jaceboat

well since im a shark expert (not really i caught my first one yesterday) i notice what i was using was much smaller than every body else but it was super fun catching him. i was using a mitchell 306 with 15lb line and a 18in 30lb seven strand leader with a #1 treble hook. oh and if u havent figured it out i was fishing for kings and accidentally hooked my first shark. little 3ft shark was jumping all over the place. but i have hooked plenty if u can get fresh lady fish and cut them in half hook them in the rear of the half ur using and get ur bait in the draw.

Jarhead

99% of the sharks you're going to catch are going to be around 3' so it's not necessary to limit your line capacity with 50# mono. Also, I wouldn't spend the money on braid if you're going to upgrade your setup soon. . I always use a 6/0 "J" hook w/ 30# test and a 3' steel leader. Just work your drag and you'll be fine. I caught a 7' hammerhead on 25# test from the pier. I didn't muscle him up but the line held up fine and it was a lot of fun.



Now most of my gear is larger with heavier line and when I catch a shark I'm fishing for something else. It's not nearly as fun as it was when I tried to catch sharks and used my spinning reel and the lighter tackle. Buying all that bigger gear for shark fishing, (in my opinion) is just a waste of money and can suck the fun out of fighting a 4' shark. (which is the majority of what you're going to catch)



As far as bait goes, sharks will eat anything. Any bloody fish head will do the trick but most of mine were caught fishing for Reds with live elwives. I found an full can of spinach in the stomach of a 4' shark once.. Still had the label on it!



Hope that helped..

Greenjeans

Thanks Jarhead,

By the way, what is the best way to catch a ladyfish. I have never caught one. Dont they look like a tarpon?

Jarhead

I'm not sure about targeting Ladyfish but Sabiki rigs will catch most of your baitfish. (you may know this already, and if so just disregard) They're like 3 bucks. If you're not familiar just ask someone at the tackle shop. They have 5 or so hooks on them and many times you can catch 4 or more with each drop. There's also the type with a red ribbon and no hooks. Pick up one of each. Sometimes and for no good reason they won't hit one and they'll tear the other up..



If you need any more info feel free to ask. I'm getting into offshore fishing and am completely clueless about that subject. I've been on here for weeks begging for info and gotten a lot of help. It's nice to know what I'm talking about and actually be GIVING the advice.. :letsdrink

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Jason

I'll put my $.02 in....everyone has good advise so take everyone's advise and pick and choose. As for me when targeting shark,I use a wire leadera few feet longer then the shark I'm targeting. Most of my shark leaders have Gomatsku (?) 6/0 and I like to put an 8-10 inch leader w/ a drop hook (smaller size hook stuck in the tail of thedead bait) attatched to themain leaderin the loop forthe6/0. When I was using a single hook set up, I was loosing a lot of sharks because they would tail whip the bait or hold the bait from the back and make a run. On my spinning gear I use 20 lb mono, and most of my leaders are 135 lb. My biggest shark rigs are only 3/0 reels w/ 60 lb. power braid, and 30 lb. mono. As for bait, I use 8-10 inch croaker, white trout, mullet, and bonita when you can get some. I always set out 2 rigs at a time minimum. 1 free lined and 1 on the bottom. You mentioned Garcon Point, and I use to shark fish there a lot....When I was a kid we shark fished off Ft. Pickins and lost a lot of BIG sharks!!! Good luck on your venture....:usaflag

perculator

Hey fellers.......new to the forum. been reading for a couple of days. we'll be coming down to pensacola beach next weekend and i'm think about trying some shark fishin'.....never done it.

i'm taking the kiddos out on a charter for one day, but all the others i'll have nothing to do but sit at the beach and drink beer.

i reckon i'll make my own leaders and give it a shot. borrowing a buddies surf rod......and i'll try to catch my own bait.

of course.......if i land one, i'm not sure what i'm gonna do with it. the only fish i've cut up are catfish, bass and the occasional trout.....is there a processor close to the beach that i could take it to? any shark that's not good to eat? any tips are appreciated.

anyway, i was stationed in pensacola in 92 and this will be my first trip back since........of all the places i've been it's my favorite.

Jarhead

I don't know about fish processors oke but cleaning shark can be a real pain. Just be sure the gut the thing as soon as quick as you can.:sick

Jason

Ifin you catch 1, immediately gut it!!! Then just skin it like a catfish. Cut it into finger size chunks and fry it. You can also steak it out and cook it on the grill wrapped in tin foil with butter and lemon!!!:letsdrink

REMEMBER THE REGULATIONS:::

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width=600 border=1><TBODY><TR vAlign=top align=left><TD>1 per person or 2 per vessel per day, whichever is less </TD><TD>Practice of finning and filleting at sea prohibited</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

GoVols

The only problem with long leader material is the difficulty in casting it. If your yaking it out or off the pier, long leader will work. I chose 3' wire leader since I was casting from the surf.