Shore fishing for sharks - May 2012

[timwalden]

Hi everyone,

I'm visiting Islamorada with some friends for a week of Tarpon fishing at the end of May 2012. Whilst i'm there I would like to do some shore fishing for sharks.

I'm flying in from the UK, so i will have 2 beach/surf casting rods of 4-8oz casting weight with one Shimano 20/40 TLD start drag reel and another similar reel which i've yet to buy! It'll be something like a shimano speedmaster IV or a Daiwa SL50SH.

I've read a South African fishing forum about the non-return slide being used for sharks from the shore, but would really appreciate some pointers on how to go about catching one and where are some good places to try. In the UK we have virtually no sharks that can be targetted from the shore, so i want to make the most of this opportunity!

I don't know if i'll have access to a kayak, so would need to find somewhere where they come within 50 - 100 yards from the shore so i can cast to them.

Many thanks,

Tim

[chris21]

shark fishing in the keys is almost always done off a bridge by deploying a large live or dead bait under a balloon then letting the current take it out past the phone wire pylons, the keys are mostly shallow reefs and flats and offer no real beaches so your best bet is off a bridge and you will definitely need large conventional reels and rods to fight a hefty shark to the bridge

[timwalden]

Hello again folks. Only a couple of weeks til I arrive now! Having read all of the middle and lower keys reports, it seems as though all of the tarpon, sharks and permit are hooked from bridges. I personally do not want to risk leaving a hook in a fish I cannot bring to the shore, so can anyone advise me of any spots anywhere along the the keys where I can catch a big fish from a location where, should I be lucky enough to hook one, I can bring it right into the edge to unhook?

Thanks

[chris21]

if you absolutely have to do it from shore your best bet would be long key State park, there are beach areas there where you should be able to do it.

[bigseank22]

some of the bridges have areas that you can use the aforementioned methods, that are basically right on the water or "lower seawall"...most of the bridges have these areas right down the hills at the beginning of each side

[timwalden]

Many thanks folks. I'll hunt out these areas when I get there!

[crashmister]

A friend came up with a great method, Use a lessor split ring from your wire to your hook. If you'r using a 50 or 60 lb main line to your wire, use a 35 or 40 lb split ring from the wire to the hook. the ring will fail before the line/leder (Theoretically). Just don't use a stainless hook and the Shark should be fine. PM Xpierat/Rick, He'll help ya out. Most of the bridge walls end where large rocks begin. Landing a Shark on them is much worse than leaving a hook in em.

[bigseank22]

Most of the bridge walls end where large rocks begin. Landing a Shark on them is much worse than leaving a hook in em.

yeah, your right, but if your casting out towards the middle of the bridge thats not an issue, usually those rocks are on the lower part of the sea wall where the flats start