Where are the sharks? I found them!

[ben23]

Well, I have been fishing hard for the past 2 days. I rented a Yak and have been catching my own bait. I have officially found use for stingrays and skate. BAIT! I have been using the double j-hook rig that I read about on the Texas Shark fishing forums to rig up skate and rays caught from the surf. The small rays and skate are usually good for 2 to 3 big baits. They last FOREVER and ther crabs can't even tear them up they are soo tough.


I was a little unsure if I would get runs......but I have gotten 6 solid pickups and all but one have come on rays/skate. (The other was a kingfish that came back bitten in half)

Anyway, as I am still fine-tuning the hookup procedure.....it paid off tonight.


At about 9:15 my Penn 9/0 that I yakked out 200-300 yards went off slowly. I was surprised how slow the pickup was but it definitley was a pickup. I leaned in to set the hook and the fight was on. About 1 hour later we safely caught and released this beautiful sepcimen:





Sorry about the iffy pictures.....we will load the ones from the other cameras soon!!
It measured 7ft 1 inch from tip of nose to tip of tail. I assume it was a Sandbar.......maybe a dusky?

After the release I reeled in the other baits and found my huge skate bait had a big, clean bite out of it.....just missing the hooks. It was probably a similar shark.

I know for a fact that I am getting some bigger shark action...I hope you guys are too!! We will be at it again Friday night, shoot me a PM if you want to come join us at Fenwick Drive-on or 3r's!!!

Ben Dziwulski
God bless

[fishin'girl422]

nice... can't wait to see the rest of your pics..

[Dixie719]

Nice job!

[ffemtreed]

You finally broke your sand tiger streak!

Looks like a big sand bar to me! Great Job!!!!

[Sam]

Very nice looking shark, Ben. I'm glad to hear you caught it on ray/skate. I have tried them with little success, but it looks like it's worth another shot.

I really am unsure what kind of shark that is. The second two look like either a big sandbar or dusky, but that snout looks very broad like a bull. Also, the water temps have felt very cold to me the past few days, so I didn't think the sandbars would be that big yet.

CG?

Anyway, excellent job as always!

[Charkbait]

awesome! the holy grail of sandbar's the 7'er!

1 hr fight on what kind of rod?

[ben23]

Thanks for the support guys. It was on a 6ft Ocean Master Sea Lion boat rod. It is basically a heavy tuna stick, but whatever type of shark this is...it bent the rod....alot.
I am really excited that this was my first fish on my 9/0! Exactly what I bought it for!!!

Anyway.....i'd love to hear more opinions about the species of the shark.....I will be back at it again!!!

I'll get some more clear pictures ASAP.

Ben Dziwulski
God bless

[EDMboarder]

Nice one, those guys do some speedy runs.

[Randy Stinchcomb]

Nice Job Ben alot better fight and alot more fun than them punie Smallmouth Bass your use to catching

[ben23]

Here are some better pictures......

The one with my bros and I will be our Christmas Picture for the year....







Stay tuned for pictures of todays encounter with a toothy critter........

[Sam]

Yeah, that looks more like a sandbar. Nice tall dorsal fin...

Ben, congrats man, you have broken both of my personal sharking records in two days... You've got the gift buddy.

[Steve]

Ben? Did anyone else catch ANYTHING??
I dunno' man, I think you got some of that Voodoo Mojo or summin'.
Most excellent catches Ben!! Awesome!

Yep, lookin' like a Sandbar, bout as big as a real sandbar too (the sandy kind) LOL!!
I'm just so glad it's not a Bull, like the mouth in the first pic looked. Granted I'm on a laptop in the sun, that pic sent shivers down my spine. I know they're out there, I just don't want 'em near me in a yak!!!! A yak ain't nothin' but a play-toy for a mean Bull.

Great job, looked like a blast!!!!!
Bet yer sorry we got you into this, ain't 'cha?

[ben23]

I really would love to try to make a living out of shark fishing just like you can with bass fishing. I love the beach and it sucks that I am on my home computer right now......

I wonder if there would be a market for guided land-based sharking? It sure would give me a great excuse to live by the beach and shark fish alot!!!

No one else caught anything....but that is because no one else was out there!!!

These sharks really love the taste of rays and skate, and the bait can soak pretty much forever before you change it.......

I will be looking at my schedule, hoping to squeeze in another day or two of sharking later this summer!!

Thanks for the comments guys. I know there are bigger, meaner things swimming out there. It is only a matter of time before I hook into one of them!!!

Ben

[EDMboarder]

You got that right about sharks loving ray, one of the best baits out there for sharks. Best things is you dont need to worry about it being stolen off the hooks, if you get a pick up and drop you can just let it sit there, till the next bite. You also got that good double rig,(keep using that plastic spacer too)

As far as doing a land based shark guide service, the only guys I know of that do that are in south africa, australia, and texas.
That would be my dream job as well.

[ben23]

Cuz I'm sure with gas prices soo high, or with people who get sea sick, staying on the sand would be favorable. I'd love to figure out a way to do that......just to have an excuse to keep sharking all summer long. There is just something about catching an apex predator.....I can't imagine that other people wouldn't like doing the same thing.....

Hmmmmmmm