# Sharks in Close



## jagarcia10 (Mar 10, 2011)

Sucks to hear about the kid who just got bit today. Hope he makes a full recover. Im sure most of you know that sharks are in the water but I figure I'd post this for the ones that didn't know just how close they are.

Took this video this past weekend while we were shark fishing in Matagorda.






They were in pretty close chasing mullet. We must have caught at least 3 or 4 in the 5ft range on casted baits just over the first sandbar about 40 yards from the beach. My buddies saw a few more busting bait 15 yards off the beach.

Pic of a 5.5ft bull shark's grill. Clearly if a shark was attacking it could hack off a leg no problem.


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## texastony (Jun 14, 2012)

that video was amazing man..


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## cobra_steven (Jun 2, 2010)

Yep! Sounds like its time to start cleaning up the Senators... I hear a lot of sharks being caught too...


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## Lagunapadre (Nov 10, 2011)

That video was Sargent beach from Cedar Lake north to the Brazos all day Saturday.I just couldn't believe all the sharks I saw and caught.


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## sharkchum (Feb 10, 2012)

I was down by Cedar lakes Sunday and saw 4 within 50 yards of each other with there backs out of the water running mullet.


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## jagarcia10 (Mar 10, 2011)

Seems like that's the case all up and down the Texas coast. Good for fisherman, not so good for swimmers. Just had me thinking, if we can see them when the water is that murky. Imagine how many we would be able to see if the water was like it is in Florida.


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## HuntinforTail (Mar 29, 2011)

Awesome video and picture what. Whenever I catch a bull they seem to have their teeth all retracted. Very cool pic of his chompers.


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## fishNwithfish (Aug 17, 2011)

Man I would love to catch a bull that big when I come down to galveston in july.


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## Greatwhite (Mar 28, 2011)

That fish looks familiar. Lol

Like joe said, sharks were in close but a lot of that is also due to water clarity. When it's coffee brown, always keep your eyes peeled in close, especially when you're practically stepping on mullet in shin deep water


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## ElTiburon (May 1, 2005)

Yep, horse mullet were going ape tish in the wade gut saturday evening. several 4-6'ers were caught on casted mullet in the 1st gut.
Nice vid!


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## jagarcia10 (Mar 10, 2011)

Greatwhite said:


> That fish looks familiar. Lol
> 
> Like joe said, sharks were in close but a lot of that is also due to water clarity. When it's coffee brown, always keep your eyes peeled in close, especially when you're practically stepping on mullet in shin deep water


Yea that's definatly not my paws in the pic.


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## FishBurd27 (Sep 18, 2012)

wow that hand is close to that mouth.. just saying.


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## Sharkhunter (May 22, 2004)

I caught a snapper in close one time.


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## Fish-a-mon (May 21, 2004)

Of all the sharks we have in the water there has only been 38 recorded shark bites off the Texas coast


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## Greatwhite (Mar 28, 2011)

FishBurd27 said:


> wow that hand is close to that mouth.. just saying.


Your right, guess I could have done like a lot of people and pinned the shark down by standing on his pec fins and pulling his mouth open by his nose while another guy jams a dehooker in there for what was originally an easy hook removal.

Just sayin


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## JOHNNYREB (Apr 20, 2006)

Are sharks this close to shore really that out of the ordinary for y'all ? On pins, we have this kinda action 9 months outta the year. Dirty water...clear water...makes no diff.


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## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

JOHNNYREB said:


> Are sharks this close to shore really that out of the ordinary for y'all ? On pins, we have this kinda action 9 months outta the year. Dirty water...clear water...makes no diff.


Not for seasoned fishermen. Some people just don't know. That's why they ask.,

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2


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## CoastalAngler (Jan 27, 2013)

I hit up PINS early this past friday looking for some trout up close.

When I hit my first pinch, I caught a nice red, and as I was removing the hook from the fish, I saw something kind of move a bit about 20 feet in front of me in the wade gut (I was out of the water...I DO NOT go in the water early or late in the day)...and I saw a dorsal fin, that was an easy 6 feet from the tail...in about 18-24" of water...less than 30 feet from the beach.

This is not the first time I've seen that either...hence my 'rule' about not going in the water early or late in the day.

Oh, gratuitous shot of the day's haul for a quick run down PINS:










CoastalAngler


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## JOHNNYREB (Apr 20, 2006)

Nice fish coastal angler! I will be there from Thursday till sun soaking big baits with my crew.

...and I really wasn't questioning any ones fishing ability....just thought it might not be the norm for big fish to come in that close on the upper coast...whether it be lack of deep water, lack of bait, or whatever . Never dawned on me it was pure excitement from a bunch of noobs! Lol


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## jagarcia10 (Mar 10, 2011)

JOHNNYREB said:


> Are sharks this close to shore really that out of the ordinary for y'all ? On pins, we have this kinda action 9 months outta the year. Dirty water...clear water...makes no diff.


