Summer Shark Tournaments - Part 2

I had been excited for the 26th Annual Martha’s Vineyard Monster Shark Tournament essentially since the previous year’s tournament wrapped. I was invited back to fish with Captains Fred and Chris of Crimson Tide Charters, and re-united with the crew the night before in Oak Bluffs.  Excitement was high as we all recounted the great time and strong finish we had in last year’s event. The 35′ Duffy, Akula, landed a large mako on day one, and a Calcutta-winning thresher shark on day two. After catching up, we started making plans for the next morning. Fred and Chris checked the temperature charts and found a nice looking break – the only thing was, it was about 50 miles away from the dock. We decided to take a gamble and fish far away from the majority of the fleet, which was fishing south of the Vineyard. After about an hour of rushing around to prep our gear and the boat, we were underway by midnight, and headed due east under the cover of night. Our crew consisted of Donnie, Joe, Eric, P.J. and me.

After leaving the harbor, we were greeted with flat calm conditions and then an outrageous sunrise as we reached the fishing grounds. We scanned the horizon looking for signs of life, and looked down to the depth-finder as the boat moved slowly over some great structure. Moving farther east, we marked the temperature break we had seen four hours earlier at the dock. Fred throttled back as a big dark fin emerged on the horizon. As the crew looked on, a 20-plus-foot basking shark cruised right off our starboard side. Moving farther east, we marked bait and were ready to start the chum slick. Fred set up our drift and started shaking up a bucket of bluefish chum. Chris and the rest of the crew worked to set out the baits consisting of live bluefish and butterflied mackerel.

More fins appeared on the horizon, and created momentary excitement amongst the crew, but as they swam closer to the boat, we were able to identify the fish as more giant basking sharks. It’s always crazy to see something the size of a 20-foot center console swim next to the boat – even if they are gentle giants. We kept chumming for a few hours, fishing through some patchy rainstorms, when the weather started to worsen, and we had yet to see even a blue shark in the slick. As soon as we started discussing our options one of the live baits started acting nervous and taking a little drag from the reel. After a few minutes, the drag sounded off with a different pitch, and speed and we were on our first shark of the day. Chris was on the rod and brought in a feisty blue shark that fought well for its size. The next rod went off as a fish took one of the mackerel; this fish swam directly at the boat, and Donnie reeled in the slack to keep tension. As Chris pulled the leader up, we could see the bright color of a blue shark,with plenty of fight left in him. Chris and Donnie worked together to get a hand-gaff on the hook, and pull down on the leader, releasing the blue and saving the rig. The action died off, and Fred moved the boat down the slick to where we had seen life on the way out. His moved paid off, because soon enough, the four rod spread was covered with sharks. The crew battled with more blue sharks until it was time to pack it up, make the steam back to the dock and fuel up for a second day of sharking.

After a couple hours of sleep, we left the dock early once again and headed south. We wanted to get in position early to hold our spot, since we would have to compete with the majority of the fleet on the second day of the tournament. Heading some 30 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard, Chris and Fred made the plan to fish a couple of shipwrecks, because they usually host a few apex predators patrolling the structure. Fred deployed a deep bucket of chum as we set up our drift, to start the slick by covering the entire water column. We then started power-chumming with a few chum buckets, which were tied off to the transom. About an hour went by until we saw another boat nosing around in our slick; he later moved off, once Fred explained his unsportsmanlike positioning. The crew looked on as the other boat moved south of us, and soon after we heard the scream of one of the reels, which had been connected to a live bluefish. The first fish of the day went on a long blistering run, and P.J., who had never shark-fished before, was on the rod getting strapped into the harness. Chris stood next to P.J., watching and directing Fred at the helm as the rest of the crew cleared the cockpit and readied the gaffs. The fish started to swim up and out, and we hoped we would see a jump. The fish suddenly turned and came at the boat. P.J. started cranking through the slack but couldn’t get tight. Sitting up on the bridge, I was able to catch a quick glimpse of blue, but this was strange behavior for all the blue sharks we had seen yesterday. As P.J. kept reeling, the line came tight to the fish running directly under the boat. Keeping a good grip on the fish, P.J. held on as Fred moved the boat forward and finally the fish started to show his colors again through the water. Chris grabbed the leader and lifted the fish up closer to the surface ,as it rolled upside down, as blue sharks will often do. The fish then righted itself, revealing it’s pointed snout and an impressive set of teeth. Our first fish was a 100-plus-pound mako – not a bad way to start the day, and certainly an excellent way for P.J. to start his shark-fishing career. Chris kept the gnashing mako off the transom and cut the leader, and we watched as the mako turned and bolted out of sight, still full of energy after a long fight.

Donnie and Eric set out the for rod spread quickly as Joe kept up a steady chum. We were all optimistic after seeing the mako, and we fished through a handful of big blue sharks, but decided we should stick to the plan and hop over to another shipwreck.  We made a quick 10-mile run to the next spot and started the chumming process all over again, sending out live bluefish, mackerel and a fresh squid. Within 20 minutes, one of the live bluefish was pummeled and Donnie got strapped into the harness. Once again, the fish rushed the boat, acting like the mako we had just previously released, but this fish stayed low as Donnie regained line. Soon, we saw the fish swimming parallel to the boat: another 100-pound mako with a bluefish hanging out of its mouth. The crew worked well together and released the fish, no worse for the wear. Although the fish would have been great table fare, Fred and Chris decided to let the immature mako swim free. Joe and P.J. worked the rest of the day to keep a healthy chum slick going strong, but we only saw blue sharks after that. Ready to head home and join the festivities back in Oak Bluffs, we pulled up the lines slowly and headed back to the dock.

The winner of the tournament, Lady Diana, captured an impressive 447-pound porbeagle shark. Although we didn’t get to weigh a fish, two nice makos is an excellent day of fishing. After docking, we were able to catch up with some of our friends who had fished the tournament, as well. Capt. Tommy, of Fish Tales, and the crew I fished with in the Snug Harbor Shark Tournament, had a successful trip, as well, catching a few makos around the same size. Happy to be back after two 20-hour days on the water, we still had some energy leftover to enjoy the festivities. It’s always a pleasure to fish with Fred and Chris of Crimson Tide Charters, who specialize in tuna and shark trips. Both days were packed with action and I’m glad that P.J. was able to get his first mako onboard Akula. I’ve never had a bad trip with them, and I’m already excited for fishing Monster Shark tournament in 2013.