Thread: Park Rules: Landing a Record Shark

The only issues I see would be finding a certified hand held scale when you need it, ability to lasso the shark's tail, accurate deduction for rope weight, strength to hold a record shark steady for true weight, method to remove the lasso, and the law/rule against landing sharks in Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and the Gulf State Park property.
I am sure Park Ranger Roger Reetz can answer the record shark question for you.

You may just have to settle for the self-gratification of doing it.

Originally Posted by FinChaser

The only issues I see would be finding a certified hand held scale when you need it, ability to lasso the shark's tail, accurate deduction for rope weight, strength to hold a record shark steady for true weight, method to remove the lasso, and the law/rule against landing sharks in Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and the Gulf State Park property.
I am sure Park Ranger Roger Reetz can answer the record shark question for you.

You may just have to settle for the self-gratification of doing it.

Yeah, it would be much easier going for the 25 pound king, hah!

Nonetheless, self gratification was certainly plenty on the shark as that was some major fun.

To answer some other questions, the leader has to be under 15 feet long for my line class according to IGFA--20 in certain cases. My assembly was simple--using a small circle hook.

The real issue I will have is the underwritten rule of a rod having a minimum of 40 inches. So if I go for a record, I'll have to use my 5' Clarus rather than a 24" ice rod.

The first shark I pulled in was likely a Grey Reef Shark, and was close to the same length as the Blacktip. Took about 45 minutes, but on a separate reel (same rod) with 5 pound line.

Then I raised the bar with a much smaller reel and 1# line, and the Blacktip took just over an hour.

Gee, VG, I love Ultralight Tackle, too. What you are doing is nothing short of amazing, IMHO. My big line for surf fishing is 10# test on a Penn 6500 SS. Too chicken to go much lighter, tho my flounder outfit in the surf is 6#. May need to rethink this before our next visit to Ft. Morgan.

Originally Posted by bodebum

Gee, VG, I love Ultralight Tackle, too. What you are doing is nothing short of amazing, IMHO. My big line for surf fishing is 10# test on a Penn 6500 SS. Too chicken to go much lighter, tho my flounder outfit in the surf is 6#. May need to rethink this before our next visit to Ft. Morgan.

Bodebum, keep in mind that nanofil is what they call a uni-filament superline. While it looks like braid, it is not, and has a similar breaking point to mono. My fluorocarbon vicious line has a stronger breaking point than the nanofil in the 6# class, so they seem pretty accurate. That said, nanofil is an incredible line. Took me getting used to handling it's slickness. I've since learned to connect it's double uni splices to a strip of mono. It will NOT successfully connect to itself or braid--so slick that once in water the knot comes loose. But works well when connected to mono backing/spool extensions/top shot. Definitely worth trying.

With that said, if you do decide to drop down, I recommend getting PP spectra 5# first to see if the lighter diameter is something you like, or trying either a hybrid line like yozuri, or a fluorocarbon like Vicious--who both make incredible light lines and you can feel ultralight 1-4 pound with extra confidence.

As for Snakes other question, to cast a "hardtail" on that thing I have to do a swaying pendulum overhand swing. Otherwise, Jeff grabbed it and tossed it like a baseball with the bail open. Also, I use a 10# mono topshot, so it doesn't break in casting. Not only does casting big baits with smaller diameter line cause the line to break, but it also stresses the guide centers on these cheaper setups--as I learned the hard way long ago.