Shark Fishing Guide: Shark Bait
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.
I surf fish for sharks in S.C. I have had good luck with catching nice black tips with Pin fish caught on light double drop bottom rigs with very small hooks with a piece of blood a blood worm. You have to keep the line tight like you mention above. I take the Pin fish and hook them live right behind the dorsal fin with a 6 ought J hook. I use a fish finder to let the bait swim freely and hook a pyramid sinker to the fish finder. It’s work well for me!
Barracuda is by far the best bait, It stinks, its bloody and they’re a natural enemy and competetor for food for sharks. When a shark smells a cuda, he wants to extinguish it, no matter how hungry or full he is. You put a piece of cuda out there on a day when sharks are in the area, your guaranateed!!
yeah i shark fish in florida alot but i been having problems landing them i fish from piers and beaches what the best way to get your bait off the beach i use stingray and bonita i need help to land the big ones i got a 14/0 and 9/0
if u have a spinning rod cast it but if u havre a baitrunner like a penn senator the put a ballon just above the swivle when there is a currend and let it float out
hey. do you cut up the stingray or leave it whole. i fish about every other month at St. Simons island in Georgia. they have stingrays swarming all over there. what i would recommend is cutting a few slits from the mouth to the backside right before you cast it. it helps me a lot and i catch one almost everytime.
PS: Just as a tip if your fishing off a pier its eaiser to use a snag line to catch stingray. you usually need a few poles though
I’ve been shark fishing right there on the beach here in florida. It’s a two man job the way we do it. I use my kayak to paddle the bait out while my brother stays on the shore with his deep sea rod. So far we’ve caught a whole bunch of nurse sharks, a few bonnet heads, and one thrasher. For bait we’ve been using pig and pin fish caught in the surf and lady fish and mullet that we either cast net or hook in the banana river.
there is some great advice in the article above. For smaller sharks in the 3 FT range I catch them pretty well on cut squid. The Cut squid is reasonably priced at most bait shops or marina’s. I bought a different brand then usual at Walmart and didnt like it though I cant remember the brand names now.
When using the fish above If fishing them live, try cutting a part of their tail fin off to make them swim more eratically (sp?). Also make sure bait fish are legal size, especially if you are going to fish them from a beach or peir or anywhere you will keep them. while waiting to fish them. Fish regulations are there to protect all our fishing futures
I fish inshore at deep holes and near shore at the artificail reefs in Savannah GA area. Currently stationed in Iraq I really miss fishing. I started a new Shark Fishing website to pss the time until I get back and can fish myself. if anyone wants to post a pic or video or just read more about it check out the site. I am in the process of building it but initial stage is up with Improvements every few days. http://www.SharkFighter.com
hey , love the site. i want to do some shark fishing but have never done really any saltwater fishing to speak of but do some freshwater. what does gulf shores alabama offer. i go there often to visit family? how do you know what types of bait fish are off shore in a given time of year?
thanks todd
There are a lot of sharks off Gulf Shores Alabama. I have a friend that fishes there. Try to get some bonito, barracuda, jack, bluefish, pretty much any bloodyfish. You would have to talk to locals to figure out when and where the bait is running. If you have anymore questions, just email me and i’ll ask then. I have videos, pix and everything showing the steps on how to become a great shark fisherman.
for the whiting pic u put a croaker
lol
I live in CA and I usually go to Newport peir to catch my baits. Right before summer here we catch A LOT of Bonita’s and sting rays. I mean A LOT ALOT it gets to the point that we have to release them back because they are more than what we need. I just wanted to thorw that in becasue you were saying that you are not sure which place is the best for these fish. People living around here now know where to get their baits. I also use mackerels for my baits and i have actually cought a shark on the peir using this fish. If anybody knows anything about Machreles and if they are good baits please reply to my comment
Thank you
i fish in galveston…..doesnt seem like many of yall do…..but, can anyone tell me the best bait for fishing in there( for maybe a good 4 foot shark)
Try using bluefish, hunks or rays, bonito, Jacks, and well pretty much any bloody fish. Barracuda works great!
I would like anyone who needs live stringrays for bait we have a holding tank and allways have 50 or more on hand. We are in Kemah Tex.
DO YOU SELL THEM WHATS THE SIZE ON THEM STINGRAYS
I live here in Kemah and would like to pick up some stingray for bait this weekend.
Thanks,
Tim
I live in cape coral florida and i LOVE to shark fish.I dont fish off of a beack I usuallly go out to a big strip of power line poles.Their is a big like 200-300 foot deep trench their +) lots of sharks in it..Um but i also go off of a pier wich is right by the poles.I use mullet…Umm i use head body and tail and if their finger mullet live i throw a whole one out,I have been working on geting my boat ready season for sharks is starting im going to use 25-50 pound stingrays and mullet.If their are any tricks or tips feel free to email me or comment here i guess.Biggest shark ive caught off land 8ft bullshark and the wierdest i caught was a saw fish..
hey jewermy if you read this email me at kit221420@aol.com ,, i live in fort myers and would love some advice! Thanks
Me and some friends were planning a trip to boca grande pass and i was wondering if we are fishing off of the beach and one of my friends was fishing for last couple nights getting some mullet and blue fish but he didnt freeze it and left it out over night and we didnt know if we could still use it or if it was useless and we should just pitch it ….
