Game fish
Mako Shark
All teeth, no points. Chews through light line.
250–900 lbweight in the game
750+ lbtrophy size
2/10jumps
9/10speed
How it fights
The mako shark stays down and slugs it out, makes blistering runs. Teeth: anything under 80 lb test can be bitten through.
Best lures
Large Live Bait, Large Skirt, Small Live Bait.
Counts at the weigh-in
Never — it’s a fish for the photo, not the scale.
Tackle
Line: 130 lb test handles a top-end mako shark of 900 lb. Go lighter for more bites when the fish run small.
Teeth: it bites through anything under 80 lb test.
Depth: match your depth to the light: shallow when it’s dim, deep at bright midday.
Trophies: fish over 750 lb are rare. They turn up more for anglers with stronger stats and on the bigger lures.
Every lure, ranked
- Large Live Bait — loves it
- Large Skirt — will take it
- Small Live Bait — will take it
- Eyeball Head — will take it
- Plug Head — rarely bothers
- Fluorescent Head — rarely bothers
- Small Skirt — rarely bothers
- Feather Jig — ignores it
Fight tips
- Runs: let the early runs go on a light drag; pumping against a fresh, running fish snaps line.
- Sounding: when it dives, lean back and pump steadily. It comes up when it tires.
- Charges: when it swims at the boat, reel fast. Slack line pulls the hook.
- Holding: when it sulks, that’s your chance: pump and reel to gain line.
- Face it: keep the fighting chair pointed at the fish. Its stamina is huge — expect a long fight.
