eating sharks....removing the stink.

[jez and suze]

after all this talk about shark fishing i am willing to take a couple for food......however, i normaly cut the line and curse the retchid thind for not being something decent but apparently they are not too bad........is this true?
question....*1. how do i remove the stink b4 i get them home
..................*2. what are the main type of sharks caught around peel at the moment?
..................*3.is it legal to be found at the boat ramp with headless, guttless sharks?
..................*4. what is the best bait for a quick shark sesh.
..................*5. is the "house boat" at the spit beacon peel island worth a shot ?

if the weather stayes good tomorrow that is where i shoud be found...jez

[Leighton]

Cut off the tail, fins, gut them, head off. I dont know of any size limit, so there should not be a problem with the auth. Think they are like a Black tip Reefy, dont quote me but they had black tips and came from a reef. If you have a good burley trail going i am sure they will hit any fleshy bait. The "House Boat", whats that? I got the GPS mark of a lad at work, he told me to keep it quiet as it was some type of legendary spot X noone knew about. First time I went there, 6 boats were drifting over it. On the odd time I have had the House Boat to myself I have only managed Moses Perch.
I would be trying closer to the Reef edge, I was getting them out of about 2m of water. Saying that I am pretty sure if your Burley is working they will come from miles around

[gogetter]

well i haven't eaten any yet but they tell me they are good. whalers and black tip. i have been catching black tip around here a lot lately. have to have a go at them.

shane

[tunaticer]

Immediately bleed them to kill them as thier bodies accumulate ammonia in the bloodstream and that is the most of the smell. As soon as the shark dies from being bled out gut him and lop his head off and put him in an ice slurry.
The whalers and small bullies and black tips are all good eating IF you bleed them out immediately then gut them. Skinning them should be done as soon as the flesh "sets" and fillets washed off in seawater before chilling down again.

This time of the year you simply can not miss in any of the rivers and creeks that are not brown with freshwater runoff. They will happily smash any livebaits you set about a metre under the surface. For dead baits i prefer a garfish with two 5/0 hooks set in it. BTW do not use jumbo shark hooks, 3/0 to 5/0 hooks will do the job very nicely.

Be prepared to quickly bleed out any shark you catch ASAP not when its almost dead in the bottom of the hull.

Jack.

[snelly1971]

People make the mistake of cutting across the throat...If you feel there ...you will find a hard lump...Cut straight from the nose of the shark towards its tail by about 50 mm...cutting through this lump...this is the best way of bleeding the shark...also cut its tail off....dont worry about the fins...Gut the shark as soon as possible...and put it on ice....and always freeze shark before eating it..

My fav setup is simply a bottom bouncing rig...with a 14 -16 /0 circle hook...

Mick

[frankgrimes]

I've also heard freezing the fillets for a few days helps remove any remaining ammonia.

[jez and suze]

captain stabbin...........i too had the same first experience at the "secret" house boat......0300 and covered in boats.
......a bloke at work said afew weeks ago his mate dove it and it was full of snapper but with the amount of reef sharks around it they were not game to swim out they were just schooled up in the house boat....they caught a 12 ft tiger with some kind of shotgun on a stick..

[snelly1971]

Another good tip ...if you have the room...is once you have cleaned you flake..then put the in the fridge for 24 hrs before freezing them...

Mick

[Leighton]

I am sure the House Boat Fish's well on its day

[Freeeedom]

Shovel nose sharks are very good eating and don't have any of the ammonia taint. Cut off the head by cutting diagonally forward on each side from just behind the flaps. This leaves you with a body which then fillets a bit like a flathead. Skin the fillets and cut diaginally into steaks (depending on the size). The whalers (and similar sharks) can sometimes have a slight ammonia taint. Cut into steaks and soak for an hour in a weak vinegar solution to remove this before cooking if it's a problem
Cheers Freeeedom

[hungry6]

Put the fillet in a freezer bag and filled with enough milk to cover the flesh and rest in refridgerator overnight prior to freezing..
black tip reef shark is probably the best if your trying it for the first time, bronze whaler and bullies have a much more stronger flavour.

[kingtin]

Hungry is spot on. Milk removes the smell and also tones down the "strong' taste of some flake. It even works when the shark hasn't been bled.

kev

[jez and suze]

milk sounds like the go......is that what turnes it into "cod"?

[2DKnBJ]

Just a little tip i learnt not so long ago from a pro filleter.
Caught a bully a few weeks back and the next day i smelt like a bottle of Spray and Wipe my 3 yr old smelt like he had a bath in ammonia.
Firstly bleed the shark straight away and put on ice.When you get home carefully remove the gut then cut the tail off.There is a cavity that runs from the rear of the gut too the tail.This is where the ammonia comes from.Once you find the hole flush out with the hose then you shouldn't have a prob with the ammonia smell.

Cheers Dazza

[bayfisher]

I don't mind a bit of the ol flake but don't often specifically target them. Most replies have the right idea about quickly killing bleeding and gutting the shark to get rid of the ammonia taste. Sharks are found just about every where through out the bay. I rarely go far when specifically targeting them and usually fish on the eastern side of green on the drop off. Suspend pillies or mullet strips about 2 metres under a float and then burley with cut pillies and plenty of tuna oil. I use about a metre of light nylon cover wire. Most of the sharks you catch will be some sort of whaler and usually not real big (up to a 1 metre) but a great eating size. They are also great adversaries, plenty of fun on light gear and its a relaxing way to spend an afternoon kicking back waiting for the float to take off.

Cheers Chris