Catterman Adventures offers shark fishing experiences
Looking to provide people with the same rush of excitement and wonder that he still gets each time he hooks a shark, Capt. Kevin van Vlijmen has brought his Catterman Adventures fishing charter business to the Delaware Bay shores of Delaware.
For the past seven years, van Vlijmen has been operating on the New Jersey side of Delaware Bay. This past summer has been his first in Delaware, and by all measures, it’s been successful.
“We’ve probably caught and released over 100 sharks,” said van Vjilmen, while preparing his rods and reels in advance of a charter.
Van Vlijmen was turned on to shark fishing while he was in college at Rowan University, when one of his friends in the university’s fishing club took him out on a trip.
“It took a couple of times to catch a shark, but I knew I was hooked,” he said.
Van Vlijmen has been fishing his whole life.
“I wasn’t out chasing girls as a teenager,” he said. “I was out trying to find rides to the next fishing hot spot.”
Van Vlijmen said there are a number of different species of sharks in the waters of Delaware Bay – sandbar, sand tiger, dusky, blacktip, spinner, bull and Atlantic sharpnose. Every year, more and more tropical species are making their way north, he said, adding there are also stingrays to be caught.
Van Vlijmen said the moment a shark is hooked, he can tell what’s on the other end just by how it’s moving and fighting.
He knows some people question the catch and release of sharks, but he said he takes every precaution necessary to minimize trauma on the animal. He uses barbless hooks and never brings the shark on land.
“I don’t want to leave sharks with tackle in their mouth,” he said.
His charters are fun for the whole family. He said it’s great to see a father and son reel in a shark together for the first time.
Catterman Adventures offers six-, eight- and 12-hour charters. All of them start in the evening as the sun is beginning to set. All the required equipment for a successful trip is provided. Once on site, bait it quickly hooked and one of van Vlijmen’s first mates gets the charter started by kayaking the bait out – a couple hundred yards for one setup, farther out for another setup, and still farther out for another setup. There’s bait ready to go to begin, but van Vlijmen also sets up some rods for near-shore fishing to see if they can catch live bait.
Van Vlijmen employs a number of local teenagers who enjoy fishing as much as he does. It’s a good group of guys who just want to provide the best experience for the customers as possible, he said.
Van Vlijmen requires all clients to sign a liability waiver and recommends wearing comfortable long-sleeved shirts, pants and beach shoes.
The only time a charter gets canceled is when there are thunder and lighting, said van Vlijmen. Otherwise, it’s rain or shine.
For more information on Catterman Adventures or to book a charter, go to cattermanadventures.com, call 202-738-9625 or email catterman.adventures@gmail.com.
Chris Flood has been working for the Cape Gazette since early 2014. He currently covers Rehoboth Beach and Henlopen Acres, but has also covered Dewey Beach and the state government. He covers environmental stories, business stories and random stories on subjects he finds interesting, and he also writes a column called Choppin’ Wood that runs every other week. Additionally, Flood moonlights as the company’s circulation manager, which primarily means fixing boxes that are jammed with coins during daylight hours, but sometimes means delivering papers in the middle of the night. He’s a graduate of the University of Maine and the Landing School of Boat Building & Design.
