# Sight Fishing Sharks



## Flyboy (Aug 26, 2019)

I’ve had success in this field. First thing is an 8wt can start to seem really small really fast. 3ft and less it’s fine, over that I start looking at 10s 12s and higher. A big pattern with some long hackles works great, red, orange, yellow. I tie mine on a 6/0 mustad big gun, barp crushed down (safer for everyone.) Firing then up with chum makes it a lot easier but if you’re solely trying to sight fish it can be done (not that hard). Scenting it will of course make it a lot easier, but I don’t see the need. The presentation should be one of two things: leading the fish with looooong slow strips, or slapping the fly right next to its head (they’re eyes are on the side, there’s a blind spot directly in front of their nose) to trigger a reaction bite. As far as tippet, I go for 12-18inches for 96lb wire. Use an Albright knot to connect it to 20-25 class tippet. I have friends that go lighter so when they get it close, they can grab the spool and pop it off. If you have anything more specific, pm me, happy to help.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Please don't scent your fly or bait it up. Then what's the point and you might as well be spin fishing live mullet on a larger spinning rod.

I've actually caught them on larger size clousers, red and yellow seaducers and red head mullet flies and occasionally a cobia or tarpon fly. Some people will chum them to you. But again, it then defeats the purpose and the reason fly fishing is that next level. 

I will, however, tell you that when they are on that sand flat, they get seriously spooky and can be hard to get them to eat. If you are using wire, I'd make it short 3-6" tops. They are easier to trick when casting behind a school of small mullet during the mullet run.

I've never been able to land a spinner shark on anything.


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## Ice Cream Man (Jul 16, 2017)

We always without fail catch all types, sizes & attitudes, using live bait.
Do we target them? No. Do we catch them? All the time while we are Tarpon fishing.
One of my Tarpon buddies tags Sharks we get to the boat for research.
We are using heavy spinning outfits....... ICM


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## Hank (Jan 14, 2019)

Sharks are quite catchable on a fly, but whatcha gonna do when you catch it? Wade fishing by your self, you will be “busy” when you get it close to you. There are just so many ways for it to go wrong and you end up hurt. With help or from a boat its a little safer, but still sketchy.


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## Ice Cream Man (Jul 16, 2017)

Here are a few more video of catching Sharks while chasing Tarpon.......ICM


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

We do a bit of sharking with fly rods down here in paradise (south florida - the coast and interior of the Everglades...). Up inside, the small sharks (less than four feet overall ) will respond to flies with no chum at all since they're just plain hungry all the time if the water's not too cold and so will small sawfish in those same areas... For them, all we use is whatever fly is on the rod, usually a good sized clouser or seaducer on a 2/0 hook (7 - 9wt rod with a floating line) and toss it only to fish that are coming at us... These are mostly baby bull and lemon sharks and the only thing necessary is to keep the fly beside the head of the fish - not in front of it ever... as it approaches. With the fly next to the fish's eye it will turn it's head for a moment and the fly is just gone.. Great fun and we never even bother with wire and expect half of them to cut us off on the strike or during the fight... Note - these are only puppy sharks that we find up really shallow when we're hunting reds or snook... 

The bigger critters are a completely different proposition - since we chum them up with fish we've caught (those bluefish would do just fine) - we use any kind of fresh fish - butterflied and hung over the side - on the Atlantic side we use 'cudas and jacks... on the Gulf side we use ladyfish, jacks, runners, mackeral - all fresh caught that day, butterflied and hung over the side (serious pros use a ring made of stainless rod so that sneaky sharks can't bite off your chum rig - no mono or rope for your chum baits unless you don't mind losing it all to a single critter..).

Now for the fun part.. there's two ways to go about this - both involve current since without water movement you'll never see much of anything... On a bar or at a river mouth where there's a noticeable current (outgoing preferred... any shark you hook will tend to go with whatever current is around and fighting one in places with lots of downed trees or other hazards is a losing proposition...) stake out or anchor up and get that scent trail going... I only use the chum bait since if you start tossing small chunks of fish as well you'll draw lots of fish - that aren't sharks... The second way to go about it is to set up a drift where you're expecting sharks and allow the wind to aid in setting your chumline (the best days are when the wind and tide are opposed...) so you're really laying out a scent trail... 

For most sharks a 12 wt rod can be on the light side (and don't think I'm kidding) - you'll have to learn for yourself exactly what size sharks will come to a scent trail where you fish... We use a floating line, a reel set up for big tarpon with at least 300 yards of 30lb backing and a relatively heavy butt section for your leader (six feet of 60lb mono spliced directly to the fly line with two (not just one...) nail knots. Our tippets are only 20lb with a short wire trace of #6 wire. Our flies are on stout 4/0 or 5/0 hooks and that wire trace is bent onto a tiny solid tuna ring instead of using an Albright - with the 20lb tippet tied onto the otther side of that ring... Most fly lines are only 30lb breaking strength - use heavier tippets at your peril...

