Inshore Shark Fishing: Jaws in the Shallows

We were in less than 3 feet of water as a buddy prepared to release a redfish on a calm Florida Gulf Coast flat while I stood overhead to photograph the parting moment. Suddenly, a surge of water slapped the boat. My friend’s quick reaction saved both the redfish and his fingers, as he recoiled no more than a second before a 6-foot bull shark bounced off the transom.

“Where did he come from?” my shocked and wide-eyed friend asked. There had been no sign of the shark prior to the instant when it made its move to claim the red. We never detected the faintest of hints that such a predator was anywhere close. Until it was.

The fact is, bulls and several other shark species, like blacktips, lemons, spinners and hammerheads, roam Southern coastal waters, and their numbers, according to countless angler and fishing guide accounts, seem to have increased in recent years. While their inshore presence peaks during the warmer months, many of the toothy critters patrol the beaches, estuaries and salty shallows year-round. Most large bays and coastal flats will attract sharks, but those with abundant food sources will do so far more consistently.

SHARK HOTSPOTS

Sharks are common throughout the Florida Keys, with marina cleaning stations thrilling tourists with daily viewings of the rapacious beasts that prowl nearby waters. But you’ll also find plenty in and around Sebastian and Fort Pierce inlets, along Jacksonville Beach and in Nassau Sound. On the Gulf side of the Sunshine State, Charlotte Harbor holds everything from 3-foot pups to the swimming nightmares that pile into world-renowned Boca Grande Pass for the annual tarpon aggregations. Sarasota Bay and Tampa Bay estuaries also boast thriving shark populations. But Florida isn’t the only Southern state with high numbers of sharks inshore. They also abound farther up the East Coast, especially in places like North Carolina’s Shallotte, Little River and Ocean Isle Beach inlets and Cape Fear River, and Georgia’s Jekyll Island and the Savannah River, which forms the border between Georgia and South Carolina. Along the Gulf of Mexico, Alabama’s fertile Mobile Bay invites countless sharks, as does Louisiana’s Mississippi Delta region, especially Bretton Sound and its neighboring shallow bays, the outskirts of Biloxi Marsh and the shoals of the Chandeleur Islands. Of course, there’s no shortage in Texas, where vast estuaries from Galveston Bay to Laguna Madre harbor sharks aplenty.

FATAL ATTRACTION

Across the board, the appeal of sharks is multi-faceted. First, the very thought of tangling with a sizeable, toothy tyrant redlines most anglers’ adrenaline surge. But as impressive—and legitimately dangerous—as their powerful jaws and sharp chompers can be, the impressive speed and nimbleness sharks display during their trademark dogged fights are worth the price of admission. How you target sharks depends on the scenario, but a handful of techniques are broadly applicable.

ON THE FLATS

Florida’s Biscayne Bay may be best known for its bonefish, tarpon and permit action, but Capt. Jorge Valverde finds plenty of blacktip, lemon and bull sharks roaming its clear waters. Soaking cut bait will work, but to augment both the challenge and the reward, he suggests sight-fishing.

As Valverde points out, inshore sharks often seek baitfish and crustaceans right against the shorelines. Furthermore, shallow, sheltered areas avoid water-cooling winds and maintain the cozy warmth that often finds sharks swimming with their backs out of the water. The edges of flats and islands are the high-value targets, with sharks coming and going with more frequency. Falling tides usher them off the flats, while incoming water opens up new feeding areas that prompt investigation.

“They can be hard to spot because they don’t create a lot of commotion,” he says. “You have to look for brown shapes or shadows in the water.”

For the smaller lemons and blacktips, baiting with a fresh shrimp works well. Valverde bites off the tail fins to release more scent, and he runs a 2/0 hook through the tail, bringing the point out the back so it faces upward. This keeps the bait in an upright, natural posture during the retrieve. Preferring a medium-heavy spinning outfit with a light tip, Valverde links his monofilament main line to a 6- to 9-inch piece of wire with an Albright knot and uses a haywire twist to connect the hook to the wire leader. In addition to bite protection, the wire adds casting distance and sinks the bait without needing a split shot, which can spook the target in calm conditions.

In Islamorada, Capt. Brandon “Bean” Storin finds lemon, bull, blacktip and the acrobatic spinner sharks he calls “backcountry air Jaws.” For any of these, he’ll cut the tail off a fresh mullet so it will bleed, then soaks the bait in one of the channels off the main flats during a falling tide.

