by Jason Martin

Created on: April 05, 2009

Finding the perfect fishing grounds takes many considerations. Of course, many times you might have limited choices. In these times, any pier, pond, beach or other body of water will do. It's amazing what you might catch from the most unexpected places.

On the other hand, when you have choices, you can make a more intelligent decision. First, you might consider the target fish that you would like to catch. That gives you some idea of the area, depth and temperature to find. Your resources of a boat, pier, beach or other locations might also play into this.

Once you have the location in mind, then you want to consider the fine points such as weather, moon phase and the abundance of bait fish. All these will improve your chances of finding the catch that you desire. Now, let's think about the other predators... Sharks. They are also going to be attracted to the same prime areas that you are, and for the same reasons; the abundance of fish.

Sharks are natural predators and a necessary part of the ecosystem. They usually feed on the slow and ailing fish, which are easiest to catch. The assures the continuation of the species through the process of natural selection. Slow and ailing fish get eaten while the fit and fastest survive for another day.

What happens when you are hooked up to that prize catch that you have been looking for and a shark targets the fish while it's on your line? To the Shark, this is a great opportunity. You are slowing the fish down, making it easier to catch. The wild nature of a hooked fish only makes it more attractive to the Shark. The vibrations of a fighting fish can be felt through the water for long distances by Sharks, and the attraction of any blood in the water is legendary. In many cases, once a Shark targets your fish, you have no options and only moments to contemplate.

Offshore fishing with light tackle can be exciting, but it also invites more losses to Sharks. Off Southern California, the annual summer migration of Albacore Tuna is a great opportunity for some light tackle fin. Fishing 25-50 pound Albacore on 15-20 pound test tackle can be a real test of skills. These fish can rip off a 100 yard initial run like nothing. Unfortunately, using such light tackle makes for a longer fight. Once the fish is beginning to fatigue it slows down and becomes an easy target for the "Man in the Grey Suit", Mr. Shark. Many a nice Albacore head has been brought to the boat after losing the good parts to the Shark after a 30 minute fight.

What can you do? Not much. If a large number of Sharks move in, you might consider moving to another area, as the feeding frenzy will surely chase away your game fish. If you've lost a single fish to a Shark, perhaps you just continue on an consider it the price of competition. It's a fact of nature. Mr. Shark has to eat too.

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