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Ok guys, I have a Penn fierce 8000 and do quite a bit of shark fishing from the surf. What is the best rig for sharking with this combo. Need info on shock leaders, and steel leaders hooks, weights, etc. I don't have a kayak and wade out to about waist deep water and cast. So I need a rig that is easily casted. I have the reel lined with about 450 yards of power pro 65# braid. Any help or pictures on a rig capable of of being chucked a good distance would e greatly appreciated. Thanks
I haven't done shark from the surf in years, but I had very good success with 3-4 feet of coated steel cable(80-200# depending on what was handy). I rigged with a 9/0 J hook, sometimes as big as 12/0, then about 8 inches up the steel I'd crimp a sleeve, thread on a bead and between 3 to 6 oz egg sinker followed by another bead. Then crimp a swivel to the far end. I usually had a 20 ft section of 60-80" mono between my steel rig and albrighted to my main line. With a good sized surf or 8' boat rod I could get my bait out a good ways. Allowing the sinker to slide down almost to the bait helps alleviate that bait/lead combo from cartwheeling and tangling all the way out on the cast. The longer shock leader allows the connecting knot to pass through most rod tips in a more linear direction with the cast, minimizing the chances that your rod tip goes with it.
sounds good. how would you attach the hook to your coated leader? and what size sharks could you target with this set up with 100lb coated leader and 100lb mono shock leader with 65lb braid?
I fish Penn 9500SS reels spooled with 300 yards of 65# braid and topped with as much 50# mono as they'll hold.
The 50 is the shock leader for casting and abrasion resistance from the bottom and sharks hide.
Castable leader is generally 16/0 Mustad circle on approx 4' of 135# coated cable, 3-8oz pyramids and baited with anything from a whole mullet, half a mullet to a 3" mullet steak.
Smaller leaders are 7/0-9/0 circles on 3-4' of cable.
Leaders constructed using double crimps for hook and barrel swivel. Generally I put my weight on a 200# snap swivel tied onto my mainline an cliipped into the leader's barrel swivel. If you're going to fish it as a Carolina rig, just slide a weight & bead on the line and tie to barrel swivel.
I prefer double barrel crimps for cable. Double or single on mono.Quote:
Originally Posted by Klester31
I have landed sharks up to about 300# on these rigs with casting tackle. I've hooked some much larger that either chewed through the steel or were just too big to control with 'surf' gear.
I have about 25' of 100lb mono attached to my mainline which is 65lb pound braid. Then I use that Texas tackle factory premade shark rig which is 6' of 175lb coated cable and a 10/0 hook I believe. Is this a rig capable of catching shark 6' or even bigger? What are sharks in my size limit that I should target.
In the past, I had bought from Double D Extreme online. Had good success with casting and hookups, but out of 4 hookups last year I had one bite through and one jump and cut the braid above.
This year I bought Malin 278# single strand wire. I use 16/0 Mustad Circles, haywire twist to 3ft of wire, 600# barrel swivel to a 5ft section of 200# mono. I have a few beads and a sliding snap swivel for the weight, which slides the length of the mono.
It sounds long to cast (and it is), but if you use spider weights you can slide one of the legs through the gap in the haywire twist on the hook, which will half the length of the steel leader. When it hits the water, it will release on impact almost every time.
I'll try to take a picture tonight...but you can google "castable shark leader" and look for double D.
See if this works:
The largest rig I'll tie up for casting is 90# coated 7 strand cannonball rig the length of probable quarry, attached to an 80# mono casting leader. 50# braid for mainline. Circle hooks don't have to be huge, like 9-12.
YMMV