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Sharks in the Chesapeake Bay

11K views 21 replies 16 participants last post by  albrazzi 
#1 ·
#2 ·
About 20 years ago, the best place to catch sharks along the entire east coast, north of Florida, was the mouth of Chesapeake Bay. Early in the season, 30 to 55-pound spiny dogfish arrived on the heels of migrating menhaden and birthed their young in the shallows near Cape Charles, VA. By the end of June, there were dusky sharks lurking along the bay's eastern channel edge, some weighing up to 400 pounds. Bull sharks to more than 500 pounds were caught along the bay's channel edges near Kent Island during the mid 1970s, and there is at least one or two taken every summer in a pound net near Tilghman Island. One was caught in a fike net several years ago in Bush River near the Railroad Bridge just above Aberdeen Proving Grounds. Several monster sharks were hooked and released by Captain Otis Asal back in the 70s from an area just above the CBBT. Otis fished this region for channel bass (red drum/redfish) and there were many occasions when he would reel in just the head of a 60 or more pound red drum. And, while hammerheads frequent the offshore waters just east of the bay's mouth, there have been reports of bonnethead sharks caught near the CBBT's manmade islands. In the early 1980s, I introduced Bassmaster's Classic winner Woo Daves to shark fishing in the bay west of Cape Charles. He caught several that topped 100 pounds, mostly dusky and a few that he could not identify.

There are also several types of rays in that same region, mostly cow nosed rays, but sting rays and leopard rays also can be caught in mid summer. If you go behind the barrier islands and the surf of Fisherman's Island, you can find tarpon to 100 pounds. They're difficult to catch, but a few local anglers manage to catch a bunch of them every year.

All the best,

Gary :cool:
 
#3 ·
About 20 years ago, the best place to catch sharks along the entire east coast, north of Florida, was the mouth of Chesapeake Bay. Early in the season, 30 to 55-pound spiny dogfish arrived on the heels of migrating menhaden and birthed their young in the shallows near Cape Charles, VA. By the end of June, there were dusky sharks lurking along the bay's eastern channel edge, some weighing up to 400 pounds. Bull sharks to more than 500 pounds were caught along the bay's channel edges near Kent Island during the mid 1970s, and there is at least one or two taken every summer in a pound net near Tilghman Island. One was caught in a fike net several years ago in Bush River near the Railroad Bridge just above Aberdeen Proving Grounds. Several monster sharks were hooked and released by Captain Otis Asal back in the 70s from an area just above the CBBT. Otis fished this region for channel bass (red drum/redfish) and there were many occasions when he would reel in just the head of a 60 or more pound red drum. And, while hammerheads frequent the offshore waters just east of the bay's mouth, there have been reports of bonnethead sharks caught near the CBBT's manmade islands. In the early 1980s, I introduced Bassmaster's Classic winner Woo Daves to shark fishing in the bay west of Cape Charles. He caught several that topped 100 pounds, mostly dusky and a few that he could not identify.

There are also several types of rays in that same region, mostly cow nosed rays, but sting rays and leopard rays also can be caught in mid summer. If you go behind the barrier islands and the surf of Fisherman's Island, you can find tarpon to 100 pounds. They're difficult to catch, but a few local anglers manage to catch a bunch of them every year.

All the best,

Gary :cool:
Thanks Gary, there's your reality check. Sharks are Everywhere. Makes me rethink the wisdom of swimming at night at the concrete ships just to play in the Phosphorus, boy were we bait.
 
#4 ·
Which all may explain why I prefer to swim in shallower waters, like a beach than off a boat at night. But hey, sometimes it gets hot out there and a quick dip can do wonders for that. Minimizing your time in the water reduces the amount of time when you are "bait".
Sharks are in every ocean, bay and estuary the world round. To most sharks in coastal waters like dogfish, humans in the water are not "bait". The matter changes a bit when considering a big Bull shark.
 
#5 ·
A few years ago a Natural Resources Officer spotted a bull shark at Claiborne Lock and Dam, about 80 freshwater river miles north of the Mobile Bay delta. Be careful out there.
 
#11 ·
Bull sharks are likely the most aggressive of all sharks found in this part of the world. They are totally unpredictable, and have been known to travel as much as 600 miles into fresh water to find food. There is a show on Animal Planet that revealed several monster bull sharks fatally attacked villagers in the upper reaches of the Nile and Congo rivers. Prior to the construction of Conowingo Dam, bull sharks were found as far up that Susquehanna River as Harrisburg, PA.

All the best,

Gary :cool:
 
#14 ·
The sharks teeth found near Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant are all prehistoric and fossilized. I have about a dozen of them in my office that I found while snorkeling just a few hundred feet from the beach there. Years ago, a diver by the name of Joe Dorsey found massive sharks teeth at the same location, some measuring up to 5 inches long. That was 50 years ago, and back then we sold those big ones for about $125 each, which seemed like a lot of money at the time. They now sell for about $250 and listed as Megalodon teeth. And, during the past few years, there have been sightings of Megaoldons in the vicinity of Australia - scary! Those things were reportedly 60 to 80 feet long. :eek:

Good luck,

Gary :cool:
 
#16 ·
Back in the '50's our waters were still teeming with basking sharks. Big (35/40 ft) harmless critters(unless you got one in the gill net)Liver oil frpm them and dogfish was a big industry for greasing skid logs.Later just a 'sport' fish by harpoon as if that would enhance your masculinity. In '54 the government took to killing them in a big way and now they're all gone. After 50 years since the last sighting, doesn't look like they are in our future. Just goes to show what a federal agency can do for you. They machine gunned passing orca too.!!
 
#21 ·
As Gary stated, it was likely Bullnose Rays, I've seen them in my marina earlier this summer.

Years ago I was water skiing on the Choptank/Tred Avon and two days later I read they caught a 10' Bull Shark in the Choptank... glad it didnt think I was a seal ;)
 
#18 ·
Actually, there are no skates in Chesapeake Bay - they are a nearshore coastal species. At the mouth of the Patapsco, I suspect you saw cow nose rays, which during the spawning season, can often be seen with their wing tips projecting just above the surface as they mate.

All the best,

Gary :cool:
 
#22 ·
15 or 20 years ago we took a most amazing trip to Bimini in a small Boat and spent the evening in a Bar called the Complete Angler, one of Hemingway's favorite hangouts. In the lobby were countless pictures back in the day, of bill fish bigger than I've ever seen probably in the neighborhood of 1500# bit in half as they were reeled in. I can't remember a more humbling feeling in my life. Sadly the place burned down years later.
 
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