This will be the second time shark fishing from the beach. I ma looking to go for med to lrg shark. Any recomendations on my set up. I used standard circle hooks and leaders bought from the local bait shop in Bolivar. But would really like to increase my chances with a solid set up. I have a penn senator with a med to heavy 7' rod. Would ike to use braided 80lb. ANy advise would be great.

Use teenagers for bait.

A teenager was attacked by a shark near Surfside Beach Monday afternoon.

The 15-year-old boy was with a church group and was swimming in waist-deep water.

He felt something bite into his left calf and reached into the water to pull the shark off, Surfside police said. The shark then bit his left hand.

A witness said the victim appeared to be conscious and talking when he was loaded onto a stretcher.

�He didn�t look like he was in any pain when they were taking him on the stretcher to Life Flight,� said Billy Cornelius. �He was looking around��

A Life Flight helicopter rushed the teen to Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Texas Medical Center. His condition isn�t known.

We�re told the wound on his hand is the more serious of the two. A Surfside paramedic said they called Life Flight as a precaution because they wanted to make sure doctors could save the hand. Surfside is a small, beachfront town located about 40 miles southwest of Galveston.

Our sister station KHOU is following this developing story.

If you have a kayak you can yak baits out far but if not wade deep as you can and throw bait out far as possible. I have a 10' med heavy with a crappy Shakespeare real with 60# braid that i use for shark fishing. I use store bought leaders and my bigger shark from the surf is 5 1/2 foot black tip. PM huntinfortail he does a lot of shark fishing and he can set you up with the right stuff

We are going to slp area Monday for same thing. I have a setup with approx 700 yds of 100lb power pro and we r going to kayak our bait out. This is my second trip down but first with kayak and parge reel setup. I have made my own leaders with 7x7 strand cable approx 6ft long and backed with another 6ft of 400lb mono connected to a barrel swivel. I am hoping to find my first eight footer. I have used gamakatsu 12/0 Nautilus hooks. Check this website out. On the right side you will find their shark shorefishing suggestions.

http://www.tx-sharkfishing.com/

shark fishing?? It sounds awesome!! I've never tried this! Looking forward to seeing the shark fishing pics of yours

Was down there last week and had best luck on shark using ballyhoo and live croaker. The guys next to me were using big pieces of stingrray. Make sure to use long leaders.

To target big sharks, your need the right tackle. I use the following tackle:

A reel with 800 yards x 50lb PowerPro braid as backing.
300 Yards x 60lb of high abrasion resistant monofilament
My reel: Shimano Trinidad50. This reel is more than up to the task, 260kg Grey nurse (Sand Tiger), Dusky sharks up to 150kg are a no match, nor a 250kg Great White, although protected picked up my bait.

My rods are 12' to 14' high modulus, stiff graphite or carbon composite rods with a lot of backbone. The object is to land a big fish as quick as possible because you do not want a lot of amino acid buildup in the muscles of the shark since it would kill him and we don't want to do that.

I use a 1.5mm leader line (approx. 150lbs)to withstand the roughness of the shark's skin and underwater obstructions.

I used a nylon coated multi strand steel wire with a minimum breaking strain of 200lb and it should not be less than 3' in length. For the Grey Nurse, you need about 5' because it swallows the bait since its teeth was designed to grip and not to cut.

Hooks should be strong hooks with a thick gauge wire 10/0 and bigger. You can also use circles, 16/0 or bigger, but not when targeting the Grey Nurse.

You could check out the forums on extremecoast.com as well. But it seems to me your on the right track. The leader is just as crucial as the line its self.... what size of sennator do you have!

Surf fishing for sharks is a subject that could take novel to even begin to cover. I've been at it for 4 years seriously now and am still learning every trip. It's hard to come on a forum and ask for advice a weekend or 2 before a trip and expect to learn all you need. There is a lot of good info out there on many sites. One of the most knowledgeable and helpful groups is www.sharksonthesand.com join that forum and ask questions and learn.

It is also a dangerous sport. It's best to learn the hazards of what you are getting into and to be able to prepare yourself. Also learn how to ID sharks. Especially if you plan on harvesting any. Many species of sharks look very very similar and some are protected species.

If you have any specific questions on leaders, rods, reels, or tackle I'm sure we could help answer some.

Senator 114h2. I am using 100 yards 30lb mono on the bottom
and 700 yards 80lb braided. Love the reel though.