Shark Fishing Guide: Shark Fishing Gear
Shark Rod and Reel
You’ve only got two choices when picking a shark rod: spinning rod or bait cast. A spinning rod is a great choice for anyone only shark fishing a couple times a year. You can fish for bait or sharks with this type of rod, so it’s a great choice if your budget is of concern. The drawback to using a spinning rod is that the drag will probably melt down after catching couple big 6′ blacktip or spinner sharks. Purchasing a $30 spinning combo isn’t going to handle a fight from the oceans top predator. My recommendation would be a $40-$50 spinning reel capable of holding 300-400 yards of 40lb test line. This reel isn’t even close to top of the line but really is the minimum you should consider when targeting bigger sharks. When choosing a rod to complement your reel stick with heavy action rods that are 10′ or longer. A good $50 - $100 rod is exactly what you’re looking for here.
The other option is the bait cast reel. This is the type of rod you’d use if you were fishing from a chartered boat. They can range in price from $100-$2000 but will handle 10′-15′ big dogs that are cruising the beaches. The main drawback of this type of reel is they are hard to cast and can’t be used for general bait fishing. Generally speaking this type of rod and real is better for an intermediate shark fisherman who will be fishing a dozen or more times per year. A good combo in this class is the Penn Senator 113 or 113H and will run your around $100.
Main Line
Your reel will be 98% main line. Here again you have a couple choices depending on your budget: Monofilament or Microfiber. Monofilament is the cheaper of the two but you’ll sacrifice the amount of line you can spool on the reel. Monofilament also isn’t quite as abrasion resistant as microfiber. You can expect 300-400 yards of 40lb monofilament to cost around $10-$15. This is a good choice for spooling the Penn Senator 113 as it has a high line capacity.
If you decided the spinning combo best meets your needs I highly recommend the microfiber. You’ll be able to increase your line capacity almost two fold and get the much need abrasion resistance. It will cost you another $20-$30 but you’ll land more fish and it will last much longer than the monofilament.
Shark Fishing Tackle
The most critical part of all your shark gear will be tackle. This is where the shark meets your line, so using quality leaders and hooks will pay off and lead to more hook-ups. Before jumping into this section let me give you a run down of how a shark reacts to a hook in the mouth.
Sharks are opportunists. If they see a hunk of bloody meat they are going come by and pick it up. Once they do they are going to swim off with the bait hanging from their mouth. If there is no resistance they’ll begin to eat the bait, but as soon as they feel any resistance or fight left in the bait all hell will break out. Generally speaking a shark may begin spinning or whipping its tail in an effort to get away or stun the bait. Your leader is going to take the main brunt of this abuse. If you main line comes in contact with the shark tail at any point in the battle you can kiss him goodbye.
Shark Leaders
A 400 lb stainless steel cable is highly recommended for all shark leaders. Some people have reported good success with piano wire as well. All hooks and swivels should be attached with crimps with similar ratings. To build several shark leaders it is cheaper to purchase the material individually and make them yourself. This also lends itself to using multiple hooks on a single leader in case the bait is quite a bit larger. However for the weekend fisher its probably better to purchase a couple pre-made shark leaders off the internet before your big weekend. These leaders should be a foot longer than the shark you plan on catching. It should have a drop for a hook, a weight, and a swivel to attach to the main line. Generally speaking you won’t find this type of heavy duty tackle in any bait shop so plan ahead.
The stainless steel leader is NOT attached directly to your main line. It’s highly recommended you purchase a spool of 100lb monofilament leader that will connect your mainline to your shark leader. This leader should be 5-10 yards long. This will provide a nice shock leader as well as protection from any tail whips that your main line will encounter during the fight.
Shark Hooks
You’ve got 2 choices when it come to shark hooks: J-Hook and Circle Hooks. I primarily have used J-Hooks because they work. However they tend to lodge themselves deep in the mouth which can make for an interesting scenario on the beach when trying to remove the hook. Circle hooks will lodge themselves in the corner of the mouth making hook removal a breeze. Many people seem to think that using circle hooks results in several missed hook-ups. Shark hooks sizes range from 10/0 to 14/0 for sharks up to the 6′ range. A couple of years ago I saw a couple guys using a hook as large as my forearm. They were targeting Tiger and Bull sharks with whole 30 lb Jacks.
