It doesn’t make sense. Anglers tend to ignore or overlook one of the more dynamic challenges in saltwater and the chance to fight an oversized competitor on relatively light tackle. Those who fish primarily in fresh water will never get a better chance to take on the biggest fish they ever battled when they visit the salt.
Lemons, blacktips, bulls, an occasional hammerhead and other species of sharks constantly prowl inshore waters and swarm into estuaries because that’s where the food happens to be. Warm, relatively shallow water in the Southeast and along the Gulf Coast draws these toothy critters like a magnet. When you think about it, sharks rank as relentless and very successful predators, remaining virtually unchanged in the same basic shape over eons of time.
Sharks boast an acute sense of smell that can detect minute traces of odor diluted in seawater or home in on blood when the particles are barely present. They also rely on a keen sense of hearing to respond to distress vibrations given off by a hooked fish. Anglers who target sharks specifically depend on either or both of these senses in order to toll in sharks close to their boats.
The alternative centers on having a rod rigged and ready for a shark while you pursue other species. This is opportunity fishing. Sharks tend to suddenly appear. One instant, there is no sign of them, and a moment later, these silent marauders are within casting range. Of course, they often chase a hooked fish, frantically trying to get their teeth into it.
The key to successful sharking begins by finding an area that holds your quarry. Chumming in one form or another ranks as the most popular method of attracting sharks. That means you want a current running from where you are to the sharks. If you know where sharks will be and the tide is flowing toward them, you can anchor upcurrent and start trying to draw them to you. In some situations, anglers will drift and chum, watching carefully for a shark approaching from downcurrent. It doesn’t always happen right away; at times, you wait and wait before the first shark suddenly appears. When that first one comes into view, you can expect others to follow.
The preferred chumming method hinges on a shark’s sense of smell. It starts by catching oily fish for bait – barracuda heads the list. Nothing signals a tasty meal to a shark like the smell of a barracuda. Fillet each side of the fish, starting behind the gills and working toward the tail. Leave the fillets attached at the tail to give off the maximum amount of scent. Run a line through the gills and out the mouth of the fish, and hang it over the side of the boat. Periodically, you need to add a fresh carcass, but don’t remove the other one from the water. Once you start this slick, it must remain constant and unbroken whether you are anchored or drifting. If you want to eliminate an old carcass from the line holding it, keep it in the water and just cut it off.
If you are anchored and have some smaller fish aboard, such as mackerel or bluefish, you can cut them into chunks and toss them out astern as an additional attractant. Even if it draws a crowd of small fish, the sound of them feeding often brings a shark to investigate. Usually, one of two things is about to happen. It is not unusual for a shark to home in on the scent in the water and swim steadily toward its source, coming directly at your boat at a rapid pace. Not every animal is aggressive; some will swim back and forth parallel to the boat several times, cautiously inching closer and closer. They may swim off and disappear, only to return. Eventually, they will lose their fear and come in on the bait.
Close-range approaches
Catching a shark on natural bait proves much easier than trying to fool one with a lure or a fly, although artificial baits work very well once you have several sharks around and they begin to become aggressive. Cut a piece from one of the fillets you are using to chum or from another fish of the same species and slip a hook into one end. Circle hooks work very well.
The rig is simple. The skin of a shark is coated with denticles, which are miniature teeth. They can abrade a line very quickly. To counter this, start your rig with 10 to 12 feet of 50- or 80-pound monofilament. Connect it to your fishing line with a Bimini twist to a no-name or an Albright knot. You’ll need roughly 18 to 24 inches of single-strand wire (No. 8 or No. 9) between the heavy mono and the hook. An Albright knot makes the perfect connection between the wire and the mono. You can also use a small swivel as an alternative.
Unless you use something to hold the bait up, it will sink to the bottom. A shark will certainly pick it off the bottom, but it’s much more fun to watch the strike. You have several options. A small balloon will hold the bait up, as will a popping cork or a piece of plastic foam. My favorite method involves a large topwater plug and preferably a chugger that will make noise. Remove the hooks from the plug and attach a foot of wire to the split ring on the nose of the plug using a haywire twist. Then, attach about a foot of wire with a hook on one end to the screw eye where the rear treble hooks were hung. The plug will keep the bait up, and you can occasionally tug it gently to get the shark’s attention.
Although some fishermen prefer to keep the baits in the boat until sharks arrive, there may not be time to position it if a fish comes in hot and fast. A better approach is to use one of the techniques described to keep the bait off the bottom and stream a couple of baits downcurrent. The bait doesn’t have to be more than 30 or 40 feet from the boat, and it can be closer when sharks are aggressive. If you’re using a reel with a lever drag, put the clicker on and keep the drag lever in, or almost in, free spool. With a conventional drag, put the clicker on and disengage the lever. If the bait is up near the surface, you will see the strike. Wait until the shark takes the bait and turns to one side or the other. Then, with a lever drag, start advancing the lever until it reaches strike drag. The fish should be on.
With a conventional drag, let the fish turn and start to move off before you engage the drag. When the shark picks up the bait, point the rod right at the shark, and don’t move it until drag is being pulled off the reel. If you miss the fish, lift the rod tip and slowly bring the bait closer to the boat. The shark will often follow and strike a second time.
