Sharks are the ultimate predator and they are also plentiful in most warm coastal waters. This means getting a shark to pick up your bait is the easy part; the hard part is getting them to shore and safely releasing them. On this page, I am going to talk about the things I have learned through the years and while there is certainly a wrong way to do some things, there can also be multiple right ways to do something. So just because I do something one way, does not necessarily mean that you are doing it incorrectly.

Land based shark fishing 101: how to catch sharks from the beach

Safety

The first thing that we need to address is safety. Safety for you as the fisherman but also safety for the sharks. A lot of my annual income comes from fishing for sharks and I need there to be a healthy population of sharks in our waters for me to continue to have the success that I have had. I also need regulators to keep the sport legal.

A few quick safety tips for you:

  • I have stopped solo shark fishing. There is a lot that goes into land based shark fishing from deploying baits to landing the sharks and having another human around reduces the risk that something will go wrong tremendously, even if that human has no prior experience.

  • Pay attention to tide/weather/wind reports. If its a red flag day due to rip currents, don’t go wading out there to make a long cast. If it’s a high swell because of high winds, don’t try to kayak 500 yards off the beach. Always wear a life vest in a kayak and have a dive knife on you. The life vest isn’t there for the event in which you fall off. You wear it because the most likely thing to kill you is another boater and if a boat or jet ski strikes you, knocks you unconscious and you go under, you’re dead. But if you’re wearing a life vest, you at least have a chance.

  • Pay attention to the swimmers and surfers. It’s highly unlikely that a hooked shark would bite them but a shark going on a long run parallel to the beach can absolutely result in your braided line cutting someone very badly. It sucks to reel in your baits and move but, in my waters at least, swimmers have the right of way.

  • Shark rash sucks. Wear pants.

  • I will discuss landing and handling sharks in more detail below.

  • When it comes to safety for the sharks, it’s about respecting them. The leading cause of death for sharks in catch and release fishing is exhaustion. There are a few species that are more prone to this- hammerheads, blacktips and spinners - they are super fun to catch because they fight really hard but they will literally fight so hard that their body goes into shock and they die 10 minutes to a few hours after they have been released and swam away. There has only been one study that I am aware of and the total number of sharks caught was only 43 so the numbers are too small to actually provide reliable scientific evidence but it is at least a starting point.

  • There are two things you as the angler to can do reduce the likelihood of killing a shark via exhaustion. The first is simply releasing it back into the water quickly. I will pull smaller sharks up onto dry sand but I do not take large sharks out of the water. The second is using the correct gear. You are going to need heavy gear that can bring in a large shark in a reasonable amount of time. If it takes you longer than 25 minutes to land a 10 foot tiger shark, you don’t have the right gear. I will cover gear in more detail below.

The basics

In land based shark fishing there are two ways to deliver the baits: casting and deployment. There are plenty of the 4-6 foot class sharks within casting distance of the beach. Occasionally a big one will come in close but they tend to be deeper. This requires deploying the bait. There are a few methods of doing this, the best and most reliable method is a kayak. I use a drone and it is wonderful until it isn’t and ends up in Davy Jones’ locker. People use bait cannons but I like to use dinner plate sized baits to keep smaller sharks off of it and I haven’t seen a cannon that can deploy that. You can also just swim it out, make sure to splash around like you’re in distress to call in the sharks.

You can’t really specifically target smaller or bigger sharks because a big shark could come in close and pick up a small bait and smaller sharks are also out deep and will mess with a big bait, I’ve caught a 3 foot shark on a 20/0 hook. That said, you can increase your chances for a 4-6 footer and decrease the chance of getting a big one by using a smaller bait (think 1/2 of a whiting) and keeping it within 150 yards of the beach. You can also increase your chance for a big one by using a big bait (big chunk of sting ray or a grouper head, something a small shark can’t get in it’s mouth) and taking it 300+ yards off the beach. I usually go about 350-400.

Land based shark fishing gets a bad rap. There are a lot of counties and local governments that have banned it. Because of this, it is imperative that you be cognizant of the people around you. I fish early in the morning and then in the evening starting at 5pm when everyone is leaving for dinner; I do not fish in the middle of the day. The best way to get a crowd of people around you on a beach is to pull a big shark out of the ocean. Just remember Karen owns the beach. She owns the air between your rod and the water and if her head hits your line, it’s your fault and she’s going to call the cops on you. While Karens are annoying, the most important thing is to stay out of negative headlines: “Pregnant endangered shark washes ashore with hook in it’s mouth” is bad for the sport.

