Basic Conventional Shark Fishing Equipment for Boatman.
 

To be incompliance with IGFA rules read the rules at  http://www.igfa.org/BookRule2004.pdf

Most anglers ask what rods and reels should they use. That's the wrong question. If you are going to fish 30 lb., 50 lb. or  80 lb. test line, you would need different rods and reels. 

The first consideration is what test line you should use and how much of it do you need?   That decision will determine what rods and reels are necessary. My recommendation based on experience, is 50 -60lb. test and 500 yds. are needed for New England shark fishers, as their basic tackle for bait fishing sharks.

  
Exception: If you encounter big threshers you might want to go to 500 yds of  80 lb test.  Thresher sharks over 300 lbs. can stay down for two hours or more against a 20 lb drag.  If you fish in an area where you might encounter big threshers  I would put 80lb line on a Shimano  50 wide LRS reel.  The drag on that LRS reel is an 80 lb drag setup even though the reel is a 50 class reel..

Most New England shark fishing is done in less than 600 feet of water. (more than likely 300 feet or less)  
With 500 yds. of 50-60 pound test line on the reel,   a straight down dive by a shark won’t empty the spool.  
Surface runs over 300 yds. are also rare against a 15 lb. drag setting using 50-60 lb. test line.

There are specialized cases of shark fishing; such  as Canyon fishing in thousands of feet of water,  where you would need more line and heavier equipment, since a straight down dive could clean off a 500 yd capacity reel. As a new sharker I wouldn’t expect you to be out in the canyons.

Another specialized case would be people who fish from shore will carry the hook bait out hundreds of yards on a kayak or jet ski and drop it.   In that specialized situation if you only had 500 yds.  on the reel you would be fishing with hundreds of yards already off the reel, and not have much in reserve.   Those special situations would require reels with more than 500 yards capacity, and you should probably go to 80 lb. test line for the wear and tear on the line from rubbing on the bottom.   

Capt. Billy Verbanas and crew took this mako on July 22, 2000, between Baltimore and Poor Man's Canyon where the water is  six thousand feet deep.   That depth of water would require more line capacity reels than are necessary to use here in New England, since a straight down dive could clean off a 500 yd capacity reel.  We rarely fish in water over 500 feet deep in New England and 500 yds is sufficient for most applications.   This 975 lb. mako is a new Delaware State Record. The mako was on for 14 hours, and was baited with a mackerel fillet.  It was 12-1/2 feet long and had a 78 inch girth.       Photo courtesy of Dale Timmons www.coastal-fisherman.com

Important-  Most fishermen do seem to grasp what a reel is. 
A reel is a device that stores line.
Most anglers use a reel as if it was a winch.  A winch brings line in under tension. 
Bring the fish back by lifting  the rod and then as you reel in the line, reel down the rod tip under tension, then continue to bring back the fish with the rod. 

(Tuna fishermen who fish big tuna out of a rodholder, and therefore can't use the rod to bring back the fish, are using the reel as a winch.  In that case get an International 130 - 2 speed winch which can stand up to that abuse.

Here in New England, about 99% of the time from a boat, you can keep  the  sharks within the line capacities of any  reel holding 500 yds. of 50 -60lb. test line; provided that the drags are set with a drag scale at 15 lbs. in the strike position for a lever drag reel.  If you use less than 500 yds of line and get a long reel stripping run you can usually move the boat to prevent losing your line.  Sometimes another  angler is hooked up on another shark and you may not be able to move the boat without emptying his reel.   So make sure you have 500 yds. on your reel.  You can use small inexpensive reels with thin braided line of 50 lb test to get capacity for sharkfishing. The problem is the drag systems won't hold up on reels intended for fish like striped bass if you are going to catch a lot of sharks.

If you "overline" the reel,  that is put higher pound test on a reel such as putting 80 lb test on a 50 class reel, or 50 lb test line  on a 30 class reel; set the drag for the reel class, and not the heavier line.  Your drag system will work better, and last longer. 

