Don’t throw the bait straight at the shark as this will often frighten them and they’ll disappear. This may sound like mayhem, but if each angler keeps track of what’s happening and applies side strain to steer the fish away from each other major tangles are very rare in these situations. While fly and spinning tackle are more sporting methods of approach, consider that both will be more strenuous than standard gear that could be used with a harness. If you want an effective rubby dubby or chum, then use fresh ingredients, ideally those caught on the day and turned into instant dubby. Again, do not strike. Some skippers use the 25-gallon screw head barrels the same way. Braid also has a tendency to dig into itself when loaded on the spool under heavy pressure such as playing a large fish. A mortally wounded or dead mackerel will drop down through the water column head first due to gravity. A definite indicator you, the angler, are fighting a shark far too hard is that they will roll in the trace. Only use just enough weight to keep the bait down in the water. The modern practice of total catch and release means these fish were not claimed as records, but it proves the point that blue shark fishing is on an upward peak and the prospects for the future are positive. Once you start, keep the scent trail going. The shark will see the bait dropping in the water and invariably takes it. Free shipping on all orders over £50 to UK mainland! When you tighten this, lubricate the mono first, then tighten it slowly making sure it tightens up evenly and neatly. They have the ability to smell tiny amounts of blood and fish scent from at least a quarter of a mile away, their sense of smell being hundreds of times better than that of a human. Like all fishing successful sharking tends to depend on how much effort you, as an individual, are prepared to put in. For shark fishing in the UK there is generally no need for tackle over 50lbs class. Some angler half-hitch a match as a stop, but this can kink and weaken the mono. There are a number of spinning outfits capable of handling sharks, but favourite would be a high quality saltwater fixed-spool reel loaded with braid and matched with a rod designed for popper fishing, such as the Daiwa Saltist Popping Rod. Here’s how to make the perfect and most effective dubby. Circle hooks have an unusual looking round bend and in-turned point that’s designed to only hook the fish in the corner of the mouth or lip – this really helps when you’re unhooking a shark of any size. When the shark feels the hook, it will run fast. A minimum of three buckets or barrels of dubby is ideal. Many anglers think it’s all over when the shark hits the surface. Offset points can be difficult in penetrating the tough jaws of a shark as the line pressure on an offset point is reduced compared to that on a straight point. After this we move into the sea fishing scale which add a /0 to the size and range from 1/0 to 12/0. If you can, visit your local fishery and see what type of flies are hatching and the different bait available for the fish. Try to do this while travelling out to the shark grounds, or at the port before you leave so that the oil can really penetrate and swell up the bran. Terminal tackle tends to be pretty standard for most types of shark fishing. The ideal length for a shark trace is 15-feet. There is more noise from the hull of the boat which can bring fish in for a look based on the trawler scenario, plus the rubby dubby works well and gets well distributed. Their common habitat is in the sub-surface water column in the open ocean where the average depth is at least 300ft and ideally deeper. The distress vibrations put out by the mackerel as they fight will home the sharks in. Essentially, you want a bigger chunk of your cut-up bait to entice the shark. Hooks should be either duratin or bronzed and never stainless steel which will not rust out if they are left in a fish. The biggest giveaway is the serrated cutting edges to the pointed teeth. They prefer water in excess of 200ft and are rarely found in lesser depths, though diseased or confused fish can sometimes be seen swimming along beaches in shallow depths, this is not common. Blue sharks can be caught on any size of tide, even the smaller neap tides, but generally, they feed better and travel further during the bigger spring tides. The Talk Sea Fishing team have looked back at their catch diaries going back well over 30-years and the pages clearly show that the best of the fishing is through the middle hours of the flood when the tide is picking up and flowing strongest. Blues can also sometimes be found working around wrecks, again because these aggregate a large number of fish making feeding easier. There are a few purpose made shark trolling lures available. At one end twist on using neat touching turns of the wire a size 6 swivel. This