Catch and Release Shark Fishing from the Beach.
You’re setup on the beach with your brand new shark gear and you just caught and rigged up the best shark bait you could find. You waded out and casted your bait in the perfect location and got back to dry land and set your pole in the rod holder. Surely you remembered to loosen you drag all the way so your pole isn’t pulled in the water when that 6 foot blacktip cruises by your shark bait.
Now it’s time to do what fisherman do best. You wait. And you wait. Then in an instant your pole will double over or your clicker will start singing. In that instant you’ll be hit with an adrenaline rush like none other. It’s time to do battle with the biggest and baddest predator the oceans will ever see.
Get to your pole ASAP. At this point the shark has just picked up the bait and is off to devour his freshly plucked meal. From the time you hear that clicker you need to start counting. When you get to 10 it’s time to set the hook. As fast as you can start loading up the drag to a predetermined drag setting. Make sure you reel in all the slack and then set the hook as hard as you can. Now the shark is going to start peeling some major drag. Keep your eyes on the water because if you’ve hooked a blacktip, spinner, or mako shark you may see him jump out of the water. As he’s peeling drag don’t try to stop him. Let him wear himself out. Your goal at this point is to keep the line as tight as possible. If he turns and swims back towards the beach you’ve got to reel in that slack as fast as possible. It may also help to run up the beach to get that slack line tight again.
Eventually you’ll start gaining line back. Then you’ll see your 100lb leader surface. At this point you’ll want to have a friend handy to hold your pole or be the daring one and grab the shark by his tail. You’ll want him to be in less than knee deep water before trying to pull him by his tail onto the beach. You need to have a pair of 16″ channel lock pliers handy in order to retrieve the hook. Pull the shark by the tail onto the sand. You’ll need to work quick so no permanent damage is done to the shark. If you can’t get the hook out in a couple of tries cut the leader and leave the hook behind. The hook will rust out of his mouth in a couple of days and he’ll be perfectly fine.
Snap a couple of pictures and pull him back in the water. You’re going to need to walk him out quite a ways (knee deep water) and get the water flowing over his gills again. If he is unresponsive keep pulling him back and forth in the water. You’ll know when it’s time to let him swim free.
Holy Sizzling Sharks! Now that’s daring! Oh, yeah, and truly, “not so boring!” Where do you catch these bad boys? Is it any time of year?
poor sharks, shame on you!!!
u have no idea what are you doing! better try something to rescue sharks from their miserable situation!
jimmy
What their doing is enjoying God’s creations!! Sharks are the bad boys of the ocean, they can take a little hook in the mouth, it’s not gonna hurt them, turn off your Disney films and learn that some of the most conservation savvy people on the planet are your hunters, and fishermen. That is because they are out in the field and they know about the species, and habitat and what the animals can take. It’s the people that spend their life curled up on the sofa watching TV that don’t really have a clue what’s going on!!:shock:
I’m a huge animal lover, I’ve never been hunting but I know quite a few hunters, and they have some of the most utmost respect for the game they hunt. Same goes for sharks, I’m just starting to get into shark fishing (been a fisherman my whole life), and as long as your educated about what you’re doing you can do little damage to the shark, and have an amazing experience. Don’t knock it until you try it!!
Keep up the great work on the site I’m loving all the advice and pictures!!
Hey, I like your message that you wrote. SO VERY TRUE!!! I have also been fishing my whole life but just began shark fishing with my children at Hilton Head last summer. We had a blast!!! Matters of fact, I didn’t find Hilton Head to be such a kid oriented place. So we thought we would buy some surf casters and see what we could catch. Man, BEST IDEA WE CAME UP WITH THAT WEEK!!! All we did was catch sharks and my kids loved it. Matters of fact, that is all we ended up doing all week!!LOL We are going back this year (6/28/08-7/05/08) and, long story short, I have the whole family interested in doing it.
With that being said, what would be the best places to go?? what time?? What kind of gear and where to get it?? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Have fun and always take a kid fishing!!
