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| Bulls Bay's Obliging Bonnetheads |
| Try targeting the big bonnethead sharks that invade the shallow waters around Charleston, South Carolina, each summer. |
| Apr 17, 2002 |
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By Doug Olander (More articles by this author)
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| DougOlander |
Well, that’s fishing.
Most anglers have heard that one — and probably said it themselves, at least in so many quiet words — when a day of slow fishing failed to meet expectations. The implicit message, of course, is that fishing’s unpredictable, and if you go out expecting too much, it can be pretty disappointing.
But not always. Try targeting the big bonnethead sharks that invade the shallow waters around Charleston, South Carolina, each summer. Remarkably predictable and seldom disappointing, a morning of sharking here will have you saying similar words with a whole different emphasis:
Now that’s fishing!
Of course, a lot of anglers think ''fishing'' at a mention of Charleston. But redfish most likely come to mind. Bonnetheads, funky second cousins to hammerheads, won’t ever replace the bulls of the bay as stars of the show for Charleston anglers. But as fast-paced second fiddles, bonnets are hard to beat for light-tackle sport.
Exhilarating Ride Through the Low Country
I’d heard that summer bonnethead fishing here is about as much a can’t-miss deal as one could find in fishing. Claims like that have long since left me pretty skeptical. So when our group of anglers met local guides J.R. Waits and Ben Alderman by the Doar’s Landing boat ramp at the edge of Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, a half-hour or so drive north of Charleston, my expectations remained well in check.
But both skippers, along with Mark Davis of Shakespeare Fishing Tackle — who’d driven down from corporate headquarters in Columbia, South Carolina — seemed confident. Certainly, on that June morning, we couldn’t complain about the calm, sunny weather as my fishing partners, Jackie and Gabe, pulled away from the dock in Ben’s 18-foot Hewes Redfisher, Superfly, and Mark and I followed in J.R.’s 18-foot Action Craft, Fish Call.
An exhilarating ride through the classic South Carolina Low Country marsh proved worth the price of admission. We rushed past spartina grass tall enough to block out all sense of reference to any world beyond the maze of channels that slices and dices Seewee Bay. J.R. and Ben neatly slid their skiffs around hairpin turns, avoiding oyster bars visible in the muddy water only at the last minute.
''It’s pretty obvious why you need a guide down here!'' Mark hollered over the roar of the big outboard. ''If you don’t really know this area, it’s real easy to get turned around.''
The farther we went, the more understated Mark’s words seemed. Finally, the grass parted, and, at the edge of Bulls Bay, we slowed. J.R. stood, scanning the water.
''You know, I have guys come down to fish reds on the flats during the summer and, even if I tell ’em the action’s slow, they often elect to work it all day for just a few shots,'' he told me. ''They don’t realize how much consistent action they can have from bonnetheads.''
With kids, the guide added, it’s often a different story since they’re less concerned with status and more concerned with having fun. ''Before we leave the dock, I warn ’em that I’ll wear ’em out catching these sharks. ‘Your arms will be so sore, you’ll be begging me to stop,’ J.R. said, as if addressing some eager group of adolescent Izaak Waltons in the bow. ''But the kids don’t believe me — until about their seventh shark in a row!''
Promise Fulfilled
Yeah, well, I thought, sharks talk and the rest walks. And right about then, some bonnetheads started talking.
''Over there … ,'' J.R. paused and pointed as he waited for our eyes to catch up with his words. ''See the splashes?'' He pointed to ripples, which offered testament to his words, near the short marsh grass leading to a small, narrow point. Then, just beyond, a push of water and frenzy of motion — no one had to point that out to us. We anchored up, as did Ben, nearby.
Later in the summer, when water temperatures in Bulls Bay climb, it’s hardly unusual to see the dorsal fins and tails of bonnetheads cruising in the shallows, though on this day we had to be satisfied with seeing disturbed water here and there.
The sharks, however, proved to be in anything but short supply, whether we could see them or not.
Good bait crabs can be hard to come by at times and generally pretty pricey in some areas, such as the Florida Keys. But blue crabs are abundant here — fortunate, since serious sharking guides like J.R. and Ben consider crabs primo for bonnets.
''These things put out plenty of smell in the murky water,'' J.R. explained as he deftly broke one of the small crabs in half and removed all the legs and the carapace. ''And they’re tougher than shrimp, which pinfish and croakers will nibble away in a hurry.''
Quickly, I ran the small circle hook through the corner of the crab (or what remained of it). J.R. had me keep the leader fairly light since, he says, 30-pound test is plenty for bonnetheads. The circle hook seeks purchase in a jaw corner, and, in any event, the modest teeth that fill bonnets’ mouths will never be confused with those of a mako. A split shot or two, set a couple of feet above the 3-foot leader finished the rig.
Before I could make cast number one, shouts from Ben’s skiff caught my attention. Jackie had already hung the day’s first bonnet. As I shouted something to cheer her on, I watched her rod bounce and could hear the light spinner’s drag sing. Then Gabe’s rod dipped, and, after waiting for the line to come tight, he was on. ''A double!'' Mark yelled.
But their lines appeared to become tangled. Ben had his hands full and couldn’t keep up with the chaos: One of the sharks had gotten away. Or had it?
''Look at that!'' he said as he tailed Jackie’s 10-pound bonnethead — or, more appropriately, the shark caught by Jackie and Gabe. ''That thing grabbed the first bait, then, before it knew it was hooked, swallowed the second!'' So the first shark of the day had earned two anglers their first bonnethead.
Light Lines, Big Fun
J.R. quickly released the fish. Like most inshore sharks, these are tough critters; there’s seldom any problem releasing them alive, even after an extended fight.
I appreciated that aspect of the fishery since, as long as it won’t harm most of the fish hooked, I’d rather go light. In this case, ultralight.
We caught and released more than 25 bonnetheads that morning and lost a number of others, including several double hookups. No one used gear heavier than 10-pound test, but most of my action was on 4- to 6-pound line, which made hanging on to these small sharks a fair challenge. Both guides are all for such light lines, as long as an angler’s experienced. However, neither supply tackle quite that light, so it’s best to bring your own if that’s what you want to fish.
Of course, if you hang a horse of a bonnethead, you may wish for somewhat heavier line. While even big bonnetheads aren’t huge as sharks go, those from the Charleston area run bigger than the norm in most of the species’ range. The world record of 23 pounds 11 ounces was caught nearby, along the Georgia coast. ''But we’ve definitely caught bonnets here larger than that,'' Ben told me.
A new world record could be established this season, which means anytime over the next few months. The bonnethead fishery is decidedly seasonal. They’re starting to trickle in now, and the action will get better and better leading up to the big push of summer. The bonnets then hang around until early fall, but once the water begins to cool, they’re gone for the year.
Of those who book guides like J.R., not many ask specifically about bonnetheads. ''Not that many people, at least those who don’t have a lot of experience fishing here, know about them,'' he said. ''But I find that people who do know the waters usually want to spend at least part of their time going after bonnetheads.''
That’s fine with J.R.; he likes to devote time to targeting the sharks most days during summer. ''We’ll fish for reds in the morning, then go after bonnetheads,'' he said of a typical day. ''I like to wait until later in the day to go shark fishing because the things pull hard enough that, if we catch a bunch first thing, some people get a little tired,'' J.R. said with a smile.
I suspect his strategy may also have something to do with expectations. Not all game fish, such as reds or tarpon, will prove as reliable as bonnetheads; when the sharks are thick on the prowl in Bulls Bay and adjacent waters, you can actually expect to catch them — lots of them.
Now that’s fishing!
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