Land based shark fishing is a tough physical sport that will test your mettle but most true blue shark fisherman are the type willing to ENDURE discomfort to land a big fish.Many times the spots that produce the biggest sharks are hard to get to and out-right dangerous to fish.The chance of getting hurt is very real at some of the places we have shark fished over the years .The Dangers to prepare against are many such as drowning, broken limb or a deep laceration,a fall from a high place ,dyhyration.Other times danger is spelled out 'ISOLATION FROM CIVILIZATION' such is the case when fishing places out of cel phone range where an emergency rescue crew could not be able to get to you in case of a life threatening situation .The better shark fisherman know they must be well prepared when attempting to fish the hard spots.When fishing hard spots with a group all involved should be made aware of the hardships they will face and be willing to contribute to the team effort.
Bridge fishing the keys means having to walk a huge shark from point of capture to the end seawall to get accurate measurements and do a correct release.Sometimes the walk can be more then a mile long with the possibility of having the current switch and the shark being dragged under the bridge and cut off by the tremendous currents that prevail there,Just the thought of the long ardousd walk keeps most bridge shark fisherman fishing close to the ends of the bridges.Rene de Dios had a favorite spot "between 9 and 10" out a half mile from the end on the north side of the Long Key bridge but like the name implies it was out between the ninth and tenth electric poles -a very long way to walk a mad fighting shark in the strong current.
Fishing hard spots could mean changing from the usual methods of shark fishing to specialized techniques unique to those spots .It could mean wearing thick soled sneakers all night and being extra careful on slippery rocks at a jetty ,or it could be all fishing must use small tents to keep out the bugs that can make a shark fishing outing a living hell.Simple things can mean the difference at hard spots-a can of bug spray,a tent,a bottle of water ,or a change of clothes can be the difference from being miserable to being comfy.
The hard spots can mean a very long haul of equipment and bait,or a place where there is possibility of physical harm from a slip and fall or height of a bridge with no railings,,,,, or it could be a very small platform that is both hard to get to and then very little room to fight a shark with the very real possibility of getting yanked into the drink.Over the years we have dealt with all these scenarios Many times hauling equipment over a tough terrain means that those fishing hard spots must carry everything in one shot as to avoid having to go back to the vehicles for a forgotten crucial item.
Fishing hard spots can mean staying out of the sun as much as possible or suffering the consequences.The Florida keys bridges that us SFSC members love to fish become almost unbearable during June,July and August because the extreme heat and the glare of the bridge pavement combined with the humidity will drain your body of important liquids.Small Tarps (legal) will keep you safe otherwise you will slowly bake in the 100 plus degree temps.
TOUGH TERRAIN BEACHES(sticks and stones)
KEYS BRIDGES(the long walk release)
LONG BEACHES ( the long haul)
JETTY'S(slippery when wet)
BRIDGE PLATFORMS(don't get yanked in)
CONDEMNED PIERS AND BRIDGES (don't fall off or through)
the Key West side of the old Bahia Honda pier is an unforgiving place to fish but there are some big hammerhead sharks that inhabit this place
Old jagged rusty rails or no rails at all presented a challenge at some of the older Florida keys bridges
staying away from the bugs in a tent can be the only way to fish some spots
Narrow catwalks and seawalls we must engage to correctly release our fish is part of bridge fishing
Rene the only person I ever saw go down the side of a bridge held by a rope to secure a shark capture
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
Very good info Will and that pic of Rene is absolutely priceless!
Well said Will...and that calls to mind a quote,
“We choose to go...not because [it is] easy, but because [it is] hard, because that goal will serve to measure and organize the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.”
John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Good shit man......... 
Hey Will, dont forget about the beaches in the summer that hold nothing except monster sharks and monster families of mosquitos and no-see-ums. those bugs can make a great beach turn into a nightmare really fast.
Hey Will, dont forget about the beaches in the summer that hold nothing except monster sharks and monster families of mosquitos and no-see-ums. those bugs can make a great beach turn into a nightmare really fast.
My wife knows that all to well. The first time I went she was sitting in the brush. She was wearing all her sweet creams that she uses. I kept telling her to get out of the brush. But she would not listen. The next day she looked like she had chicken pox. I have never in my life seen so many bits. It was so hard not to laugh at her. Ok thats not the bad part. She did the same thing again the next year. We will see if she learned her lesson this year.
you can add the danger element of weirdos,drunks and criminals who also show up at fishing hard spots!
you can add the danger element of weirdos,drunks and criminals who also show up at fishing hard spots!
definitely i stumbled upon a homeless guy sleepin on fort myers beach once when i was fishing scared the shit outa me 
The buddy system is probably the safest way to go under
most any condiction. I've certainly fished alot solo but it's
not something I'd recommend to even the most experinced.
Lots of wierd stuff can happen, I saw a guy get hit by lighting
holding his rod while getting a run knocked him about 20ft
backwards down the pier. He lived but left in an ambulance.
Watched an experienced sharkfisherman once warn a guy that he
was fixing to sling a bait off a pier. guy blew him off told
the guy he was out of the way. Sharkbait was a whole mullet.the rest
of us moved back to give him some room to sling that bait away from
the pier. about the 3rd time around his head he fired it about 25yrds
straight out just as he released the bait we heard a pop but seen the
bait hit the water.we look over an the guy who did'nt want to give him
a little room whose was now on his knees wearing a 1lb white row on his
face actualy blacked the dudes eye kinda funny now but unexpected
things can put you in harm's way. we used to yank each others line
now and then when things were slow to get a rise outa your buddy i'm
sure everybody on here has done it once. had a buddy go to pull that
crap on me years ago at Ft. Pickens well I was using 130lb dacron back then
and when he wrapped it around his fingers to give it a pull well thats when
something large decided to pull on it too long story short I lost a big fish he
almost lost his finger at the 2nd joint. sharkfishing is an enormously fun sport
but one that needs to be approached with the right equipment and a bit of
safety common sense.