Jeff
PS- Shoot me back at jwhitecsx@aol.com with your response. Thanks again and happy fishing!!!
y r the sharks so poor? they kill people and all the shark fisherman do back is have fun proving they r better that the oceans apex predetor. most big time real shak fisheman practice catch and release probably over 95% of the time. the shaks are released and r never hurt. a sharks mouth is made to handle pain and lots of pressure due to the food they eat thrashing around in there mouth it doesnt hurt. so, r the sharks still so poor?
Very nice info!
I was at the bait store and asked whats the difference between spanish sardines and thread herring.
Guy said the 6 to 7 inch thin spanish sardines had lots of oil and blood.
said Id have problems with sharks.
To my delight I bought about 5 pounds worth.
their were alot.
cost about 16 bucks.
I have a spot next to a bridge on the rocks, i go to the base of teh rocks inches off the water.
Iset up my sardines threw them in, then put my huge penn reel and rod in a hole in th erock with the spinner rather loose for when I get hit.
Im barely putting in the rod in the hole, when th ething starts screaming!
whizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!
im thinking oh man!!!!!!!!! I start reeling, and bam! my 60 lb test wa sbitten through.
Im learning as I go.
2 feet of wire leader is not enogh.
Its safe to assume a shark ate the whole leader and bit my line.
Im positive I wasnt stuck on the rocks.
im in miami I go down to islamorada, were the tarpon are just as tough.
Which later ontaht day on fathers day, I caught my first huge tarpon.
well in that same spot were they clean th efish at the end of the pier, a 6 foot nurse shark practically wanted to crawl out of teh water.
I could have jumped on it and bull rode it.
next time I plan on using the tie method for my bait, which is a huge pain in my ass. and a very long leader wellgotta go!
thanks for the useful info!!!
It did not eat the leader it hit the line with its tail
“If you can’t get the hook out in a couple of tries cut the leader and leave the hook behind. The hook will rust out of his mouth in a couple of days and he’ll be perfectly fine.”
this is process actually takes quite long around 7-8 months maybe even longer and can cause the shark to have problems feeding which can change his diet drastically maybe even being fatal..
great site though lots of info…..:)
In addition to your comment, some success I’ve had is with using heavy wire cutters to cut the hook in half, then just slip the other end out of the mouth opposite of the barb. To do this safely, you need long needle-nose pliers to keep your hands away from its mouth.
Also, I’ve never had a problem pulling a circle hook out. All you have to do is crimp the barb of the hook (the inner curve of the hook serves well enough as its own barb) and then it slips right out. I’ve had no problems catching four-five foot sharks with these arrangements.
That is some great info, I just got my first experance with shark fishing on 09/11/07 while my wife and I were on vacation at N. Myrtle Beach, S.C. I surf fish while she lays in the sun , To my suprise I caught a 4′ Hammerhead (What a fight) I just get to do it once a year but I can see where this is a great sport. Thanks for the info GREAT JOB !!!!
Great info!! I went surf fishing for sharks in Dec 07 just north of Cocoa Beach. Unfortunately it was before I read this article. I had no leader. Very light tackle. Med action spinning rod with 30lb mono. 5/0 circle hooks with dead finger mullet. I got lucky and landed a 40″ black tip hooked perfectly on the side. However, I lost 4 rigs during the outing. I took 2 of my kids and we all had a blast. Our next trip will be more successful thanks to your info. I will keep you posted. Thanks again.
Great site! A lot of information.
I personally am a great fan of catch and release. If we want our children to have the same fun in shark fishing as we, we should not kill these beautiful animals that are on top of the food chain.
One small thing about the text, quote:
”You’re going to need to walk him out quite a ways (knee deep water) and get the water flowing over his gills again. If he is unresponsive, keep pulling him back and forth in the water.”
Pulling a shark back and forth in the water might drown him. Fresh water needs to flow from mouth trough the gills –>. My advice is to only push him forwards for as long as necessary, don’t pull him backwards.
Thanks for the nice site, good luck with the next catch!
Here are some good videos on how to release a shark safely:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=lrLZxoPQVPA
http://youtube.com/watch?v=jjxBZ0NzPMo
Email me if you have any questions, Blacktip_hunter@hotmail.com
hey dude….
