"There's a shark, up ahead!" 

Someone yelled from the back of the boat.  I could see it, about 100 yards out in front of us and very close to shore, in about 1-2 feet of water. 

I couldn't believe that a fish that big would be in such shallow water.  His back was partially exposed and his first dorsal fin was easily visible.  The first thing I thought of was the movie Jaws. 

Darrel yelled, "It's a good one."  I could tell right away that it was a lot bigger than anything we had seen earlier.

It was early August in southern Louisiana.  We were bowfishing for shark in the Gulf of Mexico with Captain Darrel Bryan of MarshMasters Guide Service. 

When I first talked to Darrel about going after shark he said, "It won't be a problem getting a shark". 

I was surprised at how confident he was at boating a shark.  I've bowfished for large 100# plus fish before and know how hard it can be to boat a fish of that size.  But Darrel said that the sharks were there, it was just a matter of finding the right one.

We were bowfishing in the Gulf, about a 30-45 minute boat ride from the MarshMaster dock.  The sharks were in the shallows at this time of year feeding on baitfish. 

As Darrel said, "As long as it's hot, the sharks are there." 

We fished basically as I have bowfished for other species, around island edges, sandbars, and even rock reefs and usually in less than 5-6 feet of water where we could easily see bottom.

We saw the first shark within 15 minutes of fishing.  It was a seven footer.  He was cruising the shoreline, weaving from side to side in about 3-4 feet of water.  We were about to meet him head-on. 

My wife, Cindy, and I were on the front of the boat and saw him well in advance.  We drew and waited for him to get into range.  Just as he came into range, he turned. 

We both fired immediately and then watched him swim off -- neither arrow hit the mark.  I was amazed at how quickly he moved through the water, as if the water didn't exist and he was flying through the air.  Incredible!

OK, we blamed that one on nerves. 

On we went, cruising the edge of a large sandbar.  We saw several other sharks, mostly smaller ones, some as big as the first, but of course those didn't want to give us a shot.

We moved to another sandbar and started fishing.  It started out slow, not even a baitfish to be seen.  That's when we saw the big one.  You could tell immediately that he was much bigger than anything else we had seen earlier that day. 

Darrel figured it was at least an eight footer and it was easy to tell it had a much larger girth.  We were around 100 yards away from him so Darrel positioned the boat perfectly, intending to cut him off as the shark turned toward deep water.  He then cut the motor and drifted so we didn't spook him.  The sandbar had a very gradual slope and we were out further than he was so he had to swim past us get to deep water.

He was about to swim directly in front of us, broadside.  The closer he came to us the less his back and dorsal fin were exposed.  We were still only in about 3-4 feet of water.  I couldn't believe it, I thought he was big when I first saw him, but he kept getting bigger and bigger as he came closer.

He passed 15 yards in front of the boat.  I drew my bow and as my arrow left I knew it was going to hit home. 

The shark took off like a streak.  He pulled the 25 yards of line out my Slotted Retriever reel in seconds and my float started bouncing through the water.  It was unbelievable how fast he moved. 

Now the chase was on.

We followed the float until it stopped, then grabbed the line and worked our way toward the arrow, leaving the trailing line over the side of the boat to ensure nothing became entangled with it when he ran. 

Every time we thought we were close to the arrow and expected to see the shark at any time, he would take off.  I couldn't tell you how many times we did this.  It seemed like forever and I was starting to think this fish was never going to tire. 

Finally, after 40 minutes of chasing we were able to get a look at him and get another arrow secured.  He was worn down to where he didn't even take all of the line out of the reel on the second shot. 

We had him!! 

I looked around to find the sandbar where I first shot him and it was a half mile or more away.  He took us a long way from that sandbar.

We finished him off with a homemade broadhead.  It took four of us to pull this fish over the side of the boat.  His hide was surprisingly tough and felt like sandpaper. 

After inspecting the arrows, the fishing tips were secured extremely well in his tough, leather like hide.  We had to physically cut each arrow out with a very sharp knife.

We headed back to the MarshMaster dock with the 8 foot 3 inch 300 pound shark.  What a monster.  The second boat out with us that day also took a shark.  Their fish measured in at 6 foot 6 inches and roughly 150 pounds.

The equipment we used for shark hunting included, of course, a bow.  I used my Mathews Sportsman with a draw weight of 50#.  This is the same bow I use for any other type of bowfishing.  The arrow was a regular, fiberglass bowfishing arrow with a Muzzy quick release bowfishing tip rigged with a safety slide.  The reel was an AMS Slotted Retriever Bowfishing Reel with 400# Fast Flight line.  The float we used was about a 9" diameter waterski float.  Any float will work, homemade or purchased, as long as it's fairly strong and has enough buoyancy to keep the fish from holding it underwater.

The trip to MarshMasters was incredible.  The shark fishing was great, more than what I expected it would be. 

To see the number of shark we saw and hunt for them in the shallows without using a chum line was exactly the way I wanted to hunt for shark. 

We also went night bowfishing in the Louisiana marsh with Darrel's fully rigged airboats and shot plenty of redfish, sheepshead, flounder, and bull drum to take home for the freezer. 

MarshMasters Guide Service is located in Leeville, Louisiana.  They offer deep-sea rig fishing, shark hunts, and specialize in nighttime bow fishing charters.  Bow fishing equipment is fully furnished.  They have 2 fully equipped airboats that can accommodate up to 6 shooters each specially rigged for nighttime bowfishing. 

Fish taken on the nighttime charters include red fish, flounder, sheepshead, gator gar, bull drum, and any other legal species.  Their shark hunts are seasonal, so phone 985-396-2411 for the best times to come. 

This is all salt-water bowfishing in the southern Louisiana marsh and all fish taken is great table fare fish.  MarshMasters Guide Service can be reached on the web at www.rodnreel.com/marshmasters or by phone at 985-396-2411. 

Lodging and meals are available with MarshMasters -- their southern hospitality and Cajun cooking is sure to please anyone.  Call today for your trip of a lifetime!

Ray Howell
Phone: (507) 894-4624 
Email:  kickingbearfish@yahoo.com
or: Jason Borchardt
Franklin Family Ranch
Phone: (210) 445-3530
Web Site: www.rayhowell.com.
email: info@huntingffrtexas.com