Chum Lines

Article by Capt. Mark Sampson

There’s not as much sharking going on during these parts in August as there was in late May and June, but that’s not due to a lack of sharks as much as it is an abundance of other quarry for anglers to chase. When the tuna and billfish are snapping, most offshore anglers are much more inclined to spend their time trolling or chunking than working a chum line, but the sharks are there – oh are they ever! In fact the warm waters of August and September actually hold more species of sharks off our coast than any other time of the year.

The abundance of different species of sharks can create a bit of a dilemma for fishermen who might not have the skills or experience to always identify what they catch. As long as folks release the sharks they hook there’s no need to worry about making a 100-percent accurate identification while out on the water. By taking a picture of it in the water, the proper identification can usually be made later. However, if fishermen opt to bring home a shark, they do need to be absolutely certain about what they have or the consequences could be costly.

There are a lot of species of sharks that are prohibited from being kept for any reason, at any time and then there are others that can be retained only during certain times of the year. The absolute best identification book I’ve come across for sharks is the “Guide to Sharks, Tunas & Billfishes of the U.S. Atlantic & Gulf of Mexico”. It is published by the Rhode Island Sea Grant and NOAA Fisheries. It can be purchased online and I also have copies of the guide available for sale on my boat. In my own book, “Modern Sharking”, I also describe and show with photos how to identify most of the species anglers might encounter along the East Coast. On my “modernsharking” YouTube channel, I also have a number of shark identification videos. Anglers who aren’t up on their identification should keep an identification book on their boat, just in case.

Learning shark identification might not be a top priority for anglers who have little interest in sharks or shark fishing, but all saltwater fishermen should have at least a basic understanding of what’s out there. Although they might not be trying to catch a shark, they might accidentally hook-up to one and wouldn’t want to get in trouble for boating the wrong shark or miss out on a chance to bring home one that might be very good eating.

While space does not permit me to go into great detail about how to identify every species anglers might encounter off Delmarva, the following is a list of the sharks I’d suggest anglers study up on particularly if they might ever consider bringing a shark back to the dock.

Great White

•Prohibited species

•Large jaws with “toothy” appearance.

•Teeth are triangular and serrated, although in young individuals the teeth will not be as triangular and might seem similar to mako teeth.

•Brown/gray on the back turning to gray/white on the sides and belly.

Blue Shark

•12-month open season

•Very dark blue back that transitions to a lighter blue on the sides and changes to a white belly.

•Long pectoral fins, thin body and “snaky” in appearance

•Not good to eat.

Shortfin Mako

•12-month open season

•Deep blue back, silvery sides, snow-white belly and firm, sleek, muscular physic.

•Underside of snout and lower jaw around teeth is all white.

•Excellent to eat.

Longfin Mako

•Prohibited species

•Uncommon catch, usually taken along edge of shelf or beyond.

•Pectoral fins very long and project back behind trailing edge of dorsal fin.

•Underside of snout and lower jaw around teeth is gray to dark gray giving “lipstick” appearance.

Tiger

•Open season from July 15th to December 31st.

•Stripe-like markings, that tend to fade in older animals

•Huge head and shoulder area followed by a sharply tapering back-half.

•Exceptionally large jaw with unique serrated teeth that hook sharply to the sides.

•Not good to eat

Common Thresher

•12-month open season

•Most common species of thresher caught.

•Deep blue and purple back, silver sides and white belly.

•The top lobe of tail is as long as the entire body of the fish itself.

Bigeye Thresher

•Prohibited species

•1st dorsal fin set very far back.

•Deep helmet-like groves makes “V” shape over top of head and gills.

•Large eyes angled upward.

Spinner

•Open season from July 15th to December 31st.

•Black tips on all fins and tail including the “anal fin” (last fin on the underside of the shark before tail).

•Not good to eat

Blacktip

•Open season from July 15th to December 31st.

•Lacks any black marking on the “anal fin” (last fin on the underside of the shark before tail).

•Faint black-tips on fins that often fade as shark matures.

Atlantic Sharpnose

•12-month open season

•Small species of less than four feet and weight under 15-pounds.

•Distinctive white splotchy dots across their bronze back and sides.

Dusky

•Prohibited species

•Grow to 12-feet but most hooked are under 5-feet.

•Gray/brown back, white belly

•Front of dorsal fin behind pectoral fins.

Sandbar

•Prohibited species

•Will grow to 7-feet in total length but many caught are under 5-feet in total length.

•Large dorsal and pectoral fins.

•Front of dorsal fin over pectoral fin

Sand Tiger

•Prohibited species

•Small eyes, brown/gray and blotchy skin.

•Short fins, First and second dorsal fin similar in size.

•Long thin teeth with small “cusplets” on either side.


Scalloped Hammerhead

•Open season from July 15th to December 31st.

•Leading edge of the head has a depression or “scalloped-out” area directly in the center.

•Not good to eat.

Smooth Hammerhead

•Open season from July 15th to December 31st.

•Center of head is “smooth”, not indented as in other hammerheads.

•Not good to eat

Spiny Dogfish

•12-month open season

•Will grow to about 4-foot but most caught are under 3-feet in length.

•Inch-long (or longer) spines in front of each of the two dorsal fins.

Smooth Dogfish “Sand Shark”

•12-month open season

•Small mouth with many very blunt teeth.

•Oval shaped eyes.

Captain Mark Sampson is an outdoor writer and captain of the charter boat “Fish Finder”, docked at the Ocean City Fishing Center.