When Sharks Arrive, Part 2

In Part 1 we gave a brief overview of some common sharks on the flats and how anglers are likely to encounter them. But what happens should you actually find yourself standing in the water with one?

This situation is most likely for anglers wading in calf-deep water for bonefish. It’s happened to me dozens of times and in areas like the Bahamas, seeing sharks is the rule, not the exception. Once the bones start getting hooked, their main predators will inevitably become quite active. A struggling bonefish on the end of a fly line is dead meat once a blacktip or lemon shark gets on its tail. This is also when a wading angler can definitely be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The most obvious thing to do is to break off the bonefish by slamming your palm against the reel to stop the spool. If the bone is not too exhausted it will actually have a fighting chance.

If the shark does succeed, and they often do, you’ll wind up landing what the Bahamian guides call “a nice bonehead, Mon,“ and have a tasty plume of blood in the water. Inevitably, more sharks are going to show up quickly. At this point, if the bonefish are still around, you’d be wise to consider not casting for a while. Each hooked fish will have a very short lifespan when a several of three foot blacktips are on the scene.

In my experience, sharks are just as quick to leave the scene once the scent trail has dispersed. Depending on the flat and its currents this could only take a couple minutes. If they insist on hanging around, the boat or shore is where you want to be for a while.

In rare cases, a shark will start paying a little too much attention to a wading angler, even if it can’t find a struggling bonefish. Just like they tell you to do with bears in the woods, don’t run. Splashing is not a good thing at this point. Stand your ground and keep your eyes glued to the fish. They do not see you as a food source. If they’re calmly swimming circles around your spot they are merely investigating you as an unknown object and will soon move away. If the shark’s body language is rather erratic, quick zigzags and changes of direction, that’s a more ominous sign. Should they come within a rod’s length then it’s time to react. A quick slap on the shark’s nose is almost always enough to send them fleeing. If that doesn’t work, use the butt end of the rod and reel and jam down hard on the shark’s head. I’ve personally had to resort to this on one occasion with a four foot lemon shark and that was all it took. At the time this happened I was covered in bonefish slime and made myself a confusing target to the fish.

Realistically, an angler’s chances of getting attacked by a shark are so slim it’s barely worth considering. Heatstroke is a far more serious threat while fishing on a tropical flat but not nearly as much fun to read about. Sharks on the flats are a sign of a healthy ecosystem and should be appreciated, not feared. At the same time, giving them the respect they deserve will prevent the one-in-a-million chance that your calf muscle will become part of the food chain.