Summertime Means Shark Time.
If you’re a fisherman, you’ve been asked “do you ever catch sharks?”.If you fish in the Bay the answer is probably yes. But, if by chance you haven’t tangled with the Tiburon, here’s a quick rundown to get you in the action.
First, where do the sharks live? Easy, go taste the water. Does it taste salty? Yes? Then sharks most likely live there. The Tampa Bay area is home to multiple species of shark. The Bay has hammerhead, bull shark, blacktip, bonnethead, sharpnose, lemon, spinner and nurse sharks. We also have mako, tiger and the occasional great white a little further offshore.
The Bay is a breeding ground for many shark species, so the size of sharks swimming our waters range from one-foot pups to 12-foot giant hammerheads with everything in between. The most common sharks caught in the Bay are bonnethead, blacktip, sharpnose, nurse and bull.
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 bonnethead and sharpnose can’t say “no” to a live shrimp, dead baits and cut threadfins. Free-lined baits (or fished under a bobber) work well on the flats where you will find these sharks. Twenty-pound braid and 40-pound fluorocarbon leader will land most of them.
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. Blacktips 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. So, a medium-heavy 8-foot rod with a 6000-size spinner or an 8-foot conventional with a 6.0 are best suited for these guys.
Last, consider the big dogs of the inshore shark family; the hammerhead, bull, nurse and lemons. Bulls, hammerheads, nurse, and lemons will mostly hit dead baits on the bottom. These are big fish and require big gear. Chunks of bonita, ladyfish, threadfins or stingrays will attract these brutes. Fish of 200 to 500 pounds are not uncommon in the Bay. Nine-foot rods with a 9.0 conventional, loaded with 100-pound braid and steel cable leader are the tools of big shark hunters. The bull shark is the most common of the giant sharks in the Bay. Lemons are caught with frequency, as are nurse and the majestic hammerhead, which is a rare trophy in Tampa area waters.
Sharks feed at all times. Night fishing can be very productive and a bit cooler in the summer months; although, plenty of sharks are caught throughout the daytime hours. The best areas to try are anywhere inside the Bay, beaches, passes, area flats, bridges, docks and piers. Yes, they are everywhere!
One last word of caution–avoid those teeth! Cut off the bigger sharks well above their jaws and make sure you have a firm grip on the smaller ones when removing the hook. Do not grab a small shark by the tail. They can turn all the way around and bite you!
Ok, you’ve been warned–now go out and get that monster! Please practice catch and release, and follow FWC regulations if you keep a blacktip, sharpnose or bonnet