We fish the shores of Carolina Beach N.C here and catch some very large black tips and even a few large tigers here The biggest so far has been about 350lbs and thats on spinning tackle and small conventional reels the sharks are here have fun good luck with the sharks!!!!!!!!
Greg the sharkman!!!!
You must be talking about a sandtiger shark. Theres no way in hell your going to catch a real tiger up to 350lbs on spinning tackle.
thanks a bunch… me and my dad go shark fishing quite often and will be back out on the water in a few days… we have caught a 200 pound 8 foot bull shark….6 foot dusky…….. and a four foot bonnet head.. we also caught a few large blacktips all in Hilton Head SC!!!!! I recommend hilton head in the fall. it is like the shark capital, we went regular fishing for a change and still caught mostly sharks.
FINS UP!!!!!!
Dude cummon,is that all your’ll have in USA,
Here in SA we’ve got monsters,im talking about 150 kilograms+much bigger rods and we all use penn reels,but we gota throw much further than that,thats the only down fall,south africans are holding the records for largest BLACKFIN and BRONZE WHALERS and BRONZE HAMMER HEAD SHARKS 
Here in Texas we have some big @$$ tigers, bulls, and hammers. We always have big gear. Penn senator 12/0, 14/0, and the massive 16/0 are the comon shark rigs.
WHO CARES IF THE SHARK IS KILLED,,,,THE LESS SHARKS IN THE WATER THE BETTER
Another bumb @$$ who has no idea about shark fishing
yea man great info but i was fishing in myrtle beach and caught a nice size croaker and cut it in half and threw it out there and about 5 minutes whammmmmmm my pole was whizzzing drag and i set oh man a 7 foot hammer head man almost broke my marlin pole fougght so hard .. nice info . i thinnk this will help me alot
Any suggestions for catching a shark off Indian Rocks beach. I have come nose to nose with a 5 footer, but never been able to catch one. Best time of day etc?
thanks
I got started in surf fishing for sharks some time ago. After many unsucessful attempts (just feeding fish) I finally got some good info and got on the right track. Alot of the info I received from an old pro is the same as above. I have had a lot of success with using cut mullet in the Savannah and Charleston areas. I’ve caught all sizes with my personal record coming in between 6 and 7 feet. I choose to cast my bait from the beach and agree that having some sort of structure is key. I’ve moved inland now but last year on my vacation I hooked a shark that was around 8′ (by estimate). He came out of the water and I at least got a look. He straightened the small hook I was using then waived good bye. I am leaving in a couple days for the same vacation and will be much more prepared this time. This is a great website and is very informative. Tight Lines!!
I caught my first sharks off the beach in Panama City at the halfway bridge on Memorial Day. We actually just came out in the evening with nothing particular in mind. Just wanted to get some fishing in. Catch and release. I had a bite and reeled in. Suddenly my fish jerked real hard for a moment and then I lost him. I reeled my line back in to rebait the hook and than I saw I still had my catch, a mullet, but only the head. I looked at my hubby and we both said. “SHARKS!” He is the better fisherman, no doubts about that. He took the cast net and caught some more mullets, cut them up and baited my hook, even cast it out for me. So there I was standing onthe beach holding my Shakespeare Bigwater rod while Joe was cutting up mullets. Than time my reel went ‘wheeee’ and I reeled in while the line went out. Joe jumped up and snatched the rod from me, did something to the drag and reeled it in. It was a shark about 3′long. I went into the water when it was about knee deep, took the leader and pulled him up on the sand. Joe yelling the whole time. “Get out of the water that’s a @#$^ shark.”
“I know,” I hollerd back at him. “I just caught my first shark na na boo boo.” We took a couple of pictures of the bullshark, removed the hook, thank God for the circle hooks, and let him go.The next bite came almost as soon as I had my line back in the water. This one took me very unprepared. I was standing up and it almost yanked me off my feet straight into the water. I saved myself from going that route by just dropping down on my butt and digging my heels in. Than the line just snapped. My hook, weight, 24″ wire leader were all gone. Joe said.”There’s the bait put it on your hook yourself.” And he cast off his own line, all eager to catch a shark too. He did catch a fish. All exitited he reeled in a cute redfish. I reeled in a cute tiger shark. I caught another fairly big shark but he got loose in the shallow water. We did call it a night than, but we’re so hooked. These fish do put up a great fight but being able to actually touch a shark and remove the hook from those awesome teeth is something else. t’s a privileged to get close to one of those magnificent creatures.