Swim throughs happen. A swim through is a term used to describe your line suddenly breaking when you were not hooked up to a shark. It does seem to happen more often in the spring and fall when the pelagic fish like spanish mackerel and bluefish are running so the theory is that they “swim through” your line and somehow break it. I think it is more common that floating debris gets hung up on your line and ends up rubs through it. Whatever it is, whenever you deploy baits off the beach there is a chance that something is going to break your line and you’re going to lose your leader, hook and weight.

False runs also happen. It’s common for fish that are too small to swallow a bait to pick it up and swim with it for a bit and then drop it. We have all seen sharks take chunks out of a dead whale. Fish are willing to take a chunk out of a meal that they can’t swallow whole. If you’re getting a lot of false runs, downsize your bait and hook size to find out what keeps messing with your bait and adjust accordingly. If a big shark picks up a big bait, it might drop it in the process of arranging it around in it’s mouth to swallow it, but it will usually come back and pick it up again. So, don’t set the hook and start reeling too fast, give them a minute.

Gear

I frequently get the question and see it posted in Facebook groups; what is a good, inexpensive shark set up for someone just starting out. The answer is, there isn’t one. Land based shark fishing is expensive. If you are just getting into the sport, my suggestion would be to get some decent spinning gear off of Marketplace and start out just casting. If you’re actually getting out on the beach fishing more than a handful of times a year, then you can invest in more gear.

When looking at reels, the two biggest factors are line capacity and max drag.

When looking at rods, you need to look at the weight ratings.

But first lets quickly go over all of the tools and other gear that I bring out on the beach that isn’t a rod and reel.

Miscellaneous but essential

  • I use long nose pliers to dehook most of the sharks I catch. I bring a water meter key with me for the big ones.

  • I bring two pairs of wire cutters. Sometimes you can’t get the hook out and it’s better for the fish to cut the wire as close to the hook as possible. I like High Leverage Lineman’s Pliers. I bring two because what happens if you lose one and then can’t get the hook out?

  • Fighting belt and plate.

  • Headlamps and other lights.

  • A 1/2 lb spool of 150lb mono leader.

  • A drone or a kayak, life vest and paddle.

  • Shears and a knife.

  • Measuring tape.

  • Sand spikes and rubber mallet.

  • Beach cart.

  • Cooler with frozen dead bait.

  • Live bait cooler.

  • I keep a tourniquet and first aid kit in my truck. Not all first aid kits have tourniquets which is the most important thing to have in the event that a shark takes your arm off.

  • I wear quick dry pants. The pants protect my legs from the sun but they also protect my legs from shark rash. The sharks skin is literally sand paper and it will mess you up. Lemon sharks are the worst.

Rods

The physics behind fighting a big fish is the shorter the rod, the more leverage you have against the fish, the longer the rod, the more leverage it has against you.

With spinning gear, you fight the fish with the rod which is why it is standard for spinning reels to be left handed because you want your strong arm on the rod and most people are right handed, I’m not, but most are.

With conventional gear, you are using the reel to fight the fish. You still need a sturdy rod, but what is actually going to bring the fish in, is cranking on the reel. Which is why it is standard for conventional reels to be right handed.

When thinking about a spinning rod for shark fishing, you are going to want a long rod, typically a 12 footer, and you’re going to counteract the fact that the fish has leverage against you by making sure the rod is really stiff. You want it to be long for extra casting distance but to be honest it doesn’t have to be that far out there. Wade out to your rib cage and cast as far as you can, wherever that lands, is plenty far. I also like the extra height because it helps keep the line above people’s heads. Examples:

For a conventional set up you are going to want something that is around 7-7.5 feet long. You can go longer but remember that the longer the rod the more leverage the fish will have against you and a 7 foot sandbar will wear you out if you are using a 10 foot rod. When purchasing a conventional rod, you should know what reel you are going to put on it, before you buy it. Not all reels fit all rods.

I use two different classes of rods; bottom fishing rods and stand up tuna rods.

For my lighter set ups which would be a 50 or smaller, I will put them on a bottom fishing rod. Examples:

For my heavier set ups I now use custom made rods that I get from Terra Firma Tackle. If you plan to use a reel that puts out 100lbs of drag which is typically a 130 but the Avet TRX 80W is also one, you will need a #4 Uni butt. I do not like roller guides, the modern ring inserts are actually better at distributing heat and friction than a roller and it is just one more moving part that will require maintenance. Examples:

Reels

Again, with reels what you need to look for is line capacity and max drag. In saltwater spinning reels, the brands usually have a line that is geared more towards offshore fishing that have higher line capacities and drag settings. Some honest truth here, I catch 6 foot sharks on 4500 series reels with 20lb test on a Medium weight 10 foot rod all the time, I mean hundreds in a season. I use that set up to throw live bait in the surf targeting Spanish, Blues and Reds and 50% of the time a 5-6 foot finetooth picks it up. The problem with that set up, is if you hook into a bigger fish, say a 7 foot bull shark or a big tarpon, it’s going to spool you. So when shark fishing, I would suggest going with the 8500-10500 size reels. You will want 500+ yards of line and at least 30lbs of drag. Examples:

