I actually like shark meat and I would like to catch a couple of keepers from my boat. Small (but legal) blacktip or sharpnose are fine since larger sharks seem somewhat gamey in taste.

The problem is my boat is definitely not for beyond the breakers so I need to find them in the Lower Laguna Madre. I have had several "accidental" catches where they bit on bait intended for other fish, especially at the mouth of South Bay, but the next time I take the boat out it will be specifically to "shark hunt."

Any location or technique pointers?

SF

Not a very easy thing to do, first of all as you probably already know, only a few sharks actually get back into the bays, but yes they are there. For some reason the only species i, personally, have seen is black tips, and the only place i have seen them more than once in the same spot is in the very back of copano close to bayside, tx. Find the large schools of horse mullet and look for large wakes behind them. Never caught one or tried to fish for them, but they are definitly hitting fast moving mullet. Usually on the outer edges of the underwater grass beds. They are very spooky though so good luck sneaking up on them with a boat. I would make things esy on yourself if you want shark meat to eat. Get some horse mullet, drive down to PINS and cast into the second gut, catch 2-3footers all day and night.

cownose ray is the ticket for some shark..the bay usually dont hold much sharks, u will prob have better luck near the surf from the 2nd gut out.

What is PINS?

Padre Island Natl. Seashore

Thank-you sputerfuss are there as many sharks there as mentioned above; and is there a best time to fish for them there?

How do you get the rays? Once caught, do you hook them live, or use them as cut bait?

Rays will take live or dead shrimp, among other things. Use them as cut bait. Personally I have found that you will have success catching sharks from PINS using whatever is currently available in the surf...Whiting, Pompano, rays, Jacks, mullet and even a hardhead will produce. They are what is available and what sharks are feeding on. Sharks are available year round in Texas surf. The same is true for near offshore.

So just bait up like fishing for anything else and hope you get a ray? I guess I can do that.

Fishing shrimp in the surf you will catch something eventually, so once you catch something, put it on your big rods and throw it out there and hold on. Be sure to have proper gear for shark fishing down at PINS because you might be looking for a 3-4 ft blacktip when a 7 ft bull picks it up. Small baitcasters will burn up from the friction as they are spooled leaving you with no line and a broke reel.
Cut the wings off of a ray and throw it in the 2nd gut. a shark will come to you!