Shark Fishing

February 23rd, 2010 | in Fishing 4 comments

For those of you who are bored of trout fishing, pike fishing, or any other type of common fishing and may be interested in fishing for sharks, bear in mind that sharks reproduce at a very slow rate. They mature very late (it takes anywhere from 6 to 18 years for sharks to mature sexually) and are able to have very few offspring. That being said, shark fishing is legal in most places and is very attractive for people looking for the thrill of catching the most feared creature in the ocean. So, for you people, here are some shark fishing tips.

If you are boat fishing, you will need to own or find a 35 to 40 foot boat with enough space to stow your specially made shark fishing gear and bulky shark carcasses. A better idea, however, is to hire a charter. This goes with all kinds of big game fishing such as halibut or tuna fishing. Since you are unfamiliar with the sport, you need an experienced captain and charter boat to show you the ropes. Once you know what you are doing, you can venture out and do some solo fishing. Until then, however, it is advised that you always hire an experienced charter.

As far as bait goes, popular types include tuna, eels, and stingrays. Pretty much anything that can bleed is good shark fishing bait. However, it is illegal to use protected fish or game fish as bait. Use different bait on each rig you set up. Of course, you will need a heavy, and very strong leader about 10 to 15 feet in length.

Another thing that is important is your float. You are going to want to float the baits at different depths. Common types of floats are bits of Styrofoam or balloons. Balloons tend to work better because they are easier to put on the line and generally stay better. Of course, you are also going to need to fish with specially designed lures. Unfortunately, pike lures or other common types of lures included in your typical coarse fishing tackle box won’t be strong enough. A good strategy is to fish one line about 50 yards from the boat and another about 75 yards.

Once you catch a shark, you need to be careful when handling them. They do not have a true backbone (the backbone they have is made of cartilage.) This enables them to be very flexible and they are known to curl all the way around so their teeth are at their tail. This is bad news for you if your hand is holding its tail. Because of this, it is not recommended to hold a shark by the tail. Also, do not hold a shark near its head or by its gills. If you rip a gill, the shark is likely to bleed to death. What you have to do is hold the shark by cupping your hands around the pectoral fins. Your palms should meet at the base of the dorsal fin. This works very well for smaller sharks and these are the only type of sharks you should be attempting to pick up. A larger shark’s organs are likely to be crushed under its body weight when it is lifted from the water because they do not have ribs.

It is best to handle smaller sharks out of the water because they do not fight as hard as larger sharks so they still have a lot of energy when you pull them in. It is very difficult to handle a small shark in the water. If you are beach shark fishing, you want to place sharks on wet sand because dry sand has a chance of burning the shark’s skin.

When releasing the shark, it is important to never walk to shark back and forth, only forward. Walking the shark back and forth will drown it. Be careful of the little ones because they have enough energy after being caught to turn back and bite the person who is releasing it. Big sharks expend all of their energy in the fight, so you don’t usually have to worry about them.

Just remember that shark fishing is different from regular sport fishing, so you need to be properly educated if you ever want to take that memorable shark fishing trip. However, if you like the idea of shark fishing, but either can’t or are not willing to go on a trip, why not play some shark fishing games?