Fishing for shark: where do I find the bait?

Question

I know that i should use mullet when i fish for shark, and i know i need a lot of it.. but can u buy that much at a bait shack?? help much appreciated!

Answer 1

If you're trying to get a shark of any real size, mullet is a bad idea. Down here in Florida we use bonitos or tinker mackerel to catch sharks. As far as chum to call them in, just buy a few chum blocks and a chum bag, which is basically a mesh bag to control the release of chum to make a good slick. You can get that stuff at about any bait shop. Pouring a bit of menhaden oil in the water works well, too.

If you're not in tropical waters, just ask any local fisherman what the bloodiest bait fish is in your area and fish live bait and you should get the best results.

Answer 2

Mullet makes great shark bait, the TX state record bullshark was caught on live mullet.
Most baitshops in my area don't carry the big mullet that you'll need for a decent size shark, all they carry is finger mullet which work great for smaller species of fish. So I use my cast net to catch the bigger mullet alot of times but I can't alway find the big mullet.
Some other bait I use alot is bonito or go catch a ladyfish/skipjack myself and cut them up for bait.
Also before I go shark fishing, I go to the cleaning station by the boat ramp for some chum. The one I go to doesn't allow tossing the carcasses in the water and will have trash cans full of fish guts. I just fill up a couple 5 gallon buckets and away I go.
Also be sure to have a long steel leader and VERY sharp hooks. A sharks skin can cut through monofilament in the right situation, and their skin is very tough so alot of times you won't get a good hook set. On the steel leader I prefer to use a single strand leader over the braided steel. The single strand fits better between the shark's teeth and helps keep the hook set right.

Answer 3

Bait Shops probably have plenty of mullet for shark fishing... But make sure with all fishing, especially with sharks, to be VERY careful!!!

Answer 4

For me, half the fun of shark fishing was spending time catching the bait myself. I usually save and freeze not only the remains from cleaning fish for the table, I also save and freeze whole bonita, mackeral etc. Then on shark fishing day, just grab 2-3 buckets of frozen bait out of the freezer and go.

Answer 5

Any bait or tackle shop will have bait. The kind of bait depends on whether your surf fishing, fishing out of a boat, etc... Use what they are feeding on. Mullet is a good bait for surf fishing but again you want to match the hatch. I mean if there is croaker in the surf you want to use croaker. If it is spot you want to use spot. But usually you want to use an oily fish bait,the smellier the better. False Albacore is my favorite bait its oily and bloody. If you can get it.

Answer 6

Have you tried a tackle store? They have local ones in towns, and you can get them at any lake. Almost all lakes have a little store, that you can buy bait from. YOu can also look online, an dorder things. Oh, and yes, you should be able to bye that at a bait shack. I hope you catch a big one. Best wishes
-Aqua

Answer 7

Usually boat marinas carry supplies for shark fishing. You could use mullets. Or mackerel. Or bunker (menhaden). Some stores sell bunker oil that you mix to make a chum slick. The old timers, use to kill whales with shotguns, to make shark slicks. You need to attract the sharks and to make a potent slick.

Answer 8

Not sure if you can still do this but, I used to go out to the head boats when they came in and get the scraps from (mainly heads) the fish they cleaned. It is free and easy.

Answer 9

Really oily fish, lost tourists and small adorable children all work very well.