Use a scale to set your drag with the rod in the bent position, not pointed at the scale as is recommended by one of the top reel manufactures. When you get the drag set,  watch the drag scale as you walk away at a fast pace. It should only jump up a couple of pounds and be smooth. If  the drag is jerky and it rises something like 6 pounds or more above the original setting ; get it fixed.  On a long hard  run when the spool diameter gets smaller and the drag increases a sticky drag  could cost you a fish.

It will cost about $15 to $20 to fill each reel with monofilament line. To prevent the line from cutting into itself and jamming on a long run by a shark; put the line on the reel under tension.  When fighting a fish that has stopped running,  pull the fish  back by raising the rod tip, and then reel the rod tip down under constant slight pressure to keep a strain on the line.  Keep the line level across the spool so it doesn't egg up and jam in the cross braces on the frame, as you retrieve the line. Remember reels store line . Winches pull line in under tension. Bring the fish back with the rod and store the line with the reel. 

Mono-Braided - Dacron

Dacron and new age braided lines like Spectron and Power Pro are fine, but as a beginner, I would recommend monofilament.  Don't buy into that crap that you will have trouble hooking a shark on mono because of the stretch, and that you need Dacron or braided line.  There are people fishing off the beaches with mono that have Kayaked out their bait well over a hundred yards and don't have problems hooking sharks. 
In shark tournaments, unless you are fighting a shark, you must take your line out of the water at a specific time. You cannot hook a shark after lines out time.  When we get close to lines out time we let the outer bait drift farther out in the slick to intercept a shark that would not get hooked  before lines out time.  You are allowed to continue to fight any shark as long as it is hooked before lines out. We have hooked sharks almost 200 yds from the boat with mono doing this. In this situation with the fish so far from the boat and the stretch in the mono, put the reel in full drag ,point the rod at the fish and reel the hook into the fish while lifting the rod tip. 

In normal shark fishing while drifting with 3 baits out, the line length  from the rod tip to the hook on the farther out bait is usually less than a hundred yards.  Would it be easier to hook a shark with braided or Dacron line. Yes. But it still can be done with mono.

Taking a page from the tuna fishermen, some sharkers fill the reel over half way with dacron and then use  a top shot of 200 yds. of mono to fill the spool.  The theory being, only the first  two hundred yards or so gets roughed up.  When it comes time to replace it,  you only need 200 yds. of mono instead of 500 yds.   The Dacron doesn't need to be replaced because Dacron backing will last for many seasons. At least five, many times over 10 years. 

 To avoid a knot, the connection from the mono to the dacron backing can be made by inserting the mono several feet  into the dacron and floss whipping and gluing  the mono entry point.  
Tuna fishermen are paranoid about losing a fish that may be worth many thousand of dollars so they go to extreme measures to make sure the mono won't pull out under any circumstances. Inserting the mono 10 feet or into the dacron would be normal for a tuna fisherman, whereas a sharker would insert 5-10 feet.  Some who get paranoid about the mono  pulling out and losing a fish  will also whip and glue the area where the mono ends inside the Dacron as well as the entry area and sometimes in between.  
There are many ways to do make this connection and because mono and Dacron come in different pound tests, you should experiment trying some short samples of mono and dacron until you get the combination you feel is right and will hold. 

Rods for shark fishing.

Use fiberglass rods.  A decent fiberglass rod is practically unbreakable. Graphite is not reliable. We do not have a graphite rod left on the boat. Our charters, and the sharks, have field tested them into pieces.  I don't care who makes the rod or how many people swear by them ;  if it is graphite it is unreliable, period.

Basically a 6-7 foot medium action fiberglass rod rated for 30-50 lb. line is a good compromise. If you are fishing out of an outboard, use a 7 foot rod to help clear the engine.   Gorillas who use 80 lb. gear usually use rods under 6 feet, but we use 50 lb. test and it works just fine on 6 or 7 foot rods . 

Do not use rods with hypalon over the fiberglass rod butt.  It will break in the holder if a big fish hits and the drag is on. The rods used for shark fishing should have  metal butts with slots at the base to fit a fighting belt.  

A roller tip is good, but you don’t need an all roller guide rod. The exception would be if you are using cable wire wind-on leaders, then use an all roller guide rod.  Figure on spending $120 to $ 200 for a new rod.   Because you may want to use a cable wire wind- on leader make sure there is sufficient room between the top of the rollers and the bridge above. Some rods have little or no extra space there, and a wind-on or double line knot could jam in the roller eyes..