Weights
A weight is very important because it will keep your shark bait locked in place as the surf tosses it about. This can be quite difficult the bigger your bait gets. I generally use a spider weight as they tend to lock into the sand really well. I buy several different sizes and will load them up 2 or 3 at a time depending on the conditions at the beach.
This way when you’re shark 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.
do you have any suggestions for big spinning reels and poles. i dont mind spending a little money for good stuff. im looking to spend a couple hundred on a set. what do you recomend
hows it goin….im just gettin in to the big time shark stuff and was wonderin where on the leader you put the weight…how exactly would you rig the sand spyder to the wire leader…i have made many shark leaders before but not this heavy duty…just wonderin if you can make a diagram or somthin…thanks
When i put a spider weight on my leader I will use a 3point swivell that has three points at which I can attach a line.
First of all lol, a $50 dollar spinning reel won’t cut it. I’ve had 6ft BT’s destroy a Penn 9500ss like it was a barbie reel. Second, 300yds isn’t going to cut it, a minimum of 400yds is required. I’ve hooked up with 10ft sharks, 50ft from the beach and plus i’ve had BT’s take more than 500yds of line on lock-down drag (20-30lbs of drag).
I used to use 40lb Powerpro, but i lost a lot of sharks. YOU CAN’T USE MONOFILAMENT ON A SPINNING REEL IF YOUR FISHING FOR SHARKS ON THE BEACH!! 50lb Powerpro minimum, with a 100-250lb Powerpro topshot. I’ve seen experienced guys use 30lb powerpro and they lose a lot of sharks!
For a reel i recommend buying a Fin-Nor OFS9500 ($169.99)
For a rod I strongly recommend buying a Breakaway 13ft HDX, but thats $250, so if you want a good rod for cheap, i recommend buying a shakesphere uglystick or a tsunami.
One thing you gotta know is that cheap don’t work with big fish!!
Next, never use J hooks, only use circle hooks. You will lose many nice fish on J’s. Don’t use mono on your leaders, unless your ready for a bite-off. Don’t use any swivel under 400lbs, Ball-Bearing swivels are the best! Sampo and spro are good brans to use. Always use either cable or single strand on your leaderts, for cable a minimum of 480lb is needed, anything under and they will bite through it. For single strand, use anything over a 100lb and double it up.
For bait, barracuda is the best, but jacks, blue runners, ladyfish, bluefish, and other bloody fish are good bait.
When fighting the shark, let him take all the line he wants, especially if they are BT’s, because even if you have no drag and they jump, they can still blow out a 500lb swivel. I had a 500lb Ball-Bearing swivel blow out on my when a hooked into a big BT with no drag. Use light drag when they are jumping and tighten it up when the tug of war begins.
Never use your hands to take the hook out. I made that mistake and almost lost two fingers. I use 16inch pliers to take the hook out. Have one person hold the mouth open and the other use the pliers to take the hook out. If he swallowed it, then just cut the cable.
Use pyramid sinkers for your weights.
If you have any questions, email me at blacktip_hunter@hotmail.com
I recommend a 12/0 circle hook or bigger if your going for sharks bigger than 6 ft sharks like to twist when the are hooked and they can straighten the hook and the shark will be gone. for a reel i recommend a Penn 14/0 they are expensive but they are the best reel. They can hold 130lbs mono 750 yards, i recommend putting 80lb braided on there though because you could easily fit over 1500 yards of line. i recommend a penn international pole. A shark will tare most spinning reels to pieces, if you plane on shark fishing alot the buy a good penn or other conventional reel. I would recommend a reel that can hold a minimum of 80lb test with 750 yards.
For bait i reccomend lady fish, yellowfin tuna, bonita, or any bloody fish, my favorite i bonito. you can catch bonito through a spinner in the surf. i have even caught sharks on fish fellets. i take the bait out on a kayak about 1000 yards out, my pole holds 1500+ line though, i recommend leaving 300 yards plus for the fish to run.
I put a 15 ft 480 steel cable and 15 ft 600lb mono leeder on a 18/0 circle hook and a 16 oz triangle wieght.
Once you get the shark in pull it to the beach by the tail, stay away from the head and take the hook out with plyers. walk it out to waist deep water and it will go on its way and no it will not turn around and bite your leg of.
I fish for the big boys 8+ ft most of the information is on gear for that size fish, shark fishing is expensive and dont buy the cheepest things you find it will be ripped to pieces on your first 6 ft blacktip.
