Sevengill sharks do not get the notoriety that pelagic big-toothed sharks seem to attract, but I could easily be convinced that they deserve a larger share of worry and attention.
I don’t catch many in our local waters, but I have been mightily impressed with the ones I’ve encountered.
Last week I had a charter group out fishing on my WaveWalker, and we decided to fish a kelp spot down the coast in about 25 feet of water not very far from the beach.
Calico bass were aggressively whacking our live anchovies and plastic swimbaits, and everyone was having a total blast catching fish, letting most of them go but keeping a few for the dinner table.
My crew, Capt. Tiffany, decided to add some potential by hooking up a live mackerel on a 65-pound class rod & reel and soak the big bait near the bottom while we kept on catching calico bass with our lighter rods and reels.
After 20 minutes, the sound of our fun was pierced by what sounded like an angry screaming eagle as the drag and clicker systems on our heavier outfit came to life and put pressure on a big fish.
The rod was bent mercilessly, and I handed it to a charter passenger, who put his back into it and barely managed a standoff. I watched the battle and crossed off potential species.
It didn’t fight like a halibut or a white seabass, and it definitely didn’t display the fighting characteristics of a yellowtail. The remaining possibility, based on the fight was a big bottom shark.
When that brown spotted and mottled skin pattern came to color after an intense battle, I asked the passenger if he wanted to eat that big tasty shark, and he said yes because he was taking meat back to the desert to feed his large family. We gaffed the critter, and it took two of us to haul the 5-foot shark aboard.
Knowing how an angry sevengill behaves, I had already moved everyone well out of the way, and I was glad I did because this one took over the cockpit of the boat, writhing and twisting and snapping its jaws at anything and everything, including itself.
Like every sevengill I’ve ever caught, this one twisted into such a tight circle that it ended up with its own tail in its mouth and chomped down hard. I could actually see the look of surprise in its eyes as it bit down on its own tail.
I think it just served to anger the shark even more, and it almost took off its tail with a set of teeth that resembles a band saw powered by a wildly thrashing head that just wants to bite something and tear it apart.
It was a good half-hour before I allowed Capt. Tiffany to handle that shark. Then she deftly steaked it out into delicious-looking inch and a half steaks of white meat. That shark was going to provide some tasty dinners.
— Capt. David Bacon operates WaveWalker Charters and is president of SOFTIN Inc., a nonprofit organization providing seafaring opportunities for those in need. Visit softininc.blogspot.com to learn more about the organization and how you can help. Click here to read previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.
