Forget Afternoon Thunderstorm–It’s Time to Fear the Sharknado.
Summertime shark fishing is coming into full swing. Sharks from 3 to 8 feet are running rampant from the shipping channel to the flats and all points in between. The Tampa Bay area is home to multiple species of shark. The most common sharks caught in the bay are bonnet head, blacktip, sharpnose, nurse and bull. Occasionally, giant hammerheads and tigers enter the bay as well.
Tackle can range from a med action 7.5-foot rod with a 4000-size spinning reel to an 8 to 9-foot heavy action convention set up with 6/0 to 8/0-size reels and up.
The bonnet head and sharpnose can’t say no to a live shrimp. Dead baits like cut threadfins also work well. Freelined baits or fished under a bobber work well on the flats where you will find these fish. Twenty-pound braid and 40-pound flouro leader will land most of these sharks. The blacktips prefer live pinfish, greenbacks or mullet. They will hit cut baits and even lures. Baits fished on floats and freelined work well. Knocker rigged bigger baits will attract the bigger fish around the bridges and passes. They are the most sporting of the inshore sharks and give drag burning runs on medium inshore gear. Some of the bigger blacktips push well over 100 pounds. We’ve landed several black tips pushing over 150 pounds this season. A med heavy 8-foot rod with a 6000-size spinner or an 8-foot conventional with a 6/0 are best suited for these guys.
Also, the big dogs of the inshore shark family are the hammerhead, bull, nurse, and lemons. Bulls, hammerheads, nurse, and lemons will usually hit dead baits on the bottom. These are big fish and require big gear. Chunks of bonita, ladyfish, jacks, threadfins and stingrays will attract these brutes.
Fish of 200 to 500 pounds are not uncommon in the bay. A 9-foot rod with an 8/0 conventional loaded with 100-pound braid and 200-pound mono leader are the tools of big shark hunters. Mono leader allows for easier releases over steel cable. The bull shark is the most common of the giant sharks in the bay. Lemons are caught with frequency, as are nurse. The majestic hammerhead is a rarer trophy in Tampa area waters.
Sharks feed at all times. Night fishing can be very productive and a bit cooler in the summer months, but plenty of sharks are caught throughout the daytime hours.