# shark bait rig



## Bradley_G (Apr 10, 2012)

hey guys, wanted to see what you would reccomend for rigging larger baits for sharks. Multiple hooks, how big is too big for hooks, and how do you rig the multiple hooks to the leader? Any pictures that you could post or refer to would be awesome. gonna try and get some sharkin' on this weekend from ssi and jekyl. 

Anyone gonna be out in these areas and want to meet up?


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## wharfrat (Apr 10, 2012)

40-80lb main line, with 200-300lb leader and a mustad 7/0 j hook should get her done.


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## fishtail (Apr 10, 2012)

And usual rule of thumb is to make the leader as long as the intended Shark.
Abrasion from the tail or body can damage the line quickly.
Sinker weight is dictated by the current.


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## BuckMKII (Apr 10, 2012)

In order to better answer your question are you going to be fishing from a boat, pier or the surf? Also if you are surf sharking will you be casting or yakking out your baits?


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## Bradley_G (Apr 11, 2012)

gonna be doing some pier fishing, may try balooning something out during the right tide. Will be for sure casting from shore with some, and hopefully yaking out some baits as well. 

My main question is when using two hooks, do I attach the leader of hook two to the eye of hook one?


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## Sharkfighter (Apr 11, 2012)

Here is what to avoid in the first pic,


Lacing two hooks through the body of the ray as in this second pic (not my pic) works better.


When fishing with a live bait fish, try getting the hook alongside the body like this one where I used a Zip tie. 

Do you know what bait you will be using yet?


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## gulpjuice (Apr 11, 2012)

sharkfighter has the monster shark rig. they look very similar to the ones i make for deep hole shark fishin. coated cable and copper pipe for crimps  I like using a large stingray or a 2-4' shark. Fresh bonita work well too, but needs to be a big bait. Doesnt matter what kind of shark. Cut all the fins off the shark making it as streamline as possible so it won't sit and spin in the current on the bottom. Last and first 2 hours of the tide are best. Next take the wire leader with big hook and weave the leader through the shark starting in the back and going to the head. When the shark takes the bait give him a good minute to swallow/chew on the bait good. That is how i have my best luck with 300lb+ sharks. You gut hookem a lot with a j hook never tried a circle hook prob would work tho. I have caught several big lemons, 2 tiger sharks(one 5-600lbs! estimated with my dad on board who has caught them at 8-900lbs), and a good hammerhead at 450lbs with the rig that sharkfighter has the pics of. You cannot cast that rig.....unless you do the texas tornado and sling er out there  Most were caught using fresh dead 3' sharks. My dad grew up fishing on the pier in the early 70's he taught me a little bit. But all my big sharks have been in a boat, doing it from the pier is tough and have never done it


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## Sharkfighter (Apr 11, 2012)

Ok just took these pics,  

I buy them from the local guy in Richmond Hill.  THey are coated wire 4 ft long.  He has them with both circle and regular hooks.

Recently I switched to circle hooks for almost all my fishing, especially if I am going to be releasing back into the sea as opposed to releasing into hot oil (or onto a grill, broil pan etc)

I havent tried these circles on a big shark yet though that is going to happen this year!


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## Bradley_G (Apr 11, 2012)

Nice. For now I'm using a owner cutting point 12/0 which is got a huge gap, though not a circle hook like I prefer. On a 10' 275lb wire leader and 350lb swivels. This should get the job done for the mediums, not sure how it would hold up to a real beasty shark.


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## BuckMKII (Apr 11, 2012)

I like to experiment with how I make my castable shark leaders. I have gone through the clipdown rig and pulley rig stage and have finally settled with these style rigs.


This rig starts out with a 13/0 Eagle Claw 190 circle hook on 18 or so inches of 270lb test Pro Rigger 7 strand coated cable. I double crimped this cable on both ends and twisted it back on itself to make the connection a little stronger. The cable is connected to about 5' of 400lb test Momoi Hi Catch mono with a 600lb stainless steel Billfisher Krok swivel. I have a barrel swivel between two beads which my weight is allowed to slide along the mono. I have a 500lb test swivel on top of this leader. I do like the larger size swivel on the top because it makes leadering fish a little easier. 






This next leader is almost identical to the above leader except I used a 13/0 VMC 9788PS hook and two Rosco 4/0 350lb swivels. The cable is not twisted back on itself and it is double crimped at both ends.





I have used some weedeater leaders and this is how I make mine.  I thread two sleeves on the weedeater line. I put an offshore loop (it may be called a flemish eye) on the eye of the hook (a 13/0 VMC 9788PS) and leave a long tag end. I crimp the line near the loop knot. I wrap the 12" or so tag end then crimp it with the other sleeve. It helps with biteoffs because it is double thickness in the area where it is most likely to be bitten. I placed snap swivel in between two beads for the weight then cut the weedeater line where the overall length of it will be 6' to 6'1/2" long. I have a Rosco 4/0 swivel on the top.




