Well i just bought an aftco maxforce bucket harness and clarion plate combo and was wondering how may of you guys fish a harness off the beach and why or why not. I've fished a harness since I started at the begining of this summer, just decided to buy my own rather than borrow. I think that I can put alot more heat on the fish with the harness and it take all of the strain off your arms. A long fight will give you a good leg workout but after 15-20min of holding an 80-130 gator glass with a 12/0 on it my arms get tired quick and I could probably sit in the harness bowed up for about an hour an not be as tired.
to me it really depends were you are fishing and what type of rod you have. if your using a rod with a long but from a pier i usually just sit on it and work with it that way and on the beach i usually just stick the butt into the sand. then again im a small guy. the good thing about using a belt is that if the battle goes on for a while u have a chance of letting go and just relaxing
harness all the way for me. it is nice to just give your forearms shoulders and biceps a break after a long battle with a big shark. best thing i have bought was my harness setup. allows me to put way more pressure on the fish and not wear myself out as bad. I am sure someone will let you use there harness. try it both ways and see what you think .
to me it really depends were you are fishing and what type of rod you have. if your using a rod with a long but from a pier i usually just sit on it and work with it that way and on the beach i usually just stick the butt into the sand. then again im a small guy. the good thing about using a belt is that if the battle goes on for a while u have a chance of letting go and just relaxing
Im 5'6" and 115 and still would rather fish the harness any day. I might not fish as much drag as everyone else in strike but once I get settled in I can bump the drag up a bit as long as I keep my weight back I can fish just as much drag as the rest of em'. best advice i can give is borrow someone's harness and see how you like it, I bet you'll never go back to sitting in the sand cause you don't wear yourself out nearly as much.
well i hate harrness if im fishing off a brige or pier im 5'8 130 pounds and i fish a 14 so if im hooked to the rod and something happens i could go over (i have almost seen it happen to a friend of mine) but if i was on a beach and i hook up yes i will sit in the sand and put a harrness on its much easyeron ur back
-bradley
ok well im 16 6ft 4inch about 170lbs and i fish a 10ft gator with about a 28inch butt(bought it like that) and i would rather stick the butt in the sand with a back harness so i can rest my arms
well i hate harrness if im fishing off a brige or pier im 5'8 130 pounds and i fish a 14 so if im hooked to the rod and something happens i could go over (i have almost seen it happen to a friend of mine) but if i was on a beach and i hook up yes i will sit in the sand and put a harrness on its much easyeron ur back
-bradley
that is exactly why you have someone spotting you even on the beach bad stuff can happen in the harness especially when a fish finds the reef. And I'm not talking about a shoulder harness we fish a long range style stand up harness
Good reply Nick...always have a spotter if possible, especially if your mated to your rod/reel by a harness. Alot of the guys I've sharked with in the past & to date dont use them. I do know that there are 2 different types of harness,one being over the shoulder & the second from the hips. In my opinion,the one over the shoulder seems to create alot of downward pull & kills my back over time. I have an Aftco Maxforce AFH-1 also & love it!!! This harness comes up from your hips & locks into the reel.And you can distribute your pulling with your legs or your arms or even both,but again its a matter of preference. Another nice feature with this harness is that it has its own little "oh shit" handle built right into the back just for that spotter that was mentioned earlier. Regardless of mono or Dacron, god forbid if there is a mechanical malfunction,we all know that 130 Dacron or mono does not break very easily...& some thing very bad is bound to follow if your locked in with out a spotter
No harness for me. In a longer fight my forearms shoulders and back get a little tired but it doesn't bother me much the adrenaline takes over from there. In my experience it is more tiring for me rowing out bait on choppy water and harsh wind. I just like the idea of no harness, just me and the fish. When my back and shoulders start getting a little tired I just get up as high on the beach as I can then sit down stick the rod butt into the sand, dig my heels in..my beach fighting chair.
And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
John 11:26 KJB 1611 AV
Much easier to do with lighter gear but when you get into a big fish on a 12,14 or 16/0 and you are into the fish an hour or more that harness can be a life saver.Cramps in your hands can render you worthless and having to pass the rod to a buddy when that world record hammer or King Kong sized Tiger comes along.I would say buy one even if its a cheap one it can really help you when least expect it.
Remember "better to have one and not need it, then to need it and not have it."
SOUTH FLORIDA SHARK CLUB -President SFSC-Founding Member est 1983 SFSC-Website Administrator BIG HAMMER SHARK TOURNAMENT -Founder Rene Memorial Sharkathon -Founder NMFS Shark Tagger
will is right better to have it and not need then then need it and not have it. i like a harness even on my 9/0 some times. i atleast like to have a belt and on my 6/0 you need a belt just because the butt is some small on it.
Yes I agree..with the heavier gear you are also fighting that as well as the fish. I believe the amount of line on a 14/0 outweighs my biggest reel 
And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
John 11:26 KJB 1611 AV
Harness for me with a solid leather shoulder and back harness I can really lay into a fish. I my harness runs from just above the back pockets of my pants to over my shoulders it ties into a rigging ring at 3 points each side and then to a single strap to my reel.
Bob
Any recommendations on harnesses guys? Brands, styles?
Live Without Fear!
I personally have never fought a shark with a harness, but I have strapped in to the shoulder harness and I think if i had one on me it would be nice because it is basically lighter than a t-shirt and you can unstrap quickly and run around with it in some kind of emergency, not a fan of the gimbal holder by the midsection, jsut looks too funny to me 
Just an average fisherman.