# Mexico Beach Sharks



## Treedup (Aug 10, 2014)

I have had no problem with trout and reds out on mexico beach but i want to catch some nice sized shark from the beach. 

Whats the best way to catch stingray for bait? Is that the best way?

Im headed down there this weekend any advise would be GREAT!!!!


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## tradhunter98 (Aug 11, 2014)

I have never fished there but I'm sure baits and methods are close to the same. 

I like rays, bonito or any other fresh fish. 

Will you be yaking baits out or just casting?


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## Treedup (Aug 12, 2014)

i yak them out a hundred yards or so


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## STIFFER HORNS (Aug 12, 2014)

Gig them in the shallow water at night they are very plentiful in port st joe on any shallow flat


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## barnetmill (Aug 12, 2014)

From some years ago when collecting for UWF we used to see sting rays when we were wading in shallow water in that area and we did not want see to them at all since it is not good if you step on one.


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## Nicodemus (Aug 12, 2014)

barnetmill said:


> From some years ago when collecting for UWF we used to see sting rays when were wading in shallow water in that area and we did not want to them at all since it is not good if you step on one.





They`re still there. I saw a pile of stingrays there last week.


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## tradhunter98 (Aug 13, 2014)

Just try to drop in the deepest water you can get to.


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## 95g atl (Aug 13, 2014)

That's exactly what I was thinking about doing this fall....catch a shark from shore. 
And ironically we always go to mexico beach. 
For anyone that hasn't been there. Don't go. Stay in Panama City plz  haha


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## bronco611 (Aug 13, 2014)

if you can go to Indian pass there are some large sharks that cruse just off the sand bar during the day you can see them at times.


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## Treedup (Aug 14, 2014)

What is the best way to catch sting rays?


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## nickel back (Aug 14, 2014)

Treedup said:


> What is the best way to catch sting rays?



caught a many of them using cut bait, like pin fish or lady fish...

also caught a many sharks using cut bait, whiting makes good shark bait, just cut it in half.

good luck


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## Lukikus2 (Aug 19, 2014)

Ladyfish is hands down the best bait for sharks. I've soaked alot of bait for them but there is something about the oils or scent in ladyfish that sharks will hone in on like no other. If I don't have ladyfish I won't even bother. My set up is a nine foot heavy action spinning rod with the reel spooled with 65 or 80 # braid. I connect a weighted float with a 3 or 4 foot wire leader and a 10 ought circle hook. With this rig I can sling the bait around 80 or so yards off the beach. Here is a pic of one and the float setup. Depth doesn't matter on the bait as sharks are not finicky about coming up to the top to feed.


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## lampern (Aug 19, 2014)

About 10 years ago I caught a big blacktip at night from Mexico Beach.

It was caught from the beach on a cut ladyfish. I caught the ladyfish from St Joe Bay on live shrimp.

Biggest fish I have ever caught- 100 lbs or so?


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## Treedup (Aug 20, 2014)

We got back on monday from port st joe. I will tell you that i caught something BIG but the hook came out. 

Started fishing at about 4 oclock for bait. The bluefish were STACKED in there, I couldnt keep my hook baited, they love the bonita by the way. I wound up with 3 bonita ( bought), 3 bluefish ( I threw 4 back ), and 1 whiting and 5 catfish for bait for the night. 

I cut a 18" bluefish in half and threw it out as far as i could on one rod and got a HECK of a bite on it in not even 5 minutes but nothing ever came of it.

However, I had a 12 surf rod with 60lb braid and about a 2' wire leader baited with the midsection of a bloody nasty bonita. I casted out what seemed to be a hundred yards let it hit the bottom and then I sat down. It wasnt 30 seconds later it was as if someone hooked up their truck to the line and pulled the rod almost out of the holder. I picked up the pole and it was all i could do to hang on, it was striping the drag faster than anything i have ever had the chance to reel in. The fish was so powerful i couldnt move it, i couldnt pick the rod tip up or anything. It took drag like it was nothing for about 15 seconds and atleast 100 yards or so and then dropped the bait. I guess the hook was never in his mouth. He had the wire leader curled up like a birthday ribbon. 

IM ADDICTED. I will catch him again one day.


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## Lukikus2 (Aug 20, 2014)

Sounds like fun.
I've never tried bluefish as bait before but bet it wouldn't be any different than ladyfish as oily as they are. I've used bonita offshore and it's probably the best the way it bleeds out everywhere.
The reason I keep my bait high in the water column is to keep catfish, crabs and rays off the bait.
You never know what you could of tied into but the way it was stripping line I would lean toward a big ray. Who knows, it's a blast either way.


