Fish guide
Blacktip Shark
Carcharhinus limbatus. Also called Blacktip.
Not a target here: FishOS has not checked the local shark fishing rules for GA yet. Release any shark caught by accident.
Showing the fish for Georgia coast, GA.
Season in Georgia
Peak months: May, Jun, Jul, Aug.
SCDNR MRRI arrival and departure temperatures placed on Fort Pulaski averages (NCEI). Blacktips leave South Carolina in October below 70 F (PLOS ONE 2016) and pass Georgia on the way south. Reynolds: sharks pup in the Georgia sounds in May. (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
Sound sandbars and around shrimp boats in spring and summer (Reynolds), and past the breakers along the beaches.
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
Georgia shark rules apply; see the regulations file. Release any shark you cannot identify for certain.
Typical: 3 to 5 ft. Large: Over 6 ft. SC record 163 lb 14 oz (Hilton Head, 2009).
Limits
FishOS has not checked the GA limits yet. Check the size, bag and season rules with the Georgia DNR Coastal Resources Division before you keep a fish.
Sources
- SCDNR Marine Resources Research Institute: shark research (estuary arrival and departure temperatures) (Official source)
- Kajiura and Tellman 2016, PLOS ONE: blacktip shark migration and water temperature (Official source)
- NOAA NCEI Coastal Water Temperature Guide, all-stations monthly averages (Charleston Cooper River Entrance, Fort Pulaski, Gray's Reef, Fernandina Beach, Mayport, St. Augustine, Trident Pier Port Canaveral, Lake Worth Pier, Fowey Rocks, Virginia Key, Vaca Key, Key West) (Official source)
- Game and Fish (Capt. Vernon Reynolds): Georgia's saltwater mayhem in May (seatrout, tripletail, sharks, flounder) (Angler knowledge)
- 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)