Hammerhead Shark Fishing in Marco Island, Florida

Hammerhead sharks are easily identified by their hammer-like head and offset eyes. There are many types of sharks in our waters, but most are pretty identifiable by their look. Male hammerheads are usually about 6 feet while females get to be about 10 feet. They are also often referred to as T-heads, T’s or hammerheads. Hammerhead sharks are generally found in offshore waters but can also be found in inshore waters. Smaller ones are caught in the summertime and larger hammerhead sharks are caught in the winter and springtime. The world record for the largest hammerhead shark caught was in Jensen Beach, FL in 2008; it was 758 lbs. with a fork length of 117 inches.

An average weight range from about 50-pounds or less to about 250-pounds but they do get much larger than 250-pounds. They are great fighters, we will use large live bait to chum with conventional deep-sea fishing with 60-pound test line, 80-pound-test line or heavier. Wire lines fished on or near the bottom also work well. Many game fish love areas where colder water meets warmer water and the Gulf Stream has several of these spots. Where you find game fish, there will be sharks because they prey on them.

We only catch and release hammerheads, as landing and/or harvesting hammerhead sharks is illegal. Scientists have observed rapid and severe population declines among great and smooth hammerheads, both of which are listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red list.

Did you know…. Hammerhead sharks can live in schools of more than 500 sharks. The strongest female swims in the middle. When she’s ready to mate, she shakes her head from side to side to signal the other female sharks to move away so she is the center of attention. How’s that for being the queen?

[su_fishing_rates_accordian]

[su_fish_sidebar]