Many times when we are fishing and low on shark bait we will use a live bonnethead shark for bait if someone in our group happens to catch one.A live bonnethead is an excellent big shark bait that has turned a slow day of shark fishing into an unforgettable memory.We have caught some big sharks using live or dead bonnetheads but we have been burned many more times by sharks too big to turn on a Florida keys bridge.On the keys bridges and all the east coast piers it is a well known fact that a live bonnethead will usually get a big hammerheads attention when a dead bait is being ignored.When fishing the bridges where there is a strong current always try and hook your primary hook in the sharks mouth so it will swim into the current naturally and also in order to keep the water flowing through the gills of your live shark.I always prefer to use two hooks when freelining a live bonnethead because even a 10 foot hammerhead shark has a fairly small mouth and you want to hook your shark no matter what end he grabs the bonnethead.You should always keep your star drag clicker tighter then normal when setting down your rod because your typical bonnethead shark can exert pressure jerking your line in the current and rushing under a bridge or pier and tangling you up in the pilings.The best part beside catching a big bull or hammerhead shark on your live bonnethead is the fact that you can fillet your bonnethead since they are excellent eating.
hooking your bonnethead for big shark bait
always double hook your bonnethead -the primary hook should be in the mouth so your shark can swim more naturally
if you don't get hit you can fillet your catch for the table
a pair of nice fillets is the final result,,,,so it's a win win either way!
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
is a bonnet head shark any good to eat?
I used a 3 1/2 foot live bonnethead hooked exactly the way you have it hooked in those pictures (but I was using cable). I had a downbucket hanging in the water full of cut up stingrays and he was swimming right in the slick on the surface about 30-40 yards off the pier, and while I went to the truck, something took off about 20 yards with him and shredded him in half 2 inches shy of the trail hook on his back. South pier, skyway. the very end of the pier. Fun night.
Thats an awesome bait right there. If you get a nice size bonnet it also works great as cut bait in my limited experience, they'll eat the heads too..keeps the smaller sharks away and it seems when I'm running out big chunks of blacktip or bonnethead not even the pups will stop to pick at it but they will pick at the big jacks or king mackerel.
never used bonnethead as bait will have to try sometime ty for the tip
Thats an awesome bait right there. If you get a nice size bonnet it also works great as cut bait in my limited experience, they'll eat the heads too..keeps the smaller sharks away and it seems when I'm running out big chunks of blacktip or bonnethead not even the pups will stop to pick at it but they will pick at the big jacks or king mackerel.
I use chunks of bonnet head also, and actually got one of my first runs on a 9/o at the sunshine skyway, south pier using a head of a 3 foot bonnethead. It was a screeeeeeeeeeeeeamer. 
Great choice of bait. I agree.