A Beginners Guide To Shark Fishing
By Mark Benecke
Dedicated to my son Matthew Benecke
Introduction If you were like me just the mention of the word shark would conjure up images of the movie Jaws the blood thirsty mindless savage killer of the deep, that irrespective of whatever was in its path would relentlessly, and unprovoked launch a savage blood lust attack on man, beast, pier or boat, clamping down its powerful jaws, sinking its raiser sharp teeth into its helpless victim, shredding it to peace’s. The movie Jaws, sparked fear in the imagination of the general public, and spawned a senseless witch hunt among the misinformed, directed toward all sharks, big or small. Thousands of sharks were hunted and killed through fear, the sentiment of the day, was “the only good shark, is a dead shark!” Unfortunately this sentiment for many still holds true today for many.
Great strides in shark research have been made since those days of mass ignorance. The aim of this research is to study and understand the behavior of this illusive and fascinating creature of the mysterious ocean depts. Conservation bodies have been set up all around the world to study and observe this magnificent creature with the aim of gaining some small insight into their behavior, breeding and migratory patterns. Shark conservation has made great advancements with TV networks like National Geographic Wild, Discovery Channel and Animal Planet, running Shark Week specials once a year. I must issue this word of caution, we as conservation minded catch and release
shark fisherman are viewed as cruel, brutal, emotionless, shark killers by most animal rights groups you will encounter them, and you will certainly be approached, and harassed by these people on the beach while fishing. Please, do not engage, in any form of debate or argumentative conversation with these people. Remain calm, totally in control of your emotions. Take the time, and effort, to make yourself fully aware of the State, County, City and Beach laws and regulations concerning fishing off the beach, and especially for shark fishing. Don’t let this deter you from enjoying the noble sport of shark fishing. Take this unique opportunity to educate the curious onlooker about the beauty, and conservation of the shark, and how they can play a part in shark conservation.
Baptized a Shark Fisherman My first encounter with the shark, was on the rocky coast line, of the South African Wild Coast. Two large 9 foot Zambezi Sharks, better known around the world as the bull shark, were caught off a rocky out crop at the point of this out crop, a large gully had formed, an opening that abruptly separated the rocky coast line wedging it apart like a gaping wound. It was here, where the heavy swells of waves from the Indian Ocean, were funneled through a rocky channel then proceeded to violently crash on a sandy beach. These two bull sharks were hooked up by using large whole mullet as bait, and casted behind the wave breaker line, which was possible because the rocky outcrop jutted out far into the surf. These two bull sharks were landed on the beach by fighting them
down along the jagged sharp rocks and through the gully into the surf then onto the beach. I remember thinking, what skill these fisherman had in landing such a powerful predator of the deep as these incredibly powerful fish were beached , I , for the first time in my young life had the unique opportunity and privilege to see up close and touch these incredible fish. My first emotion, on seeing these two sharks was of fear, married and blurred, with the feeling of fascination, the echo of the fear filled voices of friends, family and my peers, loudly reverberated through the recesses of my mind, it made me hesitate momentarily, in my excited haste to see these magnificent fish, but I was compelled. As I approached the helpless beached shark, I became extremely aware of its violent
thrashing attempt to desperately get itself back into the water. But to no avail. I could distinctly hear the heave breathing of the exhausted, unshaven fisherman, who towered in mastery over his catch, who with absolute proficiency removed the hook, tagged the shark, in the muscle just below the dorsal fin, snapped off a few choice photographs then quickly, and with intent, dragged the fish into the surf holding the massive beast gently by the dorsal fin, he deliberately points the sharks nose into the rolling surf, being acutely aware of the slightest movement of this fish. Reviving and successfully releasing his catch is his top priority. In less than no time the shark revived, kicked its tail, powering its huge gray stream lined body out of the hands of the fisherman, and moved with grace effortlessly through the crashing waves like a torpedo on a mission.
It was through this encounter on an isolated beach along the rocky coast line of the Indian Ocean in South Africa that I was baptized to forever be a Shark Fisherman. There is no greater challenge and exhilaration in the world than for a mere man on terra firma to engage in battle with one of the most powerful apex predator in the ocean. The Shark.
Sharks come in various different shapes and sizes, ranging from the worlds largest the whale shark to the small Atlantic sharp nose shark found in and around the Gulf of Mexico. We are going to be fishing for shark off the beach. First we have to decide where we are going to fish. Do a bit of research about the beach you are interested to fish off. Find out what species of shark call those waters home, and what time of the year is the best time to fish for them. Get a tide chart and speak to the locals. Most of the information you need to know can be got from the local bait and tackle store.
