AS SEEN IN THE JULY/AUGUST 2006 ISSUE 

Are mako sharks making a big enough showing along Southeast Florida’s prolific swordfish grounds for a viable fishery? Evidence proves they very well may be…

It started as just another exciting swordfish adventure. Like so many evenings before, we departed Hillsboro Inlet and ran twenty something miles to the southeast. Our plan was to fish a consistently productive stretch recognized on nautical charts as ‘Hollywood Hills.’ After spending a few minutes determining our exact drift, we repositioned and set a spread of inviting swordfish baits just prior to the sun setting over the western horizon.

The broadbill bite had left quite a bit to be desired over the past two weeks, but our confidence level was still high. With enough preparation and the right execution, we were hopeful we would get our shot.

Conditions during this early spring evening couldn’t be any more pleasant, with a comfortable air temperature hovering in the high 70s, and a slight northwesterly breeze barely strong enough to be labeled “variable.”

As we drifted the three to four knot Gulf Stream currents with our usual spread of rigged squid staggered at varying levels in the water column, I’m certain each of our minds wandered toward the mysterious adversaries that lurked below.

We spent the next uneventful three hours drifting over a ten-mile stretch of the most fertile swordfish grounds on the globe with nothing to show for it. Finally, the bent-butt tethered to the long balloon suddenly came to life with three short spurts of the clicker. The unmistakable sound the Accurate 2-speed 50 emitted was sweet music to our ears. After the initial quick jolts, the rod tip lay motionless. Quick thinking told me to hastily instruct Philip Michel Petronus, a visiting overseas tackle representative, to jump on the rod and crank like crazy. My guess was the fish had slashed the squid, turned, engulfed the bait, and was now charging at full speed toward the surface. My instinct was right. Within two-dozen turns of the handle, the 60 lb Momoi screeched to a halt, just as the multi-colored Electralume could be seen racing across the distant and otherwise pitch-black horizon. The single, razor-sharp carbon steel hook had clearly found a solid home, which was evident when the clicker again screamed with the noise we had all hoped to hear. We were tight, and the game was on!

Unlike mature broadbills that can easily tip the scales at two, three, and even four hundred pounds, and pull like a mad race horse for hours on end, this particular southeast swordfish proved to be nothing more than a scrappy juvenile pup. It took less than fifteen minutes for the silhouette of the subdued forty pound fish to emerge from the dark depths. The adolescent was way too short to harvest, but it still portrayed the determination adult swords are famous for. Now less than twenty feet off the starboard bow, we prepared for what we thought would be an easy, clean release. We couldn’t have been any more wrong!

To our astonishment, appearing out of the darkness like a stealth jet fighter, an enormous shape appeared below the now frantic swordfish. Instantly, we jumped to the highest level of attention as one of the most barbaric scenes the three of us had ever witnessed unfolded right before our very eyes. In one swift motion, the ghostly monster grabbed hold of the juvenile swordfish’s mid-section, practically engulfing the entire fish in a single bite, and in a single thrust and roll, the explosion of white water cleared to reveal the beastly mako had shredded the baby billfish into mere bits and pieces. Simultaneously shouting our own choice of four letter words, the three of us watched in sheer amazement as the evidentially satisfied mako melted back into the darkness. Astounded and shocked over the savage murder we had just witnessed, we silently stared into the green sphere of light surrounding my ProKat, feeling a bit cheated as the slaughter came to a complete close. Unanimously, we concurred the culprit was an estimated 400-pound mako shark- a shortfin mako shark- and a hungry one at that. Leaving us with barely a bill, the encounter etched a memory in each of us that we will never forget.

Unfortunately, as the night eventually came to an end, we never did get a second shot at another sword. What little radio chatter we overheard throughout the evening also indicated it was an overall slow night for the handful of crews drifting the Dark Side. The results were okay with us, since we would have surely scored a successful release if it were not for the menacing mako.

Mako Madness.
Catch the fever!

With all that has been said and written over recent years, it’s no longer any secret that the stretch of offshore real estate from Key Largo to north of Jupiter, where Florida’s near-shore waters quickly drop off to hundreds of fathoms below, has consistently produced broadbill swordfish of all sizes for the increasing number of anglers participating in this fantastic fishery. As a direct result of the decline in commercial long-lining, Southeast Florida now unequivocally ranks as the leading destination on the globe for encountering swordfish, and for good reason. The sharp ‘edge’ here, particularly in 800 feet to 1300 feet of water, offers a perfect combination of natural enticements which combine warm, powerful currents with a submersed landscape rivaling that of any mountainous ridge. The never ending northerly flow of Gulf Stream water which collides with the steep cliffs, ridges, and submerged mountains protruding a hundred feet or more off the bottom, forces unfathomable amounts of nutrient-rich water toward the surface.

From the beginning stages of their lives, baitfish and squid provide ample forage for a whole array of migratory hunters, with swordfish holding strong in the spotlight. But as this fishery continues to develop, anglers are finding that other prized predators, too, have followed suite. Yellowfin tuna are regularly encountered in the Gulf Stream, as are blue marlin and the occasional white marlin. And yes, the ultimate of all pelagic killers can also be found at this address, the mako shark. It comes as no surprise that with such an abundance of large prey items, particularly swordfish and tuna, ruthless mako sharks have found stable feeding grounds in these same warm, rich currents.

