This is a real proactive method of chumming that not only eliminates nuisance sharks (and maybe dogfish? Wouldn't that be nice? I don't know much about them (thank God!), but this technique might help eliminate them, although some modifications might be required - that's up to you east coast doggy victims to figure out) it ensures that a big fish is never hooked on a light outfit, or a little one hooked on a winch. It's a lot of fun and after a while you will have everybody wanting to handle the teaser rigs because it's so much fun feeling that bait get all fired up, then trying to get it back to the boat before it gets truly eaten.

The latter isn't as difficult as it sounds and if a cranked bait does get bit, it is usually a slash or tail rip if it's a mako and a smashola if it's a thresher, not a full-blown gobble down. Both species cripple their prey before they eat it. And even if granny is on the teaser rod and lets a shark get the bait, it isn't hooked or pricked or anything. Nothing happens to spook him. The shark will either complete the trip to the chum source or you can just pitch another bait back and he'll be on it in a heartbeat.

This is a really fun and very effective way of chumming for sharks and heck, even those after big blue sharks can use it and only bait the horses when they follow a teaser in, which believe me, they will do. As I suggested up top, this might even be a good way to avoid those dogfish that are driving everybody nuts back east. Live, smaller blues? Bunkers? Just about any live bait will do.

All of my chumming leaders are split mono/single strand. I use #12 or #13 wire, even on the biggest leaders. Heavier is fine if you prefer. Tackle ranges from a light, twelve pound outfit for dinks, thirties and fifties and an 80W or 130 monster rig. The teasers are mounted on Accurate 665's with forty pound test.

So there you have it, folks, or at least a good, basic explanation of a new way to chum for sharks. Those of you with open minds and a taste for new ways, plus a desire to only fish for and catch makos and threshers (unless you choose to catch some of those monster blues) should give this method a try. There are probably some modifications that would work better back where you fish, but the basic system works great and is a lot of fun.

I hope that some of you give it a shot.