Multiple shark sightings have forced beaches to close in the Rockaways this summer, but it’s also welcome news for fishing charters that specialize in shark fishing.
Open ocean fishing excursions happen not only off the coast of Florida. The excursion also happens six miles off the coast of Rockaway Beach.
What You Need To Know
- Thomas LaCognata, who owns Rockaway Fishing Charters, said his crew is fishing sharks much closer to shore this summer
- He said typically those fishing for sharks need to be at least 20 miles off the coast of Rockaway Beach to find sharks
- In a seven-hour charter earlier this week, anglers reeled in nine sharks six miles off the coast of Rockaway Beach
- Shark fishing is legal in New York State but anglers need to register with the Department of Environmental Conservation
The Rockaway Fishing Charters’ boat left the Moonbeam Gateway Marina off Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn at 8 a.m.
The crew was hard at work prepping hooks and creating what’s known as the “chum slick,” a bag filled with fish, hoping to entice the predators in.
About two and a half hours later, Metz caught his first shark and reeled in another 20 minutes later. The father and son duo reeled in nine sharks during the seven-hour excursion.
“Nine sharks that we actually got in. We had a few hits that we missed or that they did halfway off, but that was a pretty good day. That was pretty active,” Thomas LaCognata, owner of Rockaway Fishing Charters, said.
LaCognata is the charter’s captain and goes by the nickname “Shark Boss.”
He’s been running shark fishing charters for seven years and says this summer business has been booming.
“The water is a little cleaner. It’s a little warmer. There’s more bait fish around. When there’s more bait fish around, the sharks are chasing them in,” LaCognata said.
Beyond seeing more sharks, LaCognata said he’s also finding them closer to shore.
“We see ‘em pretty close. We used to have to go 20, 30, 40 miles for shark fishing. But now, with the gas prices what they are — it’s much better if we can get them closer,” LaCognata said.
Shark fishing is legal in New York state, but those wanting to take part in the fishing need to be registered with the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation.
According to the DEC, 55,000 people through the end of June registered compared to 46,000 people in May. The DEC says that’s typical with the usual summer uptick in registrants.
There are restrictions about what kinds of sharks people can keep and what needs to be released back into the ocean. The DEC is working on new regulations, such as adding gear restrictions for anglers to improve safety for both sharks and anglers.
“I start reeling, and it’s just constantly fighting. It’s all muscle,” Michael Metz, a college student, said.
Metz has hooked a brown shark, which is estimated to weigh anywhere between 65 and 85 pounds. Since he’s not allowed to keep this shark, he released it back into the ocean.
“It was only about probably five or six feet at the most. And still, it was just fighting so hard. It was so tough to reel in, but it was so worth it,” Metz said.
LaCognata says lately a lot of his clients are tourists, who prefer catch and release fishing.
“We had a family from California last week. We had a group of guys from Finland, and we’ve had people been coming from everywhere. You know, visiting city, and then they come out shark fishing for a little bit,” he said.
It’s not something tourists would immediately expect from a city of skyscrapers. But LaCognata says there’s a lot more to the big apple.
“They didn’t realize. A lot of people don’t realize they do that here,” he said.
“I didn’t even know you could fish off of New York City, let alone for sharks. It was just a surreal experience,” Metz said.