I want to catch a large Tiger Shark

[bmac8903]

I recently made it a life goal of mine to catch a large (I'm thinking 10 ft+) tiger shark because, in my mind, it is the ultimate fish (Discovery Channel influenced this thought). Now I'm a senior in high school, live in Boston MA, and have no experience fishing off of boats (I have average lake, pond, river, harbor dock fishing experience) -- obviously this goal wont be accomplished anytime soon. BUT I want to start the planning for this goal, so I have a few questions:

First off, where am I most likely to find a big tiger shark?

Are tiger sharks considered a difficult shark to catch?

How much experience (either deep sea fishing or shark fishing) should I try to rack up before attempting my ultimate goal?

[Relentless33]

Originally Posted by bmac8903

How much experience (either deep sea fishing or shark fishing) should I try to rack up before attempting my ultimate goal?

As much as you can

[Boboe]

There seem to be ample tiger sharks in tropical Pacific waters. Traditional native Hawaiian culture actually reveres the tiger shark. There are plenty in Australian and nearby waters also.

All of that said, I've caught them in the Gulf of Mexico in the Florida panhandle as well. I don't think they like your cold waters up there in Massachussetts. Think warm.

[Boboe]

Less than 10 hours after making that post I got a newspaper clipping in the mail from my folks in Florida. It seems that my friend won the local shark tourney with a big Tigershark the other day. I called him up and got the whole story...

They were out in the sword/marlin grounds fishing for him. They arrived at about midnight and began chumming. They had 900# of menhaden and 24 bonitos with which to get the job done. At about 4am they got a bite on a whole bonito. The fish gave a decent little fight, but was easily whooped. This "little" Tigershark went about 200# and was released.

6 long hours later and a with a whole lot less chum left onboard, they got another bite, and it seemed to be a good one. There were no blistering runs and no jumps, so Mr Mako was pretty much out of the question. Jon Barbee was on the rod in standup gear. They put the heat on the fish with the Tiagra 50W and after a 2 hour and 15 minute mostly-uneventful tug-of-war, the large Tigershark came to the boat. Two flying gaffs to the head later and it was all over. No guns or bang sticks needed.

When they arrived at the weigh-in, they were pretty sure that they had the current leader beat, a 656# Tigershark. After quite some effort to winch the fish off of the boat and onto the scale, the Full Draw and my buddy Alan Staples took first place with a 765# Tigershark.

[nightbite]

Big Tigers are in fact caught in Northeastern waters. Not the most common shark but they are caught off New England. You have a better shot at big makos and threshers than tigers up here.

ESPN2 hosts the Monster Shark Tournament out of Marthats Vinyard Mass. Last year a HUGE 1,191lb Tiger was weighed in. The fish didnt win because the boat hit the inlet four min late.

In the 2001 Monster Shark Tournament the All-Tackle 1,221lb mako was weighed in.

In my opinion big makos are the "ultimate shark".

Occasionally big hammerheads are caught in the canyons. We lost one close to 500lb 3 weeks ago.

If you are looking to catch a big tiger shark and only a big tiger shark like Boboe said

There seem to be ample tiger sharks in tropical Pacific waters. Traditional native Hawaiian culture actually reveres the tiger shark. There are plenty in Australian and nearby waters also.

http://www.newenglandsharks.com/shark.htm

[bill]

I'll tell you what I know about tigers which isn't a lot. I've only got 2 and seen a just a few others.
I don't know if they're common anywhere. Hawaii maybe? Florida has a few in the warm months. They seem to hang around porpoises. I hear they go way offshore too. They can be curious, I had one swim right up to a drifting kayak. No doubt about ID. Scary. Caught my 2 within a mile of where that happenned but many years later.
Experience with a big fish or 2 would really help but it isn't essential. Be comfortable with and confident about your tackle.
Mine were not super hard to catch and they fought differently. They both peeled lots of line, 1 stop and go, the other in 1 continuous run. They both fought close to the surface but it was shallow water. Sometimes their tails stuck above the water and whipped around. Both were mellow at the boat-no big commotion.