The Double Line.

If you were to tie the single strand 50 lb. test running line directly to a 4/0 snap swivel and then snap on the wire leader, you may break the single 50 lb. test line when a shark gets close to the boat and bolts straight down.   The violent snap downward of the rod and the friction of the tip and guides may not allow the reel drag to start slipping instantaneously and the single line might break before the drag starts slipping.  This is especially true if an angler is in a harness and can't lower the rod tip because the upper harness is attached to the reel, and the rod butt is in a fighting belt.   To avoid this problem a double line is used, and it is IGFA approved.

Making a double line.

Here's how to make a double line.  Pull off the reel about 30- 35 feet of single line. Loop it back on itself and make a knot with a spider hitch or bimini twist.   This gives you a 30 foot loop more or less - it will be about 15 feet long when stretched and the two legs are parallel.   At the end of the stretched loop secure your 4/0 snap swivel with the doubled line, using an Offshore knot , or an Improved clinch knot or a uni knot.  Make sure each leg of the double line is taking the same amount of tension while tying the knot to the 4/0 swivel.  Don't be afraid to pull on one of the line legs before the knot is cinched down to make sure each leg is carrying the same load when the knot is in its final position.  ( In place of a knot double line can be secured by whipping the lines together with waxed rigging floss and then lightly gluing the wraps with crazy glue. . 

So now, when you reel a shark in close, the double line knot and a portion of the 15-20 foot doubled line will come down through the guides and around the reel. Then if the fish bolts it will be pulling on the double line to start the drag slipping, before the single line comes off the reel. If the fish bolts before the double line is wound onto the reel you will have enough mono out from the rod tip to absorb the shock and allow the drag to slip before the line breaks. 

Another method some sharkers use, is to put  80 lb. mono as the running line on a 50 wide,  set the drag at 17 lbs and not use a double line at all, just clip directly to a wire leader..   They just keep cutting back the 80 lb. line as the line gets frayed. 

Leaders
Make them long and strong.

LONG
The reason for long shark leaders is:   Sharks are abrasive throughout their  length, and besides biting themselves loose, they can abrade the line with their fins and  body.  They also wrap up in the leader and shorten it, unlike other species such as bass and blues .  So a practical leader has to be several feet longer than the length of the longest shark you are expecting to catch. Otherwise if the leader is shorter than the shark, they can cut your mono or dacron beyond the wire leader with their tail.  If they get wrapped on the body away from the tail it is much easier to turn and bite the line. Hopefully the teeth will find steel instead of mono or dacron.

Strong

The leaders have to be much stronger than the running line, because a shark who gets the leader wrapped on its tail will twist around and try to bite it.  The shark will then be in a C shape with the leader taut between the hook in the mouth and the wrap on the tail, and the line will also be taut  between the shark's tail and your rod tip.  When the shark violently straightens out,  if the leader is slow to release around the tail it can be torn apart or the hook straightened out.   Hooks smaller than the 12/0 #3407 may straighten out if the shark gets tail wrapped.  That's why I recommend the 12/0 # 3407 hooks.

So understanding those points; for conventional standup anglers, I recommend at least a 200 pound test leader system, with total leader wire about 16 feet long.

Make the upper section 480 lb. braided wire 10 feet long, with a crimped offshore loop on one end, and a crimped on 4/0 snap swivel on the other end.  Use crimps and offshore loops on the braided wire.  When making up the braided wire section you can permanently add in an egg sinker( 2-8 oz) on the braided wire,  to help get the gear down into the water.

This 10 foot braided wire (cable) upper section will be  used over and over, only being replaced when it shows signs of fraying or corroding -  or gets lost. 