Here's a pic of my favorite big shark fly - it's called the Bloody Rooster - and casting it isn't easy... 








it's 6 to 8" inches long and it's no accident that it's the same color as a life preserver... 

In use we toss at them only when they're coming at you - and not too fast - strip at the same speed the shark is moving (and yes they can move pretty quickly when turned on). Keep that fly right next to its eye and hang on.. In my area along the coast there's always lots of submerged trees which make hooking a big shark on fly a challenge since neither your fly line or backing will survive being rubbed onto a tree covered with barnacles and other sharp edges... 

Lastly for spinners or blacktips (they're so closely related that I have a tough time telling them apart...) the one trick I've found to keep them connected is to back off the drag to where it's barely in play for the hook up and that amazing first run - whether using fly or other light gear since they're so fast on that first run - then come up jumping while spinning... and break you off if you're using a normal drag setting. Yes, a good sized one can almost spool you on that first run but chase after them then only bear down once they've quit all the acrobatics and you'll actually have a chance... 

Sharks can definitely improve a slow day. There's more than a few days I have a heavy old fly rod on board all set up just as I've described for anyone wanting to tangle with something that can get into the "un-stoppable" category where once you're hooked up it's a real question of who's caught who...


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## Greg Allison (Mar 13, 2018)

If you hook a decent size shark while wading, there is a good chance he will spool you and disappear with your fly line. They are very catchable on the fly, I would just suggest doing it while in a boat. A chum bag will get them really happy to take your fly, while frowned upon by the purist, it is still good fun, and can taking a totally boring slow day into having some action.


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## Jared D (Mar 17, 2018)

Thanks for the tips. I would be chasing them w my poling skiff... so I would have the ability to give chase. This is a place you can only get to via boat and would need to be a flats boat at that. I would only be comfortable doing it on an incoming tide so I don't run out of water.
That said, never thought of Clousers for sharks. I like the big shark fly lemaymiami. I will try to whip up something similar - albeit a little smaller.

I am going to give it a go on Friday of the wind works out- I need pretty calm air or else this spot can get pretty rough since it is exposed to open ocean. 

Great vids as well.
I used to tag tiger sharks w NOAA with some of my buddies... but that was always on 50 wides and up. Going after a shark on fly just seems like a great time.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

I only mentioned the clouser (my own Whitewater Clouser) since the puppies will eat any baitfish fly if it's in the right size range and presented properly.. Back up inside we consider them not only targets of opportunity - but also great indicators that there's life along a shallow shoreline or up inside a tiny bay... 

Go here to get some idea of the size clouser (or Seaducer or other baitfish fly we're tossing most days up inside...)..








Whitewater Clouser - step by step


Thank you very much for the reply and insight....man sounds like a tough business. Ive got nothing but respect-




www.microskiff.com


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

Jared D said:


> Took the family out in the bay in NE FL near my house in Saturday. We fished the incoming tide and did really well on jumbo bluefish and caught some nice sharks on cut mullet.
> At one point, my wife wanted to get some soak time on an exposed sandbar in the Sound right where the ocean comes in, and I was able to get a great view across the expansive flat (1/2 mile long and 300 yards wide) in front of me. I could see sharks of varying sizes all over the flat lazily searching for lunch.
> 
> I got to thinking - it sure would be fun to sneak up on one and catch it on an 8 wt. I have two 8 wts, so I would probably use my back up rod. My concern is I would sneak up on a bigger than optimal shark and feed it a fly.
> ...


wait a minute, you said you where there, put on a wire leader and fly. So what happened


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

I caught a shark years ago while bone fishing in Mexico, i had a 10 wt. in the boat with a red and white fly. I probably had read Lefty's book and was all pumped to try what he discribed. This was way before the internet.
So I had caught several bones and saw a small shark on the flat. So I took the 10 wt. out and cast right to the shark that was coming right at me. To my surprise it ate the fly. It was great fun fighting that shark. The guide put it the boat, it was a black tip about 3', then he put it in the cooler

Now, I want to catch a bigger one on fly. The kind the pulls the boat around or you have to chase
My plan is to take my boat to Oak Island, NC, and anchor up, chum, and see what happens


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

If you really, really want to tangle with sharks.... of every size... Take a trip to the Keys or the Everglades... In my area, the coast and interior areas of the 'glades - we're covered up in them. Bulls, lemons, blacktips, tigers (occasionally), hammerheads (occasionally and at times bigger than my skiff... ). Every one of them is not only hungry but come in little ones and fish in the "un-stoppable" category (as big as they get)... We get them accidentally, on purpose, and every other way... Yesterday we caught and released two small lemons while fishing for other species - and that's typical... In the summer-time hooking a big snook or redfish (or anything else) frequently also requires you to keep it from being eaten right in front of you before you can bring it to the boat... Definitely not a place to go swimming at all...


