Summer Full of Bulls

Recent weather patterns have been unpredictable. This year, we had pristine conditions as spring ended and summer began, and our waters looked like something on a postcard from the Bahamas. During that time-frame, many big predatory species came close to shore and started feeding with vigor. The primo window of opportunity produced several great hammers and tigers, which made their eagerly anticipated first appearances of the year.

Then, just as quickly as the window opened, it snapped shut. Our waters changed for the worse, and while the more glorious big sharks moved back offshore, one species continued to bite consistently. This toothy critter, the iconic bull shark, invaded our South Texas waters in great numbers, dominating all other sharks.

While all this unfolded, a unique tropical system built strength in the Gulf. Alberto ran its course at a moderate pace and wreaked havoc. The storm earned its name in the southern part of the Bay of Campeche, an unorganized, large cyclone with an impressively wide wind-field. Despite the fact this was a minimal tropical system, winds blowing at tropical storm levels reached far from its center as it pushed its way north, toward the coast of the Lone Star State.

Since it moved somewhat slowly, the low pressure and persistent winds piled water high over the edge of land in our section of the coast, generating a storm surge more often expected with a full-blown hurricane. The duration of the surge soaked parts of our state well inland, while heavy rains added to the flood. A persistent northeast wind pushed a brown blob of freshwater south along the coast. With the tremendous flooding and poor conditions up north, a large concentration of bulls migrated south.

Many bulls ranging from 5 to 7 feet attacked baits soaking just beyond the breakers in the Coastal Bend at the start of June. These are typically the early-spring and late-fall specimens we encounter, mainly during bait migrations. In a normal year, bulls of that size would be much more numerous on the Upper Coast than down south in June. On average, in South Texas, after the 4th of July, when the summer heat wave settles in, the bulls present are some of the largest of the year. When temperatures peak, hooking an 8-foot bull is usually more likely than hooking a 6-footer. This year, things appeared much different as we approached the birthday of our nation.

On the positive side, the abundance of medium-sized bulls has generated consistent action for beachgoing sharkers, helping us avoid the lulls typical in hot weather. On my charters, clients bringing plenty of sharks to hand is a positive thing. But, when so many smaller bulls invade the waters, it's tough to keep a big bait on long enough for one of the true brutes to find it. So far, we've had a hard time finding the really big bulls, but I predict when shrimp season gets underway, and the Gulf settles between tropical systems, we 'll likely see the monsters return in full force.

Targeting bull sharks is relatively straightforward, requiring little more than soaking big baits in the right places. These are incredibly effective scavengers, not the fastest sharks, but what they lack in speed, they replace with ravenous appetites. A 6-foot bull shark will devour a 20-pound jackfish in just a few bites. Basically, no bait is too big for these guys, especially when they're present in great numbers, competing for food. Bulls often feed in groups, and sometimes the small ones will be the first to start biting at a giant bait like a whole stingray.

When bulls are most abundant, anglers succeed in catching a few on smaller baits cast out from shore. Aside from blacktips, bulls are really the most common large sharks in our waters. This summer, catching a legitimate beast might well require weeding through quite a few small and medium-sized bulls. As I type these words, we've landed a copious amount of bulls on recent trips, mostly not giants, with about 4 or 5 of them reaching over 8 feet in length.

Here in Texas, in years past, I've been blessed to personally catch or help clients catch bulls surpassing the magical 9-foot mark. If a healthy female, a 9-foot bull shark should weigh somewhere around 500 pounds. At that size, these are true man-eaters. While you should be able to land any bull shark on a 9/0 or 50W class reel, it's possible to land giant bulls on even smaller gear. They're slow, but they use their size to their advantage, and they're vicious at times.

I've had mega bull sharks eat all but the head of other sharks after I'd hooked them and started a fight. One of the strangest things I've seen, on more than one occasion, is two bull sharks hooked and landed utilizing a two-hook, dropped bait. I've also had the eerie experience of kayaking over swarms of bulls in clear August water, a most unsettling scenario. Much of the time, when we see one bull , many others are present.

If Texas had a state shark, it would more than likely be the bull shark. These magnificent creatures look bulky, with bulging bellies and broad, iconic dorsal fins. We have bulls of all sizes in Texas waters; they can be caught offshore, inshore, in the bays, even in the rivers. There is no wet place this shark will not explore.

With the summer of the bulls ongoing, this is a great time to target one of these spectacular fish from the beach. Taking younger anglers along to experience the thrill will pay dividends for the future of the fishery. Even with the invasion of the bullies, all sharkers hitting the beach in the summer heat stand a chance of tangling with a regal tiger or a thunderous hammerhead. All these fish provide thrills to me; I'm just happy to encounter a behemoth beast.