Portland shark fishing boat captain picked as ‘pro’ instructor by Cabela’s

You may remember Capt. Jim Harkins of the Portland-based Atlantic Adventures. I went out on Harkins’ boat during the 14th annual Casco Bay Classic MDA Sportfishing Open at Port Harbor Marine in South Portland, an event that happened to also coincide with the Discovery Channel’s popular August “Shark Week” programming.

Capt. Jim Harkins and First Mate Andy Beasley of Portland-based Atlantic Adventures pin down a still-thrashing 9-foot blue shark reeled in by Brunswick native Chris Wegner on Thursday afternoon, Aug. 16, 2012, about 40 miles off the coast of Maine.

Previous to that excursion, in which we hooked two 250-pound-or-more blue sharks, Harkins was one of my expert sources in a story I’d done on the presence of great whites off the coast of Maine.

Now, Harkins has told me that he was chosen recently as one of 10 new “pro staff” members by Cabela’s, the famed hunting and fishing outfitter. As one of the company’s pros, Harkins said he’ll travel the country for new store openings and fishing clinics. He said he was one of 12,000 to apply for one of the coveted new spots.

So if a Cabela’s near you — of course, there’s one in Scarborough — is holding a fishing clinic, look for Capt. Jim Harkins and ask him to tell you about his deep sea shark fishing adventures. He’s seen some big fish in his day.

Seth Koenig

About Seth Koenig

Seth has nearly a decade of professional journalism experience and writes about the greater Portland region.