On Friday a cold front swept through and contributed to the poor fishing. The guys managed to land 7 blue sharks, but the target species (makos and threshers) eluded them. All was not lost however since there were reports that no other boats had landed a mako or thresher either on the first day.

Here are a few pics of the guys fishing on the first day:

Brian fighting a blue shark

Buddy fighting a blue shark

Blue Shark being released at the boat

A blue shark with its mouth open

DAY 2

The second day of fishing proved to be even worse than the first, with 7 foot seas cresting to 10+ft at times, the trip out was rough to say the least. Once the sun came up the seas calmed but the sharks still did not cooperate. The guys only managed to land one large blue shark. The weather was not the only thing keeper the sharks from biting however.

At one point during the day there was a huge shark with “square shaped fins” (estimated 15 feet long) swimming around the boat. As soon as it showed up the other sharks disappeared. Buddy did manage to snap a photo but it isn’t clear enough to identify the fish… Best guesses were a basking shark or a great white shark.

Here is the shot:

Basking or great white, the world may never know!

Trolling into port, the guys did manage to catch a mahi mahi…

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Besides all the throwing up, the guys said they had fun and they look forward to fishing in the tournament again next year! Hopefully I will be able to go to…

Here are the rules for the tournament, if anyone is interested in fishing it next year…

2008 Thames River Shark Tournament (TRST)
Rules and Regulations
Any breach of any of TRST rules will result in
disqualification. Decisions of TRST committee are final.
Tournament Dates: July 25t-July 27t (Fishing: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). Choose two out
of three. Fishing starts each day at 7:00 a.m. No lines or chum are to be in the water prior to
that time. Return for weigh in by 5:00 p.m.
Lay Day: A member of the boats crew must determine a lay day at the Captains Meeting by
8:00 p.m. on July 24 or by phone the morning of departure before 5:00 a.m. The phone number
to call in a lay day is 860.614.2733.
Captains Meeting: The Captains Meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday July 24th, at
Crockers Boat Yard (CBY). All forms must be completed and submitted prior to the start of the
meeting. At this meeting, participants will be informed of the tournament procedures and
receive their captain’s bags and rules. This will also be the opportunity for participants to raise
questions.
Dockage: Boats are responsible for making their own arrangements. TRST encourages that
boats arrange necessary accommodations with CBY. Slips are on a first come. first serve
basis. Boats may leave to fish from their own marinas and are not required to leave CBY.
Fishing Regulation:
1. All sharks must adhere to federal regulations to qualify for this tournament.
2. Only Mako and Thresher sharks are eligible.
3. Anglers are encouraged to hook, fight, and bring the fish to gaff unaided by another person
(excluding gaff and leader person). Handoffs will not disqualify fish.
4. This is a rod-and-reel, hook-and-line tournament. Use of hand lines, rope, nets, harpoons or
any other means of fish capture other than rod and reel are prohibited. Harpoon darts are
acceptable for landing fish in lieu of flying gaff.
5. All fish must be hooked during designated fishing hours.
Prizes:
1. Prize money checks are payable to the person indicated on entry forms.
2. All prizes are awarded to winning boats, not individual anglers.
3. Prize amount to be determined and published at the Captains Meeting.
4. Winners are responsible for paying applicable taxes. Completion of a W-9 form will be
required upon award.
5. Any prizes over $600 will be accompanied by an IRS form 1099.
Tackle Specification:
1. The Thames River Shark Tournament will not follow IGFA rules. Other rules must be
followed and are specified herein.
2. It is encouraged that anglers do not utilize gunnel rod holders after the initial hookup. This
shall not, however, be cause for disqualification.
3. The use of firearms or bang sticks is prohibited.
4. Tackle inspection may be required at the time of weigh-in.
Weigh-in:
1. All TRST boats must weigh fish in at the official weight station at CBY.
2. Boats weighing fish must be north of the Coast Guard Dock, New London,
by 5:00 p.m. each fishing day. Late arrivals will be disqualified.
3. All eligible sharks will be judged at one point per pound. The most points
wins.
4. Any and all protests must be filed in writing with the judges within one hour
after the conclusion of the weigh-in each day.
5. After the weigh master releases a fish, its disposal is at the discretion of participants.
6. If anyone wants to have a fish reweighed, it must be done while the fish is still hanging.
After it is removed from the scale, the weight stands.
7. No mutilated fish shall be eligible for competition. Mutilation shall be defined as damage
which would impair the fighting ability of the fish.
8. The weigh master reserves the right to retain any fish deemed questionable. If retention is
refused, the fish is automatically disqualified.
9. The weigh master and the committee reserve the right to cut open any fish for inspection for
weight altering. Insertion of weights, ice, water, etc is not permitted and disqualifies the
team from further competition and forfeiture of entry fees.
Boats:
1. All boats must have the ability to fish without any outside help.
2. Fish cannot be transferred between vessels.
3. Fish must be hooked, fought, and landed from the same boat.
4. Crew size and composition is at the discretion of the captain(s).
5. One qualifying shark may be weighed per boat per day.
6. There shall be no use of aircraft of any kind for spotting or baiting fish.
7. There shall be no use of outside assistance for landing or acquiring fish.
8. Boats are to respect fellow competitors at all times. Reasonable distance should be kept
from all boats fighting fish and working an active chum slick. If a boat in the process of
fishing requests another to stay clear, the non-fishing vessel must comply.
General Tournament Conduct:
1. The official clock of the tournament will be kept on GPS time EDT.
2. Official radio announcements will be made over channel 69.
3. The Thames River Shark Tournament assumes no responsibility for the conduct or safety of
any boats or entrants. All boats are responsible for making decisions regarding weather.
Participants enter the tournament at their own risk.
4. All participants and their crews, friends, and family shall be respectful of the tournament
hosts (i.e. CBY) as well as its staff and residents.
5. Any participant whose action causes the Thames River Shark Tournaments, directors,
sponsors, employees, volunteers, or participants to incur expenses shall be held responsible
and shall reimburse said persons or entities for financial damages.
6. A majority vote of captains present at the meeting on July 24 will determine if TRST is to
proceed.
7. If TRST is cancelled due to any circumstance or in the instance that no qualifying fish are
caught, prize money to be raffled.