Beginner guide! For shark fishing.

Hi.
I thought I would make a beginner guide for shark fishing with all the information I have collected recently. Save you the effort of searching so to say.
This is just general information and might not apply to every area you will be fishing in.But if you have questions just ask the guys on the forum their great people and will answer pretty much any question you might have.

First of all you should think of what size and specie of shark you will be targeting but also consider what you might hook up as a "by catch".

GEAR: When it comes to gear and stuff IL start with where you can get it all.
If you like me doesn't live in areas with big game fishing or perhaps wants to order everything online you can use the following sites.
This site has a classifier page where you might find what you are looking for, if there isn't anything advertised just make your own thread with what you are looking for.

Ebay.com: I was able to find pretty much everything you need from terminal tackle for leader making to rods and reels.The bad part is that eBay is worldwide and prices might not be exactly what your looking for when the shipping isn't from anywhere close to you.

http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites/ : Craigslist is great if u live in the US, you can choose to search nationwide or just in your general area.Good thing is that this will give you lower shipping costs, I also found it to have a lot of stuff.

Other then that you can log on to the different tackle stores websites and order it.(Will be more expensive as the stuff on the other sites are usually used)
http://www.captharry.co m"> http://www.basspro.com,http://www.captharry.com among other.

Surf casting tackle: With a surf casting tackle you can target species like Bullreds, Jackfish, Sharks from 2′ to 6′, Kingfish, Tarpon, and BlackDrum.This making it a good set up if your new to the sports and you might not want to spend that much money on a big shark tackle before you have caught a few small-medium size sharks 2-7' range.
With this tackle your not limited to just sharks as mentioned.
The general fishing model here is casting a bait and leader 40 to 100 yards off a pier, jetty, or the beach.

REELs:With the reels there are lot of options out there.
There is also the option between spinning reels and conventional reels.
If you haven't fished conventional reels I would recommend getting heavy spinning reel.
There is nothing that will make you lose interest faster then a burdnests and you will get them specially if you fish during the night. You would want the reel to fit at least 350 yards of 30-40 lb test and a top shot of mono.

Conventional reels:

First the Penn Senator 113HLW 4/0 Wide. This is an old school reel and can be picked up used for a good price. This reel holds 450 yards of 40 pound test line and while being truly cast able it can also bring in some big fish!.

The Daiwa SHA-50. Good reel a bit more expensive at around 120 $. But a great reel holding 350 yards 30 lb test.Cast very well if you know how to cast a conventional reel. Will work great targeting sharks around 5-6 feet as well as kingfish and other species in that size.

Spinning reels: With spinning reels there is so many choices out there. But any reel that holds 350 yards of line and got a good drag system.

Fin-Nor offshore spinning reels 8500 and up are great reels for just over 140 $. These reel hold 350 yards+ of 80 lb braid and got a massive Max drag of 60 Lb.
This reel can reel in some big catches as well as eliminating the problem of backlashing.

Another reel would be the Penn 950 with similar properties as the Fin-Nor. Same price range so just have a look at both reels.

The new Penn spinnfisher v is also a great reel holding large amount of line. They claim it is water tight which will make this reel last for a very long time!
This will cost you a bit more but with a higher quality.Price about 180 $.

RODs Choosing a rod might be difficult cause there is so many out there.
There are a few choices that I would recommend after reading a lot of reviews and talking to some of the more experienced fishermen.

First rod is the is 12′ American Rodsmith, $55. Price worthy rod fits well with a heavy spinning reel or medium conventional reel. Fitting this with a Penn jig master 65 $ would be a great cheap beginning set up. Top casts around 100 yards.

Second rod is 10′ Uglystick, price $80. Light but were sturdy rod top casts up to 60 yards. Teaming this up with a Penn 4/0 is a good choice for casting and paddling out baits a shorter distance.

Third rod I 12′ Ocean Master, $130. Very nice rod for a very good price. Fast action will result in longer casts.This is a higher quality version of the America Rodsmith.

If you feel like spending some money on a rod then I would recommend either getting a custom made rod. You will find a bunch of threads on this site with rod makers or links to good rod makers. Another option is the Breakaway series LDX and HDX great rods starting at 200 $.
High quality and will give you a great casting distance!

Line choices would be either going straight 30 pound mono with a top shot of 80-100 pound mono.
You could also go with braid like 30-40lb Sufix 832 or Powerpro superslik 8. And then add a top shot of 80-100 pound mono.

Big shark tackle The idée with this kind of tackle is to paddle out a big bait using a kayak up to 400 yards.But if you don't have a kayak I have heard of numeral ways of getting the bait out including surfing boarding,inflatable rafts and even tying the bait to your back swimming it out ad then swim back. The last one I wouldn't recommend!

REELs: When it comes to big shark tackle there are just a few reels that I would recommend and that is the reels that are used by pretty much every shark fisherman.

First we have the old trusty Penn Senators. For big shark fishing line capacity and drag is the key. I would recommend at least a 14/0 but going for a 16/0 is great.
The 12/0 can be used if your fishing from a boat where your able to follow the fish.
These reels can hold 750+ yards of 100Lb mono and even more the bigger you choose.
All these reels are old school and will be on the marked used and for a good price.
They have proven themselves time and again to be reel to trust in.

