iStockphoto / SylwiaDomaradzka
I haven’t spent a whole lot of time in Hilton Head, just a few day trips for golfing and dining while we stayed across the river in Palmetto Bluff over the years. But on our last trip there we booked a fishing charter and I was SHOCKED by how quickly and easily we started catching sharks when the fishing got slow.
We spent the first portion of the day chasing cobia and sight fishing for them on the surface. That was fun while it lasted but when it slowed down we ran back to the river and started chumming and catching sharks within seconds. Seriously, seconds. And then every bait we’d drop down would get a bite from a shark. They weren’t big but there were A LOT of them which is an excellent sign that the waters in that area support an abundance of life and a healthy fishery.
The first fishing guide I messaged about booking a charter that day couldn’t take us because he was booked up but I still follow him on Twitter and I was scrolling through my feed last night (find me at @casspa) when I came across this absolutely wild clip. Capt. Chip Michalove of Outcast Charters specializes in catching MASSIVE sharks. If you want to catch (tag and release) a Great White Shark then he’s your guy.
There aren’t a ton of details here but he describes it as one of the best days he’s ever had on the water and A LOT of work went into tracking down this whale carcass ripe with enormous sharks. Here’s the clip on Twitter and Instagram so you can choose your preferred medium to watch:
https://twitter.com/chiphhi/status/1367679741315215360?s=21
and
Sharks LOVE a rotting whale carcass. It’s an easy meal they can fill up on. There are always other fish and birds in the area fighting for scraps. The decaying whale draws in an abundance of life. Don’t believe me? Watch this 4K clip from a few months ago of Tiger Sharks absolutely decimating this whale carcass:
If you’re ever in the Hilton Head area and want to go shark fishing then look up Outcast Fishing charters with Capt. Chip Michalove.