Hey guys-

Last time I asked in the inshore section you guys had some great advice, so I will try again and see if I can get some more good advice. If we were to fish for sharks off of PINS in our boat, what kind of line and hooks would you need? Obviously, a wire leader, but that is about all I know. I was thinking braid and a 6/0 to 12/0 hook, but am unsure if that is correct and would like a little more info on just the setup in general. Would you just rig up a chopped whiting on that? Thanks for all the help guys!

I do that all the time when things get boring in the summer...basic set up being 17 to 20 lb. test line... wide gap#4 or #6 circle hooks and about 24 inches of wire leader or the new coated braided wire....no worries...use skip jack or Bonito as bait if you can catch or find any..sharks loke the stuff. No weights are necessary..the popping cork should be enough...fish for em on an outbound tide as it carried the fish blood and oil out to start a scent trail..from a boat you ca see them following up the scent stream if the water is clear..really kewl to watch

My shark experience is all drifting in a boat where we've caught a lot of sharks in 20-30 feet of water off the beach front. I usually rig with stiff rods, 20 or 30 lb mono, 50 or 60 pound mono shock leader as long as the fish you expect to catch, and 4 or 5 inches of piano wire leader above a large circle hook. If the bait (palm size shad, spanish sardines, or ribbon fish) length warrants or they are biting the tails off we'll add another hook near the tail attached to the front one with more piano wire. Use knots or swivels for the connections. Tie a balloon to the line to establish depth. Chum chum chum and keep a chum line going behind the boat. We usually set the baitcasters on free spool with clickers on, spinning reels add some kind of clip so the line will pull free when the fish takes the bait. Use circle hook setting technique when they take the bait. We set 2 to 4 rods out at various distances and depths, taking turns when a fish hits. The hard part is trying to decide what to do when they get too big to try to bring into the boat. Be careful and watch out for their mouth. If you plan to eat it, club the head hard a few times, cut the head off, cut the tail off, then gut it. Put the rest in the cooler after you rinse it off. That method eliminates the ammonia smell in the meat. Sharks excrete urine into their bloodstream as a defense mechanism when they are stressed or scared which creates the ammonia smell making it unpalatable. I only keep blacktips for the table, and they're usually big enough without the head and tail that they meet minimum length requirements. When they were close I kept the head and tail in a bucket in case we got checked. Blacktips are identifiable without the head and tail. I'm not sure if this complies with regulations, maybe somebody will reply on that. I wouldn't want to keep them if I can't do that because I know what the resulting smell is like when cooking and on the plate.

You cant cut their head and tail off until you transport them to the point of their final destination. Once you clean them you must cook them at that site. TP&W requires that any shark be a minimum of 24" long to keep. If you cut the head and tail off there is no way to determine the entire length of the shark and you will likely get ticketed and the shark confiscated. I know that in most cases the torso alone will be longer than 24"...but its kind of like gettin refused from a club due to your license being expired...its like hello genius..than means I'm even older....just part of the law we deal with because there are those who try to get away with stuff.

Hey guys, thanks for all the help and clarification of the rules. I don't think we will keep any simply because I have heard the meat can ruined very quickly if you dont do it right, just like Kevin said. Thanks again! I will let you know how the trip goes.

Barstow's reply about cutting off the head and tail got me digging into the rules, since I thought it was okay to do so with sharks and it is. According to page 29 of the 2007-2008 Texas Parks and Wildlife Outdoor Annual Hunting and Fishing Regulations: "Broadbill swordfish, shark, and king mackerel may have the head or tail removed but the carcass must remain intact - the fish may not be filleted."

Kevin- Thanks for clarification. We are leaving the night of the 16th and I am pumped, but my brother is about to go insane waiting. Ready to catch something big!

Shark meat is very good and you don't necessarily have to worry about the meat spoiling. All you have to do is when you catch the shark, cut a slit at the base of the tail about halfway before cutting the entire tail off to bleed the shark out. When all the blood is drained from the shark, put it on ice. Then whenever you get home and actually clean the shark, soak the meat in milk for about three hours in the fridge and then rinse it off and cook it. There will be no ammonia smell I guarantee it.