Commonly referred to as Blue‘s!
The blue shark has gained the unfortunate reputation of being the dopey one of the shark species and is considered to be a lazy battler when encountered on rod and reel. They are a beautifully coloured species of shark that is commonly confused with the mako.
Blue sharks can be located from as far south as Albany right up to the Abrolhos Island region throughout Western Australia and are generally encountered in extreme water depths of over 500 meters or more. They are also found in N.S.W., S.A., VIC and Tasmania.
Blue sharks are one of the smallest species of shark encountered throughout Australia and generally grow to around 200kg in weight and reach a maximum length of around 3 – 5 meters although a typical size blue is around 100kg in most locations with larger fish averaging between 150 – 200kg very rare.
Blue sharks prefer offshore continental waters and oceanic currents with depths of over 300 – 1000 meters with large numbers of bait fish such as tuna, mahi, mahi and flying fish present. Water temperatures of 22 – 27 degrees and higher are also preferred.
Blue sharks as their name suggests are light to dark blue in colouration with a white under belly. They are a very slimy built shark with large pectoral fins and small teeth which are located under its long snout.
Blue sharks like all deep water oceanic sharks should be immediately released upon capture unless the angler wishes to take the fish for a record claim!
Blue sharks are poor sport and are considered to be an easy capture on any tackle, game anglers receive half points for the species!
Light to medium lever drag stand up outfits are required for the substantial style of game fishing. They must have large line capacity and high quality drag systems capable of battling large fish in uncomfortable to rough sea conditions. Stand up outfits rated from 4 – 10kg are ideally suited for targeting blue sharks to 100kg where as 15 – 24kg stand up or game chair outfits may be needed to subdue larger specimens to over 150kg. Wind on leaders of between 200 – 400lb need to be connected to plaited doubles via a cats paw knot and then attached to the bait trace with a quality stainless steel snap swivel or cork screw style snap for heavier 37kg line classes. Wire leader materials are necessary to prevent bite offs.
Blue sharks will eat a variety of small bait fish such as mullet, mackerel, and tuna. All rigs need to be made of wire to prevent bite offs during lengthy battles.
Always use fresh baits and ensure hook points are extra sharp.
Most pelagic game fish species prefer low or high tide changes and new moon phases.
