Here at Fort Lauderdale Sportfishing, one species that a huge majority of our clients customer ask to catch is Sharks!

Our Shark fishing off the coast of Fort Lauderdale is solid all year long, with periods of epic Shark action mixed in. October and November is one of those periods where the bite is on fire!

How to Rig for Sharks

As you can see in the video below, you’ll need to rig your baits just right if you want to tangle with these ocean-going monsters.

We start with a leader that consists of 30 feet of 400 lb test monofilament joined to #15-#19 wire. We then crimp on #10 -#12 Mustad J Hooks – in a triple-hook rig with a lead hook and two trailer hooks.

As you see above, you rig a Kingfish or Bonito by first mounting the “lead” hook up through the jaw of the bait to pin the mouth shut so that the bait does not spin. We also fish Blackfin Tunas and Bluefish as bait. ALWAYS make sure that your wire is not kinked! A kink in the wire will cause you to lose the fish!

You then take each of the “trailer” hooks and hook one into each side of the bait as shown. I prefer to use shorter wire traces than longer traces.

How to Fish the Baits

We target Sharks in depths from 200 feet our to 600 feet of water. You want a moderate bit of current -1 knot would be ideal – but you don’t want too much current. Too much current will keep your baits from reaching the bottom and may make your baits look unnatural.

We typically fish three baits:

• One bait on the bottom with a weight
• One bait in the middle of the water column, perhaps 200 feet of water
• One bait on the surface, including a live bait such as horse mullet, goggl eye or live bonito. Many times, we’ll place this bait under a float or balloon

Shark Species

Off of Fort Lauderdale, we catch some of the most highly-prized and sought Shark species in the world, including Hammerheads, Bull Sharks, Thresher Sharks, Makos, Blacktips, Silky Sharks, Lemon Sharks, Reef Sharks and even the occasional Great White.

Unlike many of our competitors, we at Fort Lauderdale Sportfishing are committed to conservation. We do everything we can to ensure a sustainable fishery that can be enjoyed for generations. As such, we handle all Sharks delicately and participate in tagging programs to assist researchers to reach a deeper understanding of these magnificent animals.

Did we mention that our clients have a blast catching the fish of a lifetime? Watch this video:

Call now to book your trip to catch the Shark of a lifetime!

Tight Lines,
Captain David