shark reel

[Flatdog]

Nothing but a great big center pin reel will do if you hook a big one the lots of running up and down the beach.
Great White Shark 2664lbs Alfred Dean Ceduna, S. Australia April 21, 1959 World record from the beach ouch comes to mind.

[Fortunamate]

all we use is a 30 pound class rod with a penn 6/0 and we cought a 500 pounder this summer with it and it did fine

[Mokarran]

It seems to me that you are going to be beach sharking for the first time so I will give you some pointers that will save you a lot of headaches based on my experience(forgive me if I am wrong). BS= abbreviation for "because of beach sand."

1- don't buy a new rod or reel go used to start out.BS
2- get a 10-12/0 Senator. NOT anything shiny(unless you don't have to pay for it) BS
3- buy two sets(spare) of smoooothie drag washers($12 a set) for it. Throw the old ones away and don’t get any grease on the new ones.
4- ROD the one you mentioned is too heavy. Get an 80# or 50-80# class rod(not 80-130 just 80) between 6-7'. You want one that bends the entire length through the reel seat, not just at the tip, one that bends well. NOT A BROOM STICK. A short stand-up style rod doesn't work well from the beach. Some may argue this but the reason for this is b/c you will always be fighting your fish from the beach in a horizontal fashion, never vertically. This will be a bulky outfit but with a proper fighting harness it will be irrelevant. Something like the two piece Braid stand up system that you sort of sit into and doesn’t require you to hold onto the rod will allow you to fight comfortably for a few hours properly set up and used.
5- Guides..the best combo for the beach is for the first guide(the stripper) and the tip to be rollers and the middle guides to be SIC or at least Hardloy. Or full rollers which will require lots of maintenance BS. They need to be rated for 80# class guides not 50#! Do your research and learn the difference. All your guides need to be at least double wrapped. If they aren't you'll find out soon enough. I’m going to recommend wind-on leaders so the larger the roller-tip the better.
6- LINE- Go with 80# MONO. No more, no less. 50# is too light, since you can't chase the fish you need to be able to put the brakes on heavy with a big fish. There are no benefits with 100# on a senator b/c you can't put out enough drag and all you do is lose capacity. Use 80# dacron as a backing (splice it onto the mono) with several BUT's. a) Use a solid color, NO SPOTS OR DASHES b/c the bluefish and spanish will absolutely rape it. Trust me I know! b) Determine the farthest you will be setting baits and put just enough backing so that it will never be off the reel while you are soaking a bait. The only time it should come off is during a fight. Sand will ruin the dacron with continued exposure. Straight mono will warp your spool.
7- Rod Holder- I don't know what you plan to use but I recommend getting the reel as high up from the ground as possible to help keep windblown sand off of it. We used 7' schedule 40 or 80 pvc that put the reel at about chest height.
8- Leaders- What I am about to tell you will double or even triple your hookup ratio. Take all of your large J-hooks for sharks and THROW THEM IN THE TRASH!!!! You may not realize it but I have just spared you hours and hours and days and days maybe even years(in my case) of frustration. I mean it, THROW THEM AWAY or you are wasting a lot of your time! Buy a box of Mustad 16/0 non offset circle hooks # 39960D in a 100 pk, it will last you for years. Learn how to make wind-on leaders out of 400-530# mono and 250# Dacron. Make them with 20’ of mono, 3-4’ of Dacron at the top with a minimum 300# snap swivel at the bottom. Use a double barrel crimp and put a metal thimble through the swivel loop. It is very important that you crimp this properly. Make your bite leader to attach to this with at least 300# single strand wire. Get 3-4’ and twist a plain loop at one end for the snap and add the 16/0 circle at the other end. The leader will be subject to very high loads when you leader a fish. This leader is very easy to handle and is much safer than long wire and cable leaders.
9- Baits.. Don’t use huge baits! Use a bait that the average size shark(for your area) can swallow in one gulp. This is all very important for your hook up ratio. Use whole fish under 2#’s and remove the all the bones but the head by filleting from the tail up to the head on both sides and tear out the back bone and tail leaving only the head with fillets attached. This way a bait looks big but will fold up nice and soft right into a sharks mouth(one gulp!). Don’t hook the bait in the head. Place the hook in a spot that it will tear out quite easily.
My god I’m getting carried away and you may not even care! Let me know if you’re interested in hearing any more of my rambling

[misokat]

wow, Interesting post ? one should never ask too many ? esp if you've been drinking heavy, Any reel over a 6/0 can handle any shark out there today esp in shallower water (under 300feet),
have caught up to 400lbs on 30 pound gear.

