Winter getaway: A family fishing adventure in Myrtle Beach

After Sam had some fun, it was my turn. This American sharpnose slurped my bait off the bottom like a lazy walleye, but once I sunk the steel into its mouth, it went nuts—head-shaking, rolling and blazing off toward Africa. At over four feet long, this one is about as big as the species gets. The shot is a little blurry, but my photographer (Sam) was a pretty excited, and it is not easy to hold 30 pounds of muscle and cartilage still in a pitching boat—even with Captain John (right) hanging onto the shark’s powerful tail.