Fish guide
Blacktip Shark
Carcharhinus limbatus. Also called Blacktip.
Not a target here: FishOS has not checked the local shark fishing rules for FL yet. Release any shark caught by accident.
Showing the fish for Florida Keys, FL.
Season in Florida Keys
Peak months: Jan, Feb, Mar.
FWC Where to Saltwater Fish: sharks year-round (Monroe). Keys Weekly: winter flats anglers chum blacktips to the boat with filleted jacks or barracuda. (Our inference)
Season by region
| Myrtle Beach | JFMAMJJASOND |
|---|---|
| Southern NC | JFMAMJJASOND |
| Charleston | JFMAMJJASOND |
| Georgia | JFMAMJJASOND |
| Northeast Florida | JFMAMJJASOND |
| Space Coast | JFMAMJJASOND |
| Southeast Florida | JFMAMJJASOND |
| Florida Keys | JFMAMJJASOND |
| Alabama | JFMAMJJASOND |
| Upper Texas | JFMAMJJASOND |
| Middle Texas | JFMAMJJASOND |
| Lower Texas | JFMAMJJASOND |
Where to find them
Flats and channel edges in winter; chum them in with filleted jacks or barracuda; they take flies, plugs, cut bait or live blue runners and often jump (Keys Weekly).
Just past the breakers; fast and sometimes leaps and spins chasing bait schools.
What to look for
Black tips on the pectoral fins, first dorsal and lower tail lobe; white anal fin; no ridge between the dorsal fins (a ridge means it may be a prohibited sandbar).
Bait
Fresh cut mullet, Cut menhaden (bunker), Cut bluefish or other oily fish. Fish-finder rig cast just past the breakers: steel leader, non-offset, non-stainless circle hook (required in SC with natural bait), 50 to 80 lb braid on a 10 to 15 ft surf rod.
Leader
Steel leader; 8/0 to 12/0 non-offset circle hook.
Common mistakes
- Confusing a sandbar shark (prohibited) with a blacktip: check for the ridge between the dorsal fins
- Fighting the fish to exhaustion; keep fights short
- Dragging the shark up the dry sand
Landing
Lead it into the shallow wash and keep it in the water there. Do not drag it up the dry sand or lift it by the tail.
Handling
- Teeth
- Abrasive skin
- Sudden thrashing
Keep it in the water: do not drag it up the beach and keep hands away from the mouth and gills. If the hook is deep or you would have to reach near the mouth, cut the leader as close to the hook as you can; carry a cutter that can cut the leader or hook. Prohibited sharks (sandbar, sand tiger, dusky and others) must be released without removing them from the water; treat any shark you cannot identify as prohibited.
Keep or release
Florida rules: FWC's free Shore-based Shark Fishing permit is required for anglers 16 and older fishing for sharks from shore, piers, jetties or bridges (not from a boat); circle hooks with natural bait; carry a tool that cuts the leader fast. See the regulations file for limits.
Typical: 3 to 5 ft. Large: Over 6 ft. SC record 163 lb 14 oz (Hilton Head, 2009).
Limits
FishOS has not checked the FL limits yet. Check the size, bag and season rules with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission before you keep a fish.
Sources
- Florida FWC: Where to Saltwater Fish (species and seasons by county, Nassau to Monroe) (Official source)
- Florida Keys Weekly (Bill Horn, March 2015): winter skinny-water anglers target cuda, sharks (Angler knowledge)
- Kajiura and Tellman 2016, PLOS ONE: blacktip shark migration and water temperature (Official source)
- SCDNR Marine Resources Division: Sharks of South Carolina (2004 field guide; limits in it are outdated, see R2) (Official source)
- Carolina Sportsman: surf sharking in the dark (SC beaches) (Angler knowledge)
- SCDNR saltwater game fish records (Official source)