Shore Fishing for Sharks in Pensacola

[drew0535]

I was at Johnson's beach about a month ago and we were fishing and caught a ton of blue fish. We eventually started chopping them up and casting them out and I am pretty sure it was sharks that were taking them. Our poles would bend and lines would break with in a minute of throwing them out, I even saw a shark about 5 or 6 feet leap out of the water. We are heading back in September and would like to catch some sharks from the shore. So i was wondering if anyone could offer any advice to help. I am from Missouri and obviously we have nothing even close to this around here, something tells me fishing for sharks is a little different than fishing for 10lb catfish! I am going to buy a Senator 13/0 reel, 40lb test main line, 30 feet of 100lb leader, and 6 feet of steel leader. Does this sound ok or do you recommend something different. Obviously this isn't something I am going to be using a lot, maybe a couple times a year. What about hooks? What type of bait do you recommend? What about time of day or any tips or suggestions. Also what type and size of sharks are prominent in the area?

[fishin'girl422]

can't help you out much with the species of sharks in FL - but as far as equipment, line, etc - search the forums for sharking, charking, shark rigs, etc - and there is a plethora of information for you to read through -

[fish-aholic]

Originally Posted by drew0535

I was at Johnson's beach about a month ago and we were fishing and caught a ton of blue fish. We eventually started chopping them up and casting them out and I am pretty sure it was sharks that were taking them. Our poles would bend and lines would break with in a minute of throwing them out, I even saw a shark about 5 or 6 feet leap out of the water. We are heading back in September and would like to catch some sharks from the shore. So i was wondering if anyone could offer any advice to help. I am from Missouri and obviously we have nothing even close to this around here, something tells me fishing for sharks is a little different than fishing for 10lb catfish! I am going to buy a Senator 13/0 reel, 40lb test main line, 30 feet of 100lb leader, and 6 feet of steel leader. Does this sound ok or do you recommend something different. Obviously this isn't something I am going to be using a lot, maybe a couple times a year. What about hooks? What type of bait do you recommend? What about time of day or any tips or suggestions. Also what type and size of sharks are prominent in the area?

LOL where to start....Florida, you should be able to catch Lemons, Nurse, Tigers, Hammerheads, Blacktips, Spinners & Bulls....Could be any of the above. I'm planning on fishing a tournament down there next summer from the beach. I can't wait to hook into some of those monsters.....Just read through this site, look at the shark fishing recommendations and gear your self properly (for casting or yakking) and you'll land some MONSTERS!!!!!! GL

[Steve]

Welcome aboard Drew!!
Nice to have ya here...

Most importantly you need plenty of line, as much as you can pack on. If you are using light line, like 20 lb, you'll need at least 300 yards, minimum!!! If you use heavier you can get away with less.
Reason being, is some of these toothy critters turn east and strip off a bunch of line. You can catch them on any rod/reel that will stand up to some hard punishment from runs and head shakes.

For your last 6-10' you need about 6' of heavy shock, like 100 lb. Add on about a foot of steel line, such as (brand name) Malin #9. End this with a large circle hook, at least a 15/0. Here is a thread for inexpensive hooks.
http://www.atlanticanglers.com/forum...key-hooks.html

Do a search on here for "shark rigs" and you'll be busy reading for a while!

As for size of Charks, all I can say is it's a big open ocean.....
My personal best in FL is a 9' Nurse Chark, I have seen larger Hammerheads (maybe 10-11') brought in from the surf. I have seen large Bulls but haven't seen them caught.

Oh yeah, a helper and 10" channel locks should be used to get the hook out.
Be very careful around the head, they can turn and lash out you on the sand very quickly. Have a helper hold it down on the head while you use the channel locks to remove the hook.

Catch and release, let 'em live!!!

Don't overlook the fantastic Redfish fishing there....

[drew0535]

I appreciate the advice. I am so excited and the trip can't come fast enough. The first time I went to Florida we went down to Key West and I caught a couple of 5'-6 ' barricudas, a few bonita and the prized jewel was a 7 foot sailfish, honestly the most amazing animal I have ever seen. The thing was tail walking and jumping everywhere, the captain even made a comment saying he had never seen one do that much. My three friends also managed to catch 5 20+ pound dolphins, delicious. I have never experienced anything like it and now I am hoping to land a shark, which I have always dreamed about. I don't plan on catching anything big but if I could even catch a 3 foot shark I would be in heaven. just out of curiosity what type of fight does a 3' shark put up. The sailfish was 15 minutes of pure heaven and hell and I would love catch something that put up a good fight for even 5 minutes. The catfish and bass here just don't measure up!

[Steve]

While you are down there, check out the job market, LOL!!!!!
You might be moving.....

If a Capt said that, it's good MO-JO, maybe you will do great next trip!
A 3' Chark will give you a good fight, far better than a LMB will.
Expect some head shaking and a few hard runs. Maybe even some surface action.