Great White Shark
Carcharodon carcharias
A prohibited, protected visitor that passes through mid-Atlantic waters on winter migrations — included for identification, never as a target.
Typically present
Photo: Sharkdiver.com — Public domain
- Habitat
- Offshore waters
- Methods
- Offshore, Inshore boat
- Difficulty
- advanced
- Eating
- Usually released
Identification
Look for
- Large, heavy-bodied shark with a conical snout
- Gray to grayish-brown above with a sharp, straight demarcation from the white underside (no gradual blending)
- Large, triangular, serrated teeth
- Crescent-shaped tail with nearly equal upper and lower lobes
Local waters
Offshore and occasionally nearshore mid-Atlantic waters
Primarily a boat fishery here — typically fished by offshore boat, inshore boat.
When to fish
Late fall through winter, when satellite-tagged sharks migrating south from New England waters have been repeatedly documented passing through or wintering in mid-Atlantic/Virginia waters — not a species anyone should expect to target or regularly catch.
Water temperature
The water, not the calendar, sets the season here — a warm October or a cold snap moves these bands.
Water temperature and the seasonsHow to catch it
Primarily a boat fishery here — typically fished by offshore boat, inshore boat. Technique notes for this species have not been written yet; the baits and rigs below are the documented starting points.
Handling and release
Not a food-use species in this guide (catch-and-release or restricted) — release.
- Prohibited species — must be released immediately with minimal injury and without removing it from the water; retention is never legal in the recreational Atlantic shark fishery. Included for identification/safety context, not as an expected local target: OCEARCH's satellite-tagging program has repeatedly documented individual sharks off Virginia specifically, including a juvenile ('Santiago') pinged off Norfolk in a documented fall/winter migration south from New England — real, if occasional, mid-Atlantic occurrence, not a hypothetical one. Recreational anglers must hold a federal HMS Angling or Charterboat/Headboat permit *with a shark endorsement* to legally retain any shark species at all — most anglers fishing without one must release every shark regardless of that species' individual status, and Virginia (VMRC) rules may add further restrictions on top of federal ones. Anyone targeting sharks (from shore or a vessel) is also federally required to carry a device capable of quickly cutting the leader or hook. If removing the hook would delay release, cut the leader or hook as close to the hook as possible instead — the shark does not need to be lifted, dragged onto dry sand/a pier deck, or restrained to be released safely, and a shark should stay in the water throughout release whenever that's achievable.
Where to try
