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It was a Bull Shark.
Them buggers can get really mean and vindicative at times. But I believe, this time, it was a case of "Mistaken Identity".
There alot of fishermen on the beach that do not even think about sharks or other things that could harm them. Alot of folks that live inland or are just not educated enough, think the Seashore, does not hold alot of harmfull organisms either. If they fish in fresh water regularly, then this is an honest mistake as there isn't too many things in a lake or pond that can harm them when they are targeting a specific specie...IE: Speckeled Trout, et. al.
The helicopter view is a real eye-opening experience. There ARE many sharks and Rays(can't see them much) all around you when you wade-fish. Most of the sharks can distinguish between a "man" and a fish. When you pull a bucket of bait or bag of fish(injured by the hook, no less), they start homing in on these more then the two legs of the human toting them around. I have wade-fished the gulf and (foolishly) toted my stringer and bait bucket with me. I've had some brushes, but I was lucky. Heck, I didn't learn to shuffle till somebody told me, after I had been wade-fishing the surf for awhile. Still freaks me out how many times I've done all these things without any harm coming to me. Thank God for sure.
I cannot fault the father, by reading the reports posted, or the son for their "ignorant" fishing. Nor can I fault the shark for the "mistaken identity" either.
Those fish are only doing what their instincts tell them.
Hopefully this will be a lesson-learned for alot of people that want to or do, fish the surf. Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, and for God's sakes, don't carry your bait and stringers with you. If you must, it has to be on a longer leash, or face the consequences.
Tight Lines,
KT
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