Shark Fishing And The Chum Slick

Shark fishing is becoming more and more popular in the United States and around the world. With the increase in shark and shark fishing related shows on cable TV more and more people are going out onto the water to try their hand at it.

Shark Fishing

The key to catching sharks can be found in using the right bait and chum also known as ground bait. When it comes to chum, the more the merrier, and the smellier the better. So don’t skimp on the chum when shark fishing.

Sharks for the most part have poor eyesight, but they make up for this by having one of the best senses of smell of any animal. A huge portion of a sharks brain is dedicated to smell and researchers have been able to determine that sharks can find food by smell alone from many miles away.

Some very popular forms of chum for shark fishing is chopped up tuna chunks, tuna oil, small bait fish, and chicken is also good to use. Some people like to blend or mince all of their fish up and then place this mixture into old milk cartons. They then place these milk cartons in the freezer and freeze the mixture for use later. For best results when using chum that is frozen in blocks, I like to use a liquid version as well even though the frozen blocks will slowly melt and leave the desired chum slick. This chum slick, which usually includes mixtures of fish oil and fish bits is added to the slick in a consistent manner. If I am stopped and just drifting in my boat sometimes I will throw the chum directly into the water, but other times I will use a small buck to aid in dispensing the chum in small portions while I am on my way out to my favorite shark fishing spot.

What you need

When shark fishing always use top quality equipment and fishing tackle. Sharks will make short work out of low quality tackle so don’t skimp on the quality of the equipment that you purchase. It will save you money in the long run. Most anglers like to use a 50 to 80 pound mainline with a 200 to 300 pound leader usually made of wire to prevent bite offs. A wind on leader is also a very good idea! The average hook size that I use is usually between 10/0 – 12/0 and strong hooks are a necessity. When targeting smaller sharks you can get away with hooks down to about 3/0 in size. A fighting belt and harness is also a great idea when shark fishing. There is nothing worse than hooking one of these monsters and realizing that you should have brought one.

Bait for sharks

Without wanting to make this sound too simple sharks eat fish. Any fresh fish flesh will do and tuna is one of the most popular baits used. I myself prefer a lot of time to use barracuda as I described in a previous post, but for the most part sharks will eat just about anything.