Hey guys, 31 yr old land locked Bama guy here. I am a member on several other forums under the same name and was turned onto this site by one of your members. I dont get but 1 or 2 trips a year down to the panhandle (Panama City)for vacation and hope to land my first shark this year! Just getting started gathering gear and tackle I currently have a Penn 6/0 114H (got a 10-12ft shakespeare spinning combo but I was told it was crap on another site for this type of fishing so its outta the question) still searching for the right rod. After that its all downhill I have trolled and lurked on a LOT of the other sites as to what leaders i need, hook sizes, etc etc. I'll admit its a bit of a grocery list especially on a "budget" as I am married and the "boss" doesnt understand why I wanna catch at least one.....lol. In any event I look forward to picking ya brains about the HOW TO's of it all and what NOT to do when the time comes. Currently also getting setup to pour my own lead weights so once i get it going if any of ya guys needing something "special" in that regard drop me a line. Tight Lines and leave a couple for me to catch when i get there!
Well first off Bama welcome to the fourm.I know how it is to be a sharker on a bugdet.I am a 32yr old married guy with 3kids.My wife has been better over the time in understanding my shark fever.One thing i have found that helps me is to include the family in the trips.Now on to the important question,gear.Not every has the cash to drop on this stuff.You can start with a 6/0.Load it with braid,80-100lb,on a heave action rod.Lenght is up to you.I go short 7'1".Others go 8-10ft.The rig we use most in florida is #19 wire(400lb).With a stinger rig,two hooks.I will take a pic of one later tonignt and post it.As for weights,down here we use bricks with a 50-100lb line for the break off.Any questions you may have please feel free to ask.Thanks,Nick.
check out pjwholesalerods.com, they have some nice rods at good prices.
TEAM APEX
Welcome aboard Bamaman we look forward to helping you in your shark fishing endeavours.
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
I appreciate the warm welcomes fellas. I have been reading around the site a bit and you guys definitely have some history! And some sweet photos to back up many of the fish stories. The story of Rene and the great white was just too good.
Well the forum section says to tell ya a little about myself so here we go.
Personal:Married with an 11yr old boy, I work in middle management with a supplier to one of the major automotive manufacturers, basically I'm just a simple man.
Outdoors: I have been an outdoorsman pretty much as far back as i can remember, from starting off cuttin my teeth huntin squirrels with a BB gun and fishing for bream with a zebco 202. I have had many years experience large/small game hunting and freshwater fishing. Fishing wise my favorite prey to date is catfish. Nothing like showing up to the river about an hour before dark and then casting a throw net to catch up some bait. Once the day shift begins to leave the shoreline ya then start baiting up, chunk it out and sit back in the lawn chair and wait. We freshwater guys dont have the luxury of bait clickers like on the saltwater rods so we essentially have to sit there and watch the rod the entire time. A bit aggrevating at times but still a very relaxing and enjoyable time, a chance to get away from the fast pace of day to day life.
I was under the impression a few years back that i had some pretty hefty gear and it is a bit on the heavy side for my usual prey (just incase ya hook one of the 50-100lb pigs). We decided to load up and take off to St Andrews State Park there in Panama City so I thought "YEAH lets try somethin new" so when the wife wasnt looking i snuck the fishing gear into the RV just before we took off. Got to florida whipped out my gear and took off to the pier with my "heavy" gear. Well suffice to say once i got there and saw what everyone else was using i felt VERY seriously undergunned. Have yet to catch anything from the shore but the day will come......eventually. Have fished from a party boat there and that was somewhat enjoyable, a bit crowded but the boy had fun which is the most important thing.