Pablo Escobar - Wild Animal Collector

Who knew? Hate to be brief, but these days you can Google up the details really quick. Watching the story now on Animal Planet. Among other wild and exotic animals in general, Escobar had a special thing for hippos.

stp

What Today Really Means

Memorial Day is for those who have died fighting for priceless freedoms often taken for granted. It’s about coming together in honor of those who gave it all so we could pursue the opportunity to have it all. Remind those who may consider this just an extra day off from work or school - especially the kids. Then enjoy the time together and the freedom to do so. God Bless the USA and all her brave Warrior Patriots. -stp-

Consumed

The days of simply updating a blog or website are sadly over. Now, it seems, one post has to go in 10 places and unless you're 11-years old, who has that kind of time? For past 6-8 months, I've been consumed with live event production surrounding the Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge tournament and festival so it's been a little quiet on this site. For those not in the know, the Ultimate Shark Challenge is a little contribution I make, along with my co-consipirators, Brooks Paxton and Capt. Robert Moore. Together, we're allied with many other important collaborators from the worlds of sport, science and research, conservation, business and entertainment.

This year, we've further enhanced, and and are rolling out, some defined conservation initiatives and educational outreach programs, as part of the circus-like show we put on with the tournament and companion festival. It's all about promoting best practices for shark-release fishing and a responsible management ethic with regard to some of the marine world's Vitally Important Predators -- or what we like to call our VIP's.

Anyhoo, if you're into that sort of thing, there's a lot more information at the tournament website. Granted, I haven't spent much time posting here, but I've been busier than a rooster in a three-story hen house. Trust me. Once this project is over and the big top comes down on the afternoon of May 15th, we'll get back to a lot of other biz. In the meantime, here's some updates on what I've been up to the last little while, and a few more here. Thanks for stopping by and always remember, the grass may be greener on the other side, but somebody's still gotta mow it. -stp-

Uncommon Shark Sightings in Gulf

Last month, I posted news of a mako shark caught in Gulf waters well off the coast of Sarasota, FL and juvenile tiger sharks encountered in near shore waters off the same area. Not rare, by any stretch, but welcome signs. Lately, tiger sharks have been a little on the few and far between side here in SW Florida, compared to 20 or so years ago. A white shark was also rumored to have taken a speared Amberjack off the east coast of Florida earlier in the year.

Last Friday, then again yesterday, one of our tournament anglers phoned in a few pics of a species of shark he's been encountering over the last week off SW Florida. They were positively identified as finetooth sharks. In discussing them with Dr. Bob Hueter of Mote's Center for Shark Research, they are uncommon here, unlike the northern Gulf and off the southeast Atlantic coast.

Bob also tipped me off to what is indeed a rare sighting of a basking shark ... basking off a pier in Panama City, FL. Apparently, its been 30 years since another, larger basking shark was seen in the Gulf. In this case, there was a lucky kayaker close by. Talk about being in the right place at the right time.

Click Image to View Youtube Video

Warm Weather, Tigers, Makos and ... Whites?

Air temps here in SW Florida are already about 20 degrees warmer than this time last year, and are actually above historical averages. Gulf water temps are also notably higher than 12 months ago. With other factors like the BP oil disaster and Mother Nature having a mind of her own aside, the two unsubstantiated fish stories below deserve mention and some consideration. Either way, I'd like to think so.  - stp-

On Thursday, I got a call from a solid source on Florida's east coast that an 80-pound amberjack was snatched from a spear fisherman less than a mile offshore by a 12 - 14 foot white shark. When the alleged hi-jacking took place, the lucky angler was involved in the routine task of retrieving his speared catch in approximately 80 feet of water. Those in the know would agree, the next best suspect would be a mako, but the first-hand, eye-witness source is convinced otherwise. Either way, a big mako or a smallish white well inside the Gulf Stream is intriguing.

This morning, I caught wind of a report, and then confirmed that a mako shark exceeding 700 pounds was taken approximately 30 miles off the coast of Sarasota by a split charter group on board the 'Big Catch' of the Flying Fish Fleet yesterday. While cleaning the mako, a fully intact blacktip shark of about 65 pounds was discovered amongst the stomach contents, adding to the total estimated weight, which was calculated using the following measurements.

I spoke with a representative of the Flying Fish Fleet and confirmed this shark was 116 inches at the fork with a 68 inch girth, and had a total length between 11 and 12 feet. There was no scale on site to accurately handle a fish of this size. FORMULA USED = Girth Squared (68 x 68 = 4624) times Fork Length (116 inches) Divided by 800 = Total Estimated Weight of: 670 Pounds plus the Consumed Blacktip (65 Pounds) = 735 Pounds.

"A great big fish, indeed" -- according to founding members of the All-Star Rod & Gun Club

Tigers, mostly smaller juveniles, have also been caught just off the beaches around Sarasota in recent weeks, and finally, in talking with my brother, Brooks, and pro guides like Capt. Robert Moore, there have been credible reports that mature makos and other larger, but similar-looking species; have been snatching amberjack from angler's lines off the coast of Boca Grande, just to our south.

This could be an interesting year.

Sean Paxton is a self-confessed throwback adventurer who enjoys cold dinners out of a can, loosely planned expeditions to the middle of nowhere and long dives with sharks. He can fashion a tourniquet out of any necktie, prefers A1-Sauce over Gray Poupon and skirt steaks that are just a little pink in the middle. Contact: Sean@ThinkOutLoudProductions.com