I've recently been interested in land-based shark fishing and am trying to learn as much as I can about it. I have gone with a friend a couple of times and it has been a lot of fun! I get motion sick easily so I can't go offshore, so the fact that I can still chase giant fish from land is very exciting.

 

Anyways, I want to know: When is the best time of year for land based shark fishing in NW Florida? I heard that on the east coast it's Jan-Apr because of the gulf stream migration (?) but am not sure if that applies to the gulf coast side as well. Can you still catch em in the heat of the summer, aka right now? There is very limited info on this online...

 

FYI I've been using spinning tackle, haven't graduated to the big conventional rods & kayaks yet. My biggest so far is a 4.5ft black tip.

I have fished for sharks for over 20 years, it is a fun hobby that is very different from bass fishing. Make sure to bring the proper tackle for shark fishing and take care of the tackle well. You can catch sharks anytime in Florida but there are certain times of the year that are better. I have done best with bait that I catch myself such as jack crevalle. As for spinning tackle I have caught big sharks on spinning tackle, it can be done and lots of people do it.

A guy just got bit by a black tip down here the other day. I have been seeing a bunch of different sharks while I am out snook fishing lately. The Bull sharks and Hammer heads follow the tarpon. So from march starting where I am at up until about now there are plenty of sharks to be had. I am down around the Boca Grand pass. I do not fish for them but have buddies that do. 

On 8/14/2020 at 8:28 PM, soflabasser said:

there are certain times of the year that are better

What times would that be?  

 

edit: after digging around a LOT (like, for days. I can't believe how hard this is to find out) I've heard that Oct-Nov and Feb-March are the best months? Does this sound about right? I'm really clueless about this and am trying to plan some trips!

 

Do research and find when the big schools of baitfish are in the place you want to fish. Every part of the state is a little different but you should be able to have sharks bite the bait almost anytime of the year. Hardest part about shark fishing is landing them so make sure your tackle is in good condition. I prefer using freshly caught bait that I catch myself but you can also buy frozen bait if you want. Accept the fact that you might have to fish for several days before you catch your first shark from land but it will be worth it when you catch a shark bigger than an average sized person. It will be even more rewarding if you can catch this shark without a fishing guide, at least it is much more rewarding for me.

So, how has the shark fishing been going?

Shark fishing is very similar to catfishing. In both forms of fishing you need lots of patience. Make sure to learn how to tie a good leader and use quality gear. 

Be careful when unhooking them, they bite.

14 hours ago, Hudson McLean said:

So, how has the shark fishing been going?

From the FB pictures I've seen, not too bad.

On 10/19/2020 at 10:19 AM, Hudson McLean said:

So, how has the shark fishing been going?

I took my dad out last month and we caught some good ones!  

Going again next weekend

Nice.  Haven't done any shark fishing in years and all of that was done from a boat.  Never tried it fishing from shore.  

On 8/10/2020 at 1:56 PM, j bab said:

I've recently been interested in land-based shark fishing and am trying to learn as much as I can about it. I have gone with a friend a couple of times and it has been a lot of fun! I get motion sick easily so I can't go offshore, so the fact that I can still chase giant fish from land is very exciting.

 

Anyways, I want to know: When is the best time of year for land based shark fishing in NW Florida? I heard that on the east coast it's Jan-Apr because of the gulf stream migration (?) but am not sure if that applies to the gulf coast side as well. Can you still catch em in the heat of the summer, aka right now? There is very limited info on this online...

 

FYI I've been using spinning tackle, haven't graduated to the big conventional rods & kayaks yet. My biggest so far is a 4.5ft black tip.

I did shark fishing from pier and I had success , can you do pier? I have good tips for you, I study that a lot and I can give you best help to catch them.

2 hours ago, ATA said:

I did shark fishing from pier and I had success , can you do pier? I have good tips for you, I study that a lot and I can give you best help to catch them.

There are some piers in the area I fish, tips are always appreciated!

Don’t do bottom fishing, crabs will get them all. First get some macros using Sabine rig, then attach your weight 4 to 6oz to the end of your braid 60lb to 100lb depends on your rod power, and cast that weight as far as possible, then attach your float rig to your line and send it in with half/full macro. This is the only way I catch sharks and sometimes sting rays. All other options are off.

i am currently on trout fishing trip, I’ll be back Friday and send you the pictures of float rig, I got 11 foot shark using this technique, also land 38” as well. Don’t forget macro and some case sardines.

On 11/10/2020 at 8:41 PM, ATA said:

Don’t do bottom fishing, crabs will get them all. First get some macros using Sabine rig, then attach your weight 4 to 6oz to the end of your braid 60lb to 100lb depends on your rod power, and cast that weight as far as possible, then attach your float rig to your line and send it in with half/full macro. This is the only way I catch sharks and sometimes sting rays. All other options are off.

i am currently on trout fishing trip, I’ll be back Friday and send you the pictures of float rig, I got 11 foot shark using this technique, also land 38” as well. Don’t forget macro and some case sardines.

I enjoy using balloons to help bring my bait farther out and keep it in the middle of the water column. I just have a penn senator 6/0 and it's not easy to get it out there any good distance so allowing the bait to drift out there while having a visual indicator of where its at is nice. Plus I believe that the scent travels better in the middle of the water column rather than the bottom. Big mullet, ladyfish and spanish mackerel have been my go to baits.

On 11/10/2020 at 7:41 PM, ATA said:

Don’t do bottom fishing, crabs will get them all. First get some macros using Sabine rig, then attach your weight 4 to 6oz to the end of your braid 60lb to 100lb depends on your rod power, and cast that weight as far as possible, then attach your float rig to your line and send it in with half/full macro. This is the only way I catch sharks and sometimes sting rays. All other options are off.

i am currently on trout fishing trip, I’ll be back Friday and send you the pictures of float rig, I got 11 foot shark using this technique, also land 38” as well. Don’t forget macro and some case sardines.

WOW, lots of new info in here for me! Would love to see a pic and learn how to do this, sounds like a great method. I've been bottom fishing with 2ft of cable to 5ft of mono (weight slides on mono portion)

just got home from my fishing trip, ill take and send pictures as soon as I can.