Typically found around the world in warm temperate climates, mako sharks are the epitome of elite, aquatic killing machines. Spending the vast majority of their time hunting from the surface down to 500 feet, makos are camouflaged to perfection with dark-grayish backs and white-silvery bellies. They are perfectly suited for stealthy attacks from either above or below during both daylight and darkness. These silent killers propel their hydrodynamic mass through dense seawater with a muscular propulsion system that is as complex as it is powerful. This driving force provides more than ample speed and stamina to catch and savagely destroy anything and everything in their line of fire. Even the largest mako sharks, weighing in at more than a quarter-ton, are capable of bursts of speed clocking more than 40 mph! As if camouflage, speed, and a jaw lined with multiple rows of razor sharp serrated teeth weren’t a frightening enough combination, the mako shark is also the undisputed record holder for the highest leaping gamefish in all of the world’s oceans. They are capable of clearing the surface by over twenty feet!

The fact that mako sharks are extremely fast, agile, and stealthy, allows them to catch fast moving unsuspecting prey such as tuna, and of course, as you now know, their favorite of all prey items, swordfish. On more than one occasion, mako sharks have been landed with swordfish bills still embedded in their sides after what must have been epic undersea battles. Imagine having that on video?

While specifically targeting mako sharks is a practice regularly instituted off New England and Southern California, with occasional encounters in just about every coastal state in between, the vast majority landed off Florida’s southeast coastline occur incidentally by anglers chasing other, more prolific species, namely swordfish. Taking a close look at catch records, and after experiencing our own savage encounter, it’s easy for us to believe enough opportunities at encountering a mako do exist where a viable fishery may very well be developing. After a bit of research, I’ve learned the tally over the last few years from just the tri-county area alone (Palm Beach/Broward/Dade) has climbed to dozens of mako landings with fish in the 100 pound to 300 pound range. In addition, two behemoths’ have also been landed which tipped the scales at well over 700 pounds!

Now, I can’t expect swordfish anglers will completely alter their approaches and start heading offshore with five-gallon buckets of menhaden chum and cable leaders in the hopes of enticing a mako shark to come out to play, but there is no doubt that being ready for the situation could prove to be well worth the effort, that is, if you too, would like a shot at actually landing one of these midnight monsters. Keep in mind that adult mako sharks are primarily independent creatures. This characteristic tells us you should feel privileged to find one, so when you do, it sure would make sense to make the most of the encounter.

Mako shark fishing is no place for beginners…

Trying to imagine a gruesome mako attack is one thing; actually witnessing the savage episode take place just feet before your eyes is a whole different story. It’s nature at its best, completely raw and uncensored. Mako sharks are big, mean, and ferocious. They’re wild animals that kill for a living. I stress this point because you need to know that encountering a mako out in the Gulf Stream, where you are already battling the elements with nothing more than the light of the moon above you, is no place to make mistakes. One wrong move can leave an angler seriously injured, so keep safety your top priority.

For starters, suitable gear for successful shark encounters goes hand-in-hand with your typical swordfish equipment, with 50, 60, and 80 lb class stand-up tackle all perfectly suitable for the job. The terminal end is where the important differences take place. Granted, although most incidentally caught mako sharks have in fact been landed on heavy monofilament and fluorocarbon leaders suitable for sharp billed swords, multi-strand cable leaders will provide serious shark hunters with a much higher success ratio.

Taking a long hard look at this developing fishery, and after experiencing our own personal encounter, we’ve now taken the initiative to include a fifth rod rigged specifically for sharks to our typical swordfish spread. We know that when the next time we get a shot at our big mako, we’ll be ready. With extensive history in the New England shark fishery as a reference, the ‘shark’ rod is baited with something much more inviting to hungry sharks’ senses than a typical rigged squid. Rather, an oily kingfish fillet, butterflied bluefish, or bloody bonito slab is deployed no more than a hundred feet below the surface on a multi-strand cable two-hook rig. This rig is no joke and is designed specifically for sharks. If a curious mako happens to swim into view in our light, retrieving the shark bait from its designated depth only takes moments. Like with our swordfish rigs, the addition of an artificial light source within a dozen feet of the bait is also included, as is a rattle chamber. Sharks not only hunt by vision and smell, but they also hone in on prey through out-of-the-ordinary vibrations. We have yet to entice a mako on this rig while drifting the sword grounds, though we have only tried a handful of times and are committed to doing so until we find success.

What we can tell you for sure from past experiences is that after battling a mako for any duration, attempting to boat the still-alive shark should never be an option. These fish are extremely dangerous and can see just as clearly out of the water as they can while in it. Can you say, “revenge”? If you are certain it is a shortfin mako you are attached to, (longfin mako sharks appear quite similar but cannot be harvested), and if you happen to have a firearm on board, now would be a good time to use it. If such life-ending equipment is not available, utilize whatever flying gaffs and or harpoons you have aboard in conjunction with tail ropes to secure the ballistic fish where it can do no damage. Later on in the evening when you’re ready to call it quits for the night, cautiously boat the fish while putting forth as much effort as possible to insure the mako’s dangerous end is carefully and thoroughly secured to a cleat or stanchion. Experienced shark fishermen will tell you that they have seen a seemingly dead mako jump-start to life after lying motionless on a dry deck for hours. So for safety sake, simply make it a point to stay away from the fish’s front end until you are fully certain its inner spirit is now swimming through the Gates of Heaven.

In addition to providing grueling fights and exciting boatside brawls, mako sharks have also been known to leap straight into the boat. From the moment you realize you’ve hooked a mako of any size, stay on your toes throughout the duration of the fight. You don’t ever want to find yourself in an open center console with an extremely ticked-off shark thrashing around on the deck, literally demolishing everything it comes in contact with.

Hopefully as the seasons and years progress, Southeast Florida’s swordfishermen will find a rekindled appreciation for these menacing creatures. Taking the time to put forth an effort may very well result in a once-in-a-lifetime catch. I know we won’t stop trying.

Get Hooked Up!

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