# Powerhead vs shark question?



## marmidor

Ok......so you their you are 100ft or so below and you have just shot a NICE grouper and Ole sharky decide it's dinner time. Well you don't want to give up you fish so you fight back and hold your own for a while but....sharky will not stop an he gets really aggressive. At this point you make the decision to bust his shark azz with some lead/gas. So if you want to keep/eat him how do you get him to the surface if he does not float up?


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## Brandy

Lift bag him , finish your dive and pick him up after you pull anchor. A bright orange lift bag can bee seen for a long ways. A sausage bouy wiil take him up too. We always dive with one.


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## Realtor

give up the grouper????


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## marmidor

Thanks Brandy that's kinda what I was thinking.


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## marmidor

REALTOR........REALLY.....give up the grouper.....no sir!!!! LOL!!!


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## Firefishvideo

marmidor said:


> Ok......so you their you are 100ft or so below and you have just shot a NICE grouper and Ole sharky decide it's dinner time. Well you don't want to give up you fish so you fight back and hold your own for a while but....sharky will not stop an he gets really aggressive. At this point you make the decision to bust his shark azz with some lead/gas. So if you want to keep/eat him how do you get him to the surface if he does not float up?


 Shark or Grouper?....bcuz the shark is only legal if it is not one of the protected ones, and only if caught by rod and reel, Powerheading is for self protection only, is is technically illegal.
....but it does seem like a waste.....course the shark is probably full of mercury anyway.....sucks all around I guess.:thumbdown:


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## grassbed hunter

go ahead and bust his ass there are a lot of them around


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## Brandy

Realtor said:


> give up the grouper????


Jim, you put the grouper on the stringer and send the shark up on the bag,if you want him . I dont like them personally except for Mako


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## marmidor

My bad I can see where the confusion comes in .......(i have been I the sauce a lil bit tonite) Im talking bout the shark!! REALTOR i was not being a smartass. FiSH GOOD POINT and I agree it would be a waste to just leave ole sharky but you know better then I do.....if I have the choice it's me over the shark!!!


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## Orion45

You can't keep the shark. You would be hard pressed to prove that you killed it in self defense. Not worth the hassle. Ask one of the FWC officers the next time they board you.


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## sealark

:thumbup:To answer you question about getting the shark to the surface just grab the dead shark and swim up he is just about neutral until you have to put him in the boat. Or you can inflate him by putting the regulater in his mouth and hitting the purge button. (make sure he's dead first.):thumbup:


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## Clay-Doh

What brandy said...lift bag him. Wich I always have one on my stringer.

As far as weather to keep or not...to me it's a shame to waste him just cuz of the method he was killed.

If I ever have to powerhead one, I will keep him, and he will have been caught by hook and line, and dispatched at the boat with firearm which is legal.

I understand why the law is in place, but in this situation it is more ethical to break that law to not waste something killed.

And I eat a lotta shark. So far the mercury hasn't got to me!
:lol::lol::lol:


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## marmidor

Is it legal to use powerheads on sharks in FED. waters???? IF it is then wouldnt it be just like snapper season when fed. water is open and state is closed? Just don't stop in state water??


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## Clay-Doh

Not legal to "harvest" a shark by means of firearm.

There has been some argument as to whether it's legal to shoot a shark at the boat once you caught em on rod n reel, to dispatch em.

I believe it is, and have seen many tournaments were winning sharks brought to weigh in were shot, and no problems. And by definition, you harvested the shark by means of rod n reel.

Like it isn't legal to "gig" a redfish, but catchin em on rod n reel and gaffing (which by definition is gigging or spearing) is legal.


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## Orion45

sealark said:


> :thumbup:to answer you question about getting the shark to the surface just grab the dead shark and swim up he is just about neutral until you have to put him in the boat. Or you can inflate him by putting the regulater in his mouth and hitting the purge button. (make sure he's dead first.):thumbup:


lmao


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## Orion45

Clay-Doh said:


> ...If I ever have to powerhead one, I will keep him, and he will have been caught by hook and line, and dispatched at the boat with firearm which is legal....


Then be sure to have your pocket fisherman onboard. 



Clay-Doh said:


> ...And I eat a lotta shark. So far the mercury hasn't got to me!
> :lol::lol::lol:


That's still open for debate. :whistling:


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## Clay-Doh

I didn't even see Sealarks post earlier when I posted. Never thought of shootin his insides full of air via mouth!

But like he said..no matter what you do..make SURE he's dead. I do a lot of shark fishing..and as an example... last years tourney...fought a shark for about 15 minutes..got him boat side...put about 5 rounds of .40 caliber hollowpoint in his dome....got him on board...we all caught our breath...had a beer..bout 1/2 hour later, we all took turns sittin on top of him for a pic.... when Renee' and I got off him, soon as we walked in the wheel house, he started thrashin again and snappin his jaws, twisting and bending enough that he almost bit his own tail.

They are very hard to kill.

I have been told by people to powerhead them in the guts to hit there liver (there liver accounts for 1/3 there total weight, and is as long as the whole body cavity) because that destroys there buoyancy control.

What do you think sealark from your experience?


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## amnbowser

*shark*

I would not personally mess with trying to get it to the top. Sharks seem to have a mysterious way of coming back alive. Leaving it is not a waste Crab and all types of creatures will eat him which will provide nutrients back to the reef. But if you do decide to lift him the game warden would be hard pressed in my opinion to write you a ticket considering most people bang stick there sharks when they get them up on hook and line. I would think it would be nearly impossible to prove that you shot it at depth. I may be wrong this is just my opinion on the subject.


