This summer will be my first time yakking in the Charleston area and I plan on putting in at Cherry Point. From all I have read, there is a plethora of good eating fin fish; Reds, Trout, Sheeps, etc. but it seems like there are quite a few sharks caught off of Deveaux Banks and around what I assume is Deveaux Island.
My question for all you long time yakkers in Charleston is, are the sharks good to eat? I have read in other forums where they are comparing which sharks are the best to eat. I have never tried chowing down on a shark but hey, I’ll try anything once.
I would like to hear from experienced paddlers or non paddlers who have savoured shark.
thanx, saltykayak
I like to eat shark. Take a hacksaw and cut the shark up into 1 inch steaks. Next, with your fillet knife, cut the skin off from around the steak. Grill with lemon and butter.
Make sure you will have an incoming tide for your return trip to the boat landing. The current is too strong to fight all the way back.
J-16 Carolina Skiff
I’ve never really cared for the taste of it. Lots of people enjoy it though and they’re relatively easy to catch. Makos are supposed to taste really good. There are no consuption regulations on sharks right now, so they are safe to eat. Just make sure your catch is legal and that you’ve properly identified your catch. Many sharks look very similiar in our waters.
Spiny and smooth dogfish sharks–can’t keep any
Bonnet head shark–keep one per person per day any size.
There is a group that you can only keep one over 54" and a group that you are not allowed to keep at all.
You’ll have to print out the regulations and familiarize yourself with them. That’s the only way to be legal and to make a proper idenification on your catch.
http://www.dnr.sc.gov/regulations.html Click on “saltwater fishing”
2005 236 Sailfish
225 Yamaha 4-stroke
Looks like I’ll need to beef up on knowing what type of sharks frequent our waters nearshore. Good to know, and a little surprising, that sharks seem to be more protected than many of the finfish species. They don’t seem to be rare… just protected.
saltykayak
A true warrior does not fight because he hates what is in front of him,
a true warrior fights because he loves what is behind him.
I think the main reason for the protection is that sharks give live birth to their pups. They don’t spawn and release millions of eggs like most fish. once read that the female tiger shark usually only has one pup. It is the sole survivor of the original litter, having eaten all of its siblings in the womb. Survival of the fittest!
OC
Sandtiger sharks give birth to one pup at a time. Tigers on the other hand can birth as many as 70 at a shot.
If you are fishig with light tackle you’ll likely encounter mostly Atlantic Sharpnose, Bonnetheads and smaller blacktips and spinners.
Our waters carry a large quantity of Lemons,Bulls and Tigers in the summer months especially. The others that are common, but not caught as readily are Hammerheads (mostly smooth and scalloped), silkies, duskies and sandbars ( or browns).
The large coastal sharks are on the list of one per boat per day. You can take 2 sharpies if you are inside of 3 miles. One bonnet is the limit, however it is permissable to keep the bonnets and sharpies under the 54" fork.
Duskies, once very prevalent on the beaches in the late summer, early fall are now protected and hard to find. I’ve hooked 2 in the last 6-7 years. We used to see them all the time back in the mid-80’s. Browns ( or Sandbars) are increasingly less common as well. These two species were highly overfished by the commercial industry in the 80’s. The Brown is relished for it’s oversized first and second dorsal fins.
Shark of all kinds is very flavorful if prepped and cared for correctly. Greek, italian and various vinegarrette dressings are often used to marinate the steaks or chunks in. It’s very good chunked and deep fried as we do regularly.
Thought this was interesting
95 Scout 172 Dorado
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