 of the 10 sharks caught.

 A few more come in (all tagged and released, not going to post the pic of each one) and we're looking for shark #10, so I'm playing around with a piece of cut cod on a spinning rod. I get a strike and this thing is pulling me to death. I almost lost the rod 3 times during the fight and after fighting 9 sharks for about 6 hours, I'm exhausted at this point, so the fight lasted almost 15 minutes, but mercifully, it's landed, measured and tagged; the biggest of the day, a 107 pound male, Blue Shark:

   

After releasing, we call it a day and have a nice, slow trip back into Halifax(ish) lol. It was a wonderful day on the water and not only was the fishing spectacular, we had an awesome captain, his mate was a student at Dalhousie University (Halifax's Uni), who is an Italian chick from 20 minutes south of where I currently live/north of where my wife and I used to live, so it was just fantastic from top to bottom.

Sharks are beautiful creatures and they all deserve the utmost respect and ethical treatment (the amount of loose/broken hooks and parasites we removed from them was insane), so now they can continue to be studied and watched, as they are a key indicator for an ecosystem's health (like frogs are).

Blast of a day!

[XenoMorph]

so you cant keep/eat any sharks you catch?

Also porbeagle is cute. looks just like in the game i played. lol


Havent been fishing in a long time but one of the last times was shark fishing off the coast of South Carolina. Fun times. we caught 3-4 blacktips which i believe 2 were big enough to bring home and cook. (boat crew broke down the sharks for us) also a hammer head and a bonnet head. but we returned them both

but it looks like you had a great time... Fishing is fun.. Catching is better

[Truck_1_0_1_]

(08-12-2021, 04:32 PM)XenoMorph Wrote: so you cant keep/eat any sharks you catch?

Also porbeagle is cute. looks just like in the game i played. lol


Havent been fishing in a long time but one of the last times was shark fishing off the coast of South Carolina. Fun times. we caught 3-4 blacktips which i believe 2 were big enough to bring home and cook. (boat crew broke down the sharks for us) also a hammer head and a bonnet head. but we returned them both

but it looks like you had a great time... Fishing is fun.. Catching is better

Tell me about it!

And yeah, illegal to keep a shark in Canadian Waters. Mind you, there was no Coast Guard out that day, but if there was and we came back in with a fish, you bet there would've been a hefty fine.

I bet those blacktips and the Hammerhead fought super-tough!

[XenoMorph]

(08-12-2021, 04:56 PM)Truck_1_0_1_ Wrote: Tell me about it!

And yeah, illegal to keep a shark in Canadian Waters. Mind you, there was no Coast Guard out that day, but if there was and we came back in with a fish, you bet there would've been a hefty fine.

I bet those blacktips and the Hammerhead fought super-tough!

yeah they were ruff especially since we were youngings at the time...  They were maybe 3-5 footers though so nothing huge. just big enough though...   i remember we had a Huge line with a Huge chunk of meat on it.  But nothing came for that one.

[Truck_1_0_1_]

(08-12-2021, 05:07 PM)XenoMorph Wrote: yeah they were ruff especially since we were youngings at the time...  They were maybe 3-5 footers though so nothing huge. just big enough though...   i remember we had a Huge line with a Huge chunk of meat on it.  But nothing came for that one.

Shit, that sucks

They're super-smart and at the same time, super-gullible lol

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

SWEET TRUCK!!!

Those are some nice Blue Sharks, never heard of Porbeagle Sharks before and those Acadian Rosefish are cool looking.

Looks like a great time!

Hope others come into this thread with some cool pics or at least fishing tales as we all have them lol

I did catch a 7 foot White Sturgeon on the Snake River, sounds big but they catch them there all the time.

[Truck_1_0_1_]

(08-12-2021, 06:17 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: SWEET TRUCK!!!

Those are some nice Blue Sharks, never heard of Porbeagle Sharks before and those Acadian Rosefish are cool looking.

Looks like a great time!

Hope others come into this thread with some cool pics or at least fishing tales as we all have them lol

I did catch a 7 foot White Sturgeon on the Snake River, sounds big but they catch them there all the time.

Such a blast!

The biggest fish I ever caught was a 161 pound Sailfish in Costa Rica (it was the width of the boat) and it didn't even pull nearly hard, for as long, as that last shark did. They just pull and pull!

As I mentioned in your rep, I REALLY want to catch a nice Sturgeon; the place to get them around me, is a 5 hour drive east, in Quebec, otherwise, have to go more north!

