Last Wednesday night we set out to try and catch a tarpon. My son has been after me all summer and we just have not caught the right break in the weather and tides when we were able to go. While we did not catch any tarpon, we did hook into some nice size sharks, that we all were happy to let my son bring to the boat. While I watched him reeling and fighting the sharks, I was reminded of when he was a little guy and would fight the shark until he could not longer finish the deal and I would give him a hand getting it to the boat.
What I realized thinking back on his early days and watching him the other night, was just how much he has learned when it comes to fighting a fish. No longer is he reeling as the drag is going off or dropping the rod tip down, throwing slack in the line. He has learned to properly work the fish with precision and how to handle the rod when the fish gets close to the boat.
The great thing about sharks here in our area is that there are always plenty around in the inshore waters and kids have a great time catching them. They also provide some great practice for kids and adults that are not accustomed to catching larger stronger fish. Now through the end of the summer and into early fall is a great time to go out and target sharks in our area. Normally a little live bait fished around any of the area inlets will produce some great size sharks to hone your skills.
Andy Pickett
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