Shark - Mako
name: Shark - Mako
other names: Blue Pointer, Bonito Shark
The Mako has a very streamlined body. Its back is cobalt blue and its belly is white. The dorsal fin starts just behind the base of the pectoral fin. The short fin’s teeth differ from other sharks; they are curved and slender, lacking serations and cusps.
The Mako is oceanic and is distributed in the western Atlantic from Cape Cod to Argentina. The species is very common in the Caribbean, but is rarely caught off Bermuda.
Mako's feed on squids and pelagic fishes such as mackerels and herrings.
Prey of the Mako is known to include a variety of pelagic fishes including mackerels, bonito, anchovies, herrings, grunts, cod, salmon, small sharks and squid.
Exceeding 1,000 pounds in weight and 13 feet in length, the Mako is a very large predator. There is very little information available on this species' life patterns. Scientists believe that Mako's must be at least 600 pounds before they are sexually mature.
The Mako is one of the most active and strongest swimming sharks. It has tremendous stamina and often makes spectacular leaps when it is hooked. Most recreational anglers prefer to fish for Mako's from an open cockpit boat and to fight the fish from a standing position with the aid of a gimbals belt. The standard gear is 50- to 130-pound monofilament line on a 4/0 to 6/0 reel with a single-piece fiber glass rod. The terminal tackle may consist of a 15-foot single-strand wire leader with an 8/0 to 10/0 hook baited with live or dead whole mackerel, bluefish, menhaden, herring or shad. An oily bait fish is best.
