Tips on shark fishing?

[SERprise]

I tried shark fishing a few days ago with no luck. I was using 3 9/0 senators spooled with 60# sufix. I had 2 rigged with balloons and a chunk of mackerel and one with no balloon. I was using 10/0 and 11/0 hooks and ground up sardines as chum. I had a bag of chum in at all times and threw in a cup of blood every few mins. Does this sound like it is good enough? I was anchored in about 100 ft. next to a reef. I am trying to catch any shark possible don't care about what species. should I drift or is anchoring a good bet? I have never really done this before so bear with me. any tips apreciated. thanks

[jemche]

i am no pro but i think most people drift.

[joeksr]

Anchoring will work if your fishing a reef or structure that you want to keep your chum over. Be sure to anchor a little off the reef so the chum flows over the reef and has time to sink. How big are the sharks you intend to catch and how did you rig the bait ? What blood were you using ? Fish blood I hope.
Not sure how oily sardines are. We use mackeral, bluefish or bunker for chum. Any oily fish should work. More oil and scent in the water. Instead of chunks on the hook try filets.
Just an opinion. Good luck.

[VCinRI]

Serprise,

You will find much better success if you drift over areas know to hold sharks. Start out well up current before you reach your area(depending on how fast your moving) allow your chum slick to get down and get established before you get there.

Most important! use an oily, ground up fish for chum. Whatever oily bait species you have in your area. Keep it continuous and allow fine particles to drift back. A frozen 5 gal. bucket with a couple of 1" holes on each side of lid will do it. Cleat it off so the rocking motion of the boat will agitate it with the waves As it thaws it will ooze out creating a continuous slick. In warm water it will thaw and go out pretty quick so you may want to have a couple of back up buckets depending on how long you plan on fishing.

A little tip, tie the bucket thru a hole on the side under the cover and come up thru the cover with your line. The handles have been known to pull off and end the day pretty quick.

Good Luck.
VC

[SERprise]

Anchoring will work if your fishing a reef or structure that you want to keep your chum over. Be sure to anchor a little off the reef so the chum flows over the reef and has time to sink. How big are the sharks you intend to catch and how did you rig the bait ? What blood were you using ? Fish blood I hope.
Not sure how oily sardines are. We use mackeral, bluefish or bunker for chum. Any oily fish should work. More oil and scent in the water. Instead of chunks on the hook try filets.
Just an opinion. Good luck.

The sardines are pretty oily I used some left over ballyhoos as well. It was fish blood and the sharks I am targeting are 3-12 footers I was using about a 3X3" piece of mackerel on 10/0 and 11/0 shark hooks attatched to 1/16" cable I think 480# or something like that. On 2 of the baits I tied balloons right above the swivel and on the other no balloon and I let the bait sink about 40 feet

[Questsportfishing]

anything you catch macks, snappers, bonitas, etc. save the carcases freeze them if you can and tie them off to your stern if your holding up anchored or drifting sharks respond very well to smell. try to get and use some big circle hooks also if you are planing to release them and get a really good ARC de-hooker type tool that has a long handle or get a long 3-4' dowel and cut a notch in it to jamb down on the hook to get it out. if you get a bonita or small macks butterfly the backbone out of them and stager your baits top mid water and near bottom. Everyone should try to get and watch the movie Sharkwater also it is good and lets you know whats going on with them. Be carefull my wife works with them and we actually roll them over beside the boat and get fin clips and tag them..lots of fun! when they are upside down they lay there peacefull also .. just another tip. chum and a live / hurt bait is the best. we even use live amberjacks.

[joeksr]

The sardines are pretty oily I used some left over ballyhoos as well. It was fish blood and the sharks I am targeting are 3-12 footers I was using about a 3X3" piece of mackerel on 10/0 and 11/0 shark hooks attatched to 1/16" cable I think 480# or something like that. On 2 of the baits I tied balloons right above the swivel and on the other no balloon and I let the bait sink about 40 feet

Like Quest said, stagger your bait depth in the water column.
The farther back the deeper to get it near the slick as it drops. I keep one bait just about out of sight behind the boat (no baloon) in case one tries to sneak up on the chum bucket. I'd use filets like 2or3x5 to give it some movement. Wider and longer is ok if your looking for big sharks. I'd also use single strand wire to the hook. Less chance of them chewing thru it and thinner. If drifting I'd keep put some weight on 1 and get it near bottom.
Again just things I'd do.

If your in an area with sharks and none of that works guess thats why they call it fishin not catchin.

[SERprise]

Thanks for the tips guys I am probably going to achor because I know of specific spots where myself and others have seen them while spearfishing. I will let you guys know how it goes on the next try. Still open for more tips/techniques.

[tunatamer4]

try to get and use some big circle hooks also if you are planing to release them and get a really good ARC de-hooker type tool that has a long handle or get a long 3-4' dowel and cut a notch in it to jamb down on the hook to get it out. .

Will a dowel work with a circle? Seems to me the hook would need to be "spun" out with the de-hooker rather than just pushed backward. Just curious.

[Questsportfishing]

or you can build your own. But big hooks are very expensive now so is the life of a big shark or marlin (too cool of a fish to not let it go to make more..) .