On the solid wire hook section you will use haywire twists.  Make the lower hook section 6 feet long.  Put a haywire loop on one end, and a 12/0 - #3407 hook haywired on the other end.  This solid section can be clipped onto the upper braided wire section via the 4/0 snap swivel on the upper section.   Use a Dubro #3 wire twister on the solid wire to make the haywire twist connections.   The lower section of solid wire should be made with Malin wire in the #14 (220lb test) thru  #18 (350 lb. test wire) sizes. Don't use less than #14 wire as it will cut into the shark if it rolls up in the wire. I find #16 wire 285 lb. test is all around a good choice. People who enter shark tournaments get paranoid about equipment failures since prize and calcutta money can be sizeable; so they will use much heavier equipment like #19 wire (400 lb test) 

For makos use a single 10 /0 to 12 /0 - # 7731 hook, and replace the snap swivel on the braided wire with a 4/0 or larger barrel swivel.  Then wire directly the solid wire lower hook section (#16 (285 lb. test) or #18 (350 lb. test), to the swivel with a haywire twist.   This will give you a solid connection between the braided upper and solid wire hook section. They will both be wired directly to the swivel with no chance of them coming loose unless the swivel breaks. A "Crane" bbl swivel 4/0 size is 350 lb test  A 5/0 is 400 lb test. 

If you have been stung by single strand solid wire breaking and want to use braided all the way ; leave a four foot tag end after you crimp the hook on, and haywire twist by hand the braided line back on itself  about four feet, and crimp it.  That way if the shark gets the hook inside its mouth or swallows the bait, and gets it teeth on the wire, it will have to saw through two sections of braided wire. 
Also the tension on each of the two braided wires from the crimp to the hook, would be less, making it harder to cut.

Those who have had makos saw through braided cable one strand at a time and break off,  or who have had single strand solid wire break,  resort to the extreme of twisting two solid wire sections together and making two connections at the hook and two at the running line. That way the mako can't bite through the solid wire or  kink it and break it. 

We catch  2 or 3 sharks on each 6 foot solid single wire hook section, by cutting close to the hook, and rewiring on a new hook .  When the solid wire gets under 3 feet snap on another pre-rigged 6 foot solid wire hook section.  

Tape over all 4/0 snap swivels to keep them from opening up. (the snap at the end of the double line, and the snap between the upper and lower leader. On your specialized mako rig you will have a snap swivel at the end of the double line only, and a barrel swivel between the braided upper and the solid lower section in place of a snap swivel.) 

  When finishing the tape wrap, fold the end of the   tape back on itself so you can grab the end later to unwrap it.   Otherwise it will be very hard to unwrap the tape on a hot day.  Tape the snap portion only so it can't open up..

Wind-On Leaders 

Probably the safest shark fishing innovation to come along is the braided wire wind- on leader.  Get them and use them.

A braided wire wind- on leader is made totally independent of your running line. It consists of braided wire testing several hundred pounds, approx 20 feet long, inserted several feet into a piece of hollow dacron line.  Where the cable enters the dacron it is whipped or otherwise seized to prevent the cable from sliding out of the dacron.  The effect of the dacron catching and holding the inserted braided wire will stop it from pulling out. 

The other end of the dacron away from the inserted wire, is made into a spliced dacron loop so that a loop-to-loop connection can be made to your running line. You can make the loop on your mono running line with a bimini or spider hitch.    The braided wire section where it exits the dacron can be of any length, and is usually ends up about 10 - 18 feet long.  At the end of the braided wire, a snap swivel or large barrel swivel is attached; usually by an offshore loop and crimps.  To this, about 6 feet of #14-#18 solid wire to the  hook are attached.

With this wire wind- on method, the loop-to-loop connection where your running line joins the dacron, the piece of dacron with several feet of braided wire inside, and the exposed 16 feet or so of braided wire can all be reeled through the rod eyes onto the reel.  

Only the connection from the braided wire to the solid wire, and the 6 feet or so of solid wire to the hook will remain out from the rod tip.  

Being able to reel a shark to within 6 feet of the rod tip is a much safer set up, and definitely the way to go. Use a braided wire wind-on leader on a rod with all roller guides to prevent rod eye wear. Make sure there is sufficient space over the rollers for the wind-on to pass without hanging up. 

If you  are thinking of making up your own wind- on wire leader get yourself a splicing needle tube. 

It is hollow tube, bullet pointed at one end, and the other end is open.  They come in many sizes and are about 9 inches long.  Get one to take the wire size you are using.  Also you may have to pick dacron of a certain pound test to allow the splicing tube to pass inside the dacron.  Usually the dacron is 200lb.test in order to insert  400-480lb braided cable.