can be 30-feet or all the way back down to depth. They can work well, but a lot of experienced anglers still avoid them as they can result in a lot of dropped fish. There are many secret ingredients and “family” recipes associated with rubby dubby, so firstly we need to dispel some untruths. Blue sharks tend to show from May in the South West, before becoming the predominant catch in the South Wales area from mid-June through to the end of October. The tide is also very important in how the rubby dubby or chum trail, this being a mix of mashed up fish, oil and bran to bring the sharks in, works in the water. The shark rig can be used with various large size hooks, lines, and weights, but the overall concept is the same: having the ability to cast your bait very far out into the surf and withstand the sharp teeth and strength of a monster fish. This might work for massive porbeagles, tigers and Great White’s but will only result in mostly dropped runs from blue sharks that won’t often go over 100lbs. About an inch further down, put the hook into the body and bring it fully through as previously, and then a third time. updated Aug 1, 2020, 10:08 pm Another option on the same theme for the furthest balloon is to trot the bait out further, say up to 25-yards. If, at any time, a shark runs when taking the bait then suddenly stops without warning, then adopt the same sequence, immediately engage the drag, click the ratchet off and tighten into the fish. From then on through to mid-October almost anything can happen. The best way to sharpen a hook is to look at the points profile. The design sees the hook turn in the mouth of a fish as it takes the bait and turns away typically hooking the fish in the scissors of the mouth. The system starts with hooks that are sized 24, which are the smallest freshwater hooks, and go up in size (in even numbers only) until size 1 is reached, which is the largest freshwater hook. If you prefer, there are electrically powered mincers that will cost more but are twice as quick to use. Granted, it’s the job of the skipper and crew to land the shark, but you need to keep aware and be prepared should something go wrong. When you’re playing a shark and there are other sharks in close proximity, the flash of a chrome or silver swivel will see them attack the flash and this causes a cut off where it is knotted to the main reel line and the loss of the shark. Sadly these sharks are rare captures although most experienced shark anglers agree that greater effort with specialist techniques would lead to more being caught. One of the benefits of fishing using fly gear is that you are always holding the rod and in direct contact with any enquiries at the business end. The water temperature is up slightly at the moment on last year so if this remains the same from now on, the prospects should be quite good. Capt. The largest hook is a 10/0 which is big enough for a shark. On Board: Some shark charter boats travel long distances to the grounds, so stow the gear as instructed and don’t start assembling rods or traces until it’s safe to do so. It’s a simple fight letting the clutch do the work. Drop these over the side close to the boat one every 20 seconds or so. This little trick can make a massive difference to the number of takes a bait can draw during the day, and it’s especially effective on the calmer days with little swell. 19/0 hook is available with or without a chain (Chain length is 32"). A knot formed like this is ultra-strong for light line fishing and relatively uncomplicated to tie when at sea. Pass the hook through the tail end at the cut, then pass the point as far down the bait as you can until the bend stops you going any further. A body section about 10-inches long is enough. Above the free sliding balloon swivel, knot the mainline in tight touching turns wind on a 2-inch length of the wire. Before the bait goes over the side, we like to add a single small fillet of mackerel hooked just once through the thin end of the tail and leave this to hang a little way below the hook point. 3 – Bring the end of the wire back on itself to form a loop, then pass the end of the wire in and out of this loop and again through the eye of the swivel three times. It’s considered a good method to target the larger porbeagles and mako sharks over this side of the Atlantic. Whichever hook pattern you choose, keep the hook point sharp at all times. The lines are paid back at different distances and depth is regulated by the type of line used, but you are always in direct contact with what is going on. When going to this lighter class of rod, think carefully about the action you choose. You do not strike with a circle hook, you just let the line come tight and this hooks the fish. Before you book with a charter just check a few basic points. Even if you try to keep things contained in a big bucket