iStockphoto / HakBak1979
Fishing in The Florida Everglades is an adventure unlike any other. I often describe Everglades fishing trips to friends as if you were stepping into Jurassic Park because the wildlife is so abundant, you never know what you’re going to see.
The first time I went fishing in the Everglades, out of Chokoloskee, I encountered saltwater crocodiles, alligators, countless species of fish, multiple species of rays, and there were multiple species of sharks swimming around all day.
But depending on where you’re fishing in the ‘Glades and what the tide is doing, water visibility might leave you unable to see what’s below as the water can quickly get churned up with mud.
That’s precisely what happened in this viral video below of a lemon shark attack:
The Instagram caption from Michael Russo who goes by ‘Boca Grande Tarpon’ reads:
“Today was one of the scariest days on the water I have ever had. It started off great and we were crushing the fish but the sharks were eating some our fish despite our best efforts. After releasing a snook, Elarjan washed his hands in the water and was immediately bit by a large (lemon) shark.
There was no chum or blood in the water and the sharks were unprovoked. The sharks are no joke in the Everglades and the warnings about keeping your hands out of the water are not an exaggeration. Please take this as a lesson and keep your hands out of the water because this could have been prevented. He was rushed back to the dock and the park rangers were a lifesaver (literally). He was airlifted to the hospital and is in the best care possible.”
If none of that makes any sense, allow me to break it down. They were fishing for snook, arguably the most popular gamefish in the state of Florida, and had just released a fish.
The one guy went to rinse his hands in the water. The lemon shark attacked, sensing the movement on the water but unable to see what it was.
It pulled the fisherman overboard and into the water, likely making enough commotion to briefly scare the shark off while he got back into the boat at light speed.
The angler was fortunate to be airlifted to the nearest hospital and receive care for the lemon shark attack. There’s no telling what sort of nasty bacteria is lurking in the teeth of a shark like that.
Some outlets reported the shark to be a bull shark but initial reports called it a lemon shark and I’m sticking with it being a lemon shark after watching the clip a few times.
The closest I’ve ever come to a large lemon shark was my first time parasailing. It was off Sanibel and Captiva Islands and there was a shark fishing tournament going on (chum in the water all over). So we saw a ton of sharks from above.
At one point, the boat stopped to ‘drop’ us in the water before picking up speed again. What they couldn’t see is they dropped us about 40 yards from a massive lemon shark and everyone on the boat thought my buddy and I were just being panicky kids. Cool experience though.