Hello my fellow nut jobs!
I'm Mike. I moved down with my wife and daughter from Louisiana. We're in Bradenton, close enough to Anna Maria Island to ride our bikes there.
I'm new to shark fishing. So far I've caught a tasty blacktip about 4.5 feet and a 3.5 foot stingray. I'm reading. I'm buying stuff. 
And I'm gearing up to get my feet wet. I'm older (43) but run distance and stay in shape so I can hold my own.
So far, all I have to use is my tarpon spinning rig which is a Fin Nor LT80 with an 8 ft Terramar Extra heavy (40 to 80 lb.) rod. It will do until I hook up with something over 6 feet or so. I'm looking to fish AMI. I have a BOTE inflatable paddleboard to haul baits, a nice cart to get everything down and a super supportive wife who's also pretty damned hot. (luck me)
That's about it. I'm looking forward to catching some sharks, would like to get involved in a tagging program, and can't wait to get spooled and fight something that really pushes me. That's about it.
If anyone ever wants to fish AMI, hit me up. I'm here to learn and help if I ever can.