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## WhackUmStackUm

An alternative is to wear a Shark Shield (www.sharkshield.com) but only turn it on when sharks are too persistent. They will disappear quickly when you turn it on.


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## wm4480

those sharkshield things freak me out way more than the sharks do -whoever decided it was a good idea to strap an electrically charged power line to your ankle and swim around with it is clearly smarter than i am. 

personally, i'd much rather deal with fending off or powerheading a shark than deal with untangling myself from a wreck or obstruction with a line that could shock you underwater. i've also heard mixed reviews on their effectiveness and they are not cheap.

-Wilson


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## SaltAddict

I would say lift bag for sure. I have completely gutted a shark and driven a dive knife into the brain cavity (swirled it around for a good brain scramble). One hour later that thing can still snap its' jaw. I doubt it's a cognitive response, but it still hurts like hell (I'm guessing?). Kicking myself for not jumping on that powerhead order. If anyone else wants to do a group order, pm me.


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## Orion45

wm4480 said:


> those sharkshield things freak me out way more than the sharks do -whoever decided it was a good idea to strap an electrically charged power line to your ankle and swim around with it is clearly smarter than i am.
> 
> personally, i'd much rather deal with fending off or powerheading a shark than deal with untangling myself from a wreck or obstruction with a line that could shock you underwater. i've also heard mixed reviews on their effectiveness and they are not cheap.
> 
> -Wilson


Yeah. Try fending off two bullsharks while you're by yourself with fish on a stringer. A powerhead is only good AFTER you see the shark.

They do not entangle you and the shock is minimal. I turn it at the beginning of the dive and keep it on until I get to the ladder. Mainly, to drain the battery and not buikd a memory. The battery lasts 7 hours. Once you get shocked once, you'll hardly notice it again. A wet suit is recommended.

The Shark Shield is great to have when I'm alone, ascending in murky water, and with a load of fish on my stringer. I've used it for two years and never had a shark come closer than 10-12 feet.

You are correct, they are not cheap. However, once you dive with one, you'll never look back....or should I say around.


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## Clay-Doh

Salt Addict,

I have one extra not spoken for. He said he would be shipping end of this week.

They are .357 magnum, but also shoot 38 special, and 357 Maximum, if you REALLY want some juice.

They are 6mm threaded (the standers shaft thread size most people have) and 5/16" opening, so they also will fit on a JBL, Biller, or spearfishing Specialties spear tip, along with most other off brand ones.

With tax and shipping, they are about $162. I ordered enough and got em for an even $140.

One left.


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## WhackUmStackUm

wm4480 said:


> those sharkshield things freak me out way more than the sharks do -whoever decided it was a good idea to strap an electrically charged power line to your ankle and swim around with it is clearly smarter than i am.
> 
> personally, i'd much rather deal with fending off or powerheading a shark than deal with untangling myself from a wreck or obstruction with a line that could shock you underwater. i've also heard mixed reviews on their effectiveness and they are not cheap.
> 
> -Wilson


You make a good point. I have been shocked many times by my buddy. I eventually learned to keep my distance (I'm a slow learner). The shocks are mild and you soon learn to avoid them. They make your skin crawl a bit. 

I am thinking about mounting mine to a speargun stock or a pole spear so that I can keep better track of where the "tail" is. I also like to see the whites of their eyes before I turn it on. 

I have the Freedom 7 model, which works well.

B.


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## fishingcanada

if you have companion , try to get a hook and the participation of all with accomplish it. good luck for such a shark,s tale story.


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## markhsaltz

you should be able to keep one shark from eating your fish unless it is a really big great whie, Oceanic white tip or a really large Tiger. Just push em away . if you get nervous about the closeness just use the gun to push. Your buddy should be able to watch your back..


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## Clay-Doh

Often not a one shark senario here.

Last fall had 3 pinned us to the wheelhouse, one darting in front keeping our attention, while other 2 would speed in from behind. And the usual lunging and jabbing at them to intimidate them and back them off did not work. Just dodged the speargun and would charge.


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## markhsaltz

this is when your experience pays off. Although we haven't met, I suspect you have lots of experience shooting fish. Sometimes you just have to hurt the shark. I just prefer it to be a last resort not a knee jerk reaction. But you have to be safe and no shark is worth a humans life...


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## Clay-Doh

I agree that most the time you can manage them.

I've carried a powerhead since I started diving, and have only shot it 3 times, yet have seen literally hundreds of sharks.

Even though the odds are small of someone coming in your home in the middle of the night to do you harm, most people still have a firearm by there bed...just in case. I just feel the same way about powerheads.


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## marmidor

There is a good chance that I don't have half of the experience/dives that most of you guys on here have. With that said my first spearfishing trip was one I will NEVER forget due to an aggressive bull shark. He came in and circled us three times and on the last pass he was in my personal space and was not leaving on his own. After a good hard jab to the side with my spear he backed off enough so we could start making our way up. He stayed about 10-15ft from us the entire time. The only thing that stop his pursuit was us getting in the boat. I may be a big sissy but that's not gonna happen again without some repercussion on his end!! I never gave my fish up but i was pretty close at one point. I will carry my powerhead EVERY TIME I dive.


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