My buddy and I went fishing this weekend for sharks out of galveston, and came back dissapointed.

We wanted to hook on to some big action without having to go far offshore(I have a 18' whaler w/ 150) So got some shad and mackerel and leftover junk from a bait shop. We anchored north side of the north jetty by some wrecks. Proceeded to chum and cut up shad and mackerel for the next 4-5 hours. Ended up catching 3 sharks, all of which were smaller then 5 lbs.

Had two rods with extra heavy duty tackle on them, and two rods with 10lb test for catching more bait or whatever. Ended up catching the sharks on the light tackle.

Where are all the big boys? How can I catch them?

From what a few people said, I should have hooked into some but "there was no way I could reel them in"

heh...the "big boys" that i've seen include 14' bullsharks. unless you've got a 50-80# rig, you ain't gonna catch one of them. try surf fishin' on a high tide, bait moves closer in and the big sharks follow. sharks are generally night feeders, so from dusk to dawn or a few hours there after are most productive. I am surprised you didn't hit a couple of 4 or 5 foot blacktips though

wait till the shrimp boats get out there. then just fall in behind them and look out. i'm not sure when they will be out, but keep your eyes out on the beach front. my buddys do this out of the west end of galveston and hook up on 5 and 6 foot shark till they can't stand it anymore!!!now for the really big boy's? i will leave that up too the big boy fishermen! hee hee. not sure of how big of a shark i want too pull up to the side of my boat? i was just talking too my wife about this. we are waiting on the shrimp boats to start up. it's going to be fun. good luck

Hey iridered.....I'm still pissed you're not in a brand new boat but it seems you've not slowed down reguardless!!!
I am headed your way the weekend of the 8th and staying for 4-5 days. My buddy got us hooked up with Captn Casey Cundiff on the Cool Seas boat. I know this sounds crazy but what should we expect? I would love to hang a Wahoo like you got a few weeks back!
After the offshore we are going to either wade or fish from my 1650 duck boat. We are staying in Terramar Beach on the west end. What would you suggest we hit from the boat if the winds are right?
scott.gilleland@davita.com

"big" sharks really aren't that common in Galveston. (Big = 10'+) I just bought a 12/0 senator....and loaded it with 1200 yards of 130# braid and 200ish yards of 100# mono. THAT rig will get fish like in! HAHA

i'm still pissed about my new boat also. it's been a year and i hope this feeling goes away some day???not sure who capt casey is or where he is? hit all of west bay or the south and north jetties. they can't slow me down, the cca/star only made me stronger!! and the fish are not safe anymore?

Another good spot for catching shark is much closer in than the end of the north jetty...when you move through the boat cut on the north jetty look at your 11 oclock about a half mile out. You can barely see whats left of a ship wreck sticking out of the water. It is within 1/2 mile of the beach. I've pulled numerous 4-7 ft blacktips & Bulls off that spot. We would just hook on a big chunck of mackerel or lady fish and drift in towards the wreck.

if ur talkin' about down at bolivar, that ol' tumped over shrimp boat is in about 10 feet of water. very visible from the beach, can't be more than 300 yards out

Ever done any good fishin' around the boat off blivar???

haven't fished around it that much...i usually follow the birds in the morning. it is relatively close to the pocket though. i know of a few people who'll yak out to it, tie off and climb up on the boat and fish off of the part of the boat that sits outta the water though. am definitely gonna try down there over the 4th.

So what I've basically gathered is I should try the same area except maybe closer to shore(old shrimp boat), and maybe some different bait(cut mullet, stingray).

Two other notes-

Is there a best time to catch sharks, or just need some tidal movement or what?


How to deal with junk fish(catfish, etc...) that keep eating my shark bait. Last time I simply caught every catfish I could and sliced them up and tossed them in the water.

Every year we take a trip down to Galveston to shark fish. We usually go out of San Luis Pass. We'll go out about 4-6 miles and throw some chum out, hook on some shad and drift. We usually get a couple black tips each day, from 3-6 ft. The steaks are great! Last year I got a 6 foot hammerhead up to the boat, but he bit through that 200lb steel leader. I also caught a 33" king drifting for sharks. Does anyone know of the best way/time to catch sharks? There are times when it doesn't seem there's any sharks around, or they don't want to bite. This year I also want to try going out to a rig maybe and try for some other kinds of fish. Any tips are appreciated.

sharks are night feeders, between dusk and dawn is when they're most active. however, a high tide will bring them a little closer to the beach and they'll be eating. try and hit one of those in the a.m. hours...specks and reds should be around so u can take a shot at something other than a toothy if you care to. my favorite time to fish is early morning (around 5 a.m. 'till maybe 11 a.m.) that's when i do best anyhow

Yeah...sundown till about an hour after sunup for sharks.To keep from catching hard heads and gafftops just use bigger bait.

Catch a few ladyfish with shrimp and cut those for bait. Better get some strong wire leader and a rig that will hold plenty of line and has a good drag system.