I noticed in a lot of reports you talk about the shark dropping the bait then you leave it there.
I was wondering 1-how do you know the shark didn't take you bait? And 2- how long do you leave it before checking it or resetting it?
I am just curious, because I only give a fish maybe 30 seconds to a minute to pick it up again or I reel it in and rebait (are fishing is a lot different and out baits are a lot smaller and more fragile)
Just wondering
If the fish drops the bait but you can still feel the bait on the other end, its good to wait at least 5 minutes. If the bait is a solid bait like ray or whole bonita, it will stay on the hook well. If you use a carcus, i would not wait much longer than 5 minutes b/c you may just have a fish head left and its time to rebait.
I always let my bait sit even after the fish drops it. JD Hammer taught me not to touch it, the fish generally comes back. Every time I've had a fish drop the bait I get hooked up with what seems to be within an hour.
I try to let myself wait about 30 minutes depending on my confidence of still having bait.. Rays are very tough and stay on the hook but if I just have a whiting or something I wait about 10 minutes because I get worried they just hit it hard and yanked it off...bout 50% that's what happens to baits other than rays in MY experience..