Great posts with a ton of good information. Here’s a question that might not quite fit here, but how do I AVOID catching sharks? I was fishing on Hilton Head last summer, and decided to do a little surf fishing. I was catching one black tip after another, but not a single fish! I love the fight the sharks put up, but I’d like to catch a fish here and there too. Thanks
There are so many sharks (mostly babies) that you’ll never be able to keep from catching them. Most people use shrimp or squid and manage small rays, sharks, and some fish. I personally cast net my own mullet and use them. If there are sharks they are usually bigger ones hitting or any other decent sized game fish. This summer I had two 4′+ sharks break off on a finger sized mullet!
where is the best place to catch sharks in the surf
I am a big time shark fisherman. I own a boat but rather fish from the surf for sharks, it’s such a blast. Majority of the time we release the sharks. Once or twice a year we might keep a big bull shark and a blacktip, just enough to put in the freezer. But regulations on the sharks in VA and NC are 54″ and that really narrows it down to what we can keep. We normally target 5-12′ sharks off of Hatteras and Va beach. There was a monster shark last year caught off cape point which was awesome. It was 12′6″ tiger shark and weighed 620 lbs. which was a record fish. We fought fish on 14/0 penn for 3 hours and 10 minutes, it was a blast! The shark was released unharmed and was not gaffed. It was tail roped and pulled to the surf and still had enough water under it to support it’s weight. I do not believe in killing sharks for the jaws when you can buy them from any boardwalk beach shop you visit. It’s a different story if you are eating the shark but don’t take advantage with what we have been blessed with. Have fun fish hard and may the sharks be with you. If you really wanna fish for thebig boys in Va beach and Hatteras email me at kingfisher29@verizon.net.
I get the whole “catch and release” thing, but really, shark steak is some of the best fish I’ve ever had. Last year I found a big interest in fishing in Sanibel Island, Florida. Using nothing more than a surf rig and cut squid, I caught three sharks, each about 2-3 feet long, and my grandfather decided that we should fillet them like we did with all of the catfish we had been hooking. I don’t know exactly what type of sharks they were, but I knew, based on the detailed regulations that they were legal to take. Is there a specific reason why catch and release is used more as a method rather than catch and eat?
sport. catch and release is more fun and when you relase them there is a chance of cathcin the same 1 twice
Small sharks are much better eating than large ones. Once they get big there meat turns to crap.
i got a question im leaving for Key West tomorrow and really want to catch a shark. I’m from texas and fish for sharks in Galveston all the time. Anyone have any tips for where to fish or what to use?
If you guyes want to see some reel shark fishing check out
http://www.tx-sharkfishing.com
Hey, Im heading down to Myrtle Beach SC in the middle of March and am interested in shark fishing from the beach as many of you are talking about. Being from Chicago I’ve grown up catching bass, catfish, trout and panfish…needless to say I’ve only had to use lighter tackle my whole life, never exceeding 10 lb test. But I would really love to try this and would appreciate some tips.
Im not looking for huge sharks, I’d be perfectly happy with 2-4 footers and I was wondering how heavy of line should be used. Also what sort of leaders should be used? The only ones Im familiar with are little 8 inch steel leaders for Northern Pike and Im assuming sharks would be able to bite through that. Additionally, if you have comments on hooks or ways of rigging up your bait please fill me in. I dont know if Im just supposed to throw half a fish out there and let if float or put weight on it to sink it to the bottom. Also, how far out should I place my bait (Ill most likely be fishing at night).
Anyway, all advice would be greatly appreciated or if you could refer me to a website full of good information I’d appreciate that as well. You may email me at Jrstoffel@bellsouth.net. Thanks.