Bodega Harbor Shark Fest

Ok I am trying this youtube thing.  Hope it works. 

So last Sunday bsteves and a friend of ours hit Bodega harbor for halibut because on Friday I caught one in my beach seine survey.  Also "FishOn" charters where sitting out in front of the post office all week.  SO thought they knew something we didn't.  Turns out he has started a charter trip for shark.  Poor little leopard shark that is.  So we fished for a while and then paddled onto the flats to check out the sharks.  It was so shallow we could just reach down and catch them "Steve Irwin" style.  hopefully the video works. 

Jim

[youtube=425,350] [/youtube]

Ok got it know

Turns out he has started a charter trip for shark.  Poor little leopard shark that is. 
Jim

[youtube=425,350] [/youtube]

THAT SUCKS. Let's sit on top of a leopard shark nursery and wipe them out, too since we can't exploit any other fish right now. I'm starting to really f***ing hate party boats now, too.


Ugghhh....anyway...thanks for the report, Jim. I'll have to get out there soon, before the party boats wipe them out.

well if you cant wipe out the middle of the food web all year, and the bottom of the food web is too small for sport.....take out the top!!!  yeah baby



idiots

Isn't there a 36" minimum size limit? What size do leopards start to breed at?

-Brian G

Yep, 36" size limit. I think a limit of 3 is ridiculous. At that size, nobody should need more than one, and they aren't that great eating anyway. Well, maybe the party boat is releasing them, but I doubt it. Those boats stink in every sense of the word. Every one I've been on in the past has been a terrible experience. They usually mishandle shaker salmon and kill god knows how many extra rockfish, so I doubt they're treating the sharks any better.

Yep, 36" size limit. I think a limit of 3 is ridiculous. At that size, nobody should need more than one, and they aren't that great eating anyway. Well, maybe the party boat is releasing them, but I doubt it. Those boats stink in every sense of the word. Every one I've been on in the past has been a terrible experience. They usually mishandle shaker salmon and kill god knows how many extra rockfish, so I doubt they're treating the sharks any better.

I used to fish for them and actually the taste isn't that bad (if you bleed them right away) but yeah one is enough...

Yeah it always pains me to see people with leopards that are clearly not being bled and you know they are going to taste like crap when they get them home. Some people just think killing sharks is cool. I am pretty sure if we asked DFG we could get the limit set to 1.

Yep, 36" size limit. I think a limit of 3 is ridiculous. At that size, nobody should need more than one, and they aren't that great eating anyway. Well, maybe the party boat is releasing them, but I doubt it. Those boats stink in every sense of the word. Every one I've been on in the past has been a terrible experience. They usually mishandle shaker salmon and kill god knows how many extra rockfish, so I doubt they're treating the sharks any better.

Leopards down here follow the RCG season. Do they not close them down up there?

There are exceptions for sharks within bays up here.

From the DFG website...

Leopard Shark

The recreational fishery for leopard shark (Triakis semifasciata) inside San Francisco Bay, Bodega Harbor, Tomales Bay, Bolinas Bay and Drake’s Estero Bay is open year-round to boat-based anglers, divers and shore-based anglers. Outside of the above-mentioned embayments, the fishery is closed to boat-based anglers through May 31, opening on June 1, 2007. Outside of the above-mentioned embayments, the fishery is open year-round to divers2 and shore-based anglers. The daily bag and possession limit is 3 fish with a minimum size limit of 36 inches total length.

There are exceptions for sharks within bays up here.

From the DFG website...

Leopard Shark

Outside of the above-mentioned embayments, the fishery is closed to boat-based anglers through May 31, opening on June 1, 2007.

I don't get it? How long is it closed?

Brian, for leopard sharks outside of the bays it's closed the same as rockfish and other groundfish.  Up here in the north central region where these leopard sharks are that is until June 1.

Here are the regs for the south central region where you probably fish more often..

Leopard Shark

The recreational fishery for leopard shark (Triakis semifasciata) inside Elkhorn Slough is open year-round to boat-based anglers, divers and shore-based anglers. Outside of Elkhorn Slough, the fishery is closed to boat-based anglers through April 30, opening on May 1, 2007. Outside of Elkhorn Slough, the fishery is open year-round to divers2 and shore-based anglers. The daily bag and possession limit is 3 fish with a minimum size limit of 36 inches total length.

Brian

1 is definitely enough. I've never personally kept one but I've been told that if properly handled they can be quite tasty. Any truth to that?

IMO - if prepared properly leopards are fairly good eating. I've had them BBQ'd, grilled, and as fish & chips.

I don't have a problem with people keeping sharks to eat....what I do have a problem with is a party boat sitting on top of a leopard shark NURSERY and decimating a whole population of sharks that I've had the pleasure of CNR'ing for the past five years.

Bodega Bay is a small bay and I don't think it would take much to wipe out the majority of the leopards in there.

Dustin,

I'm with you on that one. I was a bit appalled myself when I realized that they weren't actually fishing for halibut.

Brian