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## SomaliPirate (Feb 5, 2016)

I've had good luck getting bonnetheads to eat a streamer. Seems like it's easier to get one to eat than a red or a trout in my opinion. Also I really suck with the long rod so that could be the issue there.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

I have bonnet heads follow me around frequently when I'm fishing mangrove creeks. its amazing how long they will hang around the boat. some of them are like puppies.


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## Jared D (Mar 17, 2018)

OK- heres the update:
A couple weeks ago I gave it a go. I had my cousin (he is 24 and a newbie to fishing) and my son (8 y.o) on the boat with me. We tried to pole onto the flat but the current made it very sketchy. The water rushes over this flat (flat is 2 feet deep at the right tide) and spills into deep water that is about 8-10 feet deep. Right at the drop off, the current forms a little wave which I wound up surfing twice (not my intention) but could not crest onto the flat.
I then motored to the upcurrent side but we were swept off so fast, I had no chance of fishing. Maybe a power pole is in order.

I am going to try again in the boat with one of my experienced buddies as I could see several while I attempted it. I would have gotten out and waded after them, but I did not want to leave my crew unattended in the boat. 
I am going to go today with my wife and both boys, and will get out and wade after them since my wife is experienced with the boat and can stay with them while I give it a go.

That said, both my cousin and my son caught nice sharks (double header) the day mentioned above. My cousin caught a 5.5 foot blacktip on a Penn 555 which whipped his butt ("my arms hurt, can we just cut the line"). My son caught a 6 foot lemon on a Penn 4000 spinner which we were using to catch bluefish. The lemon took my son to the knot twice and came back both times. My wife about killed me that in one of the videos we got, she could see I had to hold my 220 pound cousin into the boat while my 70 pound son handled his business like a champ all on his own.


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## Jason M (Aug 13, 2017)

I've done quite a bit on fly and what Captain Bob Lemay said above is excellent. 

I caught quite a few spinners and if you want to get good at it you should look up Captain Scott Hamilton in Jupiter. I will say if you have a 12wt you should use that if you have any plans of landing them. I use a 14 and need every bit of that. A spinner is the only fish I've ever had get me 200+ into my backing. If the spinners jump and wrap up in the leader you have no chance because they arc up and when they straighten they will snap 60 with no problem. 

I will say sharks are great practice for catching big fish. We would all love to catch 100 lb tarpon but depending on the time of year they might not be around, go catch a shark. You can sight fish them too. Those are all good traits in my book.


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## Jared D (Mar 17, 2018)

Jason M said:


> A spinner is the only fish I've ever had get me 200+ into my backing. If the spinners jump and wrap up in the leader you have no chance because they arc up and when they straighten they will snap 60 with no problem.


Well, due to TS Fred, I had to cancel my S. FL trip this past weekend and so my buddies and I took our boats to the spot I referenced above. 
We were doing well on nice jacks, trout, and kept tangling with sharks on various tackle. As you said Jason, several spinners and everyone got free after their aerial displays.


I spent an hour on the flat wade fishing after sharks with my 8 wt fly rod and my version of Lemaymiami's fly. Saw only one while I had the fly rod in hand and was not able to get close enough to feed it. Meanwhile, the trout and flounder started going off, so I put the fly rod away and grabbed my little spinner and started catching the game fish.

5 minutes later, a 3 foot spinner shark swims up to me and gives me a perfect shot at it (of course, my fly rod is now 100 yards away on my boat while I am standing in 2 feet of water with my 10# test spinning rod).
I fed it my mullet and actually ALMOST managed to land it. I had it on for 10 minutes - got several jumps out of it, and gave all of my buddies quite the show (most were very uncomfortable standing in the water with it) before it cut the line.

I am going back for sure and staying dedicated with the fly rod. Hopefully this weekend's weather cooperates.
Wednesday, I will be chasing Reds on the flood tide. Love this time of year.


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## Jason M (Aug 13, 2017)

Jared D said:


> Well, due to TS Fred, I had to cancel my S. FL trip this past weekend and so my buddies and I took our boats to the spot I referenced above.
> We were doing well on nice jacks, trout, and kept tangling with sharks on various tackle. As you said Jason, several spinners and everyone got free after their aerial displays.
> 
> 
> ...


Sucks that you had to cancel but it sounds like a good trip otherwise. Doing that on foot is pretty sweet!


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## nehrkesm (Aug 11, 2013)

If it aint life preserver orange it aint the right color!


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