surf fishin in NJ need advice
- Thread starter tscharf
- Start date
I cant give you alot of information about the shark fishing up there but i will give you some basic knowledge on bait and gear etc.
As far as gear goes...
1. You either want a big conventional rod and reel (penn 6/0 with 6' heavy rod AT LEAST) and rent a kayak to paddle the bait out into the water past sandbars very far.
Note this can only be done when the surf isnt too bad but is the most effective way to target sharks from the beach.
OR
2. You can get a surf rod(9-10' at least) and a big spinning reel(i would recommend Fin Nor) with braid and cast out a bait as far as you can.
Note with this setup you can only put out smaller baits and your distance is also compromised.
If you decide to go with the penn 6/0 or bigger depending on which one, i would suggest at least 50 lb monofilament and spool the reel all the way. For leader tie on a 200 lb mono shock leader at least 6' in length. Tie this directly to the mono. Now tie a thick wire leader to the 200 lb test and put the hook on the wire.
This allows you to have enough leader for say a 10' shark. The reason we use the thicker monofilament after the 50 lb test is because a sharks skin is very sharp and if he decides to swing his tail at the 50 lb mono it will snap like a twig.
If you decide to go with the spinner put some 40-50 lb braid on there(power pro is good) you should get at least a good 300 yards. As far as the leader goes tie a shock leader of 100-200 lb mono about 4' in length and the wire leader <2 foot. Even with a 4-6 foot leader you should be able to cast this baby out on a big surf rod.
The most important part... THE BAIT
You can have the best bait in the world but if it aint fresh it wont work as good.
Fresh bait is the key here, and fresh bloody bait is probably the best. Down here in florida some of our favorite shark bait include jacks, bonita, rays, other sharks, and even moray eels. Try passing by some fish docks and see if someone who caught any tuna that is fresh is willing to part it for a couple bucks. This will be your best bet.
If you cant obtain fresh bait, the next best thing is to get a sabiki rig on a smaller rod and put pieces of squid on it and cast it out. This will result in you catching baitfish that can either be used to catch bigger bait or for the sharks themselves.
Make sure to read up on the fishing regulations there to make sure youre not going to break any laws.
If you have any more questions just ask, ive been shark fishing in florida for a while and can help you out!
As far as gear goes...
1. You either want a big conventional rod and reel (penn 6/0 with 6' heavy rod AT LEAST) and rent a kayak to paddle the bait out into the water past sandbars very far.
Note this can only be done when the surf isnt too bad but is the most effective way to target sharks from the beach.
OR
2. You can get a surf rod(9-10' at least) and a big spinning reel(i would recommend Fin Nor) with braid and cast out a bait as far as you can.
Note with this setup you can only put out smaller baits and your distance is also compromised.
If you decide to go with the penn 6/0 or bigger depending on which one, i would suggest at least 50 lb monofilament and spool the reel all the way. For leader tie on a 200 lb mono shock leader at least 6' in length. Tie this directly to the mono. Now tie a thick wire leader to the 200 lb test and put the hook on the wire.
This allows you to have enough leader for say a 10' shark. The reason we use the thicker monofilament after the 50 lb test is because a sharks skin is very sharp and if he decides to swing his tail at the 50 lb mono it will snap like a twig.
If you decide to go with the spinner put some 40-50 lb braid on there(power pro is good) you should get at least a good 300 yards. As far as the leader goes tie a shock leader of 100-200 lb mono about 4' in length and the wire leader <2 foot. Even with a 4-6 foot leader you should be able to cast this baby out on a big surf rod.
The most important part... THE BAIT
You can have the best bait in the world but if it aint fresh it wont work as good.
Fresh bait is the key here, and fresh bloody bait is probably the best. Down here in florida some of our favorite shark bait include jacks, bonita, rays, other sharks, and even moray eels. Try passing by some fish docks and see if someone who caught any tuna that is fresh is willing to part it for a couple bucks. This will be your best bet.
If you cant obtain fresh bait, the next best thing is to get a sabiki rig on a smaller rod and put pieces of squid on it and cast it out. This will result in you catching baitfish that can either be used to catch bigger bait or for the sharks themselves.
Make sure to read up on the fishing regulations there to make sure youre not going to break any laws.
If you have any more questions just ask, ive been shark fishing in florida for a while and can help you out!
Gotta agree with the sabiki rigs. I go out pier fishing a few times a year in california and havent caught anything huge yet, but we always catch tons of baitfish on sabikis baited with small strips of squid on the 4th and 5th hooks. Even caught a dozen or so decently sized mackerels that ended up on the dinner table.