The braided wire is inserted inside the splicing tube and the bullet end of the splicing tube is run up through the dacron with the wire end  inside the tube, and the braided wire following along.  When you get the wire end into the dacron  4 feet plus,  the smooth bullet end can be pushed out of the dacron and the tube removed. The braided wire end sticking out of the dacron can be lightly coated with a fast drying glue like super glue and worked back inside  the dacron.  This will reduce the chances of the end of the cable fraying and cutting up the dacron from the inside.  Some will whip this end also with rigging floss.

During 2003 I had some charters test the wire wind- on that I made, and it held up on some really big bluesharks and angler abuse. The wire was only inserted about 2 feet and whipped by dental floss coated with superglue where it entered the dacron. (About a half inch whip on the dacron and the whip  continued a half inch onto the braided wire. ) 

Although 2 feet of insertion is sufficient, I would go 4 feet into the dacron with the braided wire to be on the safer side, and whip it again about a foot up from  the whipped exit/entrance point.  Stretch the hell out of the wire and dacron while doing the whipping.   Don't put to much glue on the whipping as it will only increases the diameter and make it more difficult to pass through the eyes, and keep it an inch or less in length. 

In tournaments now, you see more wire wind- on leaders being used.  It makes it easy to wire up a fish since the angler can get the fish within 6 feet of the rod tip. 

On July 16, 2004 I wired up a 337 lb thresher in the OB shark tournament . It was very easy and much safer to do with the wire wind-on leader.   

A store bought made up cable wind on leader of 275 or 480 lb test cable will cost about $20

Photo taken during one of the Scituate, Mass., shark tournaments.
A long hard surface run by a big blue shark has me way down into the spool.

Making up two part wire leaders

To make approximately 40 lower solid wire hook sections 6 feet long, get a pound of Malin wire($30) or American wire co. solid wire, in size # 14, 15,16 or 17.   (Smaller wire such as #10-#12 tends to cut into the shark when they roll and wrap.)  For the upper sections get 100 feet of 480 lb. test braided wire ($30) with appropriate crimping sleeves.($5).   That will make about 9 upper sections;  approx. 10 feet long after looping and crimping.   Get a dozen 4/0 snap swivels ($10) and a half dozen or so 4/0 or stronger barrel swivels.($5)

You will need a crimping tool ($35) to crimp the braided wire.   

Unfortunately the  "Dubro #3 wire twister is not being made anymore.   I hope someone will come out soon with a hand held wire twister  for wire sizes # 14 thru #19 wire.

HOOKS.

We fish blue sharks with mustad #3407 - 12/0 hooks. Buy a box of 100 ($50) to get started. These are adequate and inexpensive. We release all blue sharks with the hook left in the jaw. This doesn't bother them and is less stressful than trying to get the hook back, and causing the sharks  to slam their heads against the boat.

For mako rigs, get several mustad 10/0 -12/0 # 7731 hooks ($2.50 apiece) For makos replace the snap swivel between the upper and lower leader with a barrel swivel 4/0 or larger.    This will make a solid connection.   Make up a couple of mako rigs and put them in zip lock bags. If you see a mako coming, use it to bait the mako.  The normal rig with a snap swivel is OK for makos but when a mako start somersaulting you will feel better with a solid mid leader connection and a #7731 hook.

Wire cutters

Small in size, but big in importance are the proper wire cutters. Don’t use as your everyday wire cutters, the popular fisherman's side cutters.

Buy two pairs of cable cutters; and keep them rust free and lubricated. When you have your hand near a shark’s teeth and want to cut the wire, the cutters have to do it then, not 2 or 3 squeezes later. Or worse yet, jam on the wire and not cut it. You may also have to cut the heavy braided wire to free someone caught in it.  Get the cable cutters, they are not expensive, about $25-$40. Always have 2 pairs available since you will eventually lose one pair overboard, and a second pair will be needed to cut the shark loose or free one of your crew.   Those other wire cutters are OK as a backup in a pinch, but not for everyday use.

Fighting belt and harness.