Good luck
1000yds out? Dude have you ever had a big shark on your line over 500yds out? It’s hard enough to get it in when he takes that much line, now a 1000? I don’t think you’ll ever get him in. There is no need to take any bait out 1000yds. When your line starts going out that far it looses a lot of strength and breaks much easier, with means you will have to use less drag on a monster, which means he will either spool you or break you off.
Many big sharks will tear a spinning reel apart, but you should never recommend a beginner to start off trying to catch Big Bulls or Hammerheads or any big shark, he won’t know what hes getting into. You have to start small and work your way up.
A 12/0 or 14/0 and using a kayak is for someone with experience. When someone has been shark fishing for 2 years with surf gear, they should then move to 12/0 and 14/0s when they have a lot of experience under their belt.
10/29/07
I will say this - a Penn 113H is very castable with a 10 foot rod and at least a 6 oz. sinker. I picked up a 10 foot Ugly Stik - the 2-piece rod rated “Heavy” at 2 to 12 oz. You can get your 250 feet or better with this, and the 113H and 30 lb. mono as long as you have a feel for thumbing. I can’t imagine anyone trying to cast a 2 oz. sinker on this so I think Shakespeaere has its specs wrong on the low end - but 12 oz for sure. This and the the 113H seems to be a great combo.
Has anyone tried casting the bigger Penn 114H?
Thanks for any response.
Bill
hey guys very new to shark fishing but they amaze me wanted to be realistic when i start out have cought loads of gummys and big rays but i have never cought a bull or anything exciting so now .. i have the rod 25kg penn … reel is an issue i have a heavy duty alvey but i dont want my hand torn off lol a few big rays tought me that lesson ..
.. but mainly i wanted to ask if someone could show me or explain balloon floating or something similar because alot of my time is spent beach or jetty fishing there is a land based site im sure you would have all seen the guy is preety good at his biz but doesnt show how to rig up plus there is no bloody way im going out on the bay in a friggin cannue with 3lb’s of tuna on my lap so yeah any help would be great .. thanks for your time email is .. cagiva97@hotmail.com thanks again
jesse where are you fishing out of?
And wheere are you going to try for sharks, surf, pier?
ok so i think im going to get started in this big shark fishing. i have lots of surf fishing under my belt but nothing quite this serious, so i was wondering. i plan on buying a penn senator 113h which holds 475yd/30lb test i would feel comfortable with heavier line around 60lb test at least so i was wondering about putting a backing of maybe 600yds of braid on the reel and then finishing it off with mono. just wanted to know what you think about this. i will be sending the bait out in a kayak. also im a little confused on the rig if someone could provide a diagram or a more through explanation that would be a big help
Where exactly will you be fishing at?
Some lines work better than others in different spots. I use all PowerPro on every reel expect my 14/0, which is spooled with 400lb mono to fish the inlets in Florida.
I find that if your fishing off the beach, braid is the best way to go. You will stay right on the fish and it cuts through much easier than mono. Actually i’ve done some equations and figured out that if you compare braided line to mono of equal strength on certain days, such as a fairly wavy day and are hooked up with a big shark, the mono will break much quicker than the braid. This is because of the bend in the line, if you include pressure and friction from the waves and get that right moment, your mono will exceed its limit and break, on the other hand your braid will just cut through the water and won’t be affected as much. The only thing that braid is not good with is fishing around heavy structure, it will fraid and break much quicker than mono.
If I was spooling your 113h, i would spool it all with 65lb PowerPro.
Hey, just wanna say thnx for the info (everyone). It’s so hard to find such important info on this subject. I’ll be stopping by from time to time.
i need abigger rod & reel i have a medium action 6 ft uglystik and an abu garcia 6500. the biggest iv’e caught on it was a 4 1/2 foot sand shark from a pier and a 2 1/2 foot blacktip from my kayak
the sand shark was3 1/2 feet i was wrong
first thanks josh for the help. i will be fishing from the beach, mainly around north and south carolina. i will take you up on the 65lb power pro but are you saying just spool the entire thing with power pro or could i do about 600 yards of the power pro and then finish the remaining line capacity on the reel with a florocarbon? also fin-or just came out with a new conventional reel which might end up being the one i get, i have to look into it a little more but if not i’m going to settle with the new metal senator. thanks again…could someone just give me a brief explanation of the rig and leader and all?
