Shark Fishing off the coast of Virginia

Along the Atlantic coast, we use chum to attract sharks, bluefish, cobia, dolphinfish and others.

When sharking, my top priority is obtaining fresh bait. This is of utmost importance. If I am lucky, I have a supply of bluefish, trout, croakers from the previous day. Another option is to find a commercial fisherman that will sell some fresh bait. Most often, I will need to find bait on the day of the trip. Sometimes we stop inshore and fish wrecks, reefs or shoals for small trout and bluefish. A popular local method is to troll around the inshore hills or other hotspots for bluefish, false albacore or bonita.

Once the bait is obtained, we travel to the area of choice. This can include spots inside or on the 20 fathom line or other locations out as far as the canyon edges. Most often, I choose to fish in 20 to 30 fathoms. My preference is to drift and only anchor in rare cases. Once stopped, we deploy a bucket of frozen chum by inverting the chum into a large mesh clam bag. The bag is tied off to a cleat or outrigger with enough rope to stay in the water without being pulled out as the boat rolls. The chumbag should not be allowed to drift back into the boat prop or other gear.

Next, we deploy our secret weapon! This consists of menhaden oil dispensed from a device much like an I.V. bag. The dispenser has a valve which should be adjusted until the flow of oil is limited to a drop or two every few seconds. The oil and dispenser are available in a few local tackle shops.

Once the chum and oil are flowing, the rigs are baited and set out. I use a custom leader which consists of about 15 feet of heavy multi-strand cable, a large swivel, about 24 inches of #15 single strand wire and 16/0 circle hook. I prefer a whole small fish or a fillet. The sharks do not seem to be shy of hooks or the leader at all and any attempt to hide the hook is often counter productive. Unlike rigs that used conventional hooks, I rig the hook at the top edge of the fillet with very little meat blocking the gap of the hook.

These go out with some combination of weight, float and distance in order to get the lines separated and the water column separated. Any attempt to set a bait shallower than 30 feet will be detected and destroyed by the sharker's nemesis, the petral. This clever thief is a brown gull type bird that lives offshore. Once a slick is setup, goony birds (not the proper name) will appear and begin their task. They will locate a balloon in the slick, land and stick their devious little head down to look for a bait. If they spot the baited shark rig, it's all over. They "fly" underwater and neatly snip every scrap of meat from the rig, leaving only skin on the hook. Their only services to anglers are their humorous antics and their ability to give away the arrival of a big mako by getting the heck out of the water in short order.

A bite is signaled by the clicking of a reel or sometimes only by the movement of the balloon. If a circle hook is employed, the rod should be lowered and line reeled in until pressure is felt. Next the drag is tightened and line reeled in more if needed until the pressure on the line is significant. Usually at that point, the mako will take off and hookset is not a factor. Other species may or may not run when hooked.

Once the fish is on, there is a lot to be done to make ready for the catch. Every effort should be done to identify the fish and estimate the size. Remember that in federal waters, the minimum size is 4.5 feet CFL and a NMFS permit is required to kill a shark(at the time of this writing). Check the regs as they change on a regular basis.

Lines should be cleared and the chumbag stowed. Clutter in the cockpit should be kept to a minimum. One or more leadermen should put on gloves and be ready. If the fish is to be released, a pair of cutters should be readied to cut the leader. When the leader appears, the leaderman must grab it and control the fish. This is a difficult manuever and the danger should never be underestimated. A mistake at this point could mean the loss of a fish but more importantly injury or worse for the crew.

If we have chosen to release a fish, the wire is cut between the hook and cable. Otherwise, we deploy a harpoon to control and kill the shark. The dart of the harpoon is connected to a rope which gets cleated on the stern or to a buoy. Firearms are sometimes used but only as a last resort as this only adds to the danger. Common sense and making safety a priority will lessen the risk. I encourage my crew to develop a plan where each man has a task and everyone considers how to react if something goes wrong. The leader, harpoon shaft, harpoon tip, harpoon rope and the shark itself are all dangers that can be entangled or flung suddenly at the crewmen.

More on shark fishing can be found at the Maryland - Virginia Saltwater Fishingwebsite (www.daybreakfishing.com)

The author is a recreational angler and web designer. Read more about area fishing at Maryland - Virginia Saltwater Fishingwebsite (www.daybreakfishing.com)