[BengalHawk62]

Nice!  Looks like you had a hell of a good day on the water.  Not gonna lie, kinda jealous.     Glad you had a great time.  Those were cool pictures. 

Biggest fish I ever caught was a 13 or 14 lb Northern up on Lac Seul in Ontario.  That was my first trip to Canada to go fishing.  Best fishing I've ever had.  You could literally throw the circus out of the boat and expect a fish to bite every cast.  Beautiful, peaceful, and whole lotta fun.  

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(08-12-2021, 06:29 PM)Truck_1_0_1_ Wrote: Such a blast!

The biggest fish I ever caught was a 161 pound Sailfish in Costa Rica (it was the width of the boat) and it didn't even pull nearly hard, for as long, as that last shark did. They just pull and pull!

As I mentioned in your rep, I REALLY want to catch a nice Sturgeon; the place to get them around me, is a 5 hour drive east, in Quebec, otherwise, have to go more north!

Sailfish in Costa Rica, damn that's cool man.

Oh I never check to see what people say when giving me rep, will have to now or at least more often. Sturgeon fight really hard, 
even if they aren't big around, they know how to use their fins in the current and fights last sometimes more than a couple hours 
with the big ones especially if you are on shore. If you have a boat and your driver knows how to maneuver you can catch one 
MUCH quicker. I brought my 7 footer in in about 15 minutes and my Uncle who was the guide and catches 100's of sturgeon a 
year said it was record time.

We have White Sturgeon more on the middle of the Snake away from the coast and Black Sturgeon on the Columbia River by the 
coast that I want to fish for someday. Too bad you cannot eat them down here, they are supposed to be fantastic eats! The best.

We were tempted when we caught some really small sturgeon about 18 inches that same day to take one home but nah.

Same with sharks, the fine isn't worth it if you get caught, never is.

[Truck_1_0_1_]

(08-12-2021, 06:38 PM)BengalHawk62 Wrote: Nice!  Looks like you had a hell of a good day on the water.  Not gonna lie, kinda jealous.     Glad you had a great time.  Those were cool pictures. 

Biggest fish I ever caught was a 13 or 14 lb Northern up on Lac Seul in Ontario.  That was my first trip to Canada to go fishing.  Best fishing I've ever had.  You could literally throw the circus out of the boat and expect a fish to bite every cast.  Beautiful, peaceful, and whole lotta fun.  

We really are spoiled up here, it's one massive benefit for the outdoorsman, living in Canada. Literally, unless you live is REALLY southwestern-Ontario (between Windsor and London), where you really only have Lake Erie (which is still great! lol), there isn't a single big/medium city in Canada, that isn't a short drive away from multiple lakes and rivers.

Hell, northern-Quebec and Labrador is literally, something like 90% uninhabited and is just pure lakes, rivers, wilderness, completely off the grid: if you had a float plane, you could literally fly to dozens of lakes that have never seen more than a handful of fisherman a year (if they've EVER seen a single fisherman), within an hour.

Nobody does of course, because it's costly and potentially dangerous, but it's possible.

I'm super-glad you had a wonderful time up here

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lac_Seul

Wow! That's far north! About a 20-hour drive north (or more) from me.

(08-12-2021, 06:39 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: Sailfish in Costa Rica, damn that's cool man.

Oh I never check to see what people say when giving me rep, will have to now or at least more often. Sturgeon fight really hard, 
even if they aren't big around, they know how to use their fins in the current and fights last sometimes more than a couple hours 
with the big ones especially if you are on shore. If you have a boat and your driver knows how to maneuver you can catch one 
MUCH quicker. I brought my 7 footer in in about 15 minutes and my Uncle who was the guide and catches 100's of sturgeon a 
year said it was record time.

We have White Sturgeon more on the middle of the Snake away from the coast and Black Sturgeon on the Columbia River by the 
coast that I want to fish for someday. Too bad you cannot eat them down here, they are supposed to be fantastic eats! The best.

We were tempted when we caught some really small sturgeon about 18 inches that same day to take one home but nah.

Same with sharks, the fine isn't worth it if you get caught, never is.

I agree; fines are never worth the risk. Sturgeon indeed has some places where it's beloved, but you'd never be able to find it here. You CAN eat White Sturgeon in some spots, but I'm not sure. Caviar though, I go nuts for

That's quite a feat! 15 minutes for that big? AND from shore? Just incredible, Nate!