The new Fin-Nor Offshore conventional star drag looks like an excellent reel. They give you two options for that reel, a low speed and a high speed. If you decide to buy the Fin-Nor, get the OFC30H, which holds 365 yds of 40lb and has a 6.2:1 Gear Ratio.
Some anglers will tell you that a high speed reel doesn’t work on the beach and some will tell you otherwise. I use high speed reels on the surf and never had a problem with any of them. I like the high speed reels because they come handy when a shark decides to charge the beach. Lower speed reels will create slack in the line when this happens and could cause the hook to fall out.
Here are some videos I’ve made showing how to make shark rigs and how to choose the correct leader material:
How to make shark leaders:
http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=9115305200231700920&q=shark+rigs&total=9&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=3
How to choose Leader Material:
http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=8604463278983235097&q=shark+rigs&total=9&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0
If you or anybody else has any more questions, just email me at blacktip_hunter@hotmail.com
im really dont know if you seid this or no but……were would you generaly drop the bait?…i have a kayak
THE BAIT I USED TO CATCH A BLUE TAILED MUFFIN SHARK WAS A RASBERRY MUFFIN IF ANYONE WANTS TO KNOW HOW TO CATCH ONE
IT TOOK ME ABOUT AN HOUR TO REEL HIM IN BUT IT WAS WORTH IT HE TASTED DELICIOUS!
sean, IM pretty sure those can only be caught in LALA LAND, Africa!
i have been shark fishing alot in southwest florida lately. anna maria island specifically and in the past week i have caught a 9′9″ lemon shark and a 6′ blacktip. i have 2, 9′ uglysticks with 2 shimano baitrunner 6500’s. i have them both spooled with 30 lb mono with 12 yds of 80 lb shock leader and 7 feet of steel cable. i was thinking about switching to powerpro but i dont know whether to put on 300 yds of 80 lb on or 65 lb and get a few extra yds. im new at shark fishing so i would appreciate any help i could get. thanks!
mike
That’s a couple of nice catches
Braid is definitely the way to go and honestly don’t think you can go wrong with either 65 or 80. There are some monster sharks down your way so the extra line capacity might be a good thing.
how far out would you suggest kayaking out your bait?
hows the shark fishing in ocean city maryland
I was in the pan handle of Florida last week & caught a 7ft Bull shark, he was heavy as 3 of us could not lift him. I used a old penn senator 4/0 & spooled it with 280 yards of 80lb mono, the rod is a heavy duty trolling rod, I used a 14/0 J hook & 2′ 120lb leader (way too short as the line was frayed from the battle). I purchased my rod & reel from a flea market for $50, it is a lille rusty, but works great.
The sharks where we were cruise very close to shore in the 4pm till dawn hours, & readily seem to take wounded & bleeding fish. I fished for 1/2hr before my first hook up & landed the bull shark after a 35min battle.
I would like to know if anyone has advise on how too cook the shark steaks, as I have 40-50lbs of them in my freezer & they are a little tuff when I did them on the grill.
We also helped a guy by us release a 5-6′ Blacktip a 1/2 hour after we landed ours. It is extremely exiting & there sure seems to be alot more of them roaming close to shore than most people realize.
I usually release them because of the hassle but when i do keep them i like to cut the meat up into nugget size and deep fry them into spicy shark nuggets
I wade fish for blacktip or bullsharks in galveston Tx and usually catch mullet with my castnet for bait. I always walk out as for as i can or chest deep and cast out as far as i can and then i wait. After doing this for a few years the biggest shark I ever released back was a 4 foot black tip.I cut the mullet in half and let it soke. do u have any tips to land bigger bleck tips or bulls?
I am form Michigan & have witnessed it a few times when on vacation in the same place several years in a row. At spring break on the panhandle area of Florida I believ ethe fishing is real good due to the large volume of Pompano & Whitting that seem to be in abundance for suref fishing. My pesonal experiance is we fished for 1/2 hr before catchin the Bull, & fished several othe times for several hours the same week unsuccesfully. The evening we cought the Bull we hepled a guy 50yds from us beach a 5ft BT.
Also he had lost 2 other sharks that night he thought were bigger. I belive when the fishing is hot its HOT.
