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( See if you have heard this yarn. Might explain some of those mystery snags, eh?-Cfish)
For yon centuries, the murky depths of Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries (where you see Chesapeake Bay insert San Francisco Bay for the West Coast version, or Hudson River for the North Eastern Version) have remained mysterious and shifting.  Strange objects and structures in unexpected places seem to reach out and grab baits and lures. Things (and sometimes people) sink into the depths never to be seen again.  What lurks in these waters? What leviathan awaits the unwary bait or diver? Why giant, cave dwelling (possible albino and blind), sharks of course! In the deep crevasses and caverns in the deepest waters, these beasts lurk, awaiting nightfall, when they prowl for prey.  During the day they peer out for any edible material to drop or drift by, such as an anglers' baits and lures.  As the edible item comes by, the shark reaches out its snout, bites and swallows the item, and slinks back into its lair.  Sometimes the shark simply hangs onto the item and then simply lets go.  The sharks seem to have a preference for heavily weighted lines (and the attached expensive heavy weights) with baits attached and the most expensive lures in an angler's box. At night, they seem to consume a variety of items, from loosely tied off dinghies, to boat bumpers, to mob murder victims (with concrete boots).  They bump boats as they cruise open water, bending props and knocking loose gear off the deck to consume (rods, reels, tool boxes, etc.).

So, next time you hook into and immovable object on the bottom, or feel a bump in the night, it could be a toothy leviathan from the deep, waiting for dinner!

• Now for some science fact- There have been several documented cases of 'sleeping' nurse and reef sharks, who seem to take naps in spring fed caverns in tropical waters, looking alot like a shark slumber party.

• Sixgill sharks, the megamouth shark (which has a habit of eating anchors and gets 20 feet long), and many micro-sharks lurk at extreme depths, largely eating rockfishes, shrimps, crabs, and plankton. It is very possible in the winter sixgills, sleepers, or their bretheren may enter the end of Chesapeake, and in the summer Tiger and Bull Sharks do definitely swim up the bay. In San Fransisco Bay, near Oyster Point I have hooked many large sharks, and landed/released a variety of smaller sharks at night in the shallows.
• One of a few leopard sharks of various sizes
• A more rare Sevengill Shark eats the squid...this species was cartoonized in my book Lily's Deep Sea Creatures
• Another shot of the Sevengill...
• A sleek and fast Brown Smoothhound Shark liked shrimp
• A bat ray ate squid for another angler..back he went after hit left a spine hole in my raincoat...a little closer then I wanted!

• While people seem to love junk food, many tiger sharks just plain like to eat junk.  Hubcaps, bottles, license plates, tires, and tin cans have been found in their stomachs.

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