To night on KIRO 7 NEWS at 6:00 is a report about the Great White shark in the Tacoma area. Will also probably be on there web site soon.

Wasn't that news last weekend? Or did someone tangle with another one?

I think it's just been confirmed enough that the media finds it credible. (Like they really worry about that sort of thing. )

The Tacoma News Tribune finally ran a big article today about it.

Also in today's TNT is a rather large piece on fish farming and how the local business are boycotting farm raised fish. Now I have to go and boycott more stupid businesses. Sigh.... will it ever end?

It is all an inside job by the commercial fisherman. The commercials are gasping for air. Farmed fish are taking over.

Here's the link to the Tribune story
http://www.tribnet.com/sports/story/2326796p-2383647c.html

Sounds pretty believable...

to sum up the tribune story...

"Then the shark just came charging right out of the water, about 25 feet away...throwing its head back and forth..."

"...The only potential witnesses were several yards away in another boat. "Two guys should have witnessed it, but they had their heads down," Salatino said."

so a 20' great white breaks the surface 25 feet away and some guys in another boat "several" yards away didn't notice that...i watched the story on channel 7 tonight, he didnt bother to mention the 20' part in front of the cameras. they showed the hot spot flasher too, the reflective tape was scratched off in a few spots, pretty easy to do the math on this rumor.

Apparently this guy has lived in Tacoma for quite some time. There is another fellow that shares his last name that hangs out in a Tacoma news group. The one in the newsgroup is the biggest loon I've ever met.

Not a real popular name either.

I thought the same thing about the other guys not seeing it. Paper says it broke the surface several times shaking its head. A 5lb fish jumps and everyone within 100 yards will hear it and look.

This one time, at band camp........................

I know Bob and he is a very respected and knowledgeable fisherman in the South Sound.

Yes, it is a hard story to grasp, but I believe him.

Downriggin'

You tell em Downriggin!
I would put Bob up against anybody out in the salt. I wouldn't be going out on a limb to say that he has probably caught more salmon in the salt than anybody on this board. In fact, he taught his sons so well that they are constantly winning or placing in the local salmon derbys. It was one of his sons that won the Narrows derby this last weekend.
It should also be known that he is responsible for diving and catching a great percentage of the fish in the Pt Defiance aquarium. He knows what he sees.
Great whites are loners and don't stand out like a pod of Killer Whales. That's why it is such a rare occation to see them, even in the ocean.
My point is that Bob is a very credible witness and has too much to lose by making up a story of this magnitude. The old timers in this area would be relentless to anyone else who would have come up with this story. It appears that through my contacts at Narrows and Pt Defiance, everybody supports and believes what Bob saw.
Just my opinion.......Jack

It sounds crazy, but I was fishing last week and thoght I saw a large shark roll in fron of my boat but thought I was loosing brain cells. Maybe I did see a shark.

I say nonsense. The guy was alone -- how convenient! Did you see the flasher on TV? It was a hard plastic flasher with scratch marks. When a great white hits a surfboard, it takes a huge chunk out of it, but in this case an 18-20 footer only puts scratches on a flasher? Don't know the guy, but heard he is an excellent angler. However, I know some folks who've spent years at Defiance and environs, and not all of them believe it. Also worth noting there is a long tradition of pranksters taking huge delight in hoodwinking reporters who don't do their jobs by fully researching a story. Why didn't the TV reporter check with the state or UW School of Fisheries for history of great white occurences in Sound, of which there are none documented?

I'm sure more bizarre things have happened. I'm inclined to believe the report based on the people vouching for this guy. Plus the flasher on display at Narrows doesn't just have a few scratches on it.

A Great White,suposedly 18-20' long,bites this flasher and the line doesn't break? What lb test was the guy using?

Hey no worries-
Are you talking about that rogue 55 gallon white plastic drum that attacked the boat on Sunday?

Ok JTD,

I have to admit that the white barrell was quite scary but I want everyone to know that you wanted to bring the barrell in for weigh in in hopes to win the derby on Saturday.

<img border="0" alt="[wall]" title="" src="graemlins/wall.gif" /> I saw a UFO once way back.............looked like the one in the TV series 'Taken'.

There's a 17-footer in the Seattle Aquarium that was caught in Grays Harbor, so it might be unlikely but not impossible.

Anybody get a chance to troll a surfer around on a surfboard to see if the shark would take a swipe?

To answer a few of your questions,

1. (HBP) He was using 100 lb SS Braised wire. And a meat line.

2. He is not a "loon" he has caught 10,s of thousands of fish, I know because I used to go out with him catching specimens on occasion and have fished the same waters with him that he's talking about. By the way I have known him for 25+ years. He is a quiet guy and does not boast about his fish that he catches

3. He used to catch all of the six gill sharks for the P.D. Aquarium so I think he knows his Sharks.

In closing he chose not to let this info out because he knew no one would believe him, it's my understanding that one of the employees at Narrows Marina called it in.
salmonbelly he is 70+ years old I don't think he is pulling a prank!

Just my personal experience fishing with him over the years.

I just got back from Narrows Marina and Channel 4 was interviewing Bob for their newscast tonight. They said that they would have to hurry to get it on by 5 pm, so it may not be on until later than that. Jack

Hey no worries-
For $600 I would have tried weighing in just about anything. Does a plastic drum count as a scrap fish?
I know... We could have zipped tied some swim fins on it and viola! An albino sea lion decoy! I am always trying to make use of recycleable materials and do my part for the enviroment.
I am not sure the shark would apreciate us toying with it though. One good chomp and he will be looking for something slightly softer and meatier to chew on. All I know is when it comes right down to it I am gaffing you in the leg before I swim!

Hey JTD,
You keep feeding me donuts on our fishing trips that old shark will have plenty to munch on with me. I am going to hide all sharp objects on my boat just in case.

Would you folks believe I caught a 62# king on 6# Maxima on the Kalama? If you keep back issued of H & F News- maybe... How 'bout a 43# King on the COW on a 8wt fly rod and 1X tippet at the age of 15?

Bob S... you have my full support! Keep chargin and keep the meatline rockin'

Downriggin'

All Jokes aside...
I believe that the sighting was true and accurate. Bob, I don't think your crazy or do most of us. It took guts to tell the story as I am sure that you knew you were going to take slack over it.

Hopefully, that shark will find its way over to the Ballard Locks

I hope your right JacobF.

Now that you mention it, how much money did Wa. spend to relocate that seal to California only to have it return to the Ballard Locks two weeks later? Tens of thousands I am sure. I bet a couple of Great Whites would have been cheaper and we would have no more seal problem!!! It is funny, everyone talks about low-holers, bait thugs, hardware throwers vs. flys, hell. I have more problem with seals than I do with fishermen! I keep one eye on the pole and one on the seals. I would love to let the big ones run for a bit and enjoy the fight, but you have to get them in quick so you don't end up trolling for seals.

Bob Salintino has nothing to prove, he wrote the book on fishin the bay. Maybe we should organize a winter shark derby? When I was a kid, (along time ago) my dad gillnetted the sound and he caught a tuna off Browns Point? If those tuna can get screwed up so can those White's. Be you-all will think a little about swimin in the salt now

No shark derby until we let em cruise around ballard locks for a while:) Hell, might as well not have a derby at all. Let him stay and handle the problem we have been trying to fix for years.