The Penn international is a more luxuries model from Penn. Great drag massive line capacity but then again a bit more expensive.
If you don't want to spend a ton of money on your first reel stick with an old Penn Senator!

The Avet reels are relatively new to the market comparing with the Penn.
The 50w and the 80w are both great reels but like the International their a bit more expensive.
All of the reels can be find used for a lower price.

RODs Big shark rods are very individual, some people want short 5-7' rods while other want them as tall as 12-13'. There are different advantages with short and long rods all depends on where your fishing and what you prefer.
So IM not going to give you any specific rods but the rods should be rated 80#-130# or 80 unlimited/130 unlimited. The rods got to have a alloy reel seat when fishing this big reels and this much drag or the rod might break.

Shark fishing leaders I would recommend you to either make leaders yourself or buy from someone that makes them from a private person. Avoid the premade leaders in tackle shops as they tend to not hold as well and for as long.

The tools you will need is a Hand Swager and a wire cutter.

What you need for each Surf casting rig is:

52 inches of #15 tooth proof fishing wire.(American fishing wire is a great brand)
1 6/0 ball Crane swivels
1 3/0 ball Crane swivels
1 12/0 Circle hook or Eagle claw circle hook.
7 Ft of 500 pound Mono
2 2,3 mm stainless steal thimbles
1 Coastlock snap
2 2,3 mm aluminum sleeves

For a big shark rig you will need:
2 6/0 Crane swivels
2 18/0 Circle hooks or 20/0 Circle hooks.
12 feet of nr #19 tooth proof fishing wire.(American fishing wire is a great brand)
4 2,3 mm aluminum sleeves.
2 stainless steal thimbles.
20 Ft of 500 pound mono.

Here is a link to a tutorial on how you put the rigs together.

Surf rig:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChAUj9k ... OLRlWPoq6A

Double hook rig:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMPtrLv ... ure=relmfu

ALL CREDIT FOR THE TUTORIALS GOES TO BLACKTIPH FISHING.

The reason you use Circle hooks is to reduce the chance of Gut hooking the shark. 99% of the time the circle hook with be in the corner of the mouth!
This way you can easily and safely remove the hook and the shark will survive!

A true circle hook doesn't have an of set and the tip of the hook should point in a 90 degree angle toward the shaft of the hook.

We use 2 sleeves on the big shark rigs because their put under a lot of stress with a big fish so if one is to fail we have a second as backup.
This is also the reason you use double strands when you make the rigs. Just to have a fall back if one were to kink and fail.

Now that you have all your gear it's time for bait.
When it comes to bait there is a wide variety of useable baits.
When fishing a surf set up you will fish chunks of bait or heads.
Good baits are Blue runner,cuda,ray,mullet,sheepshead,jacks lady fish.
Any of these fishes are prime and choose what's easy accessible in your area.
There is a bunch of threads on here how you can catch bait(Look in the Bait shack thread.).

When fishing the big shark rig you will kayak the bait out so that way you can use bigger baits and put them out at a greater distance.My grand father always said The bigger the bait,the bigger the depth , The bigger the fish!

So with this kind of tackle you usually use whole baits like a cuda or a ray.Any of the mentioned baits for surf tackle will do just fine for this just use a whole one and big!

Now that you have your bait all you needs a place to fish right?
Well most people don't want to give out their secrets spots and asking for them is kind of rude.
But if you ask nicely there is some guys on the site that might take you out and show you.
When u start out shark fishing at least be 2 people going 3 would be recommended as it can be a struggle getting the shark on the beach and dehooking it.

Now to plan the trip.
You will need something to hold your rods after you have paddled the baits out. Fishing from the beach you can use sandspikes or just a piece of PVC pipe that you dig down in the sand so that it stand firm!
Here is a list of items you might need when on the beach.

1. Flashlights if your fishing at night!
2. Wire cutters
3. Towels (you will get wet)
4. Water(Out in the sun all day bring water! Use on reel if hot during fight)
5. Something to put valuables on in the sand, sand eats things!
6. A Rope for when your trying to get the shark on the beach.
7. Bring a chair there might be a lot of waiting involved. Having sand all over isn't nice.
8. Food
9. Tape measure. Measure the length and the girth of the shark to get an estimated weight.
10. Coolers with and bait.
11. Bucket and shovel.
12. First aid kit.
13. Camera
14. Garbage bags

So when your there keep the beach/pier/jetty clean. Leave it as you found it don't want to give fisherman a bad reputation or it will limit the spots we are allowed to fish on!
Always be careful when handling sharks they got teeth and can spin around at you if your not careful.

If there is anything you're wondering about just make a post in the thread most suited for your question.
If anyone want to add something or correct something I have written please send me a PM and IL look in to it.

Sorry for the bad grammar and spelling errors, English isn't my first language hope it's understandable at least.

And I just have to thank everyone on the forum for all the help I have gotten and the friendly attitude! Keep fishing and tight lines !