Fishing for Sharks
This article is from the June club meeting shark fishing
discussion, submitted by Craig Banks of
www.daybreakfishing.com
The techniques mentioned here pertain to fishing for sharks
although many of the same practices apply to fishing for other species. Aboard
Daybreak, we use chum to attract sharks, bluefish, cobia, dolphinfish and
others.
When sharking, my top priority is obtaining fresh bait. This
is of utmost importance. If I am lucky, I have a supply of bluefish, trout,
croakers from the previous day. Another option is to find a commercial
fisherman that will sell some fresh bait. Most often, I will need to find bait
on the day of the trip. Sometimes we stop inshore and fish wrecks, reefs or
shoals for small trout and bluefish. A popular local method is to troll around
the inshore hills or other hotspots for bluefish, false albacore or bonita.
Once the bait is obtained, we travel to the area of choice.
This can include spots inside or on the 20 fathom line or other locations out
as far as the canyon edges. Most often, I choose to fish in 20 to 30 fathoms.
My preference is to drift and only anchor in rare cases. Once stopped, we
deploy a bucket of frozen chum by inverting the chum into a large mesh clam
bag. The bag is tied off to a cleat or outrigger with enough rope to stay in
the water without being pulled out as the boat rolls. The chum bag should not
be allowed to drift back into the boat prop or other gear.
Next, we deploy our secret weapon! This consists of menhaden
oil dispensed from a device much like an I.V. bag. The dispenser has a valve
which should be adjusted until the flow of oil is limited to a drop or two
every few seconds. The oil and dispenser are available in a few local tackle
shops.
Once the chum and oil are flowing, the rigs are baited and
set out. I use a custom leader which consists of about 15 feet of heavy
multi-strand cable, a large swivel, about 24 inches of #15 single strand wire
and 16/0 circle hook. I prefer a whole small fish or a fillet. The sharks do
not seem to be shy of hooks or the leader at all and any attempt to hide the
hook is often counter productive. Unlike rigs that used conventional hooks, I
rig the hook at the top edge of the fillet with very little meat blocking the
gap of the hook.
These go out with some combination of weight, float and
distance in order to get the lines separated and the water
column separated.
Any attempt to set a bait shallower than 30 feet will be detected and
destroyed by the sharker's nemesis, the storm petral. This clever thief is a
brown gull type bird that lives offshore. Once a slick is setup, they appear and begin their task. They will locate a
balloon in the slick, land and stick their devious little head down to look
for a bait. If they spot the baited shark rig, it's all over. They "fly"
underwater and neatly snip every scrap of meat from the rig, leaving
only skin on the hook. Their only services to anglers are their humorous
antics and their ability to give away the arrival of a big mako by getting the
heck out of the water in short order.
A bite is signaled by the clicking of a
reel or sometimes only by the movement of the balloon. If a circle hook is
employed, the rod should be lowered and line reeled in until pressure is felt.
Next the drag is tightened and line reeled in more if needed until the
pressure on the line is significant. Usually at that point, the mako will take
off and hookset is not a factor. Other species may or may not run when hooked.
Once the fish is on, there is a lot to
be done to make ready for the catch. Every effort should be done to identify
the fish and estimate the size. Remember that in federal waters, the minimum
size is 4.5 feet CFL and a NMFS permit is required to kill a shark(at the time
of this writing). Check the regs as they change on a regular basis.
Lines should be cleared and the chumbag
stowed. Clutter in the cockpit should be kept to a minimum. One or more
leadermen should put on gloves and be ready. If the fish is to be released, a
pair of cutters should be readied to cut the leader. When the leader appears,
the leaderman must grab it and control the fish. This is a difficult manuever
and the danger should never be underestimated. A mistake at this point could
mean the loss of a fish but more importantly injury or worse for the crew.
If the fish is to be released, the
wire is cut between the hook and cable. Otherwise, a harpoon and/or firearm
are used to
control and kill the shark. The dart of the harpoon is connected to a rope
which gets cleated on the stern or to a buoy. A good idea is to develop a plan
where each man has a task and everyone considers how to react if something
goes wrong. The leader, harpoon shaft, harpoon tip, harpoon rope and the shark
itself are all dangers that can be entangled or flung suddenly at the crewmen.
Anglers interested in sharking may want
to read this story:
The Most
Exciting Trip Ever on Board Daybreak.......A Monster Fish!
