Is it to late?

there maybe a a few around but you have to fight the crab traps

Alright. Does winter time mean using different baits?

winter time hasn't really even come yet idk about the west coast too much but east coast there are still plenty of sharks around sebastian and south of that even some north but prob startin to only get sand tigers which are big but lazy sharks lol but winter time usually means smaller baits because smaller sharks and only big sharks really are hammers that have small mouths

i like to use smaller baits and what ever is local to the area. like if mullet r thick use a mullet, king fish if they are around and so on.

ehhh i dont agree with the use the bait thats plentiful most sharks like to have things that they love but cant find that time of year stingray is always a best bait for me they last forever and always get hit when i use them plus some times of the year they are hard to find even for the sharks so they will go to extra lengths to get it lol like at sebastian with the mullet run there i caught more fish on shrimp than mullet with the shrimp it was gone in under a minute with mullet it would sit there for 10 or 20 waiting to get hit so i always am one to use what fish like but is hard to find for them at that time.

IF you can free line a live bait go for it.if not what ever you have will work.The man in the gray suit is never picky.

I've caught 6 foot bulls on 7 inch mullet before. Dont ask how it was a freak thing.

Its not too late, get out there now if you can. There are no rules, and anything can happen. "Ya never know unless ya fish."

ive read from other reports that the sandbars are starting to get thick on the west coast around tampa

I like to use local baits, sting ray is a favorite since I have lost the majority of my big sharks on it, but choosing local baits or rare baits is all depending on your situation, when you have an area in which the fish only show up because of a certain bait, you better bet i'll throw that mullet or bluefish out there, when it comes to sharks I have noticed whatever they are eating that day they will go after time and time again, like a big hammerhead I saw was only eating blacktips, we threw rays, jacks, bonitas, cudas, bluefish, everything we had, but that day it only wanted tippers. Last winter when the bluefish were in super thick I threw out half a bluefish when we saw a 10ft shark off of the end of the pier, I caught that shark, my biggest to date, a 10ft tiger.

Now when it comes to fish fishing, it is a whole different story, when there are millions of pilchards chilling around the pier the snook and stuff would much rather have sardine or cigar minnow, they get spoiled and tired of the same old baits.

Another strange thing is using baits that aren't typically caught in the area, like a big grouper carcass where no groupers are ever caught, you'll rarely get hit. BUT, if it is all you have and the water is loaded with sharks, they are opportunists and will eat practically anything if they can't get anything else.

I believe that sharks can be picky at times, if they're zeroed in on a particular prey. I put out a big, bloody fresh chunk of Bonita not long ago with high hopes, which sat for hours with not a touch even though I had seen sharks in the area feeding. Later I realized they were chasing the mullet and put out a 10 inch frozen mullet which was hit within 10 minutes and landed me my biggest lemon shark. I think they're like all fish - opportunistic, but if the going is good on a certain food they become 'programmed' for a period of time to favor that food.