Thank you guys for all your help
If the water is deep enough for the shark to swim through, that is far enough to put your bait. Most species of sharks that land based fishermen catch can be seen cruising just 10 ft off the beach when the bait is in good.
Almost forgot ; when I first started fishing the beaches I used [still]goodsize PinFish on a#4 circle hook & just cast& let them swim; most of the time on #20castingrod w/Ambassaduer6500Ci #17Trilene XLor XT or ande
was really hoping for Snook but most of the time got sharpnoses
Held the rod most of the time so I struck right away on the hit & got them right in the corner of the mouth,they were good fights on that tackle too
Some of the best beaches that we fish in Florida have produced the damned biggest sharks hits with baits dropped inside of 100 yards.I can remember multiple times when the long drops were silent and a short drop produced a screamer hit ,,,,,on various occasions those short drops had sharks hooked that spooled big reels , a Penn 12/0 followed by a 14/0 almost to the knot also.If you are learning a new spot you gotta do the research by dropping at different distances and seeing what works best during that particular time of the year BUT keep in mind that you must adjust during the different seasons to account for bait school movement near shore ,th mullet run ,surf conditions etc,etc,etc.
Study what you do and become a master shark hunter ,,,it takes careful attention to detail to become great in any sport and shark fishing from shore is no different.GET EM!!!
Good advice,Will,Your post made me think; How many of us keep a "journal"?
That would help anyone learn to be better at this sport; if you keep a record of all your trips: where, when, Tide, bait, rig, hits, etc, you get the idea,
The go back later on & see where you had good luck & with what ,
Some of the best beaches that we fish in Florida have produced the damned biggest sharks hits with baits dropped inside of 100 yards.I can remember multiple times when the long drops were silent and a short drop produced a screamer hit ,,,,,on various occasions those short drops had sharks hooked that spooled big reels , a Penn 12/0 followed by a 14/0 almost to the knot also.If you are learning a new spot you gotta do the research by dropping at different distances and seeing what works best during that particular time of the year BUT keep in mind that you must adjust during the different seasons to account for bait school movement near shore ,th mullet run ,surf conditions etc,etc,etc.
Study what you do and become a master shark hunter ,,,it takes careful attention to detail to become great in any sport and shark fishing from shore is no different.GET EM!!!
Good advice,Will,Your post made me think; How many of us keep a "journal"?
That would help anyone learn to be better at this sport; if you keep a record of all your trips: where, when, Tide, bait, rig, hits, etc, you get the idea,
The go back later on & see where you had good luck & with what ,
Dixie, if you really think about it you're on an online journal of sorts. The reports go back several years and are there for us all to learn from (not just bragging rights 
) on a rainday I sat and read past posts for several hours, alot of info there. Ive tried to keep a journal of sorts but I lose them or forget to write in them, etc.
I usually paddle until Im starting to feel tired (typically around 500-600) yds and drop my first big bait on a rod with the most line. Then I drop the rest of the rods based on past results and staggering the distances.
I think bait presentation and choice far outweigh how far to paddle the baits. A lot of monster sharks are caught close to shore. Id say 300 yards max
300 YARDS!!! the least
300 YARDS!!! the least
yeah
I put the rod with most line as stellarol said out the farthest 300-600 yards, somewere in that range depending on the area. As for the other lines, it's time to make your best judgement on previous trips to the spot... depth of the water, where the bait is running through, if boats are big in the area. Once the big boy is dropped out, I like to have one 50-100 yards out. As for all the others it's depending on the individual spot.
I put the rod with most line as stellarol said out the farthest 300-600 yards, somewere in that range depending on the area. As for the other lines, it's time to make your best judgement on previous trips to the spot... depth of the water, where the bait is running through, if boats are big in the area. Once the big boy is dropped out, I like to have one 50-100 yards out. As for all the others it's depending on the individual spot.
exactly what i do 
If I am in a new to me spot this is what I do:
The first and shortest drop I go by feel and check with my paddle every few strokes and when I cannot touch bottom I set it there. Sometimes its 30 yards sometimes double that. It almost always gets hit if I fish all night.
The next thing I look for is a bar or something different out there midrange. In some areas I fish there is nothing to find. I paddle out and check with my paddle to see if I can find anything or see any kind of change if the water is clear, sometimes if the water is very calm there may be some kind of a foamy line where there is a bar or current break out there. Many times the dolphins or whatever they are will give this spot away because they often run bait up and down the backside of the bar. If I can find a bar I will put the second bait maybe 20 yards past it in the deeper water.