[on deck]

Try Bimini, or just south of it, for a decent shot at a biggie tiger. Bill's post is right on...The fight is not all that but you MUST know how to handle a big fish at the boat without any hesitation. I sword/shark fish a lot out of my 23' contender...a "small" boat by many standards so I have practiced many a time what COULD happen at the boat. Get a harpoon and a big reel with 80 and be prepared so you wont be surprised.
Good luck.

[flcapt]

I used to run a charterboat out of the Long Island and did a great deal of shark fishing. Although tigers are not common in the northeast they are absolutly there.
Most of the bigger tigers I have caught and seen caught are from around the offshore wrecks. But they can be anywhere from the beach to the canyons. One of the best places I know of off NY is a place called the Texas Tower (a wrecked test oil rig 60mi out).

As far as the fight goes they are one of the easiest sharks to catch. But remember a 1000lb guppy can still hurt you. Any big shark can be very dangerous at the boat, things happen fast and can get out of control very easy with a crew that doesnt know what they are doing.

I would put your time in with a number of shark trips and a number of sharks before I would try to land any shark over 500lbs.

If you have any othet questions just post them.

[Apex Predator]

I've caught many over 10' and they are not the fighters you would imagine. Very strong, but not particularly fast. Anything that large is a major adrenaline rush, especially when you are releasing them boatside. I have seen 10 year olds land big ones with the proper harness and people guiding him that knew what they were doing. The danger begins when you are leadering them beside the boat. Big hammerheads and makos are the best fighters in my opinion. Much faster, and of course the makos like to go airborne. I have tons of experience with these big tigers, so if anyone has questions concerning rigs or tackle let me know.

[Apex Predator]

I forgot to add, we have caught and released 14 over 8' in one 4 hour period. I have footage of one 12-13' eating an 11 footer beside the boat.

[Venice Tunaman]

id like to see that footage, sounds awesome.

[Iron-Em]

try this!

[blackonyx]

There are some tiger shark caught of mass and rhode island some times. 1 i can remember was around 1200 pounds but mostly its a tropical shark

[nego]

yeah i can also confirm tigers are off the coasts in the north east, especially with such warm weather however not likely. this summer i went on a charter and caught a blue shark (very typical) and a hammerhead shark (very abnormal)! anything can happen. i'll be in australia in a week so i hope to get some tiger shark experience down under. also would like a bull shark and a great white, all for sport will of course release

as for fighters, the blue shark fought made my life easy and dove for under the boat and i just reeled in until he realized thats the wrong way haha

the hammerhead fought a lot, long runs, stop and go, and everytime the leader was above the water the shark just blitz another way. very good fighter especially within 30 - 50 feet of the boat.

as for the best fighters, hey i'd dont know for sure but i would think (from what i have heard and seen on tv) the great white is a killer fighter. while down under i hope to hook one and get a nice picture before sending him back on his way to make more great whites.

also makos are intense, they peel out a lot and are very aggressive fast fish. i'd say makos, hammers, and the great white are prime.

[Boboe]

Originally Posted by nego

also makos are intense, they peel out a lot and are very aggressive fast fish. i'd say makos, hammers, and the great white are prime.

I agree fully. Hammerheads seem to be tough as hell on the line. I'll also add in Spinner Sharks to the good fighters. They're about the only species other than Makos that are known to usually jump when hooked. A 6'+ spinner jumping and SPINNING in the air is quite hard to catch. They'll often wrap your line up around them in the jump and break you off immediately. They're a load of fun.

[Power Fisherman]

Check this out...video of a catch and release of a nice 12' tiger.

TIGER SHARK VIDEO



Deaver

[Captain Juan]

Wow, great vid and a ballsy release!!!

Anyone on that beach go swimming after this catch?

Great work and technique. Walking back on a beach works much better than pumping as you showed.

Thanks for sharing. Hope you guys recover from Ike soon.

Juan

[Power Fisherman]

Juan,

Glad you enjoyed the video!

Deaver

[oncearound123]

If I were you i would take a trip to the Bahamas were they are all over and the captins on the boats there will take care of you.

[Power Fisherman]

Where is the best place in the Bahamas? Might be a fun trip.

Deaver