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Shark season
has started. It is August -- prime time for
shark here in the Philippines. Anglers have
been chomping at the bit to get out there.
Most shark anglers know that blue sharks are
the primarily bite in June with Makos also
making their appearance. Although not as
experienced at catching sharks as other
species, it gives me a big thrill to go
after them. There is just something about
the fish that I find fascinating. I am sure
the movie Jaws had something to do with it.
It really is not that difficult to fish for sharks. Of course you need much heavier tackle than you would use for catching bluefish or striped bass. Many shark anglers use Penn International Reels with heavy shark or tuna rods. You hear about Penn 50's or Penn 80's, but your more anglers are now switching to lighter tackle. Penn 30 and even Penn GTI series reels are more commonly being used. I have landed sharks on a Penn 114 H, and let me tell you, it is some fight. The line test varies but should be somewhere between 30 pound to 50 pound test. I like to use 50 pound just in case a big Mako hits. Generally anglers do not like catching blue sharks because they do not jump like mako sharks. Blue sharks can get pretty big, though -- as big as 12 feet! If you haven't caught a big shark, it is quite an experience. Some say blue sharks even give you a good fight. Here again, if you have never caught one you'll enjoy the experience. It is something worth doing at least once in your lifetime.
The first is bunker chum. Bunker chum is ground up bunker which is then frozen in large tins. Bunker chum is very oily and produces a slick on top of the water. You can actually see the slick flatter than the surrounding water. The second type of chum is mackerel chum. It is ground up mackerel which produces the same effect. You can get a nice chum bag, but you can also just punch holes in the tin can itself to get the chum to leak out. You should be aware that sometimes the sharks will attack the chum bags and tins, themselves! I like to use a plastic milk crate with the chum right in it. Some say this is over-doing it, but I don't like to wait long for a hit, and it seems that sharks appear that much sooner when I start chumming this way. It is amazing to see the big sharks swimming right up the chum slick and right by your boat. You get an eerie feeling the first few times it happens. I might add that it's very beneficial to wear polarized sunglasses when you are out there on the water. They protect your eyes from the ultraviolet rays and allow you to cut the glare and see into the water. My choice would be like Ocean Wave polarized sunglasses. I have been told by a number of different shark anglers to always use different baits. The best baits I have found are whole bluefish (preferably live), bluefish filets, mackerel, mackerel filets and tuna filets. Use different baits on different rigs. You should also have a heavy leader, about 10-15 feet in length. 100 lb. monofilament, a wire leader, a pre-rigged leader all work. The usual hook size is 6/0 to 10/0. Another important item is your float. You have to float the baits at different depths. Common floats to use are pieces of styrofoam or balloons. I prefer balloons because they're easier to put on the line, and seem to stay better. Some anglers have favorite colors but I'm not sure of their effect, although reds, pinks and whites do show up better on the water. Fish one line about 50 yards from the boat and another at 75 yards. Remember to keep one in close as well, especially for those sharks that come right up to your chum bucket.
When hooked, Mako Sharks will usually jump and put on quite an exciting. Blue sharks don't jump but they will give you pretty good fight, depending on the size of fish. In Philippine waters, you might also catch the fairly common Thresher sharks, although these are (not on the endangered species list) on the list of species we target, we tend to release them live. We will definitely not target any Whale Sharks as this is number 20 on the endangered shark species list. Sharks are normally offshore, but have been caught close to the beach as well. Anglers will say that you have to fish the canyons for the bigger fish. Some also like to fish wrecks. But the bottom line is that where there is bait, sharks will follow. I do most of my shark fishing at water depths between 130 and 180 feet. Most of the time I catch blue sharks, which can be fun to catch, although not edible. On the other hand, Makos are delicious. If you have never tried Mako on the restaurant menu, you should do so at least once. You know the old saying: "try it , you'll like it!". I would also highly recommend that you enter a shark tournament. You really don't have to be experienced to enter. The fees are not that expensive, and what is more important is that you're part of a competition. Make sure you have a seaworthy boat (some tournaments have minimum lengths on the boats, which is a good safety measure).
- No shark
should be brought boat-side or onto the deck
until it is completely exhausted. Use a slab of kingfish or barracuda under a balloon or bobber & then suspend the slab of bait into the oily chum. Stagger your baits as to shallow level, mid level bait, & deep set bait. Fishing
Tackle How to
Find Sharks Good luck fishing! |
The
most important technique used when shark
fishing is to set a good chum slick -- just
like when flounder fishing -- only using
much more chum. There are different kinds of
chum used for catching sharks. I'll mention
two here. 
That
is basically all there is to shark fishing.
Now all you have to do is start drifting. It
is very advantageous to have a southerly
wind. The reason is that the wind will cause
you to drift towards the beach, which is
home. Keep the drag off your reel, but leave
the clicker on. It will warn you when a
shark takes you bait. Some anglers like to
let the shark eat the bait for a while. As
they say: "let him run with the bait". I
prefer to try and hook the shark quickly,
just in case it's planning on spitting the
bait. Remember to set the hook three or four
times to make sure you have a good hook up.
NOTE: