Shark Bait
There are several different ways to get a hold of some decent shark bait. The worst feeling in the world for a beach shark fisherman is showing up at the beach with all your brand new shark gear and not knowing if you'll be able to catch shark bait. Here are the 3 best ways to find shark bait for you next sharking trip.
Catching Shark Bait
Using lightweight tackle or your spinning rod discussed in the Shark Fishing Gear section are perfect for fishing for shark bait. You'll want to rig your line with a double drop leader. Basically it's a 2 hook rig with a clip for a weight at the very bottom of the rig. This way when your fishing the weight is in the sand and your line is pulled tight, so the hooks are dangling in the water. Now if you get a bite you'll see it on your pole instead just losing your bait. A good hook size for this rig really depends on what type of bait your using to catch your shark bait. For shrimp, squid, or fishbites you'll want to use a good 2/0 hook. If you're using mullet or other live or cut bait consider using a 3/0 or 4/0 hook. Generally speaking you're going to catch much larger and gamier fish with this type of bait such as blue runners or jacks.
One other method to catching bait and/or shark bait is the cast net. Throwing a cast net really takes a little while to learn to throw, so don't get frustrated. I tell anyone trying to learn to throw a cast net to stay out of the water. Practice dozens of throws in your backyard in the grass, and then before making your first throw in the water, practice in the sand. Once you can get a 5' - 10' range and the net opens up wide you're ready to start hunting bait. A trained eye can see bait skimming just under the waters surface. A good pair of polarized sunglasses help a lot, but are not mandatory. You'll see little "V"s on top of the water. You want to try to get in front of them and let them swim into your range. Stay very still and be patient. Live bait is the absolutely best way to catch perfect shark bait. Some also have had great luck blind cast netting in the water. I hope you're in shape if you employ this method as it's very tiring.
Begging for Shark Bait
There are loads of forums and fishing sites around where you may be able to find someone kind enough to supply you with extra shark bait. Lots of shark fishers catch loads of bait in a day and will freeze them. Fresh bait is always best but when you're trying to increase your chances of catching a shark you want to have anything in the water.
Buying Shark Bait
I met a couple of guys that drove from Jacksonville to fish at my Ormond Beach spot. They were using a whole Jack Crevalle for bait. I asked them where in the world they were able to land such great shark bait and the responded with the Jacksonville Fishing Piers. Makes sense. There are people always fishing on those piers so if you can head down the day before and find a lucky fisherman who landed a nice piece of meat there's no harm in offering him $5 or $10 for his catch. I've also been lucky and found whole bonito in a couple bait shops. Calling around to see if they stock this type of bait is best. One last place to try are the fishing docks. Lots of shark charter boats have stock piles of extra bait. If you're lucky enough you might just be able to land some fresh shark bait.
The last topic I wanted to cover in this section of the Shark Fishing Guide was what species make the best shark bait. The following are the best shark bait to be had on the beaches.
Bonito
I'm not totally sure the best place to catch Bonito as I've never caught one. I know tons of this fish are caught offshore I'm just not sure if they can be had from the beaches. I have seen these guys in the freezer at bait shops. Consider yourself lucky if you can use the bonito as shark bait.
Jack Crevalle
Jacks can be had from the shore. These guys are pound for pound one of the funnest fish to catch. They'll put up a great fight and then make terrific shark bait. Live mullet or other live bait are great for Jacks.
LadyFish
LadyFish are touted as mini-Tarpon and for a good reason. They jump like crazy and put up a great fight. Shrimp, FishBites, artificial lures, and live bait all work great for catching ladyfish.
Blue Runner
I've had great luck on the Atlantic fishing for Blue Runners. Live or cut mullet seem to be their meal of choice. Puts up a pretty good fight.
Whiting
Whiting primarily feast upon shrimp or sand fleas. The bull whiting are pretty fun to catch, but anything smaller can be tough to determine if you've even got a bite especially with the waves. These guys should be your last choice for shark bait. Something is always better than nothing.
Stingrays
I know the guys in Texas have much better luck finding stingrays in the gulf. I've fished for 5 years here in Florida and haven't hooked on of these guys. Up in Hilton Head, SC I have hooked up with some very large stingrays. The intercoastal waters of central Florida are teeming with stingrays. I've used them as shark bait but with very little luck. I've read many reports of folks in TX catching monster sharks on whole rays.
Have a tip or see something I missed? Want to ask a question? Just drop a quick comment below and I get back to you before your next big shark fishing trip.
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Hey im from arkansas and i have never went shark fishing before and this weekend i am going to Galveston does anyone know wat bait i should use?
i am going to go fishing in seabrook islnd sC from the surf… what kind of bait should i use what is their to catch
use baby blacktip sharks there everywhere and a great bait. i know it wierd using baby sharks to capture the big ones but it works
hay im going to cape pattoson in inverloch … im only 8 years old i love fishing . we r going to catch some sharks off the rocks we were ther yester-day there were 14 makos caught 2 leopard sharks cauht some pepole were useing gernet as bait some were useing blue bait and sting-rays the sharks were 1 meeter long good fishing go over there 4kg rods r good love my fishing
:O stingrays for bait is best bait ever, but thats in texas
i hooked somthin using a whiting but dont know wut it wuz. it felt like a whale. it draged me around da beach untill my 100 lbs line snaped wut wuz it
bull shark
It was definitely something big.
im guessing it was a tiger shark or bull shark but it all depends on how you played it just remember to set the drag right before hand or even a small shark could tear through your line
port albert is good fishing i caught 60 salmon good fishing
It could have been a dolphin I had one on the line from a whiting.
Man everyone is talking about using stingray for bait but does anyone besides me eat them? They actually taste good if you know how to cook them. I found out through trial and error. That goes for just about anything.
Well, isn’t that just nice for you, thanks for at least sharing the ingredients you add.
I know that when I catch my first of anything, I’ll always try cooking it with butter, water, and salt first, then I’ll move on from there to determine what else is needed.
hey
i am 13 years old and live in pensascola florida and havent fished much for sharks. im wanting to go but i dont have heavy enough tackle for 6`+ sharks. and everyone is talking bout using stingray for bait for the big sharks. what type of bait could i use for medium size sharks?
the best baits to use are blue fish ive had alot of luck with them also with spanish mackeral or big mullet will work using spinning or light trolling gear thats castable will work with at least 350 yards of line
Use a 10 to 12 inch mullet and rigg it for top water alove it will work.
omg “sting rays” in hilton head i go there every year and fish but this last year ive got serious about fishing and 2 years ago i cought a 50 lb. stingray i got pictures if u want me to send you one it took 1 hour and 6 minutes to get in. this year im going after BIG fish and sharks i got a new big reel a very good one. i hope to catch them and theres lots of jacks down there
I caught a 50 lb stingray my second day out going for sharks.. only took me about 20 minutes…what were u doing wrong?
I live in Clearwater Fl. I love shark fishing I fish almost every week kayak or off land looking for a fishing budy any body wants to fish email me . ruslan33760@yahoo.com
I live in Clearwater Fl. I love shark fishing I fish almost every week kayak or off land looking for a fishing budy any body wants to fish email me . ruslan33760@yahoo.com
Russ,
I live in Clearwater, Fl also I fish by land a lot as well, shoot me an email… jgodwin7780@gmail.com
The best bait for big shark is live dogs, specifically pit bulls. Regular dogs will usually give up and just go still and let the boat pull them along, but pits will continue thrashing about until they die. Some fishermen I know swear a shark bit the hind end off a pit bull and the front end was still snapping and thrashing about. Not sure I believe that one, but anything is possible.
You want to joke like that?!?!?! Geez, at least use cats, for the sake of those idiots that actually try what you say.
Okay Okay, I can already hear the cat-lovers, use aligators in your joke. I’d like to hear about someone actually stupid enough to try and catch one of them to use.
damn just use fish lol
For real what the f**k, dogs… Why don’t we just start hookin each other and draggin our buddies behind the boat. Those people got serious issues I’ll like to beat the piss outa them
hey is pilchards good to catch sharks of the shore at wonga beach far north queensland with a set of gang hooks
hey jerk that thinks he knows how to fish with live dogs..for your info ive fished texas coast 35 yrs and can tell you that a man that resorts to such ignorance is not a fisherman but a lowlife moron. put that in your bait bucket stupid!!!!! maybe some day you can really learn the sport of fishing but then again probably not. you are too stupid jerk!!!!