For conventional reels, I use smaller reels for shorter drops (within 200 yards of the beach) and bigger reels for longer drops. All of my conventional reels can put out at least 50lbs of drag and are two speed. I do want to mention that you can absolutely use a plastic reel like the Penn Squall 2 Speed but know that if you fall in love with the sport, you are going to find yourself wanting to upgrade after your first season with it. I also prefer standard (often referred to as narrow) reels over wide reels. They are better at line control and have less wobble when fighting big fish, but I still use wide reels because I have money invested in them. Examples:

Smaller:

Larger:

Line

Spinning gear: 50lb braid (some states require 65lb minimum, know your local regulations)

Smaller conventional set ups: 65-80lb braid.

Bigger conventional set ups: 150-200lb braid.

Your line will get rubbed and nicked and take a beating in LBSF. Use heavier line to counteract this. I like Suffix 832 and Tight Line Braid.

Leaders, Hooks and Weights

I use two different types of leaders, casting leaders and deployment leaders. I use basically the same materials but they are designed differently for the two different functions. One of the things that people get wrong is not realizing that if braid touches a sharks skin, it will pop it. So you need your leader to be longer than the shark. I use 600lb coated 49 strand stainless steel cable from Catch All Tackle, High Seas Grand Slam mono that I get off Amazon in a 1lb spool, Catch All’s 20/0 Commercial Forged Circle Hooks, VMC Nemesis Circle in a 10/0 and Rosco 4/0 brass swivels. I do hand sharpen the Catch All hooks after they arrive but the VMC hooks come sharp out of the box.

For casting leaders, I will use crimps to make a 2.5 foot section of cable leader with a swivel on one end and a 10/0 hook on the other. I then use a palomar knot to attach a 10 foot section of 100lb mono. I then use a FG to attach the mono to my mainline braid (typically 50lb). If your braid and mono are too far apart in diameter size - say you are trying to attach 30lb braid to 130lb mono, it can be hard to get a good knot so just be aware of that. I like running 2.5-3 feet of cable because it gives you something indestructible to grab when landing the sharks.

For deployment leaders, I have moved away from using a long piece of heavy mono (600lb+) and instead I use a long piece of cable. I have found that the mono gets nicked and loses strength. On my deployment set ups, I run about 100 yards of 100-150lb mono topshot and connect that with a palomar knot to a 30 foot piece of 600lb cable. I like having something indestructible down by the fish where the action happens. Bigger sharks have a tendency to get all wrapped up in your line, particularly the medium sized tigers (7-11 footers). It also gives you something you can wrap around your arm and pull as hard as you can against without worrying that you might break it.

I use three different types of weights. My go to is a pyramid sinker. For casting I use a 3oz and for deployment I use an 8oz. I like the pyramid sinkers because a fish can pick up the bait and pull the weight out of the sand and then drop the bait and the sinker will settle back into the sand. However, pyramid sinkers do not work well in strong current. When there is a current ripping, I use sputnik weights for my casting rigs, usually just a 3oz because its the wire that gives it the hold, not the weight and I use spider weights for my deployment rigs. There is a significant difference between a sputnik and a spider weight. The wire on a sputnik will kick back and release when it gets pull out of the sand. This means it will not settle back into the sand once it has been pulled out, the wires will disengage and it will just roll around. This means you will have to reel it back in and reset the wire every time a fish pops it loose. The wires on a spider weight do no kick back or disengage, they stay in place. This means it will settle back in if something picks up and then drops the bait. This also means they are a pain in the butt to reel in. I usually end up having to use low gear when reeling it at the end of the trip because my arm gets tired.

Bait

Some sharks, like tigers, will eat anything but I have found that bait is actually really important. There are a few things to consider when thinking about bait:

  1. The ability of the bait to attract a shark.

  2. The ability of the bait to stay on the hook.

  3. The ability of the bait to target the size fish you are after.

Starting with attracting sharks. A few things that I have learned is that fresh, never frozen bait does work better. For the rigs that I have a 10/0 hook on, I usually just catch fish out of the surf, cut them in half and send them back out still bleeding. Oily fish like spanish or ladyfish work really well to attract sharks but they also tend to be softer and don’t stay on the hook as well. I have noticed that frozen mullet heads do not work as well as other frozen bait for some reason. One thing that I have implemented is the use of menhaden oil with my baits, particularly the large frozen baits like pieces of sting ray and large fish heads. Oil does seem to work very well as an attractant the problem is that it also attracts crabs which will chew up your bait.