If your goal is to catch a shark on a lure or fly, the easiest way is bait and switch. Rig a spinning or casting rod with a small hook and no wire. Attach a strip of bait. When sharks are in the area, have someone cast and retrieve the bait near a shark. The trick lies in taking the bait away, but getting the shark to follow. Your job is to get the fly or lure right next to the bait. At that moment, your partner jerks the natural bait out of the water, and you work the artificial to get a strike. You may have to do this several times, but eventually, it will work.
Kites for strikes
When schools of fish such as mackerel, ladyfish or bluefish invade the estuaries, sharks usually aren’t very far away. An exciting way to attract and catch them involves a fishing kite. After you catch a few live baits, stream the kite and fish a couple of baits from it. You want to keep the baits swimming right on the surface. As they struggle against the tether, the distress vibrations will signal sharks that a possible meal is in trouble. Once a shark charges the kite bait, the strike is worth watching. When the shark grabs the bait, all you have to do is start reeling as fast as you can until the line becomes tight, and you should have a serious battle on your hands that starts with a spectacular run.
If you don’t have a kite, you can power drift the area, going in and out of gear on one engine so the bait has a chance to swim. Whether you use a kite or simply power drift, it doesn’t hurt to hang an oily fish overboard with both sides filleted, but still attached at the tail. Without a kite, let the shark eat the bait, turn away and start to swim away. Then, engage the reel, and you’re in business.
Sharks are extremely muscular and very strong. A shark’s body has cartilage instead of bone, giving it the ability to twist and turn more than many other fish. They can just about bite their own tail. Count on them to make several long runs in relatively shallow water. You will probably have to follow them with the boat in most instances. Since they can’t sound very deep, they’re going to try to put horizontal distance between their jaws and you.
All sharks should be handled carefully near the boat and released unharmed, even if they are not protected as a highly migratory species. If you can remove the hook using a standard release tool, that should be your first choice. When a shark is hooked deeply, the best policy centers on cutting the leader as close to the mouth as possible. Sometimes, you won’t be able to get the hook out of a shark hooked in the jaw. If that happens, simply cut the leader as close to the hook as possible. If you can keep the boat moving ahead slowly while you release the shark, the job is usually easier. The shark should swim with you rather than trying to wrestle against your every move.
Stalking in the shallows
One of the most exciting situations occurs on shallow flats where redfish, trout, bonefish, tarpon, permit and barracuda (among other species) become an angler’s primary target. Frequently, you’ll see the telltale dorsal fin of a shark knifing through the skinny water while you’re searching for signs of other fish. At times, the water is so shallow that the shark’s belly will run on the bottom and its back will be out of the water. Sharks on the flats are looking for a meal, and they are usually aggressive. You may also encounter instances when a shark suddenly appears a few feet from the boat, avoiding detection until the last moment. This is opportunity fishing at its best.
Flats fishermen must be ready to challenge anything they see – and that includes sharks. It’s not unusual to have several rods rigged with different offerings. One of them should be a spinning or plug rod already rigged for a shark. Fresh, dead balao works particularly well. If you don’t have fresh bait, a topwater plug or darter will often work. Rig it with about a foot of wire in front of it, and be sure to have an abrasion leader that can withstand rubbing against a shark’s body.
If you have a balao, wait until you can make the first cast count. The secret, if there is such a thing, centers on making the fish think its prey is escaping. That means you have to get the balao in front of the shark and have the shark turn on it. Hold the rod tip high so the bait stays on the surface, and keep moving the bait away from the shark, but make certain it is just in front of your target. If the shark lunges for the bait, drop the rod tip. If the shark just follows, try dropping the rod tip and letting the bait sink. The shark may pick it up or it may circle and then grab the bait. This is one-on-one fishing, and you have to try to read your opponent’s moves. When the strike does occur, let the shark turn away before you lock the reel and engage the drag.
Shark-infested waters
Certain areas get an abundance of sharks at specific times of the year. Some of the Key West flats, for example, attract oversized sharks in late winter and early spring. This is when light-tackle records are set. Along the beaches of the southeast coast, spinner sharks invade the breaker line and just seaward of it at about the same time of year. They will show in staggering numbers, and it is not unusual to find concentrations of 500 to 1,000 sharks along a single stretch while swimmers and surfers are completely oblivious to their presence. The spinners will strike a variety of live baits and even pick dead bait off the bottom. You can anchor and fish them or you can drift. On outgoing tides, run right behind the breakers and toss baits in. As your boat drifts seaward, you should have a strike. Spinner sharks jump when hooked and are wonderful competitors on tackle matched to the situation.
For reasons known only to them, the majority of anglers don’t want to hook a shark. They fail to recognize that in shallow water, a shark will prove to be one of the strongest and toughest adversaries they will ever encounter. The next time you see one, get a bait in front of it and take advantage of this challenging shallow-water opportunity. When the strike comes and the shark makes that first run, you’ll be hooked on shark fishing, and you’ll look for them every time you are on the water.
Shallow-water shark tackle
The size of the shark and your skill as an angler will determine the tackle you will need. Most shallow-water sharks can be handled effectively on 30-pound, or even 20-pound, conventional tackle. Both will work well.
If you prefer spinning gear, you can whip most sharks in the shallows on 20-pound test. If you keep a spinning rod rigged while you are fishing the flats for other species, 16-pound test is adequate, but you could go to 20-pound spinning. Certainly, if you are encountering smaller sharks, you can go lighter. Out in open water, there is plenty of room for a shark to run. Make sure the reel you select has good line capacity and a smooth drag – you’ll need it.