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## Treedup (Aug 20, 2014)

Lukikus2 said:


> I connect a weighted float with a 3 or 4 foot wire leader and a 10 ought circle hook. With this rig I can sling the bait around 80 or so yards off the beach.




How often do you have to recast with the current carrying the floating bait? Or is that a problem?


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## 2degrees (Aug 20, 2014)

I am not sure what to do from the beach.... how ever this summer we would catch hard tails around the markers and just free line then.  We wanted to catch just kings but we had A LOT of sharks.  We were happy if we never got them to the boat.  The first was fun then it was work.


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## dawg2 (Aug 20, 2014)

Treedup said:


> What is the best way to catch sting rays?



We were catching them on squid at Mexico Beach two weeks ago.  BUt I am not telling anyone where we got 8 gallons of scallops


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## Lukikus2 (Aug 21, 2014)

Treedup said:


> How often do you have to recast with the current carrying the floating bait? Or is that a problem?



Most times I fish the gulf side so there really aren't any ripping currents to carry it off. Then again fishing with ladyfish it never took very long to get a bite. 
Last summer there was a day when I would throw it out and multiple sharks would swarm it. It was cool watching them go airborne off the beach trying to get the bait from the others.


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## 95g atl (Aug 21, 2014)

beach goers probably scared as heck!

a few years ago my g/f and I swam (well I swam, she floated) out to a sand bar a couple hundred yards from shore.  She spotted a shark and flipped out.  I had to swim (while she floated on her floatie) back paranoid I would get bit.


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## Lukikus2 (Aug 22, 2014)

95g atl said:


> beach goers probably scared as heck!
> 
> a few years ago my g/f and I swam (well I swam, she floated) out to a sand bar a couple hundred yards from shore.  She spotted a shark and flipped out.  I had to swim (while she floated on her floatie) back paranoid I would get bit.



I'm a snorkeler and scalloper and do some free diving every now and then. You are not alone for sure. I have limited out on scallops and caught bull sharks over 100 lbs on the same location.

One tip fishing from the beach. Find the nearest deep trough and your chances will be better. They seem to run the trough's better than a gradual slope. Sometimes it means getting past the secondary sand bar.


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## dawg2 (Aug 22, 2014)

Lukikus2 said:


> I'm a snorkeler and scalloper and do some free diving every now and then. You are not alone for sure. I have limited out on scallops and caught bull sharks over 100 lbs on the same location.
> 
> One tip fishing from the beach. Find the nearest deep trough and your chances will be better. They seem to run the trough's better than a gradual slope. Sometimes it means getting past the secondary sand bar.



At Mexico Beach you get better results fishing in the 1st trough, not the 2nd sandbar, especially at night.


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## redneck_billcollector (Aug 25, 2014)

I don't know about catching sharks from the beach @ Mexico Beach, but just west of there around Crooked Island there must have been a gillion working the beach this weekend. I was tarpon fishing and saw numerous schools of blacktips around 4 to 5 ft long numbering upwards to around 50 or more sharks per school working from the second sand bar into the surf.  Saw some bull sharks too, but nothing like the schools of blacktips that were everywhere.  Lots of rays and turtles too. The sharks seemed to be interested in the mackeral that were everywhere, they were chasing the mackeral that were chasing the bait pods.  We found a goodly number of tarpon but couldn't complete the transaction so to speak.  Some takers but no good hookups.  We started casting to the sharks with both live bait and dead bait and they showed no interest, no biggy anyhow, we did not have any cable or wire leaders.  The sharks seemed only interested in the large numbers of mackeral that were everywhere.  

Nic, your boat would be ideal for this type of fishing as long as the surf ain't bad or the seas are like they were this weekend.  You should give it a try, that is if you have any interest in catching fish you can't eat.


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## Atchafalaya (Aug 25, 2014)

Treedup said:


> I have had no problem with trout and reds out on mexico beach but i want to catch some nice sized shark from the beach.
> 
> Whats the best way to catch stingray for bait? Is that the best way?
> 
> Im headed down there this weekend any advise would be GREAT!!!!



^^^^ Squid


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## Lukikus2 (Aug 26, 2014)

Blacktips are fine eating.


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## redneck_billcollector (Aug 26, 2014)

Lukikus2 said:


> Blacktips are fine eating.



Oh, I know they are, I was talking about the tarpon....they are fun to catch. This was one of the first times ever I actually threw to a shark and didn't get hit. I am not one to fish for them on purpose much anymore.  When I was young, yeah, but now, no.


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## 2degrees (Sep 10, 2014)

What sand bar is several hundred yards out in the gulf?


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