Shark Fishing ..... a few thoughts.

[Pferox]

I have gotten a lot of emails and PMs from people on here, and on FB about that subject over the years.  And have talked about this a few times before, but wanted to start another thread on the subject here.

Many are going on vacation and want to catch "Jaws", and ask me for assistance on their endeavor, and I usually give a similar response.

I can understand the desire to catch one of, if not the most dangerous fish that swims, but it is a lot like hunting for lion or any other dangerous beast, it isn't for the amature, there is a lot at stake here that we might not realize.

Although they are big, mean looking, dangerous, and kind of neat to catch, sharks and rays are quite fragile beasts, and are extremely important to the ecosystem.  Delayed mortality is easily obtained if you aren't careful with their treatment.  Smaller sharks can be caught and are easier to handle properly, and can be a very nice fight on bass gear.  They also have a better survivability rate when unknowingly handled a little rougher than they should be.

Many sharks are endangered, and protected, telling them apart from the "legal" ones can be quite difficult.  The difference between a fine and trophy can be nothing more than the location of a fin in regards to another body part.  There are people who do nothing but pursue this quarry and they get into discussions about the identification of a species.

They also don't work like a regular fish, they have to move to breath, and they don't have a swim bladder.

I am not against shark fishing, either for sport or the table, but am a strong supporter of doing a lot of homework and research, well in advance of your trip.  Make sure you have the right gear for your target also, it will be a better experience for both you and the shark.  I also suggest looking into a guided trip, or hooking up with someone who is very knowledgeable on the subject for the first couple of outings.  There are quite a few sites which are helpful in obtaining this knowledge and the people on those sites are very friendly and will go the extra mile to insure you have an enjoyable experience.

[Bigwrench]

Some great info to know, Hopefully one day I will get to try it out . Its one of those Bucket list items for me.

[Pferox]

Some great info to know, Hopefully one day I will get to try it out . Its one of those Bucket list items for me.

Around here, spring and the heat of summer are the best times to get a few runs, they usually catch the largest ones at night in the surf.  You think bass fishing is bad, chasing shark gets pretty expensive, gear wise.

[Smallie_Stalker]

Some great info to know, Hopefully one day I will get to try it out . Its one of those Bucket list items for me.

Yep, me too. I've obviously got a lot to learn first though before I commit to something like this.

[Pferox]

Yep, me too. I've obviously got a lot to learn first though before I commit to something like this.

Ya know, you are pretty close to Quincy Bay, I bet you can take a couple of your M or MH rods over there and tear up some salt water pan fish.  Just give them a good wipe down with some Salt-X after you are done.

I caught a foot or two long dog fish on 15lb test line and a home made single drop rig.  Was a fun fight on light tackle.



Sorry, bad picture, was in a hurry trying to get him back in the water quickly.

[Smallie_Stalker]

Yeah, I live about a 5 minute walk from the bay. I also lived literally across the street from the ocean in Hull for 3 years and never wet a line in the salt. I've got an 8' Saltwater Ugly Stick that my brother-in-law gave me for Christmas about 15 years agobut I never bought a reel for it.     My nephew is the saltwater guru in our family, so I usually just use one of his rod/reel setups.

What would you recommend for bait to go after some of those salty panfish?

[Pferox]

That sounds like a good subject for a thread 

Usually a lure that matches what the bait fish are around works well. Around here silver with a black back rattle trap can produce, mirrolures do well also. I have had pretty good luck with gold bladed spinner baits.  Although I don't throw moving baits much, but have on occasion.

Cut bait or live works great also.

Just about everything eats shrimp, although that can get expensive.

A good artificial which works well is a product called Fishbites, they come in different flavors, and they even sell plastics like Gulp does (which is another good one). 

Fishbites come in two types, slow and fast acting.  Fast acting work best in colder water, below 65 degrees, and as an extra kick as a lure trailer in all temperatures of water.

A lot of the species I catch don't travel that far North because of the water temperatures, but Y'all have a great fishery around there and to be honest, there are a lot more smaller fish than huge ones in the sea. 

[BenFishing]

I caught a foot or two long dog fish on 15lb test line and a home made single drop rig.  Was a fun fight on light tackle.

The shark in the photo appears to be a spinner shark.  The start of the dorsal fin starts behind the back of the pectoral fins.  In most other sharks, the dorsal fin starts before the end of the pectoral fins.

Also, this shark looks to have an anal fin, something dogfish do not have.

Sorry to butt in, Pferox.  Sharks have been a big part of my life since before I could talk, and is why I went to school for marine biology, and studied sharks.  Often they are insanely hard to identify.  Sometimes only the shape of the scales or teeth can be the only thing separating one shark from another.  I've even handled plenty of blacktips with little to no black on their fins.

If anyone needs help identifying a shark they caught or saw, feel free to ask me.  I do not know everything, but I have swam with, and handled thousands of sharks, and have worked with some of the best shark researchers in the world.

A good, full body picture is best, especially if you can get the teeth a shot. 

During release, you can drop smaller sharks in the water, no problem.  Once they get above 30-40 pounds, you really need to be careful.  Sharks do not have a rip cage to protect their vital organs, so a hard smack into the water can rupture organs.  So, dropping them off piers, or anything above 4 feet off the water can be dangerous for the sharks.

Circle hooks, while a pain, are great for catch and release shark fishing.  They make some great, long hook removers.

Also, if you plan on keeping a shark to eat, soon as you catch it, clean it.  Most sharks secrete urea through their muscles and skin.  As a shark dies, or even is just stressed, that urea converts to ammonia..  It can really change the flavor of the meat, and can actually be toxic.

[Pferox]

I caught this one a while back and was calling it a spinner or sand shark (texas slang), but the eyes are cobalt, and it didn't have any noticeable teeth, other more experienced people than me were swearing that it was a dog fish.  I dunno, I am able to ID a hammer, bonnet heads, black tip, and bull well enough to say what they are.

Because of that, I release all sharks gently no matter what the size, I always use circle hooks, rarely use heavy wire leaders.  This little guy came in on an 80lb mono leader, previous to him I broke something off much larger.

Thanks for the ID, you wouldn't believe how many times I have shown this picture and have gotten a discussion on what it is. 

[BenFishing]

Shark IDing is always fun.  At any pier or large fishing boat, you can usually get 20 different answers on what one shark is.

As long as that just isn't the tail curving around and looking like an anal fin, I can say for sure it is not a dogfish. 

As far eye color, that can change.  While in school, I did some research on sandbar sharks, and found several different eye colors for that one species.  Age and habitat can be factors in a shark species' eye color.  You can catch a sand bar shark with blue eyes, copper eyes, tan eyes, and almost white eyes.

By the way, Congratulations on getting the Saltwater section, and being put in charge of it!

[Pferox]

Thanks Ben, when I mentioned getting the section, I never dreamed that I was going to moderate it.  Then again I have been here for quite a while and should participate more, so hopefully this will help.