Catching Sharks

Sunday, 25 March 2007

Sharks, one of the most fearsome creatures known to man, bow down to the supreme predator of the seas – the sport fishing boat. The shark’s awesome predatory style attracts fishermen eager to display their fishing prowess before stunned observers. The shark is also a favorite target of sport fishermen because of its unceasing appetite and its preference for almost any kind of bait. This kind of sport fishing has spawned many fishing tournaments and contests, luring thousands of blue sharks, makos, tiger sharks and bull sharks to their inevitable end.

Shark season starts on August although most shark anglers start as early as June. Blue sharks and makos start biting around that time. Actually, anglers say it’s not really that difficult to fish for sharks. Fishermen would need much heavier tackle, obviously, so most of them use reels with heavy shark or tuna rods. Most anglers would rather catch blue sharks than mako sharks, because mako sharks jump. Blue sharks can be as big as 12 feet and can put up quite a fight.

The most important thing to remember when you want to fish for sharks is to get a good chum slick. There are different kinds of chum used for different kinds of shark. One is the bunker chum, which is ground up bunker frozen in large tins. It’s very oily and makes a slick on the water surface. Another type is mackerel chum, which has the same effect of producing an oil slick.

There are also a number of different baits for different sharks. The best are usually whole bluefish, bluefish fillets, mackerel fillets and tuna fillets. Use of these baits also depends on the rigs. A heavy leader measuring about 10-15 feet in length may also be necessary. A 100-lb monofilament, a pre-rigged leader or a wire leader can also be used. The usual hook size for catching sharks is 6/0 to about 10.0. Pay special attention to your float as well. Anglers report that pinks, reds and white show up better on the water than any other color. Once you have the bait, you can start drifting. Remember to keep the drag off your reel but leave the clicker on. This clicker will warn you when a shark strikes your bait. Some fishermen would let the shark munch on the bait for a short while, while others prefer to hook the shark as quickly as possible. Set the hook three or four times just to ensure you have a good hook up. Sharks can normally be found offshore, but some anglers have caught ones that were close to the beach. The bottom line is, where there’s bait, there are sharks. Blue sharks, while they are relatively easy to catch, are not edible. Mako sharks on the other hand are quite tasty.

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