Comments on: Shark Fishing Guide: Deploying Shark Bait

By: olan

olan — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 03:58:10 +0000

some good info. i’m going shark fishing from kayaks at grayton beach in mid-october. i’ll let you know what we catch.
also, you know the saying about “a work to the sufficient is wise….” we always fish in pairs.
our motto is “We are adventurers, not idiots, we know when to cut a line.”

By: Rocky

Rocky — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:31:03 +0000

I’m new to fishing, but that’s not a good idea at all imhbh o! There is too much trash in the ocean already. Look up the thread at the cardboard box as an alternative.

By: sean

sean — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:39:50 +0000

how do you pop the baloon put a tac inside the baloon and pull hard when it gets off shore far enough?? maby the baloon will pop

By: michael

michael — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 16:32:54 +0000

we swim our baits out when we take the trip to hickery by in bonita. its nice to have then a couple hundred feet out. better chance in shore fish wont take your baite a peice at a time. caugt an ellevan foot saw lat niht.

By: RI Shark KING

RI Shark KING — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 16:29:23 +0000

You need a good rod, I’ve got a 6ft 8in 50-130lb Penn 14/0, Penn Senator 10/0 Big Game Fishing Reel, I’m using for line a lovely microfiber line as here in rhode island they are quite fond of running like a bat out of hell once hooked. Though monofiliment from your local dealer will be sufficent, I personally use 60 pound test monofiliment. For a leader I tend to make my own using a crimping tool some snaps and a swivel and use 400-500 pound stainless steel cable. To connect my leader to my mainline I tent to use 100-180 pound test monofilament. It all really depends on the season what line I pick. During the summer we have on occation had 1000 pound great white sharks, but generally the warmer the weather the bigger the sharks. For hooks I use 1 circle hook and a j hook, and spider weights. For hooks it depends on the sharks I’ve seen, if I see smaller sharks I like a 5/0 hook, if there are medium sharks in the area, I generally use a slightly larger hook a 8/0 hook or a 7/0 hook, if there are big sharks in the area I use a 12/0 hook. Keep in mind shark fishing isn’t always an exact science. You don’t need a boat roger, can catch them right from shore, I find at night is the better time as the beaches are empty generally, focus on sandbars. I find where 2 sand bars are, or an entrence to a feeding area, and I offer my food there. Where the sand bars are, I offer up my food between them, it seems that they are like deer, the sandbars offer up a natural underwater saddle wich they travel between. As for the entrances to feeding areas, there is here a small tidal area where the sharks love to get up in there, the baitfish go in the bigger fish follow, the sharks follow, the entrance is tidal, generally 6-7 feet deep, and it is maybe 30 feet wide at it’s widest. Bait I use anything bloody and oily. I will use bluefish schoolies at about 20 inches and up, I like to cut open the head so that the oils from the guts and the blood leak out for a tastier more appealing snack, infact it’s lead to some interesting shows, where 2 sharks seem to fight over the bait, yet to hook 2 sharks at once though. I use steel hooks over stainless steel or galvanized steel as if the shark gets away the hook will eventually rot out. I take 1 shark a year, so if your planning on harvesting, a good knife and 38 revolver is helpful. When harvesting, shoot it in the head, I cannot stress this enough, I want it to go as painlessly as possible. It’s a noble creature it should have some dignity. After the deed is done, gut it, save the guts, more on this later. Once it’s been gutted, I remove the head from the gills up and then I remove the fins, the tail, and pack the tail and fins on ice and then chop it into steaks while on the beach as fast as I can so it don’t spoil and pack it on ice, I generally bring 2-3 coolers for this job and get 4-6 bags of ice. Ok you caught your shark got your gear, you’ve gutted it, you’ve made it small enough to take with you. I take the whole head, some people look down on this, but I tend to boil the head, I sell the jaws and the extra teeth and save the liquid from boiling the head.

Why save the guts and the liquid from the head? Simple, catfish. 2-3 bags of cat food, bunch of 5 gallon buckets, pour the kitty food in the buckets, I like to go to slaughter houses and look for discarded stuff, lungs or something they throw out and blood, lots of blood. Mix the blood into the bucket with the catfood, the catfood should swell. Mix in the organs and shark guts including the boils bits you’ve strained from the liquid for boiling the shark head, and mix this concoction real well. Let this sit for a week COVERED! Once a week has gone by open it and mix it some more, if need be add some more blood so that it’ll be pastey, cover it and let it sit for 1 more week. Keep mixing it every few days, and if it smells bad to you, it smells bad to you, it smells good to catfish. So now you have a nice story to tell people, I’ve caught a shark, and you can tell it, sitting at a pond, fishing for catfish. You can then tell them their catfish bait is the guts of the shark and some other odds and ends…Also be sure to check the sharks stomach and remove things not needed…I’ve yet to catch a catfish in america that can or will eat a florida licence plate, or a shoe, or a tin can. I must say sometimes you’ll be amazed in what you find in there…a scuba divers watch is quite a nice return bonus….feel bad if the diver was eaten….

Enjoy

By: RI Shark KING

RI Shark KING — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 15:47:54 +0000

I find a chain mail glove works quite nicely protecting your hand. While your line zips out, I personally made mine from extra 400 pound stainless steel cable and a welding torch ^_^

Here in rhode island, I find what ever local fish works quite nicely, even a whole medium bluefish, the fresher the better and the bloodier the better. I love fishing the guts as these spots seem to be where they travel from place to place.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 13:34:45 +0000

This website is great and has been a big help as I try to learn more about shark fishing. Going to Perdido Key Florida in a few weeks and want to do some shark fishing from the beach while there. Not looking to catch really big ones but a 4-5 footer would be nice. Not kayaking this trip but will purchase one soon, so I will be casting from the beach. Got a decent rod that will be loaded with 50lb microfiber line (200 yards). Can you give me an idea of what hooks, weights and leader set up I should use?

By: Surf fisher

Surf fisher — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:22:52 +0000

Have any of you tried one of those ballon launching slingslots? I’m planning on trying this soon to save time, just wondering if anyone has already done this with success?

By: roger

roger — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:51:17 +0000

im goin shark fishing in ocean city md. never been shark fishing but have a proline boat an i want one tell me wat i need an do to get me any size shark so i can say ive caught one

By: frank

frank — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 02:41:48 +0000

That reel was an Alvey. Made in au. Google search will find them.