MR.STAAL

WHAT you need to do is get about a 7ft leader with a big ass circle hook on it(ggbt has them) throw that on any surf reel like a 706 with 50lb braid... butterfly cut a mullet an pich that bitch out....... sure nuff youll end up catching a black tip...... go down the beach towards chicken bone beach.. thell be there



oh and use a ballon for to watch your bait.. i use any bright color....

MR.STAAL

you can also wade fish...... but only reel men do that....... haha

TN visitors

Lots of good tips- thanks to all.



More questions from your answers!



We've never used mullet as bait ( thanks bellafishing for supplier info)

Will it hold up on ice (not in freezer) for more than a day and still hold on the hook if hooked through head, or do we need to get day of?

Also, regarding soaking mullet in minhaden oil, recommend dunking just prior to casting or soaking for a couple of hours?

Where's chickenbone beach?

We've been going about a mile east of the last mega condos, and last trip were up near the closed down bathhouse past that ( 6 or so miles east of the split at ft pickens and via deluna)

Yep, Konz, never seen such small catfish on an 8/0 hook! Have had no problem finding nice eddies out on the east end, but definitely gotta go with bigger hooks! Last trip we caught fish almost immediately on every cast for hours! Lots of cats, something BIG that stole the bait on the first cast ( haven't seen the rod get hit that hard since we've been here- Will loosen the drag) and a couple other fish we've not identified yet. Will try to post later. ( may also pm you later Konz, when we have more than a minute.)



Thanks again all!

TN visitors

bellafishing

That's a bluefish and is excellent shark bait. Catch them fresh, slice them down the side, throw a hook in them and toss them out!! Fish on in no time!! Mullet need to be fresh and I would recommend soaking them for an hour or two. The more menhaden milk soaked in, the better. We have had very good luck in the past West of the end of Pickens road. Go out and look and you will find some good eddies. Watch your tides as well and try to time it for an outgoing tide. A couple days before and after the full or new moons are very good as well.

TN visitors

We were originally doing our dayfishing down there ( that's where we caught the redfish in the pic),but moved east to get away from the crowds. The only nightfishing we've done there was on the bayside- due to really rough surf that night. All we did that night was feed the fish. Appreciate the moon info too. We caught a couple of those bluefish Sunday night, but by that time we were so tired we couldn't see straight and the sun was coming up.

hntrdave11

I'm going to be down in your neck of the woods in a few weeks trying to do more or less the same thing. However, since I'll be in a group with some younger children and nervous women, I've been forbidden from trying to catch any particularly large sharks.



Back when I was on the West coast I would catch 3-6 foot Leopard sharks using ~40lb coated 7-strand and a 6/0 hook with a whole squid for bait. We'd hook up on quite a few stingrays in the process, but generally be able to keep bait on long enough to get a few sharks any given evening.



I've seen a lot of thread where people are talking about 90 to 120lb cable as being the minimum size for catching sharks. Is that a shark size issue, or a shark teeth issue? The leopards I used to catch had pretty small teeth (since they eat mostly crabs and other bottom type fishies) and I'm wondering if the higher test cable people use out here is necessary even for smaller sharks.



So, to summarize my questions:

Is it even worth it to bait up with a smaller/lighter setup (40lb cable and a 6/0 circle) down here or will I just end up feeding catfish and getting cutoff every time I hook into something more interesting?



Thanks for the useful thread guys!

TN visitors

HNTRDAVE-

I can't tell you much about the cable since we've not hooked into any sharks yet, but I CAN tell you that we've been fishing with 8/0 circles and straights and have been amazed at what small fish can get such a big hook in their mouths. We'll be going up to at least a 16/0 for our next attempt. Gulf Breeze Bait and Tackle (open 24hrs)sells premade shark leaders with 16/0 and larger hooks for about $8 and up if you are interested.

hntrdave11

Thanks for the info.



I'll be sure to pick up some larger hooks before heading down there. My wife won't let me put together anything with big hooks beforehand, but maybe after spending some quality time watching me take catfish off, I'll be able to put out a bigger setup.



I'm still wondering about the cable though, since I have a ton of the 40lb stuff on hand from my CA fishing expeditions and would rather not have to spend the money for new cable if I don't need to. I'm not targeting the big guys, but I'd hate to just get bit off over and over again.

konz

Okay some people may think I'm crazy but oh well. I normally do use at least 90lb leader and believe it or not I've had a 18 inch black tip bite through 60lb single strand. I would recomend using something bigger than 40lb but if you use a circle hook you may be able to get away with 40. Since the hook up will be in the corner of the jaw (but if the shark turns the oposite way and that leader finds a way into the mouth.......say bye bye).

Guys feel free to correct me if I'm wrong b/c I don't normally use a shock leader since we paddle our baits out.

If your casting from the beach (not using a raft or kayak)I would recomend using about 2-3' of 90lb sevenstrand and at least12 feet of 60lb mono (to obsorb the shock of the cast) the short leader will be long enough to stretch across the jaws of a small shark (4 footer)and the 60lb mono should be enough to resist a tail swipe.

When we paddle baits out I use about 10' of 150lb seven strand. This gives me plenty of leader to use to pull the shark onto the shore once it's beached. I use 8-16oz of weight (depending on surf and size of bait) and a 18/0 hook.

I am by no means a pro but this has worked for me. You guys can feel free to PM me with any questions and give me a shout the next time your fishing and I'll be happy to join ya!

Tight lines