Let's handle some sharks...

[MuskieBait]

Let this be a warning. I'm doing my due diligence to warn Michael...but if he fails to heed all these warnings, and decide to take matter in his own hand, all for the epic and glory of a big catch...there is nothing else that I can do...aside from cutting off a big and dangerous shark that we cannot confidently handle in any manner. Don't fault me for cutting the line if it happens. I don't want anyone losing a finger, a chunk of flesh or a limb on our trip...a fish is just not worth it.

Exhibit 1: Guy already had the shark pinned between the boat rail and his legs, with upper body bent over the body. This little 4' shark still managed to grab his hands. Should NEVER use your hands to unhook a shark.





Exhibit 2: As if getting knicked once wasn't a warning enough at the beginning of the video, this guy went at it again. The guy holding the shark down failed to get his body weight over the shark to control it. Having the shark sideways like that allows the shark to bend upward and grab the hand. You should NEVER position a shark like that for unhooking. The shark should be belly down, the person controlling the shark should straddle the shark over the back, and the knees should be placed on the pectoral fins to restrict side-to-side movement from the shark. Worse yet, the guy jumped off the shark as soon as the shark grabbed his friend's hand. Now the shark is free to thrash around and damage tissue even more. Real smart. Can't give any credit to the friend who is unhooking the shark with bare hands.





Exhibit 3: Watch the video. It covers some do's and don't's. Hey, let's handle a little one, they should be safe. Let's grab them by the tail and get a good picture. A shark, especially a small one like here, can bend around and grab someone by the calf, by the arm and in this case the chest when you tail them and don't have them under control. Yeah, tail rope is great...but eventually you have to remove the tail rope...but not when they can swing freely like that.





Exhibit 4: Start watching from 4:45. This person didn't really got bitten, but it was pretty close. Trying to hold down a shark by stepping on the tail. Notice how quick and how agile the bonnethead shark is. It can curl around completely and almost bit the person's foot. This is just a little 3' bonnethead with small teeth that is not that lethal...but any other shark can do the same...and it could be a blacktip or a bull shark with more formidable dental work.





Common sense, right? Tell it to these people. In the heat of the moment, especially when adrenaline from a big catch takes over, people lose their heads. When "the biggest fish EVER of my life" is on the line and it is a big and dangerous shark, people will suggest to do stupid things like roping a shark and walking it back to land it on a shoreline that is steep, rocky and slippery in knee deep water. Let's get a chunk taken out of our calves, arm or let's lose a finger...and we'll spend the rest of the trip in the hospital...

Best way to handle shark is simply not handling them. Cut the line if you can't control the shark safely and WITH CONFIDENCE!