or fish box, inevitably the mix will get trickled onto the deck as you continually replace the contents and this results in a slippery and dangerous deck. Fresh and frozen herring is excellent. There is room for a lot of experimentation with this technique. Stiff rods are a natural choice, but in reality, a more modern soft tip action with power creeping into the upper mid-section and with power increasing quickly into the lower mid-section and finishing with a short stiff butt section is a far better choice when fishing these lighter lines. Lifting a dubby barrel, bucket or bag and giving it a good shake will make noise that the sharks home in on, plus it releases a flood of scent and fish bits that will excite the sharks. This is a 4-5ft length of multistrand cable, typically between 400 and 480lb with a Flemish loop for the snap-link to attach to at one end and the hook at the other. 98. You want it to wash out slowly, not all at once. All shark gear can be provided on our trips although a good number of our regular anglers have their own. Fishing hook sizes may not be exact, but they are roughly equivalent. In these conditions, the presentation needs a different approach. Make yourself a couple of lanyards from a 4ft length of paracord or climbers cord. These wire leaders are usually around 6 feet in length. During periods of very rough or stormy weather, the baitfish shoals get scattered into much smaller groups and this means the sharks have to roam far and wide to locate their food. Begin by cutting the tail fin off the mackerel about 2-inches below the tail. It’s easy to understand why. These reels will take over 400yds of 30lb line, have a brilliant drag system which is very important, plus holds more than enough line, even for very big fish, plus they are tough and can take the rigours of shark fishing. They are true ocean wanderers! The two downtide buckets give you the width of the scent lane, and the middle uptide gunnel bucket helps concentrate the smell in the middle of the scent lane. This can be enough to get it feeding and more likely to come closer to the boat. To achieve this, put one barrel on the downtide stern corner and one up by the cabin. You can mostly feel this happening through the rod, and more so when the shark spins the other way and the wire trace pings off its tail. The only time to consider a 10/0 sized hook is when there is a really good chance of picking up a much bigger fish in the 100lb plus range indicated by other recent captures. Walking a shark around the bow is a common occurrence and we’ve seen sharks go round the boat two or three times, so be prepared for this. The balloon can slide freely on the mainline and on the short section of wire and swivel it cannot twist around the main reel line during fishing. 4.6 out of 5 stars 419. Make sure when wearing the butt pad that the belt is tight around the waist to fully support the rod. Johnson usually goes with an 8/0 inline circle hook for inshore and nearshore shark fishing. A #6 hook will generally have a shaft about five-eighths to seven-eighths of an inch long. You can add a rolling swivel in the middle of the wire trace, but this adds a potential weakness and is not really necessary for blues. The surface oil though, will veer with the wind and sit off the true direction of the actual scent trail. Brand: Unbranded. Again, this is an over-heavy approach for fish that are unlikely to run much over 100lbs for the majority of anglers. They have also been seen to take sunfish off the surface, and have also been observed forming small packs and herding up prey fish to make the feeding easier for the benefit of all the sharks in that pack. He will then disconnect the rubbing leader from the bite trace to ensure that only the short bite trace is attached to the shark. Use a loose noose rope and as the shark is on the surface put the noose on the deck for the angler to step in, slide the noose up and over the anglers head and up and over the rod, then down the line and over the sharks head, then pull it tight. This system is also a great way to present smashed up mackerel when you just want blood and bits going into the water. This is possible because of the dense nature of water compared to thin air. While the anglers in the South of the country wait for the off, the guys in Scotland have already been out since November, but their season has been frustrated by the wind. Obviously use the strongest wire you can get away with. Cheaper versions of these can give and break when under heavy pressure. Once the tide goes over their peak, expect catches to drop back and continue to do so as the tides get smaller towards the lowest neap tides. If a shark can be seen a little way from the boat that refuses to come nearer whatever you do, try cutting up small bits of a fresh mackerel fillet and drop these into the water. Don’t leave the