Bleeding and cleaning sharks

[carps 1]

i know this could be a sticky topic but please bear in mind i only catch wat i intend to eat i do not and will not ever fish purely for trophy fish i dont fish to keep the jaws ...i wil photo my catch for my records .... anyway back to the job at hand can some one tell me the best way to bleed sharks have fished with several dif people over the last couple months (no success yet) but they all seem to have a dif method is there a right and wrong way or just how you have been tought cheers.... i wouldnt want to ruin the feed of my first caught shark ... :

[Ranger 48]

Cut down behind the head and at the base of the tail, far enough to sever the backbone, then remove all the fins.Gutting, skinning and filleting can come later, as it's important to keep the carcass whole for fisheries compliance.Once you are ready to clean the fish, remove the head and tail. Do not open the gut cavity as you would with a fish, instead, completely remove the belly flaps by slicing along the sides of the shark to remove the entire lower gut portion back as far as the anus.Take a large fillet from each side, removing the backbone entirely, then lay each fillet flat, skin side down, and skin the fillets with a sharp filletting knife.The remaining two boneless fillets can then be cut into useable fillets or cutlets, and freeze them before use to rid the meat of any residual ammonia taste.If handled correctly, I believe shark to be one of the most palatable types of flesh you can get.Fun to catch, great to eat, no bones, and plenty of firm flaky meat.This will also help you: http://www.fishingkites.co.nz/articles/articlefive.htm

[szkolka 0]

id agree with every thing ranger has said. but ranger do u cut the meat of thats around the stomach?

[Ranger 48]

Yes mate I do! I completely remove the entire gut cavity and belly flaps.

[Guest SuperThahn]

I have been told the best way is to cut the tail off while its still alive and it will pump out the amonia nasties its self. Seems a bit cruel to me. I have done what ranger said and that works for me. Saying that i wont eat shark for at least a month after its been in the freezer.

[carps 1]

cheers guys great link ranger very self explanitory but i recon he makes it look(sound) loads easier than it is but at least i know where to start now ;D

[nicol 0]

na dont cut their tail off! much easier to carry with it on.sever the spinal cord at the head and cut its head off as it were a fish and it bleeds fine.

[Guest SuperThahn]

So thats why the pro shark fisherman do it?A mate of mine has actually worked on a pro shark boat and thats what they do....

[nicol 0]

yeh but i doubt "pro shark fisherman" can carry home a 100kg shark..

[Guest SuperThahn]

Pretty much if it wont fit in an esky you have wasted it anyway as you really should ice down as soon as its bled.I have eaten them when they have been to big to put in an esy and they are not the nicest. I would say if it wont fit in an esky let it go.

[nicol 0]

yeh where would you store 50+kg of shark anyway!im speaking from a local jetty fishermans point of view, us kids that fish semaphore have to carry the catch home so keeping the tail on is very handy.im not sure if carps is a jetty fisherman or not so im just giving my share

[nicol 0]

im not sure if carps is a jetty fisherman or not so im just adding on

[Ranger 48]

Hang on guys! Don't remove the tail! Cut through the head AND tail to sever the backbone and let it bleed from both ends! I leave both the head and tail on until time to fillet, only removing the fins on the boat, and I spike them through the head prior to making any cuts.Due to the size of sharks, and the fact that they may not fit into your kill tank, I dont hang around once I've bagged one. There's plenty of meat there, so I call it a day and head on home to clean my catch, as just like all seafood (maybe moreso), it's important to keep it fresh and prepare it properly.Freezing shark flesh is definately in order! That Hammerhead I caught the other weekend was frozen for a week before I tasted any of it (although 1 month is recommended). I crumbed some, battered some, dusted some with flour and fried it, also brushed some with chili paste and fried it! It was all good, and now that I know, I'd rate Hammerhead highly, much higher than Bronzie! Surprisingly, on that link I sent you, they don't rate Hammerhead as a top eating species! :icon_eek: Carps, it isn't as difficult cleaning a shark as you might think. The thing which gives most people grief is skinning it. Some use pliers to pull the skin off, but I believe using a sharp filleting knife while holding it skin down is the most effective way. Bearing in mind that I do not target 100kg sharks, I just look for manageable eating sized critters (3-5ft) and you'll get plenty of good feeds out of that.For a few kilos of shark meat I'll show ya how it's done!

[carps 1]

nicol generally im a boat fisho but you never know where you can end up or wat you will catch there so as ive said before there is only good advise ranger you know im gonna take you up on these offers mate and i to am only really after the smaller ones (up to say four foot)to start with as its really a feed im after....but having said that wouldnt say no to a big one (c/r) that is i have no need for teeth on my wall ;D

[Ranger 48]

Carps, I believe early in the season is when ya get the small Bronzies, and the larger ones tend to move in later. We are currently in "larger" mode.Having said that, I ain't no expert, and ya never know what's around.Calm flat conditions seem to bring the Bronzies out, so wait for a nice warm day with offshore breezes, but also early morning and late arvo are good times.Plenty of surface burley and oil to keep a constant trail, and if they are around it wont take them long to show up.The smaller one's are quite manageable, but it does pay to give em a tap on the head to ensure they are properly subdued before coming aboard, coz they can make a mess of ya boat when they're angry.I'm not at all interested in large sharks, coz large sharks have large teeth and strength. I've only got a lil boat and lil chicken wing arms, and I have no need for teeth on my wall leg, so I just stick to what I can cope with unless someone with experience wants to take me on a larger craft. Maybe someone who owns a Haines Hunter 580SL if anyone like that happens to be around here! ;)A couple of other guys around here have the experience with large sharks, and I'm sure they can help ya out if ya wanna have ya arms stretched!If I can help you out with filletting at any stage I will do my best to meet up with you (and I don't require a flesh payment), but I really don't think you will need any help. If I can do it, you can do it!