I shark fish in savannah GA. most of time i use boston makeral. but .i have got a freezer full of bonito . i have been rigging them by cuting off tail then spliting them open down the belly . then using two 12/0 hooks one behind head and other ahead of tail. then stich them back up. I found that drifting behind a shrimp boat about 5 miles or so out the bonitos doesnt sit there long. I atach a balloon to top of 15 footleader to keep it just below surface. caught two nice ones this weekend .
I’ve also fished in the Savannah, GA area and the Charleston,SC area. If you want to gun for the smaller ones (3-5′) you can use blue crab. This works particularly well in shore where there is a deep whole when rivers are meeting. Plus, it is free. Go to your local fish market and ask them to give you some dead crabs. They cannot sell them so they will give you all you want. Break the backs off them and fish them half of whole. Peel the pinchers off too. I’ve got a lot of nice bonnet (sp?) heads off this set up. Beware of the rays though, they like it to. Remember to throw away what you don’t use for the day though, those things are not air fresheners.
I am loving this site since I found it.
tight lines and fair winds to all.
I live in Southern California in Newport Beach and have been fishing the Newport Harbor and Huntington Harbor now for about 2 years. I am still kind of new to Salt water fishing but have picked up quite a few different sharks using whole and cut squids. Usually I am using my heavier conventional rigs, A Sealine 40-HA on a Penn international 20-50lb rod with 40lb Yozuri mono line, 4oz torpedo sinker, and a 5-0 circle hook, and a Penn Longbeach on a Daiwa 30-60lb rod with some very thick “rope” line that came on the reel, torpedo 4oz weight and a 6-0 regular hook. Off the docks is usually my spot of choice, unfortunately not a boat owner yet…lol…and most of the time use whole frozen squid purchased at the liquor store by the Balboa Ferry, usually there about 4-6″ long. I hook the squid twice thru the hooks and place the sinkers about 13-16″ from my hooks. I cast those mofo’s out and wait. I pick up a lot of rays this way also, actully caught one about 6′ wide and guessing about 100-150lbs…But this has also been successful for some decent 3-4′ horn sharks, some really nice 3-5′ smoothhounds, and some small leopard sharks. I’ve never really tried live or any bloody baits yet…I think I might try the batrays if it is legal in my area, I’ll have to check….great site by the way..
happy fishing
ps. if you have myspace I have some of my catches posted including the monster ray caught shallow in huntington harbor….
http://www.myspace.com/peteheinz
Sting Rays. Well, over here by Bradenton, Fl you can catch them in the Manatee river, more than you’d want. Unfortunately, no one I fish with wants to bother saving them or even harvesting the wings for bait.
I’ve caught a few smaller sharks on cut bait such as lady fish. Not having a boat doesn’t help. Landing large fish from a bridge or pier is always a problem. I’ve always liked to soak a live pin fish no matter what else I’m fishing for. Down here you never know what may come by. 
Oops almost for got, if you are in the Bradenton, Manatee county area of Fl my web site has a tide chart, weather and solunar tables on it so that may help you out. Just click on my name.
I have personally had great luck with fresh caught spanish makerel. I caught two spanish makerel, hooked them through the back leaving them alive, put a few shallow cuts in their side to make them bleed a little bit and casted tehm each out on. with in 15 minutes i had a Black tip shark on one of the poles and another 20 minutes after there was one on the other.
the makerel were each about 8 inches long.
HELLO AND GOOD EVENING.
I LIVE IN MIAMI FLORIDA.
DOES ANYONE KNOW OF SOMEONE WHO BUYS SHARKS
IN DADE COUNTY OR TAMPA AREA.
LETS SAY I CAUGHT A BIG SHARK AND WANT TO SELL.
IF YOU YOU KNOW OF SOMEONE WHO BUYS SHARK,
SURE WILL APPRECIATE THE NAME AND PHONE AND EMAIL ADDRESS
IF POSSIBLE.
THANK YOU AND HAVE A GREAT DAY.
Hey guys I fish out of Louisiana at the mouth of the Rigolets where it feeds into Lake Pontchartrain (if anyone knows where that is since everyone here is fishing beaches in FL SC TX) mainly for bull sharks with a few sand tigers.i found that mullet croaker and white trout fished lived after a stab through the tail to make them swim injuried works well here.i the sharks in the lake are 4 to 6 feet long. i have caught one almost every time only problem i have to deal with is big alligator gar that are just as big as the sharks. so if you fishing louisiana try these baits out
Hey guys I want to go shark fishing in brackish water in fort myers, fl. The pier is jsut a couple of miles away from the ocean and we have seen sharks there before. WHat kind of bait should we use and does anyone know what kind of sharks would be in that area?? Thanks alot
Kit: You’re on top of all kind of sharks there in ft. meyers. Try to pick up some lady fish or jacks and use them as bait. Occasionally I’ve been able to castnet some larget 12″+ mullet which would also work great.
I suspect you’ll find bulls, blacktips, spinners, or maybe even a lemon around those parts.
Good luck, and keep us posted
Hello all I was wondering I am going to gulf shores AL soon,
So I was wondering what kind of shark I could catch from shore and what type of bait would be the best thanks
ya were going sharking so what r the easyest ways to catch one