Capable of spectacular gymnastics and at the same time one of the few fish whose actions can be decidedly aggressive, the mako brings an added dimension to game fishing. It is difficult at best to judge heights from the water, but there seems to be a general consensus that a fighting mako can jump at least twenty feet out of the water. Makos charge boats, sometimes jump right into them, and generally provide a level of excitement beyond that of the ordinary game fish experience. In mako fishing, you might lose not only your fish, you might lose your rod or even your arm. It is perhaps the only type of big game fishing where there is a real element of personal danger.
Makos are worldwide in distribution, favoring tropical and temperate waters.
They do not school, and they are never seen in very large numbers. Like the porbeagle, the mako tends to inhabit deeper waters than the great white. By contrast, the mako is a stiff-bodied swimmer, propelling itself through the water with short strokes of its thick, powerful tail. When seeing a mako in its own element, one has the overall impression of blue muscular efficiency.