Watch: ‘Taxman’ comes calling as angler battles striped bass

A great white shark thrilled anglers recently in Cape Cod Bay by following a hooked striped bass to their boat and leaving them with only its head.

The accompanying footage , captured outside Rock Harbor and shared Sunday by Cape Cod Incidents, begins with an angler reeling the striper to the boat with the shark apparently holding on but not resisting.

“He’s swimming to us,” one angler observes.

“He didn’t let go,” another cautions.

The excitement ramps up as the group realizes the shark is only feet away: “He’s right there!”

Within seconds, though, the angler who was fighting the striped bass is left with only its head, while the shark sounds with its prize.

Apparently, this phenomenon is not uncommon during the white shark seal-feeding season off Cape Cod.

Researcher John Chisholm shared the footage Monday, stating: “I’ve been documenting incidents like this for years. If you have an encounter please report it. Also, take heed when retrieving and releasing fish. Don’t linger hanging over the side of the boat.”

The scene is reminiscent of a similar incident we posted about recently, involving a great white shark that left only the head of a hooked giant tuna off Mexico’s Guadalupe Island.

In these types of incidents, the offending shark is typically referred to as the “ taxman .”

–Great white shark image courtesy of ©Pete Thomas