Crabs are the worst and they will eat all of the flesh off of a fish bait. Which is why stingray and smaller shark are popular bait choices among LBSF anglers. The skin is too tough for crabs and they tend to leave them alone. The tough skin also helps keep the bait on the hook. When using a fish bait, I will cut it in half and put my hook through an eye and then out the skull for the head piece and then through the spine in the tail. Even when going through bones, you will still want to check small fish baits every 45-60 minutes, they just don’t last. I do not really like using live bait, it tends to just get bit in half and they miss the half with the hook in it, so I just go ahead and send 1/2.

Finally, you can’t stop a big shark from picking up a small bait, but you can have a bait that is too big for small sharks to swallow and therefore they tend to leave it alone. I use grouper, drum and tuna heads which work well. They are taller heads and require a bigger mouth to swallow. I also use stingray, I prefer the pointed wing sting rays over the round ones. I will use a piece that is the size of a small dinner plate. And finally, I use sharpnose sharks frequently.

Drag settings and setting the hook

When your rods are in the sand spikes make sure you have light drag. You want probably about 1/2 pound of drag. I have chased rods into the surf that got ripped out of the sand spike.

For my spinning gear, I usually will use about 15-20lbs of drag. This is plenty to bring in most fish that you are casting to.

For my smaller conventional set ups, I set the strike drag to about 20lbs. And then you can always bump it up from there.

For my bigger conventional set ups, I set the strike drag to about 30lbs.

When I have a run on the spinning gear, I immediately pick it up and start reeling. When I have a run on one of my smaller conventional set ups, I usually let it run for 20-30 seconds or until the line goes slack and then I slide the drag up to strike and reel tight. If you connect with the shark, you will know. For the bigger set ups, I will let them run for what feels like an uncomfortably long time but it is usually 30-60 seconds.

Landing and handling

It is intimidating the first few times you land a shark but if you are going to fish for sharks you can’t be afraid to touch them. Usually by the time you land a big shark (when I say land, I mean have your hands on the leader) it is pretty tired and they tend to be a little more docile than the smaller ones.

Smaller sharks (3-7 feet): These size sharks freak out when you touch them. They are not trying to bite you, they are trying to get away from you. Because of this, I have found that it is easier to grab the cable and drag them out of the water by the cable then trying to grab them by the tail while they are still in the water. Once I get them to the point that they can no longer swim but they are still on wet sand, I will then grab them by the tail and drag them a little further to dry sand so we can dehook them without waves hitting us.

I dehook a lot of sharks with just my hands. If the circle hook did it’s thing and is in the side of their mouth, it is easiest to use your hands to get the hook out. That said, if the hook is inside the mouth at all, I will use a pair of long nose pliers. I secure the shark by putting my knees on the sand next to its gills with my butt on the shark(I don’t put weight on it). From this position, the shark can freak out all it wants and you are safe from it’s teeth. I then grab it by the nose and when I lift up, they tend to open their mouths and I can get the hook out. If you want a picture with the shark, the space next to it’s gills in front of its pectoral fin is a safe space, it can’t bend it’s body that sharply to get you. Just remember it might freak out when you touch it. Once the hook it out, I then grab it by the tail and drag it back into the water. I get it about knee deep and turn it around so it’s facing away from the beach. Sometimes, the shark needs to recuperate and so I will hold onto its tail, keeping it upright and letting the waves pass over it until it is ready to swim away. Most of the time, the shark will dart off.

Bigger sharks(8+ feet): When landing bigger sharks, I use the 30 feet of cable to control the shark. I will get it into the shallows to where it’s belly is on sand but it’s still in the water. From here, I will do my best to dehook it but I will have a pair of wire cutters in my pocket. With the big 20/0 circle hooks, most of the time they are in the corner of the mouth and accessible. Doing this with waves crashing over the fish, is where the water meter key comes in handy because you don’t have to stick your hands down by the fishes mouth. That said, if the fish is being docile, I will frequently straddle it and lift it’s nose the same way I do with the smaller ones. I have never had a big one take a swipe at me, but it only takes the one time to lose a hand. If I can’t get to the hook, I will cut the wire. I then put my hand under it’s pectoral fin, wait for a wave and when the wave passes over the fish, I lift and push the fish parallel to the beach. This motion usually starts the fish swimming. I will then walk with it for a little bit and make sure a wave doesn’t roll it or push it onto the sand again, and then I push it’s side to send it back to the deep and they swim away.

You are a lot more likely to get bit by a smaller shark, they tend to be more green and freak out more when you touch them but a larger shark would obviously do much more damage.

Please do everything you can to get the hook out. Last fall, I took 4 hooks out of a tiger’s mouth. The hooks do not rust out.