I've seen them in close plenty of times on PINS. Not so much in the middle and upper coast although we catch them all the time on casted baits. Some people seemed surprised the kid got bit in waist deep water so I posted the video to show them they are way closer then waist deep water.

:doowapsta


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## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

WHAT said:


> I've seen them in close plenty of times on PINS. Not so much in the middle and upper coast although we catch them all the time on casted baits. Some people seemed surprised the kid got bit in waist deep water so I posted the video to show them they are way closer then waist deep water.
> 
> :doowapsta


I've seen the sharks between me and beach when wading the surf. I always get chills but the odds are on OUR side. I try to keep this logic in my head. Some have already stated the numbers. 34 "bites" not attacks since 1911, or close to those numbers. How many millions of people have swam or waded the surf since 1911? Odds are in our favor.

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## surfguy (May 17, 2011)

Greatwhite said:


> Your right, guess I could have done like a lot of people and pinned the shark down by standing on his pec fins and pulling his mouth open by his nose while another guy jams a dehooker in there for what was originally an easy hook removal.
> 
> Just sayin


GW, I could not agree more. LOL Sometimes those circle hooks come out hard and sometimes easy. The flipside is using J hooks. I'm still tryin to figure out how this one I put out late Sat did not get hooked up.


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## Greatwhite (Mar 28, 2011)

ill admit, ive never had THAT happen or even seen it happen. :headknock


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## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

surfguy said:


> GW, I could not agree more. LOL Sometimes those circle hooks come out hard and sometimes easy. The flipside is using J hooks. I'm still tryin to figure out how this one I put out late Sat did not get hooked up.


The bite pattern looks to a small shark.

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## Fish&Chips (Jan 27, 2012)

Fishin' Soldier said:


> I've seen the sharks between me and beach when wading the surf. I always get chills but the odds are on OUR side. I try to keep this logic in my head. Some have already stated the numbers. 34 "bites" not attacks since 1911, or close to those numbers. How many millions of people have swam or waded the surf since 1911? Odds are in our favor.
> 
> Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2


Yes the odds are in our favor. Somteimes it might not feel like it when we're in the water...lol.


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## jtburf (May 26, 2004)

Was at Sargent beach Sunday, water was like choch milk and bait every where I did not venture out far!!!


John


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## histprof (Oct 30, 2011)

I used to fish every Tuesday in the summer with my preacher when I was in high school. One beautiful green water day, we were on the first bar at Surfside throwing live shrimp and I could see little fins in every direction. I kept telling Bill that we were in a school of sharks and that we should move. He just kept saying, no they are trout. Keep fishing. Then I hooked a 3' BT that jumped clear of the water right in front of me. I walked it to the beach and found Bill right behind me. He said that something big bumped his legs and nearly knocked him down. There are times to wade fish and there are times not to, in my opinion. Trust your instincts.


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## SurfRunner (May 22, 2004)

JOHNNYREB said:


> Are sharks this close to shore really that out of the ordinary for y'all ? On pins, we have this kinda action 9 months outta the year. Dirty water...clear water...makes no diff.


It's not uncommon on Matagorda beach but less common around Surfside and Galveston.

I can catch more sharks and reds casting from the beach at Gorda than I can casting from a pier in Galveston.


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## lipjerker (Apr 27, 2012)

There is just something special about being out there fishing and being part of the food chain.
I will be down on the west end of G.I near SLP starting next Saturday and staying a week. 
I think I see shark steaks in my future.


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## FIDO (Jun 14, 2011)

JOHNNYREB said:


> Nice fish coastal angler! I will be there from Thursday till sun soaking big baits with my crew.
> 
> ...and I really wasn't questioning any ones fishing ability....just thought it might not be the norm for big fish to come in that close on the upper coast...whether it be lack of deep water, lack of bait, or whatever . Never dawned on me it was pure excitement from a bunch of noobs! Lol


For sure! Very nice coastal angler.

I actually bailed on meeting JOHNNYREB at his house Friday to go down PINS. All I caught were some full grown Skipjack. Went too far south and didn't get off the beach til about like 9:30pm. Got pulled over coming back like a bonehead (no ticket thankfully). The ranger just couldn't accept the idea that I don't drink and insisted on searching my truck for an open container.

I made the wife a bit angry staying out too late, but it sure was nice being down there!


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## Yellow.mouth (May 10, 2013)

Two years ago in surfside I had a twenty inch trout eaten out of my donet in waist deep water on the sandbar. Shark tore right through the net with no problem. Since then I refuse to keep specs with me while wading, even in a donet, even upper coast. I now just take the walk to the cooler on the sand if I want to keep a fish. Better safe than sorry. We have to keep a level of respect for the sharks we chase, especially when we enter their environment.


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