Here is a better view of the business end of this leader. 





This last leader is good for small sharks and bull redfish. I start with an 8/0 Gamakatsu octopus circle snelled to 6' of 200lb test Triplefish mono. I thread on a size 4 single barrel sleeve down on the mono and use some Klein pliers to gently crimp it down as a bead stop. I like to have it as far down the leader as possible but not so far that the weight will interfere with the hook and bait. I thread a snap swivel between two beads and crimp a 600lb test Krok swivel on the top.


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## zedex (Apr 11, 2012)

I've used 150, 180 and 200lb mono lines for leaders and though they do hold up, their reliable lifespan is not that long. And, if using them, be sure to bring a few extra rigs.

 As mentioned before, make sure the leader is longer than the target fish. A 6ft leader is no match for a 6ft shark, but also remember that sharks have amazing bending abilities and they can tangle your line around their tail. Some Texas sharkers insist on 2X the target shark's length. Personally, I prefer to use 1.5X. A 6ft shark should have a 9ft leader.

When I used cable, I preferred 49strand SS cable and I ran a length of heat shrink tubing over the entire length and also coated the hook shank from eye to barb.

 Once, in a pinch, I stopped by Wal-Mart and bought a cheap cat runner cable about 6ft long for a couple bucks. It is already plastic coated, doesn't kink up and was easy to get crimps for at a hardware store. I still have that leader and it is about 7 or 8 years old and well used.

 As Sharkfighter sowed, it is better to rig with the hooks deeply embedded and use two-4 hooks, bait size dependent, of course.

If you do not already have one, get a good kidney belt for back support and make sure you have a big fighting belt and vest. Even a short fight with a large shark and ruin your spine for life. Be properly prepared.

 If you are surf fishing, learn how to "sit on the line" or "sit on the shark". Practice it. Basically it is learning to sit or lean very hard against the line, using your weight to tire the shark down. This takes a huge load off your lower back and arms and helps you stay on your feet. If the line snaps, you just land on your butt.

You should also never go alone or count on beach goers to help. Some may, but that does not mean they know what to do or how to do it. Take some one else or six that are sharking as well and you all help each other.


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## Bradley_G (Apr 12, 2012)

thats a great idea to use the weedeater line. Whats the pound rating on that stuff?


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## BuckMKII (Apr 12, 2012)

My 400lb test Momoi Hi catch mono is .80", so the .95" weedeater line has a diameter of 600lb mono. Both will hold my full 280lbs in a dead hang.

One thing about all mono leader is that I've found that I get more bites on it than with a steel bite section, but occasionally you do get bitten off even with circle hooks. I lost a huge shark this past fall on one.


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## pbmang (Apr 12, 2012)

Let us know how it goes.  I will be heading down there with some buddies in a few weeks and we are really looking forward to it.  Based on stuff I've read on surf shark fishing websites, I've been making up some leaders as well.  Anything from 280lb single strand wire and 12/0 or 13/0 circles all the way up to 480lb 49 strand wire with 20/0 circles.  I've got a few weed eater rigs made up as well.  

This will be our first trip ever doing this, so I'm excited to see what happens.  We are going to stagger our rig sizes and bait choices and see what may show up.  We figure that we will have the rods out for at least 3 days straight so we should hook up with something.


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## BuckMKII (Apr 12, 2012)

Also you may know how to properly crimp mono but if you don't here is how you do it. I also have been using a thimble but they are not necessary. The blob on the tag end really improves the holding power of the double barrel crimping sleeves.


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## pbmang (Apr 12, 2012)

Hey Buck, what crimpers do you use for the weed whacker line? Mine don't do a great job (I think they are a little small) and I'm pretty sure they will fail at some point.  I need to get a better set, just don't really know which ones are the best to get.


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## BuckMKII (Apr 12, 2012)

pbmang said:


> Hey Buck, what crimpers do you use for the weed whacker line? Mine don't do a great job (I think they are a little small) and I'm pretty sure they will fail at some point.  I need to get a better set, just don't really know which ones are the best to get.



On .95" weedeater line I use 2.4mm crimps. I found thin walled aluminum ones and thick walled copper ones. My hand crimpers only went up to 2.2mm so I sought out ways to make the crimps. For the thin walled ones I use the notch in Klein pliers. The secret here is to not over crimp and blob the tag end of the line so it can't pull back through. On the thick walled crimps I use the smallest hole in a cable swaging tool. These look like a set of bolt cutters 
with holes cut out in them.

Top to bottom Klein pliers, standard crimping tool, and cable swagers:


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## creteus (Apr 15, 2012)

Bradley, whats going on man? I buy my rigs preassembled from bass Pro. Its 9 foot of 400lb cable with a number 12 hook, but I run mine out on a kayak from the beach.


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## Bradley_G (Apr 17, 2012)

doing good creteus, you make it out much last year?


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## creteus (Apr 17, 2012)

I did ok by the looks of your picture you did to


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