Hey well i read this and u catch your mullet live???If you can get a live mullet hook him in the back or from the bottom of the jaw up withought killing them.you will catch a huge shark i promise..We got bored one night had a lil spinning rod with a little 4/0 hook put a live finger mullet out…About 5 mins later i heard the loudest drag singin noise ever..It spooled the almost 200 yards of line off in under 1 min..SO yea try that
Ive had the same success your describing by using 6-8 inch spanish mackeral. I caught them hooked them through the back, put a few shallow cuts in their side to make them bleed a little and casted them out. within 15 minutes my line was just flying off my reel.
ive been fishing for big spinners and blacktips for quite a while with my family off the beach of st.simons and i was wonderin,is there anyway how you can land a 6 footer without a long liter,but just have a good pole and a 60 pd test?
i was thinking of rigging up a 14/0. any suggestions on line?
hey dude - great website - we’re going bull shark fishing next week in South Padre Island - do we need to wade out ? My friend does this and almost got bit last time. Or should we fish from the beach ? What is the best bait to use?
Thanks,
Matt
i went to hilton head sc for the week and got to put all these tips and my new tackle into action. i settled with a shimano tekota 800 and i put 530yds of 80lb braid on it. i was running my bait out (menhaden/bunker) in my kayak about 300yds. i ended up catching 11 sharks between 2 1/2-4ft in length all of which were fun to catch but i was hopping for bigger. i did get one big bite that had line screaming off the reel i was afriad he was going to spool me before i would even get a chance to set the hook, so i didnt wait the 10 seconds and i cranked down on the fish only to pull the bait from his mouth. although it was disapointing i think that even if i engaged the reel and got the hook up i would have been spooled in a matter of seconds. but after all of that im now looking to buy bigger tackle and primarily target the bigger sharks. i was wondering if you guys had any tips on a type of reel and maybe a minimum line capacity if i were to run my bait out 500yds. i appreciate the help so far this is a great website and keep up the good work.
what is the best time of year to go big shark fishing?
Late spring up through Thanksgiving.
Hey, im an ameture to Shark fishing. Ive managed to hook a few 3-4 foot blacktips while on vacation in tampa bay a few years ago and i fond it to be a real adrenaline rush. but thats really all the expeerience i have. I want to by a good rod and real combo for fishing for 3-5 footers off of a pier but i really dont have any idea of what im looking for. id like to spend $200-$250 idealy but if i have to spend a lil more for better quality thats fine too. Does anyone have any sugguestions for me? And also, what would be the best line and tackle for the caliber of shark im attempting to catch?
My email is mjmorgan54@gmail.com
Thanks
,
Matt Morgan
hi matt hows it goin. to start off i want you to know that im not the most experianced shark fisherman but i do have a ton of experiance saltwater fishing but i thought i would help you out because i hate it when nobody gives an answer on the website. i recently bought and recomend a shimano tekota 800 which bass pro shops sells for 189.99. i am using this reel for fishing off the surf so i have it on a 10ft offshore angler surf rod which goes for 129.99. for line i bought a 1200yd spool of offshore angler magibraid spectra fiber fishing line (134.99). i bought the 80lb test which has a 25lb mono dia therefore i fit 530yds of line on the reel. for fishing off the pier for up to 6 footers this combo should do you well i realize this is more than you said you would like to spend but its a good combo that i feel is well worth it. get back to me and let me know what you think, hope it helps. my email is newyorker08@aol.com
Hey Daniel, Thanks for the advice! i really appreciate it.
me and my cousin have been shark fishing for about a year or two. we cant seem to catch any. we fish with mullet on a penn spinning real. we use 12/0 hooks on 6 foot 250lb test steel cable leeder and 350lb test swivel. we use ballons to get our line out there. and dont barley get bites. we fish in tampa by. any tips fo us
How big of mullet are you fishing with? I would recommend using some figure mullet to catch some bluefish, jacks, or lady fish to hookup on a big shark.
Im new to this site and go shark fishing while red fishing in a boat with my dad we usally catch plenty of mullet and we fish bottom and poppin cork on bottom we started to catch 3 to 4 foot BTs every trip………..they taste great soaked in lemon juice and italian dressing and then in cornmeal and fried anyway what im asking is whats the best bait besides 10 to 12 inch mullet in or around lavaca river at the mouth………..i can see the cause way from where im fishing so if anyone is familiar to this area share some tips…………..
Try some lady fish. They are nice and bloody and really fun to catch.
so if i wemt to myrtle beach in like late nov or mid dec would it be worth bringing the yak down to try and catch some big sharks or is it not worth the effort at that time of year?
Thats pretty late. The water has really cooled off.
I’ve had really good luck in the Daytona beach area in on Thanksgiving though.