Lord of the Flats

Lemon sharks, Negaprion brevirostris, inhabit many bonefish flats, and many a wading angler has held their breath at the sight of a dorsal fin headed right for them. However, these sharks are not normally aggressive toward humans: There has never been a human fatality attributed to a lemon shark, and most bites occur when a shark is spooked. On the other hand, lemon sharks do eat bonefish, and they especially like to chase down tired fish that have just been released by anglers. This is one reason that it is so important that anglers play and release bonefish quickly, so they are not too exhausted to escape. Guides will often attract a shark to one side of a flats boat to distract it, while the angler releases the bonefish on the other side of the boat.

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At Orvis, we believe in the power of nature to replenish our spirit and restore balance to our lives. So, when the world seems particularly stressful, take some time to pause and relax with a short #MomentofChill.

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