01-08-2007, 07:03 PM
[cool][#0000ff]Most people already believe that I am not fishing with a full tackle box. When I tell them that I go float tubing in salt water, one of the first questions is always "What about sharks?" My response is usually "I believe in live and let live. They can look out for themselves."[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Seriously, in my chapter on fishing different waters, I spend more than a few words on the subject of sharks. I strongly advise against tubing in any waters or under any conditions where there is any chance of a shark encounter. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Great White Sharks get all of the bad press...thanks to "Jaws". But, there are other smaller species that can be just as hazardous to swimmers, divers, wading fishermen and tubers. Bull sharks are probably the worst. These are the ones that are most often the cause of shark bites along most swimming beaches around the world. They are small relatives of the great white, and they are very aggressive. What's more, they have been known to run well up into fresh water rivers and even live in freshwater lakes. The Zambezi shark in Africa is a bull shark. And, there are lots of them in a lake in Nicaragua where they not infrequently munch people.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Tiger sharks scare me the most. They are big and they eat anything that doesn't eat them first. While they are mostly nocturnal, they do come into the shallows during the daytime in some warm waters. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Then, there are both the lemon and blacktip sharks of the southeastern coast. They come in very shallow to feed and have been known to bite people.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I do not launch my tube in waters where there is a chance of sharkbite. I have fished for small species of sharks and some of the more harmless varieties. I have hooked a few larger ones, and some stingrays, while fishing for other species. But, I have never had any potentially dangerous encounters. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I can't say the same for driving on the freeways. Somehow I always feel safer in my float tube than in my car.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Seriously, in my chapter on fishing different waters, I spend more than a few words on the subject of sharks. I strongly advise against tubing in any waters or under any conditions where there is any chance of a shark encounter. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Great White Sharks get all of the bad press...thanks to "Jaws". But, there are other smaller species that can be just as hazardous to swimmers, divers, wading fishermen and tubers. Bull sharks are probably the worst. These are the ones that are most often the cause of shark bites along most swimming beaches around the world. They are small relatives of the great white, and they are very aggressive. What's more, they have been known to run well up into fresh water rivers and even live in freshwater lakes. The Zambezi shark in Africa is a bull shark. And, there are lots of them in a lake in Nicaragua where they not infrequently munch people.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Tiger sharks scare me the most. They are big and they eat anything that doesn't eat them first. While they are mostly nocturnal, they do come into the shallows during the daytime in some warm waters. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Then, there are both the lemon and blacktip sharks of the southeastern coast. They come in very shallow to feed and have been known to bite people.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I do not launch my tube in waters where there is a chance of sharkbite. I have fished for small species of sharks and some of the more harmless varieties. I have hooked a few larger ones, and some stingrays, while fishing for other species. But, I have never had any potentially dangerous encounters. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I can't say the same for driving on the freeways. Somehow I always feel safer in my float tube than in my car.[/#0000ff]
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