Hey Janet.. Mr dog bait is only joshing us.. Pit bulls r NOT the best shark bait.. Poodles are.. seriously, I hope he is joshing us!!
actually the french fish with starys all the time and catch seriously big bull sharks that can be 15+ but in america its illegal and its not needed you could do better with a stingray the reason it works in france is because the sharks there have developed a taste from all the starys wondering into the water. but seriously dont do this
Down here in Australia we have very good success using freshwater eel.It’s great to cut the eel into sections as it is a sturdy bait that resists ‘pickers’ such as crabs etc.Very oily flesh the eel and sharks love it! Another freshwater one used by some is carp.Here in southern Australia especially we eat a fair bit of shark..mainly smoothhound but a nice bit of smaller whaler is lovely.Waiting for the weather to finally get better here and am itching to get out on the beach and boat.
In Hilton Head S.C. my two favs are crab, cut in half, on the bottom, and a top water lewer. One that splashes alot. This is best in the surf or out just past it. The best time to use top water is when you see seaguls diving into the water, The sharks have a school of bait fish rounded up and the gulls are getting an easy meal, the top water bait looks like an injured fish and the sharks will jump right outnof the water to hit them, its an awsome sight.
you can get bonito from drift boats they usually sell fairly large ones for 5 to 10 bucks
Do you live in the Ormond Beach area? If so, I also live there and would like to meet up with others fishing for shark. Send me an email.
hey I’ve caught a couple small sharks but hoping to land a big one! What lb line should I use to catch a 7-8 foot monster???
any line will do i prefer 400 yards or more of 100 pound braid
I’m heading to Myrtle Beach in a few days and plan on throwing a line in from the shore of the beach. I have never done this before but have always wanted to. I fish the fresh water scene around kentucky but never have had the chance to fish salt water.
I have no idea what i’m doing when it comes to this. What size hook, what kind of floating device if any? What to use as bait? where to get bait? and how to catch a shark fishing from shore? should i bring me some night crawlers
I also heard a rumor that you don’t need a fishing license if you fish off shore. Is this true?
any advice would be awesome!!
Hey this site of yours is really helpful thanks. I been fishing all my life mostly fresh water for bass trout and big ol northerns. For the past 6 years been gettin into the saltwter variety fairly succesfully and luvin it. Going to be trying to hook up a shark all next week with my two penn levelwinds on 9ft surf rods in the Corrolla area of Outer Banks maybe not the best setup but thats what i got never fished for shark specifically before. Read your advice on bait rigs tackle etc. very helpful thanks again for the info. I have one question if anyone knows where can I get some sharkin leaders on short notice or the supplies to make my own. Saw a couple online but doubt they would ship in time and none of the local tackle shops in my area have what I want.
got stuff good to make leaders plan on kayaking out that is if I can catch any shark bait just found a four leaf clover yesterday so um feeling lucky at least. Is anyone familiar with the terrain in the corolla area of outer banks I’m not real sure how far to kayak out if I dont hear from anyone probly just drop at about 200yds maybe 250 maybe??? Ha maybe 150 yds see how it goes have not tried this before
Hey I just moved to waycross ga and I am wanting to get into saltwater fishing and cast netting for bait and shrimp for eating was wondering if anybody around would like to join me my email is superbike172000@yahoo.com
I caught 28 sharks and 5 rays last year during my week in Hilton Head. The biggest shark was about 4 1/2 feet long and I landed it on a large blue runner. Most of the sharks were about 15-20″ long. Three of the rays were monsters.
I’m looking for any new tips as I’ll be back there again next week. It’s taken me 4 years of summer vacations to get decent at surf fishing on HHI, but I want to get better.
I typically start with shrimp (like you would eat from the seafood section of the grocery), catch some baitfish, then switch over and go for sharks.
http://www.Backyardfishing.webs.com has great pictures,stories,and information for all kinds of different fishing…check it out!
I usually go out with a buddy of mine on an 18′ canoe with a trolling motor. We go out about a mile or so off the Green Key beach area and usually catch our own bait with a sabiki rig. It gets pinfish/greenbacks fairly well and you can use them to catch ladyfish or other shark bait. Now, we obviously don’t catch the big ones, but the little 3-4 foot bull sharks are fun to catch if you’re just starting to fish for sharks.
Also, there are LOTS of rays near the mangroves on the flats just offshore of Green Key this time of year. I think it may be a popular mating spot for them.
hi, i’m coming to daytona beach in the end of April for a week . I wanted to go surf fishing for sharks. Two years ago i caught a ten foot hammehead off Miami in boat. I thought it would be more of a challenge from shore. If anybody lives or is going be around that area that week. Give me a email brockjr69@yahoo.com and could team up and hopefully catch some shark. Brian