Forum newbie with a couple of questions

[SamIam]

Greetings-I've been lurking on here for a while and have gained quite a bit of knowledge from this forum-(Boatless is right up my alley)

I have been shore-based shark fishing for about a year now and it has become more then a hobby-IT’S AN ADDICTION...
We try to make it out a few times a month but that’s just not enough. I've been able to land a few but my catching vs. times spent ratio is way off.

We fish predominately in the NSB/Ponce area and over the past year have tried several different methods of getting our bait out. Me and the guys I fish with are not the bravest dudes out sharking so getting our bait out deep at night has definitely been an issue. After much frustration we sucked it up and get a Pelican Kayak from Sport Authority-some 9ft job thats not very stable. So my questions are is our current kayak just too small to easily deploy baits (would a 12-14 footer be more stable) especially when going over waves? I failed to mention that none of us are kayaking experts so it's all very new to us. We are OK with getting baits out late afternoon to early evening, BUT nighttime kayaking gives me a pucker factor of 10. How have you guys been able to NOT be afraid to Kayak at night in the surf with bloody bait and not think of the jaws theme over and over? Those there are main issues right now and maybe the reasons we have not caught more. Thanks for reading this-ANY insight will be greatly appreciated.

[bigboyjames11]

first off you are not the only person that gets a little weirded out at the thought of kayaking baits out at night. when i use to kayak the baits out we had a very small kayak i think 6 maybe 7ft and knowing that im targeting sharks that are a lot bigger than my yak was pretty crazy to me. the small yak was easier for me to control. just seemed like i could contol it through the waves. i personaly have been bumped while taking baits out and no of some who have been knocked off. when i was bumped i said id never go back out.

[picua]

SamIam,

I have that same Kayak and yes it is not the most stable of Kayaks. That kayak is good for taking baits out on calm days and nights, and if the seas are a little choppy it's alright, but I wouldn't venture out there on that Kayak in the middle of the night on rough night. The problem with that kayak is it's very wide and not very sturdy on the sides.

[SamIam]

It’s nice to know were not the only crew that gets a little squeamish when it comes to taking bait out at night. It’s a big ocean and you get to feeling real small out in a kayak. We are currently using Shimanno Baitrunner 6500 reels (from my research there a good entry level reel), but were about to step it up to some Penn 6/0’s or 9/0’s.

How much difference is there in line capacity from a 6500 to Penn 6/0? The drawback on the Penn senators seems to be the fact that you can only kayak them out-I’ve heard they can be casted but just not that easy.

Does anyone out there shark fish the Volusia county area?

thanks in advance-Sam

[bigboyjames11]

day or night i just dont feel comfortable out there. after i wouldnt take baits out anymore we got a guy that would take them out all night as long as he had a few liquid courages . The penn 6/0 and 9/0 are great reels. they take abuse and if you clean and take care of them after each trip to the beach they will last you forever. What type of sharks are you targeting? if your going for big sharks like hammers, bulls and tiger then id say to use nothing smaller than a 6/0 wide or 9/0. just my opinion though. you need the line cap of those reels to get a bigger shark in. i've seen big sharks caught on 6/0's but usually you will lose them. and yes you will have to yak those size reels out. you can cast them but you wont get far enough out. if your looking for a good 9/0 set up i have one for sell. check the for sale section if your interested.

[sprtsracer]

It’s nice to know were not the only crew that gets a little squeamish when it comes to taking bait out at night. It’s a big ocean and you get to feeling real small out in a kayak. We are currently using Shimanno Baitrunner 6500 reels (from my research there a good entry level reel), but were about to step it up to some Penn 6/0’s or 9/0’s.

How much difference is there in line capacity from a 6500 to Penn 6/0? The drawback on the Penn senators seems to be the fact that you can only kayak them out-I’ve heard they can be casted but just not that easy.

Does anyone out there shark fish the Volusia county area?

thanks in advance-Sam

I don't fish for sharks in Volusia County since it is against Volusia County Ordinances to do so. I do, however, fish for barracuda, and if a big Shark happens to hit, then I just assume that shark is ignorant of the law. I don't really think the law is enforceable because I don't believe the Federal Government or State Government has given the counties or cities the right to regulate fishing, but I have seen the beach patrol attempt to enforce it once. They actually came out on Sunglow Pier (a publically licensed pier) and chase three guys off who admitted to fishing for sharks. Had it been me, I would have thrown my hands out and asked to be taken in and booked and we would have had a showdown in court...criminal AND civil! As for reels for "baracuda" fishing, I have just purchased a Fin-Nor OFS75 spinning reel and am geting things together to build a stiff enough rod for it. It will hold a little over 500 yds of 80 lb braid and has 65lbs of drag. The OFS 95 will hold 600 yards of 100 lb braid with 65lbs of drag. If you opt for that route, that should take care of the casting problem and you probably won't need the yak. There are several guys on here that use that reel and can attest to it's strength for sharks. You can pick up a new one on ebay for $100-$120. I got my OFS75 for, I believe, $97 shipped, since I had an Ebay discount coupon.

[bolo]

Welcome to the fourm.

[SamIam]

Thanks for the welcome:
and for the heads up on Volusia county ordinances...We will keep that in mind on our future "Barracuda" trips.

[Fla Shark Hunter]

You know,jumping on the kayak at night is never fun,but the show must go on.The way i see it is if you have a chance to catch the sharks.Its olny fair if they have a chance to catch you.It is the circle of life.

[sprtsracer]

You know,jumping on the kayak at night is never fun,but the show must go on.The way i see it is if you have a chance to catch the sharks.Its olny fair if they have a chance to catch you.It is the circle of life.

Yup...as has been stated many times, "It ain't a swimming pool, it's an ocean!" Take one step in and you become a part of the food chain...and you are no longer at the top of it...and it's not the shark's fault!

[WhalerPonce]

SamIam


I shark fish volusia co. beaches....Generally a few miles north of Ponce inlet. Let me know next time you go out.....I'll yak out baits all day if you're bringing the

Yakking baits out doesn't really bother me....I think its awesome being out there in the middle of the night. I do however limit my night yakking to calmer days.


PM me next trip you take and i'll do the same for you...I've missed out on several shark'n trips due to nobody to go w/