Most large shark will be found in deeper water, behind the breaker line and past the sand bars. Which in most cases is out of reach for most surf fisherman using spinning and small conventional casting equipment. There are a number of mid-size sharks 4 to 6 feet that can be caught in the surf off the beach, jetty or pier, especially if there is a lot of bait fish around. In all of these instances the approach is the same, the aim is to deploy a bait far enough into the surf to attract a shark. Ok, we now know that the first thing we need is to find an appropriate beach to fish and what the tide will be.
Bonnet Head Shark.
Equipment What equipment do we need to put a shark on the beach? First let’s look at the rod. There are a myriad different types of rods on the market. Different lengths, classes and makes. Don’t stress out about the rod dilemma.
For sharks in the range of 4 to 6 ft. you want to get yourself a medium/ heavy action 12 ft. surf casting rod. Don’t go and spend a lot on the rod, Shakespeare makes a good inexpensive rod the Ugly Stick, virtually indestructible, look for at least a 30 – 80 lbs. line class rod. This size rod can handle any shark up to 120 lbs. If you are not that adventurous and are thinking of sharks in the range of 40 to 60 lbs. such as blacktip sharks, chose a rod of 8 to 10 ft. with a line rating of 20 to 40 lbs. You really don’t need anything more than that. Choosing a reel is a bit more involved, there are a number of different makes and styles of reels on the market, with exorbitant price tags.
What we are going to be looking at is the spinning reel and the bait caster reel.
Spinning Reel Bait Runner
Bait Caster Reel
For those of you who want to target the larger sharks you will want to get the larger spinning reels, I would suggest getting a line or bait feeder which is a spinning reel with the unique fetcher of putting it into free spool after the bait has been casted out, so when a fish picks up the bait and begins it run the spool will freely let line out until it is engaged on the drag, much like the bait caster reels free spool drag system. These reel give you the security that when the bait running system is engaged that you rod will not be pulled out of the rod holder until you can get to it and engage the drag. Drag it the resistance the reel applies to the line being pulled off the spool by the shark. During the fish the drag can be adjusted on the reel by tightening the drag down on the top of the reels spool to increase the
resistance and slow the shark down and eventually stop it. Many time you will fight the shark on the reel more than the rod by lowering the tip of the rod witch put more pressure on the reel, that’s why it’s important to get a good reel. Please stay away from cheap and the emphasis is on CHEAP rod and reels combos. There are extremely good combos put together by reputable companies for specific target fishing, if it suites your need, go ahead and buy one. A good combo in this class is the Penn Senator 113 or 113H and will run you’re around $100. But on the whole cheap combos have fairly decent rod and cheap junk reel. The bait caster reel is for those who have a bit more experience in casting this type of reel, it is not a reel for a beginner, if you feel
confident that you can cast a conventional reel and deploy a bait a fair distance into the surf, without a spool back lash, I would go for the conventional reel. I am not putting a preference on one above the other but the big advantages the conventional reel has on the spinning reel is its line capacity. Bait caster reels can hold a lot more line than a spinning reel which give you a big advantage when you are hooked up to a larger shark who has no intention of slowing down, that’s where you would need that extra line capacity. Bait caster reels come is a wide range of different sizes and some makes will break the bank. There are new styles of bait caster reels which have a magnetic system which controllers the free spool system of these conventional reels
The magnetic systems work on a principle called Lenz's law, which simply means that the spinning of the aluminum spool is retarded by a magnetic field. To control this setting, a set of magnets inside the reel is moved closer to or away from the reel spool via an external knob elimination line backlash. So it’s your choice spinning or bait caster reels.
Main Line When it comes to fishing line, there are two schools of thought. Number One, the traditional monofilament and number two, the new braded line. Monofilament also isn’t quite as abrasion resistant as microfiber breaded line. This is a matter of personal preference, but most beach shark fisherman use dreaded line.
The advantage of braided line is the sensitivity to the bite, braided line has no stretch to it which allows the angler to feel the slightest tough or movement of his bait. The second advantage over monofilament is that braided line is much thinner than monofilament of the same line strength. For example 4lb. braid is equal in diameter to 10lb. mono. So many surf shark fishermen spool their light tackle with 30 to 50lb. braid and their heavy tackle with 65 to 80 lb. braid. There are a number of different brands of braid I would ask the local bait and tackle store and then chose a make that has proven itself with the local fishermen. Mono or Braid both will get the job done.