[knock down]

Mokarran , has done his homework on land based Sharkin ! the leader system he incorperates is about as good as good gets misokat I,m not knockin your opinion , but I do know of some Tiger sharks of off of South Carolina , not to mention some Hammerheads at Boca Grande Fla. that would flat out hurt your feelings when it comes to useing a 6/0 from the Beach. if you choose to follow the fish in a skiff you might get a look at them. Some of those sharks are just to much for a 6/0, A 12/0 has the line cap. & the drag cap. if you are talkin Penn Senators. Just talkin from personal experience.

[knock down]

misokat ,my apologies!!!!! I re read your post a second time & saw the word "over " . I'll shut up know

[Elite]

Here is my exsperience. They way i fish sharks from the beach is 2 rods.

-6/0w with 500yds of 65 Power Pro Backing with straight 60 on top. It is mounted on a 5'6 Penn Tuna Stick. This setup is purely awesome.

-Shimano TLD 50 2 Speed with 1500+yds of 135lb Power Pro. Mounted on a FTU Rod until i can get a custom done. This is one sweet reel. It puts out 54lbs of max drag. Itll stop any fish in the ocean.

[Mokarran]

wow, Interesting post ? one should never ask too many ? esp if you've been drinking heavy, Any reel over a 6/0 can handle any shark out there today esp in shallower water (under 300feet),
have caught up to 400lbs on 30 pound gear.

You did see that he was fishing from the beach right? 400# on 30# line, wow! I bet that was a lot of fun! I haven't gone light tackle on the Tigers down here yet, mostly b/c I am fishing for numbers, but I plan too eventually.

I'll admit it was late(see time of post) and I was tired. But I love to shark fish and to talk about it. I fished from the beach for close to 8 years till I got a boat. Now I shark fish from the boat. I don't drink alcohol. I had a 6/0 loaded with 50# mono dumped from the beach once, was a nice fish. The advice I am giving him is for getting started on a budget. No reason to spend lots of $ if he ends up not liking it.


Elite- Have you had any problems with the sand getting in the power pro and weakening it? I had that prob with dacron but never tried PP.

[Elite]

You did see that he was fishing from the beach right? 400# on 30# line, wow! I bet that was a lot of fun! I haven't gone light tackle on the Tigers down here yet, mostly b/c I am fishing for numbers, but I plan too eventually.

I'll admit it was late(see time of post) and I was tired. But I love to shark fish and to talk about it. I fished from the beach for close to 8 years till I got a boat. Now I shark fish from the boat. I don't drink alcohol. I had a 6/0 loaded with 50# mono dumped from the beach once, was a nice fish. The advice I am giving him is for getting started on a budget. No reason to spend lots of $ if he ends up not liking it.


Elite- Have you had any problems with the sand getting in the power pro and weakening it? I had that prob with dacron but never tried PP.

I havent had any problems so far. Its holding up better than any mono ive tried.

[don'thaveaboat]

First off for me NO DAMN LONG RODS '6"6 at most. A 6/0 will be min for the beach since before you have a fish on you have 300 yards out out. And 80 pound is not the biggest you need I go by this rule 20 pounds of drag for 80 line and a 12/0 has over 20 pounds of drag. Line I like 130,150,20,250,300 powerpro 80 is nothing I tell you wil my 9/0 I had just set it out with a tiny 3 inch long spot and 30 sec later I had a shark on then run under the pier and snap brand new 150 like nothing you are messing with fish that are '8 foot long and 350 pounds light tackle wil nt do the job. You really want to shark fish get a 9/0 or 12/0 '6 stand up rod fighting belt hole king head 800 pound cable week eater line 150 pound power pro and done.