fish to run for too long before setting the hook otherwise it will be deeply hooked. For those of you lucky enough to have your own boats then this is not an issue but in either case, you cannot beat the weather! All calls are welcome between 8 am and 8 pm, my mobile numbers are 07733 233352 & 07747 848406 (always with me), the land line is 01947 603472" - www.shy-torque2000.com. How often does a blue shark come across three day old fish? These can be tied to the stern or bow of the boat. As the fish feels the sudden increase in pressure, it will turn and run setting the hook for you. As good as braids are for general fishing it is not good for sharks. This is a high stimulus to them and will make them more eager to feed. We also like to add chunks of mackerel body section about an inch or two long to this mix. This will attract sharks that are used to approaching working trawlers as they have learnt that it's easy feeding as fish fall from a hoisted net, or are thrown overboard. The ideal conditions for creating a wide and long rubby dubby trail is wind against tide. If you’re new to shark fishing though, then most anglers would be wise to use the boat’s own tackle for the first few trips and get a feel for how they want to fish. One of the commonest mistakes is to cut the tail off the mackerel, leave the head on but cut out the backbone to make a flapper. Let’s deal with mackerel bait more fully now. If the number of the hook is followed by another number and an x, it signifies that the shaft is either longer or shorter than normal. Generally, most wet trout flies will be size 4-10 hooks. We keep stressing that sharks like a moving or falling bait and this simple manoeuvre of readjusting the bait gives it natural movement imitating a wounded or dying fish. This helps imitate a wounded fish and the blues love a victim. Such outfits are deceptively powerful and certainly good fun to fish with. The blue will take these without hesitation, so it’s worth knowing. It may be that sharks are attracted to the boat as they associate trawlers with food as the as discarded fish are thrown overboard giving an easy meal. A Gama 12/0 circle is the same size as a Mustad 20/0 circle. The Talk Sea Fishing guide to blue shark fishing, we take an in-depth look at where to find them, the tactics to use and how to bring them to the boat. The season usually ends about mid-October." Now lift the shark aboard using the boat and with someone holding the tail and the middle body of the shark. Shark fishing in the UK is generally centred on blue and porbeagle sharks. Some of the smaller dry flies will have hooks with sizes between 16-20. This should place the final hook exit point for the hook point either just behind or coming through the gill plate on the average-sized mackerel. These ultra-light rods matched with quality fly reels, with plenty of drag and line capacity are very capable of taking and beating blue sharks and even porbeagles in the right hands. We must stress that this is fishing with a fly rod as opposed to fly fishing. Smaller fish tend to dive but not too deep and fight it out in the top third of the water column. Other interests include cooking and property refurbishment. 12/0, 14/0 & 16/0 are hook only. Another bait that can produce well, especially when fished deeper, though at the surface too, is squid. Experienced anglers also tend to prefer a lever drag for its improved performance and ability to give line without hesitation which can be so important when playing big fish like sharks that can crash dive suddenly. As the fish runs or dives its abrasive skin and tail will damage normal monofilament or braid and the leader will part. Although the effects of commercial long-lining and general over-fishing had a major effect on blue shark numbers through the 1990s and 2000’s inducing an inevitable serious overall decline, although not eradicated, the pressure of commercial fishing has eased somewhat of late and their numbers are now bouncing back. On these days, a good presentation of baits would be to have one bait fishing directly off the side of the boat and shallow at 15-feet, the second with a balloon float set 15-yards away from the boat at about 25-feet, the third 30-yards away from the boat at 35-feet and the fourth ballon at 45-yards but with the bait set much deeper at 50-feet. Sharks are like people and individually built of different characteristics. This is a judgement based on the moment. #fishing #news read at https://t.co/rh0UeYAqGu pic.twitter.com/dXSeOICNWh, Lifetime ambition fulfilled for Graham catching UK Blue Shark @Channel_Anglers @anglersnet #pembs @BluestoneWales pic.twitter.com/lYQefvYj75. It is rare to find tope outside of th… 1a). We first visited the shark grounds during July and August as a break from inshore fishing on spring tides. 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