Lost fish to shark yesterday.

[Humpinit]

My son had his first experience with a 6' shark this weekend off Elliot Key. In about 10' of water. He shot a nice keeper black grouper and second later was trying to fend off a black tip reef shark. What is the best tactic for keeping your fish? Are black tips known for stealing fish down here?
We thought it was a bull shark at first but we have some very spotty video and realized it was black tip. I was able to get to my son and we were gonna try and double team the shark but he stayed inches away from my spear tip every time. He was super fast too and the boat was far away.

 

[MrChen]

Let him have it?

 

[reeftankdiver]

Pfft, if a shark wants my catch, it's all his. There are more fish and I don't need to be fighting with sharks if I can help it.

 

[ReefGuy]

Never give up your catch without a fight. Bring the fish in close, and fend the shark off with your gun. There may come a point where you have to give it up, but don't just give it to him, imo.

 

[Humpinit]

Never give up your catch without a fight. Bring the fish in close, and fend the shark off with your gun. There may come a point where you have to give it up, but don't just give it to him, imo.

This seems to be the general consensus. When the fish was dead on the spear on the bottom, the shark could not find it. As soon as we pulled on the chord it found it. lol. Next time we will defend our catch with a little more aggression. I was pissed as it was a nice grouper, but I was really mezmorized by the dang thang. It was really cool.

 

[AfterDark]

Never give up your catch without a fight. Bring the fish in close, and fend the shark off with your gun. There may come a point where you have to give it up, but don't just give it to him, imo.

Agreed, it's like feeding them, which some people believe, I among them it's not good for sharks to connect food and humans. Better they see us as formable fellow predators that fights for our food like any other predator does.

Look at Orcas in captivity, some figure out that they have a lot more power than the human with the whistle or clicker then bad things happen.
It's law of the wild, the weak die the powerful survive.

 

[Johnoly]

.......and the boat was far away.

Private boat or charter boat ?

 

[Water Boy76]

Never give up fish to sharks. Your training them to associate the sound of a speargun with a free meal.
Keep your stringer close to your chest or on the butt of your speargun.

Poke them repeatedly in the face and gills while yelling. If that doesn't work, a freeshaft to the gills or a PPD to the body. Better a dead shark then a dead diver.
Otherwise, you are training them to attack the next diver who may not see them coming.

 

[djtimmy77]

10' deep? freediving? get the fish out of the water ASAP. bucket on a float (think big boogie board) or similar.

 

[j2s]

It's called 'Vig'......The tax you have to pay to the 'residences' for fishing on their turf !!!!.......