# Navarre Beach 3/16/2016



## Quackjn (Mar 10, 2014)

Decided to take the morning off and see if there were any cobia or kings around since the water temp is hovering around 68. Got to Navarre Beach about 10 minutes before first light and unloaded everything and waited for light to check out the surf conditions. Water was high, very high. This meant that at parking lot 7, there were 2 sets of breakers. I packed everything up and moved to parking lot 12 and everything looked beautiful.

Once past the surf I saw bait on the fish finder, thought it was still a little early for that but there was definitely bait there (not sure what sort). Once I hit 15’ of water I rigged up a cigiscle with a green/yellow/orange duster and a 1/8oz bullet weight on the head on one side and a big eel lure on the other in hopes of a cobia even though I wasn’t going to be patrolling the bar.

Here starts the events that made me nervous. Once I started trolling I heard “splashes” and such behind the kayak. I have kayaked and kayak fished a lot, this is not something I had ever heard as often as I did today. I started looking behind me after the 4th/5th time of hearing is and noticed a “disturbance” about 3-5’ behind the kayak, not the normal track ripples before someone says something like that. These splashes and disturbances in the water continued the entire trip till I hit about 15-18’ of water on the way back in.

Trolled out to 40-44’ seeing lots of bait on the finder along with the occasional (guessing) shark. Once I hit 40-44’ the cigar gets slammed, line peeling off for 3-4 seconds then nothing… missed the hook. Re-rigged another cigar and noticed something large and silver jumping further out. It was big and appeared to be solo, made 3 jumps 15-30 seconds apart from one another. 

Decided to go after whatever was jumping and made it to roughly 55’ before the cigar gets hit. I watch the rod bend slowly, then slack. I stopped paddling and played the waiting game for as long as it took me to get the other line in, at almost that exact moment line starts getting stripped from the TLD – Game on! 

Slow run, doesn’t feel very promising. I let it go with fairly loose drag till it stops running then bump the drag up just a tad and try to get the yak over top of whatever it is. At this point it finally realizes it’s hooked and I get a decent run making me think that maybe it is something worthwhile… till the end of the run when I feel a couple headshakes and then feel a bump and the line goes slack. Get the slack back on the reel and it’s still there, starting to feel more and more sharky with the slow runs, shakes and “bump” to change direction. 

The fight continues for roughly 20-25 minutes, then I hear what sounded like a gunshot followed by the loudest splash I have ever heard in my life. Something very big had skied 30-50’ behind me (fish was deep and under the yak at this point in time). The struggle went on for about another 15-20 minutes, at which point something happened. I will try and describe it in the only way I can. Something hit the kayak, now I have been bumped by sharks before but this, this felt like I was in a rear-end collision there was that much force. At this point I decide that I’m either getting this fish to the yak or breaking my line, either will enable me to head to the beach as I’ve had enough for the day. Put my thumbs on the reel and slowly raise the rod, get 2 good rotations of this in before the line snaps. 

Like I have said, I have kayaked and kayak fished for a while now. I also was in to land-based shark fishing for roughly 5 years and was on the beach paddling bloody baits out in the middle of the night at least 3-4 times a week during that point of my life. I have been bumped by bull sharks before, I have seen shadows larger than the kayak swimming next to me. I am not one to scare easily on the water, but with everything together today I will say, I was pretty spooked.


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## Jgatorman (Jun 8, 2013)

Sounds like you might have found Mr Mako, I had the same type of experience last year minus the rear end collision and bumps. I would be trolling a couple of cigs on calcutta 700s in my PA and I would hear some excessive commotion but every time I would turn around to grab the rod all I saw was the surface disturbed. Every time the hook would either pull almost immediately or break off 80lb floro that looked as if it rubbed all the way up a concrete piling. Eventually caught a 7 ft blacktip later that day. I also was solo once and something about 10yds off my starboard bow put a big hole in the surface of the water when it breached. Scared me half to death for a second! Whatever it was it was huge and made quite a commotion! Sometimes I wonder what in the hell am I doing in this tub o plastic in the middle of the gulf but it soon fades especially when the drag starts to scream or some super cool marine life shows up and sometimes all it takes is the view!


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## Quackjn (Mar 10, 2014)

I was thinking what I saw jumping (and heard jump) was a mako, I just don't like to say it unless I know for sure. As for the bump, I am pretty certain it was a shark of some sort. I am pretty sure every event today was sharks lol. I was alone today and was asking myself what in the world I am doing, just like you said you do at times lol.


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## duckhunter38135 (Nov 27, 2014)

?
I think I would have to change my shorts. Never had any shark encounters while in the yak......yet. 

Reminds you you're not top dog out there.


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

Right time of year for a big Mako and they ain't scared of shit!!!


