During a recreational solo fishing trip on June 12, one fisherman had a “bucket list” encounter about 12 miles off the coast of Atlantic City.
Travis Bogin, 39, of Little Egg Harbor had been wreck fishing for approximately four hours, mainly looking to catch thresher sharks, when a juvenile great white grabbed his bait.
After wrestling with the 5-and-a-half-foot shark for approximately ten minutes, Bogin was able to reel the creature in close to the side of his Proline fishing boat.
“I noticed when it was about, maybe five, six feet away from the boat, the underbelly and the topside color was a little different than what I was expecting,” Bogin said. “I had a lot of different emotions. I was excited. I was nervous because I was by myself.”
After identifying the creature — and snapping a few photos and videos to document the rare sighting — Bogin quickly got to work releasing the shark as safely and as quickly as possible. Once he tired out the shark, Bogin cut the metal leader down at the circular hook, which would rust away and fall out after a couple days, he said.
“She actually let me get right next to her mouth,” he said. “As soon as I cut the hook, she swam away on her own power.”
Bogin, who has been fishing since he was five years old, described the encounter as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“It was something that was on the (bucket) list, but didn’t think it would ever happen,” Bogin said. “It was definitely a different experience to see one up close and personal like that.”
Following the unusual encounter, Bogin said he stayed on the water for another hour, wrapping up his trip by catching a 10-foot dusky shark.
Bogin, who routinely takes solo fishing trips, said he takes extra precautions for encounters with dangerous sea creatures and unpredictable weather events.
“I just try to be prepared, especially being out there alone…You try to keep your head clear so that you can make the best decisions you can when you’re out there,” he said. “A lot of bad things can happen very quickly.”
While Bogin’s recent encounter marks his first with a great white, the full-time carpenter and landscaping business owner has been testing the limits of big-game fishing for years.
“I used to sneak out of the house at 3 o’clock in the morning just because the tide was right…I’ve always been adventurous and I like sharks,” he said. “I progressively kind of get bored of things… It started with sunfish in a pond, then it was pike and pickerel, and I was like, ‘I’m over this, let me get into the saltwater thing….’ and then it turned into tuna and sharks. I’m running out of things to catch.”
Nowadays, Bogin said he embarks on a fishing trip every weekend. He typically targets thresher sharks, which are known for their long, whip-like tails.
“I try to fish as much as possible,” Bogin said. “If I didn’t have to work, I’d be out there every day.”
While Bogin said great whites, which are a federally protected species, seem to be making a bit of a comeback in the area, they remain a rare sight for fishermen.
“It probably, honestly, will be my last (great white encounter),” he said. “Just to run into them like that, especially in the wild, It’s just a rare thing.”
Bogin said he hopes to continue to check unique encounters off his bucket list, such as catching a mako shark and a swordfish. He also hopes to travel to Florida, where he once briefly resided, in search of big groupers and bonefish.
“You never know what you’re going to see out there,” he said.
Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.
Rebecca Heath may be reached at RHeath@njadvancemedia.com.
