Shark Fishing Tips and Techniques

Shark fishing is simply not for the faint-hearted; one must be physically fit, because the fight with some large and aggressive species can last for hours.

Some sharks may weight to a massive few hundreds pounds or even more.

There are over 250 species of sharks. The blue shark which can be found worldwide is the most commonly caught sharks. It can reach a weight of more than 500 lbs. Porbeagle, hammerhead, tiger-shark; the thresher and the mako are some of the sporting sharks. Mako sharks when hooked will put up a very good fight with acrobatic jumps. Very fast and they’re very popular game fish sought by most sharking sport fishermen.

Tackle

Sturdy tackle of the best quality is a must to deal with this predatory fish. An extra fast-action rod of 50-80 lbs. class with a good combination of a large multiplier reel, spooled with few hundred yards of good quality monofilament or braided fishing line are needed. The initial run of a big shark can be very fast and powerful, stripping away 200-300 yds of line in a matter of second is very common.

My favorite reel for sharking is the Penn International 50. It is powerful and large to hold enough line with lever drag which is easier to manage when you have a big fast aggressive game fish in front of you. So far it never failed me.

The terminal tackle used is very important for shark fishing. You will need a good quality wire leader of 100-300 lbs. breaking strain. The length of the leader must be 12-15 ft. A barrel swivel, wire crimps and a very strong, sharp hook of size 10/0 O’Shaughnessy and above are needed to end a good shark fishing terminal tackle.

Bait

Sharks are greedy creatures. They will attack anything bloody so the choice of bait for shark fishing is really wide. Even bloody meat or any fish can be used as bait. Fish such as sardine, mackerel or bonito are the best, most probably due to their oiliness. Large squids are useful too.

Chumming

Chumming is the best way to attract sharks to the baits. You will need a mesh bag containing rotten fish, minced meat mixed with fish oil or blood to be hanged on the side of the boat. Shake the bag at intervals to release the particles into the water laying a trail for the sharks to follow to your baited hooks. Refill it when it’s empty, because sometimes it takes quite awhile for the sharks to notice.

Angling Techniques

Shark angling is usually done offshore in a stationary fishing boat. Surfcasting from the shore do catch sharks too, but quite often are the smaller species. Drifting with live or dead-bait is the most common technique for sharks, but trolling on a slow moving boat with natural or artificial bait worked too.

Usually a maximum of 4 anglers are involved at any one time for a day of shark fishing in a fishing boat. The four outfits are suspended at different depths and distances, usually from 30-70 feet. The drags of the reels must be set not too hard so that the lines can be taken with ease, a third of the breaking strain is more than enough.

Pick the rod up and hold it once the ratchet scream. Let the line runs freely with the ratchet off and until the line goes tight than you strike it hard. Most shark species are dirty and tough fighters. Don’t let their fearsome-look intimate you; you need to fight hard without giving them any rest.

Shark fishing can be very exciting. They’re dangerous opponents even when they’re caught and brought onboard. It’s best to cut off the trace and let them go after giving us so much sport. No shark-fin soup, please.

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