Shark attacks

[Korrie]

Here is a link about a surfer that was attacked at Strand by a shark.
http://iafrica.com/news/sa/671080.htm
I have been wondering for a while now when will be the first attack on a fisher be at the Strand.
If you think about it, 100km to the east we have all the cage diving for great whites, 20 km to the west, we have some of the highest concentrations of great whites of Seal Island in the world.
Here we stand up to our belly buttons even deeper of the reefs at Strand and fish. Almost the proverbial sitting duck. Maybe it is because we are standing relatively still in the water that we have not been attacked, or have the fisher folk just been lucky?

[Pierre]

I believe it is because a fisherman standing in the water does not resemble any food source.

[FishWhisperer]

I dont think any fly fisherman have been attacked yet cause every time they get close enough, someone throws a clouser at them whispering 'Here fishy-fishy'!

I think it may have something to do with the fact that we stay relatively still and don't splash around. Also we don't look like floating objects like surfers do. We would probably look more like a rock or kelp bed of sorts. They've got pretty bad eyesight.

[Lardbeast]

They'll track you upstream if you take a leak, though.

As said, you don't look like a food source and GWs are pretty bright. They know humans don't taste too good. your real problems are the Zambis and tigers, neither of which is too common around Cape Town AFAIK.

[MyWorld]

Strange, now that you mention it I have never heard of any angler being attacked by a shark, be it bait or flyfishermen.

But I think you will wet and soil your pants if you really knew what went on just 50m ahead of you most of the times, luckily we can't see underwater otherwise there will be no more flyfishermen in the sea!

http://www.systemshock.co.za/forums/...106_10_195.jpg

Look at the one above first....
http://www.systemshock.co.za/forums/...06_10_8747.jpg

[Rendier]

I did a Shark Speciality course two years back. The problem with GW are that they don't have a tongue to lick you before they bite. It can only distinguish a taste at the back of it's mouth, which might lead to an unfortunate fatal bite.

As Lardbeast mentioned, do not take a leak! Smell is a GW's strongest sense, followed by taste, sound, electromagnetic pulses and sight.

[FishWhisperer]

But I think you will wet and soil your pants if you really knew what went on just 50m ahead of you most of the times, luckily we can't see underwater otherwise there will be no more flyfishermen in the sea!

Attachment 1495
I say no more...

[Jasper]

"Strange, now that you mention it I have never heard of any angler being attacked by a shark, be it bait or flyfishermen."

read the old book "Strike" by Schoeman .... LOTS of Great White attacks .... particularly against skiboats in the Strand/Gordon's Bay area!

I am convinced that this proliferation of "cage diving" is the primary cause of the increasing incidents of shark attacks. Sharks, particularly Great Whites ... are now associating humans with food!!

Incidentally .. the biggest Great White I have seen was when I owned my boat ... off Strand swimming beach ... we were so close in that could even hear the damn "music" from the radios!

[Surly Ghillie]

there has been at LEAST one case of a flyfisher in Durban, wading on a sand bank harbour being hit by a zambezi (bull shark family)

[NeilRowe]

In the 1980's I worked at AECI in Somerset West/Strand. Many of the employees there were avid rock and surf anglers in the Strand area and I was told by one of these guys about an incident where an angler, who had waded out to one of the reefs and was fishing in waist deep water, had two fish taken off his belt by a large shark!