If you’re looking for the ultimate trophy catch, you can’t do much better than nabbing one shark fishing. Sharks are the ocean’s premier predators, they never stop moving and are always on the lookout for their next meal. They also are not too picky about the fish they eat, making them great to fish for. Once you get one on the line though, sharks put up an amazing fight. Catching a shark is a challenge even for a very experienced angler. You can practice catch and release or keep certain species of shark for a very tasty meal. You can fish for them from the shore or from a boat. However, if you’re fishing from a boat you should hire a shark charter if you’ve never gone after these beasts before. They will help you along the learning curve until you and your friends can handle your own boat.
Types of Shark to Catch
There are many different sharks available for catch in the waters of the United States. These include threshers, blue, blacktip, bull, blacknose, sandbar, tiger, and atlantic sharpnose sharks. However, two of the more popular types of angling are great white shark fishing and mako shark fishing. Great whites are sought after because of their reputation as the ocean’s ultimate predator and biggest shark. Mako sharks, on the other hand, require a great deal of skill to reel in. They are one of the fastest fish in the ocean, reaching speeds of up to 50 miles per hour. They can also out jump a Marlin. Reeling a Mako in requires not just an experienced angler, but also an experienced boat captain and crew.
Shark Fishing Tips
The best thing you can do to catch more sharks is to learn as much about the species you are going after as you can. You should learn where the sharks tend to live, what fish they tend to hunt, and what depth they tend to swim at. Different species of sharks will have completely different habitats and tendencies. Learning more about them will allow you to have a distinct advantage when stalking your prey.
Generally, you should seek out warm, but not hot water. This makes June the peak season for shark fishing in most places in the Northern Hemisphere. Later in the summer, many areas may get too hot. However, many species will travel to shallower waters to mate and lay eggs, this makes surf shark fishing possible in the summer months. Also try to work for underwater structures where sharks may lay in wait to ambush their prey. This includes, but is not limited to, dips in the sea floor, small islands, and rocks.
You should also always have more than one line in the water at different depths to increase your chances of getting the attention of and hooking a shark. Once you hook a shark, the fun has just begun. Fights with sharks on the line can last anywhere from one to twelve hours or more. They sometimes drag their prey down far underwater before eating it, so you may have to let a great deal of line out at first. When you’re fighting the shark make sure to wear a harness and safety straps if you’re in a boat so you don’t tire too quickly or fall overboard. Once the shark is close to the boat or land, you will need help to gaff it and get it into the boat safely or else unhook it.
Shark Fishing Tackle and Gear
When you’re assembling tackle for fishing for sharks, the first two things you need to have are a rod and a reel. The rod should be able to handle around 350 pounds of pressure on it, but it does not have to be particularly long, even for shore fishing. The reel should be in the eighty pound class, but depending on what you are fishing for fifty pound rated reels can also suffice. It should also be able to handle two hundred to three hundred yards of line plus the amount of line you need to cast out.
Other than this you also should have a fishing harness, which will prevent you from tiring during a long fight, and safety straps, which are essential when you’re boat fishing so that you don’t get pulled overboard. For a rig, you should be using at least a 10/0 hook, and the size of your hook should be chosen in combination with the size of your bait. Bigger bait will attract the bigger sharks. You should also use spider weights and 480 pound cable for the leaders.
For shark fishing bait, you should always try to use fresh and not frozen bait. Always check your local regulations though, certain types of bait can be illegal in certain areas. The best source of what type of bait you can use and what works is a local tackle shop. Barring this, if you can catch Whiting, Mullet, Bluefish, or Spanish Mackerel, they are all rather good baitfish for sharks.
Surf Shark Fishing
Surf Fishing for Sharks in Florida
In the later summer month, when sharks move into shallower waters to spawn, surf fishing for them becomes an extremely exciting sport. For your shore fishing experience to work, need to get together a crew. This can consist of anywhere between two to four people other than you depending on the experience level of everyone involved. While shore fishing for sharks is fun, there are risks, and you will need help sometimes. One of the main places you’ll need help with is just getting your line out to where the sharks are. Ideal water for fishing the sharks is eight to ten feet deep. However, it usually will take a feat of Herculean strength to get the line out this far. Instead most people shark fishing from the shore will use a sea going kayak to paddle the bait out to where the water is the correct depth. Because of this, shark surf fishing rods do not need to as long as normal surf fishing rods. Five and a half to eight feet should be fine in most circumstances.
Fishing for sharks, whether from the shore or a boat is an exhilarating experience. They are among the most powerful animals in the ocean and will certainly use all of their muscle to get off of your line. It is ultimately a contest of strength and wills. Whatever you do, make sure to check the regulations of where you are fishing to see if you can keep the sharks, if its just catch and release and also what type of sharks are legal to fish for. If you’re going after sharks in the ocean, finding a shark charter is a good idea, otherwise you may end up in the wrong area or, if you catch something like a Mako shark, your whole boat may be in danger if you do not cut the line.
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