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## Quackjn (Mar 10, 2014)

Chris V said:


> Right time of year for a big Mako and they ain't scared of shit!!!


Yes, yes it is the right time of the year. Still amazes me how many people from the panhandle have no idea that every year from Feb-March the big mako and tigers are in close. I mean, I've lived here 6 years and noticed the trend very very quick, yet it makes the news every single year.


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## GrandIsle (Jul 2, 2015)

I remember seeing reports of people catching 800 lb makos from the beach in spring time. Honestly it's the main reason I haven't launched yet this spring. I caught a 70 lb mako when I was a teenager and it was the meanest creature I've ever encountered. I have nightmares about being in a kayak near one.


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## jonscott8 (Jan 18, 2015)

Awesome report, thanks for sharing.


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## GatorBane (Jan 11, 2010)

I remember a few years ago the Go Pro video Ginzu posted of a 12 footer circling them. CRAZY!!!


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## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

I have a video when I yaked Navarre about 2 years ago of a mako skying! He was in a huge school of bo-bo's and a bit of a distance off...That's what it sounds like though.
It's at the 14 second mark on the right side!!! You'll have to see it on big screen to tell...


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## Dimebag (Jan 15, 2014)

That would scare the living shit out of me......I always wondered what I would do if I was out there and a Huge Mako aired in front of me.....has anyone in a kayak ever been attacked by a Mako around here? Like a legit crazy mako on the prowl lol

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk


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## need2fish (Oct 2, 2007)

Great read - thanks for posting. Sounds like it could be a Mako. Guy fishing with frozen cig today in Navarre got hit up by an 8' Mako that bumped his Yak. Sounds similar. He was around 25' or so and it started pulling him out. He broke it off due to the high north winds and lots of chop out past 30'.


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## g40 (Apr 27, 2014)

Wow! Great narration.
I had a big shark steal a 50-60 # cobia that was close to being gaffable 10 years ago near the 300 foot tower in Navarre. 
I was considering trying to fish for cobia on my paddleboard this season but now I am not so sure.
Cheers.


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## JD7.62 (Feb 13, 2008)

Ginzu and I had a solid 10ft mako last spring mock charge us and circle us for about 5 minutes before finally moving off. She would charge us at a good clip and turn off at the last second literally splashing water on me once.

We rafted together and watched. Its the ONLY time Ive been a bit nervous of a shark on a kayak. Im convinced if she had the brain power to realize she could have easily knocked us out, she would have.


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## GatorBane (Jan 11, 2010)

JD7.62 said:


> Ginzu and I had a solid 10ft mako last spring mock charge us and circle us for about 5 minutes before finally moving off. She would charge us at a good clip and turn off at the last second literally splashing water on me once.
> 
> We rafted together and watched. Its the ONLY time Ive been a bit nervous of a shark on a kayak. Im convinced if she had the brain power to realize she could have easily knocked us out, she would have.


ENORMES Cojones, Bolas, Huevos!


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## Dimebag (Jan 15, 2014)

Hot damn...that's some scary stuff right there....I've seen them swimming around but never bumped thank goodness...it's When I'm surfing that scares the crap out of me. Seen a turtle get taken down by a shark in front of me 2 years ago and instantly paddle back to shore and called it a day. 

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## GAjohn (May 23, 2012)

I would've noped the hell out of there


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## bdyboarder86 (Apr 25, 2013)

Academy has a few suggestions for mako sharks....


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## Jgatorman (Jun 8, 2013)

Are those fish billy clubs? Never bring a club to a shark fight.... better bring a .45


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## bdyboarder86 (Apr 25, 2013)

Haha agree.


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## Dimebag (Jan 15, 2014)

Lol, so a buddy called FWC and u are actually able to shoot a shark legally while in a Kayak... I didn't beleive but he made the call in front of me.

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## EricVF (Jan 15, 2015)

Y'all are giving folks some ideas about packing heat in the kayak. Growing up in the sticks I've tried shooting fish before, it ain't easy. They've got to be REALLY close to the surface and really close to you. So don't dick around and shoot a hole in your boat! Just sayin


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## daniel9829 (Jan 31, 2009)

I was in Gulf Shores 10 years ago or so right after I started kayaking and was bumped and rammed by a Mako I believe. I don't know or really cared I just made a line to the beach. Still going out but I left a trail in the wake.


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## Zacvuittonet (Oct 11, 2014)

Possibly a smart investment! I've though about one of these for a while..


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## EricVF (Jan 15, 2015)

I've thought seriously about these. 

https://sharkshield.com/

They're ungodly expensive, but if you ever felt like you needed it or even just got spooked you could flip it on. Might be worth it. Jim Sammons turns his on to land fish to keep sharks from stealing them after hook up.


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## Ford (Sep 21, 2015)

Great read and detail, I enjoyed. Thank you for sharing!


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