Braided Line
Monofilament
Tackle Ok, once you have chosen your rod, reel and line, the next important thing is to look at what terminal tackle will be need, which simple means what type of leader, sinker and hooks will you need to get the job done. The leader the business end of this set up. Now depending on what size shark you are targeting, will determine what size leader you will need to use. Sharks are opportunists. If they come across a bloody bait they are going to pick it up. Once they do they are going to swim off with the bait in their mouth. If there is no resistance they’ll begin to eat the bait, but as soon as they feel any resistance the fight is on. Depending on what shark it is they begin spinning or whipping their tails in an effort to get away. Your leader is going to take the main brunt of this abuse. If you main line
comes in contact with the shark tail at any point in the battle you can kiss him goodbye. Most reputable tackle stores will carry well put together shark leaders.
Bigger Is Not Always Better Match your leader size with the length of your rod and the size of the shark you are targeting. Don’t buy a leader that is 12ft long when you only have an 8ft rod, get a castable length. There is a mythical fascination with the size of the hook used for shark fishing, images of Jaws and a hooks bigger than the lid of you 5 gal bucket lid is the thinking of most people that have never fished for shark before. Bigger is not always better in the sharking world, there is a saying among fishermen Big Baits Catch Big Fish, but that is not always
true, there have been monster sharks 12 footers caught on baits the size of your fist and a reasonable small hook. So don’t let some egotistical shark fishermen convince you to over kill on your terminal tackle. Fly fishermen always “ match the hatch” so likewise when it comes to shark fishing, obviously there are always the extreme times that you would need to over kill, but this is not one of them. Always match the hatch, leader to shark size, bait to hook size. Oversizing on your leader and hook may look impressive but will be unproductive and detrimental to your success.
Hooks You’ve got 2 choices when it comes to shark hooks: J-Hook and Circle Hooks. J –Hooks work but they tend to lodge themselves deep in the sharks mouth which could be life threatening to the shark and very dangerous for the fisherman when trying to remove the hook. Circle hooks will lodge themselves in the corner of the mouth making hook removal easy and safe. There are those that believe that using circle hooks results in missed hook-ups. Shark hooks sizes range from 10/0 to 14/0 for sharks up to the 6′ range The size of the hook only becomes a factor when you are targeting monster shark in the 12 -14 ft. range. But for our purposes we will be looking at using a light to medium tackle shark casting leader for sharks in the range of 80 to 120 lbs. a leader of 250 lbs. cable or
wire with a 9/0 to 12/0 circle hook would be ideal. For your lager sharks we would be looking at a 250 to 480 lb. wire or cable leader with a 12/0 to 14/0 circle hook. As you gain experience you will start making your own leaders or find a good custom made leader maker to make up leaders to your specifications.
Circle Hook
J – Hook
Sinkers A sinker is very important because it will keep your bait on the bottom as the surf roles your bait around. This can be quite difficult to achieve as the bigger your bait is the bigger the sinker must be to hold it in one place. It is advisable to use a spider weight or sputnik weight as it will lock into the sand.
Spider or Sputnik Sinker Pyramid Sinker Egg Sinker Great, we now have our Rod, Reel, Line and shark leader, and beach rod holder which you can buy from any tackle store, we are ready to head for the beach.
Bait One very important components to your success of landing a shark on the beach is Bait. What to use as shark bait.
Sharks are known to be scavengers and they pray on the weak, injured and sick so you would think that sharks would eat anything offered. Most shark are externally picky in what they eat and how fresh it is. Sharks have been observed circling a bait several time to just turn off it and swim away. It have been found that live bait is always the best not only because it is fresh but because its alive and gives off electrical stress impulses that a shark can detect from miles away by a specially designed sensory organ called the ampullae of Lorenzini these are the sensory pits visible on the underside of the sharks snout. So any fish you can catch off the beach, jetty or pier that is classified as a bait fish by the locals you can use.
Mullet
Lady Fish
Pin Fish
Fresh bait fish can be found at the local fish market. Many bait and tackle stores carry live and frozen bait. Live bait can be put on the hook whole.
Frozen bait might have to be cut to size, so get yourself a strong serrated knife and be careful.
Whichever type of bait you decide to use fresh or frozen just keep in mind to match the bait to the size of you rod and hook. Baiting the Hook Bait presentation and hook placement is very important. Here are a few illustrations on baited hooks.
It is now time to hit the beach and catch yourself a shark Happy Sharking