I know that i'm new to sharking and don't know even close to everything that there is to know about the sport, but i figured i'd give some words of advice to people who have a hard time getting fresh bait. Especially with the winter time approaching, it is tough to get fresh bait like jacks, bonitas, cuda, and others on a regular basis because there isn't as much bait around the beaches, piers, jetties, etc. Some of those fish, such as bonita, are seasonal and don't come in great numbers until spring and summer.
Anyways, don't be discouraged if you are going sharking on a trip and must use only frozen bait. I have caught 4 of my hammerheads this year ALL ON FROZEN BAIT. The day we caught 5 blacktips ALL ON FROZEN BAIT. My 11 foot 4 inch hammer ON FROZEN BAIT.
Don't get me wrong, FRESH BAIT IS THE BEST, but if you don't have fresh bait, what i've written here should give you some hope on still being able to produce solid sharks without fresh bait.
the bait dont matter if the sharks are biting 
Just an average fisherman.
hes right for the most part frozen or fresh doest really matter if the sharks are hungry but i have always found that fresh bait lasts loger in the water and creates a longer blood scent
Apparently, using frozen bait will limit your catches to large hammerheads or as some people say, pesky blacktips. Not much variety. Not sure it's really worth it. 
NICE WORK MR. Freeze
TEAM GETCHA GETCHA SHARKON
"Nice work MR FREEZE"lol
Chris is right many of the baits we use as shark fisherman are seasonal such as the bonitas,mackeral,bluefish ete,etc,etc.
Frozen bait bait becomes a more attractive in the absense of a fresher alternative and becomes a nesecity when the shark fishing bug bites , the beach beckons and time to hunt for fresh bait is not available.Frozen bait is a viable alternative ,,,,,no doubt about it.
FRESH BAIT IS KING but frozen bait is in second place and WILL catch sharks.Chum comes for the most part in frozen block and it works attracting all sorts of fish including sharks. Many times during the leaner shark fishing months of winter I will freeze bait that I can find at the docks for the moment when there is a warming trend.Many times in the winter I will refreeze unused shark bait rather then discard it because I know that bait is not always readily available .Depending on where you live the local charter boats and party boats have seasons when there are less customers and less fishing which in turn means less shark bait available so when bait is available I will run and grab it and freeze it even if I'm not going shark fishing ,,,,gotta get it while it's available in the leaner months.Sometimes my charter boat captain buddy from high school gets tired of me calling him during the week in the winter but I call him often when I'm planning a shark fishing excursion.Being in good standing with your bait suppliers is important so always take care of the mates with a little tip money .If you have time to catch your own bait and save the money -go for it.Good luck and don't forget frozen bait will work.More important then frozen or fresh bait is putting in time.
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
we freeze rays when they are plentiful in the spring in NC. I have found that if you freeze them in tubs of water, like stackable tubs from walmart they will keep well with no freezer burn or anything. They come out looking fresh and slimy and we have had lots of runs on them when froze in that manner.
nothn beats fresh bait, Ive frozen stingray and mullet used them the next time I go out and have had no luck on the frozen only on fresh
I'll normally snag a cownose and put it into a trashcan livewell at the piers, and trim the wings back a little to where he can't swim but he can flop on the bottom and bring something in. Trimming the wings will limit their movement and that way your clicker won't go off constantly. (REMOVE THE BARB FIRST) I've gotten some really nice runs using live rays.
Also, put a few holes in them to let out some scent.
I've never gotten a run on frozen bait out of the 7 years I've been sharking. And I've put out a variety.
i think it always depends on the sharks on how hunger they are and placement but i always try using freash beforei put out something that had been frozen
hey guys. ok well this is a tricky one for me. see for years i used to think that the best bait would be the freshest bait. in the last 2 years i have found that to be the farthest thing from the truth . atleast here where im fishing anyways.
as for fresh or frozen. ummmmmmm. i have actualy been haveing rediculous success this year on not just frozen but rotten to the core.
i caught a 9.1 tiger about 3 weeks ago on a tuna head that i had frozen i my cooler for a year. it was rotten when i put in in there and when it was defrosted the meat was green.
another thing that i have found to work well is to take a ray and throw it up in the dunes for the day then yakk it at night.
noow im not saying that its the best thing in the world to use rotten baits. but its working great for me. the way i see it rotten, fresh, frozen. after it sit in the ocean for 2 hours its all the same. just stuf on the bottom.
jason
The most powerful run I have ever experienced came on a bait that was frozen that I had been fishing with for several hours the previous day. All my brother and I could catch for bait that day was smaller baits and they sat untouched for many hours. So I figured I may as well run out the larger, frozen, previously used bait. I had it rigged up to a reel that was no where near enough to handle the fish that would pick it up a few hours later. As the sun touched down the clicker made a sound that I never heard from it before. I had a feeling of what was on the other end. When I applied the drag my suspicion was confirmed. It is still very fresh in my mind how fast the line flew off that reel, it was jaw dropping. I could only get 25 lbs max drag so I just had to enjoy it while it lasted, and appreciate just how powerful a big hammerhead shark truly is. I've had my 12/0 spooled down to just several wraps of line with the star locked down before and that fish could not even compare to the power and speed I felt that day in May 2010 on that smaller reel (which only had about 5# less max drag). Ever since then I've had no problem whatsoever with using a frozen big bait, even if it has been previously soaked
The most powerful run I have ever experienced came on a bait that was frozen that I had been fishing with for several hours the previous day. All my brother and I could catch for bait that day was smaller baits and they sat untouched for many hours. So I figured I may as well run out the larger, frozen, previously used bait. I had it rigged up to a reel that was no where near enough to handle the fish that would pick it up a few hours later. As the sun touched down the clicker made a sound that I never heard from it before. I had a feeling of what was on the other end. When I applied the drag my suspicion was confirmed. It is still very fresh in my mind how fast the line flew off that reel, it was jaw dropping. I could only get 25 lbs max drag so I just had to enjoy it while it lasted, and appreciate just how powerful a big hammerhead shark truly is. I've had my 12/0 spooled down to just several wraps of line with the star locked down before and that fish could not even compare to the power and speed I felt that day in May 2010 on that smaller reel (which only had about 5# less max drag). Ever since then I've had no problem whatsoever with using a frozen big bait, even if it has been previously soaked
this is interesting because here in nc i have had big baits sit for up to 37 hours before getting hit. what could a bait sitting on the ocean floor realy smell like after 37 hours.
fresh is always better if you can get it but frozen will always work too
a bait after that long doesnt probaly give off much of a smell but a shark that swims over it will be able to tell its a dead piece off fish and might still eat it
a bait after that long doesnt probaly give off much of a smell but a shark that swims over it will be able to tell its a dead piece off fish and might still eat it
Wrong! After 37 hours it still smells, the thing is it produces a completely different smell. With new bait you have the Scent of blood running through the water, on the other hand a bait after 37 hours makes a horrid rotting smell 