Capt. Black’s Shark Fishing Charters

A MOST DANGEROUS GAME

Hunt the Gulf’s apex predator with Captain Black’s Fishing

BY HANNAH BURKE

APT. JOHN BLACK has logged about 34 years in the charter fishing business, but, if he’s being honest, he will tell you his angling experience goes back further than that.

Born and raised in Panama City Beach, Black was fishing before he could read. He was just 5 years old when he landed his first shark near the Panama City Marina and 7 when he got his first paid gig.

“These two old men — who looked like they were from ZZ Top — came riding over in their little johnboat with one of those old Sears outboard motors and wanted to know where I caught all my fish, and could I show them,” Black recalled. “I met them the next day, we caught us a bunch of fish and, when we got back, they handed me a $20 bill. Now, back in the early ’70s, that was a big payday! I was kind of hooked from there.”

CBlack grew up honing his craft, put himself through college and while working as a nurse and EMT, saved money to build his business, Captain Black’s Fishing. Today, he operates full time out of the Lighthouse Marina, which his vessel, Lady Black, and Black Magic, captained by Chuck Culpepper, routinely depart for bay and offshore fishing adventures. Guests book trips ranging from four to 24 hours in length, said Black, but most popular are the four-hour trolling trips in St. Andrew Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. “You may catch anything from a foot-long fish to a 6-foot-long one on these trips,” he said. “You never know what’s going to swim up and bite your line.” If you’re not getting a bite, you may hear Capt. Black pipe up with, “If you gotta wait, it ain’t got bait!” before he checks your hook. Black uses circle hooks and tells clients that they will set themselves. Remember, he says, “If you jerk, it will not work!” “If you jerk your rod too much, you’ll get the Bill Dance reputation,” Black said. “He was this old TV bass fisherman who liked to throw that rod back as hard as he could, so you don’t want to be like him. “More than anything,” Black said, “we just like to have fun out there. We are very familyfriendly, and it’s often women and children who hook the biggest fish. I think that’s because they have a little more patience.” When opting for a “Shark Challenge” trip with Black, patience is a virtue. A shark fishing tournament champion, Black once spent approximately nine hours reeling in a 17foot, 1,187-pound tiger shark with some guests about 17 miles off Panama City Beach.

Capt. John Black, operating as Captain Black’s Fishing, operates the Lady Black and Black Magic out of Lighthouse Marina. Black has a special fondness for fishing for sharks, which he finds to be a source of intrigue. You may catch anything from a foot-long fish to a 6-foot-long one on these trips. You never know what’s going to swim up and bite your line.”

— CAPT. JOHN BLACK

 BOOK YOUR TRIP Captain Black’s Fishing loves having kids on board and finds that beginning anglers often have better luck than old salts. The operation strives to create lifetime memories for families while targeting species ranging from Spanish mackerel to American red snapper and toothy sharks. Trips run from four to 24 hours in length. For details, visit CaptainBlacksFishing.com or call (850) 238-7048.

For Black, sharks under 6 feet are small fry. Using bait that emits a flavor trail, Black attracts sandbar sharks, bull sharks and blacktips from miles away.

“For me, it’s about the intrigue,” said Black. “Sharks have been around since the age of dinosaurs. They’re the alpha predator in our area and fun to catch because they put up a great fight. And, blacktips are good eating — most sharks are if you take care of them.”

Just be sure to ice them to guarantee freshness, he said. Black likes to brine his shark steaks in salt water for about 20 minutes before he slaps them on the grill but said soaking them in buttermilk is good, too.

Regulations forbid the keeping of some shark species. But by utilizing National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) formulae and by measuring the length of your shark when it is brought alongside the boat, Black can give you a fairly precise estimated weight.

At the end of the calendar year, whoever winds in the biggest shark is Capt. Black’s Shark Challenge Champion. That angler earns an official plaque and a coveted spot in Black’s digital Hall of Fame at captainblacksfishing.com.

When asked about a particularly memorable catch, Black cited not his own achievement, but one of a 7-yearold boy and his father who visited some years back. The kid’s father had a terminal illness and wanted to surprise his shark-obsessed son with a final fishing trip.

“The kid had on shark shoes, a shark hat, a shark shirt and he knew all about them,” Black said. “I was really impressed that he already knew how to rig his line, and he kept telling us all these facts. Wouldn’t you know, we ended up catching a 7-foot bull shark, and they were both so excited.”

Several weeks later, Black received a letter from the boy’s mother. Not three days after their trip, her husband passed away.

“She said that all they talked about for the last three days of his life wasn’t him being sick, but all about that shark fishing trip,” Black said. “I’ve won fishing tournaments, I’ve caught huge sharks, but that was just the best. It’s people that make this job great, and I’m blessed to do what I do.”