Traditionally, we sure do spot a lot of blue sharks in November and December. They frequently come nosing around the boat when we are catching rockfish such as yummy red snapper and copper rockfish.
Those sharks like to chase the fish and try to bite them off our hooks.
I’ve had photographers go in the water to photograph them. Even when in the water with them, a swimmer or diver has relatively little to worry about.
Blue sharks aren’t known to be particularly aggressive with a healthy strong person. They are not a big-tooth shark species, so their dentures are not as fearful as some of their relatives.
We are blessed to have a good population of these phantoms of the sea in our local waters, with some years being better than others. They are pelagic and not always here, meaning they are abundant but not always locally available.
We spot them year-round, though their population peaks in the summer and fall when they are often seen at top water. I’ve seen big ones that were close to 300 pounds. Most are 60 to 180 pounds.
Blue sharks are mature enough to reproduce at four or five years of age, and they make dozens of babies per year when things are going right for them. They are a prolific shark.
It is fun to catch and release blue sharks. Their meat is not among the better-quality sharks such as thresher and mako, so most folks release blues. They are tough critters and have a very high survival rate after being released.
Sight fishing is fairly easy. Chum will keep the big predator close while a rig is readied and baited up. Then lower the bait a few feet down and stay ready for action.
Another popular method is to use a chum bucket to keep a steady chum line going. The best chum material contains plenty of blood and meat like ground up mackerel, to make for a juicy and alluring chum line.
Drift with the chum bucket releasing a steady stream of shark-goodies. Be careful though, because a chum slick that may also attract big-toothed sharks such as mako or whites.
The hook should be at least 7/0 in size and the leader should be steel. Bait up a heavy rig with lots of meat such as mackerel or multiple anchovies.
Drop the baits about 20 yards down-drift, put the reel in gear and the drag set loose. When a shark picks up the offering, tighten the drag and set that hook hard.
Then, hang on because things are about to get interesting.