Thats a sandbar shark. You can tell from the tall dorsal and long pectoral fins as well as the lack of markings on fin tips or dusky coloration under the pectorals like a bull. Not bad eating as long as you bleed them out.
bleeding out a shark is simple......cut off the tale and let him bleed until he stops moving. Then poke him with a long stick....just to be sure....lol. When you feel it is safe (it probably isn't) slice down the belly and pull everything out. I don't trust them teeth till the head comes off...hahaha. But bleed them as fast as you can...... Mine are usually bleeding within a minute of it hitting the planks!
Okay, now the shark has been bled. What next, do you remove hide/skin and then steak him or do you live hide/skin on? If caught from boat and it is small enough , is it legal to cut tail and bleed him prior to returning to beach? Would not want to get caught doing something illegal. tks for reply
There are a few different ways of cleaning a shark. I usually bleed it out then gut it. Then steak it. After steaking it I will cut the skin off and any red meat. Soak in lemon juice for at least 30-45 minutes prior to freezing. Then soak in milk for a little while before cooking. Some people even freeze the meat in the milk.
The shark must be in whole condition when out on a boat. Cutting the tail to bleed it out and gutting should be fine.Since there isn't a length limit on the shark. Just a cull limit. As long as the officer can tell that it's a shark and how many you have.......you are good to go. I normally bleed and then gut while out on water. I wait to steak till I get home. You may want to contact FWC as to wether gutting is allowed at sea though, just to be safe. I don't see why it wouldn't be but you never know. I normally throw a couple of bags of ice in the cavityand keep on fishing.
Any time brother, when it warms up we'll meet up and and do a little shark fishing. I'll show you first hand how I do it. By that time though you will probably already be a pro at it!
konz - when the weather is right I'll take you up on the getting together to fish offer. Probably won't do much before spring anyway as I am having my hand operated on and will need time to heal. dan
Cutting the tail off is fine in florida waters just make sure that if you are fishing in any other states waters that most do require a minimum size limit which is usually the fork length of the shark. If that is the situation I would cut through most of the base of the tail but leave a thick flap of skin so the length can be determined. This is legal in alabama and probably most states.