The sail, btw, is this guy:

   

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(08-12-2021, 07:50 PM)Truck_1_0_1_ Wrote: We really are spoiled up here, it's one massive benefit for the outdoorsman, living in Canada. Literally, unless you live is REALLY southwestern-Ontario (between Windsor and London), where you really only have Lake Erie (which is still great! lol), there isn't a single big/medium city in Canada, that isn't a short drive away from multiple lakes and rivers.

Hell, northern-Quebec and Labrador is literally, something like 90% uninhabited and is just pure lakes, rivers, wilderness, completely off the grid: if you had a float plane, you could literally fly to dozens of lakes that have never seen more than a handful of fisherman a year (if they've EVER seen a single fisherman), within an hour.

Nobody does of course, because it's costly and potentially dangerous, but it's possible.

I'm super-glad you had a wonderful time up here

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lac_Seul

Wow! That's far north! About a 20-hour drive north (or more) from me.


I agree; fines are never worth the risk. Sturgeon indeed has some places where it's beloved, but you'd never be able to find it here. You CAN eat White Sturgeon in some spots, but I'm not sure. Caviar though, I go nuts for

That's quite a feat! 15 minutes for that big? AND from shore? Just incredible, Nate!

The sail, btw, is this guy:

That is a beautiful Sailfish, just beautiful.

Sure sounds like a cool place, might have to go there some day and do some fishing.

BTW, I didn't catch my Sturg from the shore, had my uncle maneuver the boat which helped big time. Wish I was THAT good.

Sturgeons are just too damn smart. My 7 footer was probably around 60-70 years old and has been caught multiple times.

They live to be 200+. Wise fish.

[Truck_1_0_1_]

(08-13-2021, 01:37 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: That is a beautiful Sailfish, just beautiful.

Sure sounds like a cool place, might have to go there some day and do some fishing.

BTW, I didn't catch my Sturg from the shore, had my uncle maneuver the boat which helped big time. Wish I was THAT good.

Sturgeons are just too damn smart. My 7 footer was probably around 60-70 years old and has been caught multiple times.

They live to be 200+. Wise fish.

Ah, I gotcha.

All of the prehistoric, Cartilaginous species are super-smart and wise; they wouldn't have lived on this Earth as long, if they weren't super-smart!

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(08-13-2021, 10:26 PM)Truck_1_0_1_ Wrote: Ah, I gotcha.

All of the prehistoric, Cartilaginous species are super-smart and wise; they wouldn't have lived on this Earth as long, if they weren't super-smart!

That is why catching Sturgeon is so cool. They are just different than other fish.

[Interceptor]

A Porbeagle looks like a baby Mako.

After you teach me to football, please teach me to shark.

[*Nate (formerly eliminate08)*]

(08-14-2021, 03:55 PM)Interceptor Wrote: A Porbeagle looks like a baby Mako.

After you teach me to football, please teach me to shark.

Wouldn't want one of those little Porbeagle's to get ahold of my foot, that is for damn sure.

[Truck_1_0_1_]

(08-14-2021, 03:55 PM)Interceptor Wrote: A Porbeagle looks like a baby Mako.

After you teach me to football, please teach me to shark.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamnidae

Same family and also the same as a White Shark

[Sled21]

As someone who used to dive, I have always been amazed at the number of screwed up looking fish in the ocean. There are some very nasty looking creatures down there.

[Tiger Teeth]

(08-12-2021, 06:29 PM)Truck_1_0_1_ Wrote: Such a blast!

The biggest fish I ever caught was a 161 pound Sailfish in Costa Rica (it was the width of the boat) and it didn't even pull nearly hard, for as long, as that last shark did. They just pull and pull!

As I mentioned in your rep, I REALLY want to catch a nice Sturgeon; the place to get them around me, is a 5 hour drive east, in Quebec, otherwise, have to go more north!

Just saw this man.  How the hell are you ya' damn Canuck?  

I haven't crossed paths with you in ages.  How is everything going dude?

[Truck_1_0_1_]

(08-20-2021, 08:28 AM)Tiger Teeth Wrote: Just saw this man.  How the hell are you ya' damn Canuck?  

I haven't crossed paths with you in ages.  How is everything going dude?

All is well, TT! I'm just working away, enjoying my summer going for drives and little things with my wife, tending to my garden, watching sports (Jays, Olympics and Bengals) and going fishing whenever I can.

Hadn't had a vacation since 2019, so this was much-needed (even though I drove 8,500+ KMs on the trip {5281 miles, roughly}, so didn't, "rest," as much ), but other than this, my life has been mainly status-quo.

Keeping my head up and doing my best! :)