Visually stunning tiger sharks occasionally make unexpected visits when they sniff out the chum line Storin establishes for snappers. For them, as well as the much more common bull sharks and hammerheads, he’ll tackle up and bait with a whole jack crevalle. For anglers favoring artificials, Storin suggests a big popper to create maximum surface noise and attract a predator that mostly hunts by smell and feel. Fly-fishing is also great fun, and big, bright baitfish patterns (especially orange, hot pink and red) will tempt sharks. With flies and any artificials, the trick is to put the offering in their field of view without spooking the sharks.

BEYOND THE SHALLOWS

Fishing out of Galveston Bay, Texas, Capt. Greg Ball of Wave Dancer Charters finds a mix of sharks on slightly deeper flats inside the ship channel, as well as in the waters stretching from just outside the jetties to 3 or 4 miles from the beach.

“I look for flats with baitfish like shad or mullet, and also look for rocky areas or wrecks outside the jetties that hold bait. When I’m not on the flats, I like to fish depths of 12 to 15 feet or 20 to 35 outside the jetties in the Gulf,” Ball says.

“In shallow water, we start catching some sharks when the water temp is around 70 degrees. Once it reaches 75, it’s game on. This usually happens in late April or early May, and the fishing remains hot all the way until about the end of September.”

Calling fresh menhaden, mullet, bonito and stingrays his top shark baits, Ball gears up with old-school Penn 330 and Shimano Tekota 700 reels on 6 1/2- to 7-foot, medium-heavy rods. He runs 80-pound braid with a topshot of 60-pound monofilament and a 3- to 4- foot length of 49-strand cable leader to which he affixes a 12/0 circle hook. Along with the natural bait, Ball has also caught inshore sharks on big, lipless plugs, spoons and jig heads rigged with a curl-tail grub.

IN THE SURF

Along Florida’s upper East Coast, Noel Kuhn guides surf anglers to memorable encounters with a cast of characters that includes all the aforementioned species, as well as sand tigers, finetooth, blacknose, Caribbean reef sharks and more. He notes that the mullet run, which starts in late August and may last into November, pulls a lot of big sharks closer to the beaches.

“I prefer deep troughs against the beach or no troughs at all,” Kuhn says. “Some beaches do not have a sand bar, so sharks cruise right up to the sand.”

His standard gear comprises heavy-duty spinning rods classified as “8 + bait” (referencing 8-ounce weights) and 8000-size reels packed with 50-pound braid. The terminal tackle incorporates 6 feet of 300-pound mono, a sliding snap swivel to hold the sinker, 16 inches of 480-pound 49-strand cable and a 10/0 Eagle Claw L2022 circle hook.

Many surf anglers paddle a kayak to drop their baits beyond the breakers, but Kuhn prefers to use a drone. “Placing your bait with a drone or a kayak increases your success tenfold,” he says. “Casting an 8-ounce sinker plus the bait limits you to deep troughs close to the beach, versus sending baits to the outside of the bar and beyond.”

When asked about his bait choices, Kun says anything you catch in the surf makes very good bait. “Even catfish, stingrays and small sharks,” he says. “However, my two favorites are whiting and ladyfish, because you can catch other species with them as well.”

FROM THE PIERS

The smaller sharks that harass baitfish schools and steal hooked trout, snapper and grunts are easily fooled with cut bait on a fish-finder rig. Serious shark hunters, however, often work at night—as much for their target’s nocturnal tendencies as for less pier traffic. Pier pros fish whole mullet, mackerel, jacks, bonito heads and other hefty baits—on steel leaders—with heavy conventional outfits secured to a pier railing. They often deploy their baits on anchor lines held on the bottom with a grappling hook. A sliding release clip attached to the anchor line connects to the fishing line so the bait slides into the depths and holds its place until a big fish snaps it free.

IF YOU CHUM IT, THEY WILL COME

The formidable teeth of most sharks are the physical trait that get the bulk of peoples’ attention, but well before those chompers go to work, it’s their amazingly sensitive noses that guide these predators to their meals. While the lateral line and those receptors dotting a shark’s face detect movement, that sniffer will pick up tiny traces of blood from several football fields away.

So, when you dump generous quantities of chum into the water, it doesn’t take long to attract willing players. Chunking any oily, bloody fish like a bonito, bluefish, ladyfish or mackerel and tossing a few handfuls downtide can work wonders.

Bonito are arguably the top choice for most. Plump and football-shaped, they are easily chunked by cutting a crosshatch pattern along the flank and then running your fillet knife down the side to release a pile of smelly chunks perfect for chumming and baiting small- to medium-size sharks.

Once filleted, don’t toss the bonito carcass. Instead, use a rope to hang it from a cleat. The wafting scent and the ensuing oil slick that will form behind your boat are sure to bring in some suiters in no time. Barracuda carcasses have the same effect. Sharks seem to really love their scent.

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• This article was featured in the August issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe.

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