The fighting belt, (gimbal belt) is a must. Most shark fishing boats have at least 2 good fighting belts with plenty of surface area to distribute the pressure. If you are using  50 lb. test line with the drag at 12-15 lb. the surface area to distribute the pressure is not as important as when you are using 80 lb. gear with the drag at 22- 24 lbs. Some models have a pivoting socket gimbal attached and are preferred by many stand-up anglers. Have onboard at least one back harness for those stubborn sharks. A good belt and back harness will cost about $75 apiece.

Warning: Anytime you attach a back harness to the reel the chances of your being pulled overboard greatly increase. Letting go of the rod won’t help you. You are still attached. There are many things that can happen where slacking the drag won't help either. Be prepared to sit down or drop to your knees and hang on until the line breaks! Of course if you decided to use line heavier than 50 lb. test and don’t get down quick enough you may very well get pulled out of the cockpit.

Tip:   Tennis anyone? Sometimes a harness and belt are being used or not readily available, so have onboard a couple of tennis balls.  Cut a hole in the tennis balls slightly smaller than the rod butt diameter.  In a pinch you can jam the tennis ball up onto the rod butt and save wear and tear on the angler and his clothing or foul weather gear.  This is also helpful in other types of fishing such as cod fishing, and blue fishing.  

A fighting belt and harness in action. I like the fighting belt to have a socket like the one in the picture above. It helps guide the rod and keeps the rod from coming out, if the rod slips off the crossbar.

Gaffs

Most sharks will be brought to the boat and cut free, but if you need to gaff a record shark, or a tournament entry, you should use a flying gaff, and then a straight handled gaff.  A flying gaff consists of a gaff hook with attached rope, and a detachable handle to guide it .  After the gaff hook is pulled into the shark, the rigid handle pulls free of the gaff hook, and you hang onto a rope attached to the gaff hook to control a thrashing shark.  Flying gaffs are dangerous to use, because the hook may pull loose from the shark and snap back.  Pay attention.

An 8 inch gap flying gaff hook with handle costs about $175.  You will also need a 6 inch gap straight gaff ($75) 

Instead of a flying gaff, a straight gaff with an attached rope may be used.  Some straight handle fixed gaffs have a metal loop on the gaff hook shank.   Rope can be spliced into that loop.  Then the rope is run up the permanently attached handle and secured at various points along the handle.   The rope is longer than the gaff handle and after the shark is gaffed the fishermen hang onto the rope to avoid the gaff handle from being broken by the violent thrashing. 

Some IGFA Rules.

To be IGFA legal keep the overall total length of your  solid gaffs and fly gaff handles including the gaff hooks ,  at  8 feet or less. 
On a fly gaff and fixed head gaff the attached rope to the gaff hook eye, should be 30 feet or less.   
Fishing from a boat the tail rope is limited to 30 feet or less.

Shooting the fish or  the use of a harpoon is prohibited.  (IGFA Flyrodding rules are even more restrictive and you should read them  before trying for a flyrod record.)  IGFA Rules

Tail Ropes

A  tailer, ($75)  is easier to use to tail rope a shark, than a regular tail rope.  This device has a handle with a flexible cable and a strong line attached.  The line is looped back on the cable to the handle and forms a D shaped flexible loop.  It is slid over the sharks tail.  When you pull back, the cable slides down and tightens around the tail and you hang on to the handle.  There is also a flying tailer that works the same way as a flying gaff. The cable loop pulls free from the handle and is secured with a rope. 

Most sharkers just use a rope for tail roping.  On your tail rope put a loop at both ends. That way whatever way you go through the loop you will have a loop to hang onto instead of single strand of rope. If a shark gets rambunctious, a loop allows another person to help pull on the tail rope, and it is easier to slip a loop over a cleat than tying a hitch around a cleat if the shark gets too violent.

Harpoon Dart Setup

Although not IGFA approved, and not allowed in many shark tournaments a   harpoon dart  is much safer and easier to put into a shark than a Fly Gaff. You should have one onboard.  The pole, nose cone, shaft and dart are about $100 if store bought.    Less expensive if you make your own and use a wooden  pole for the handle.   The harpoon shafts vary in length from about 18- 22 inches.  Make sure any knots on the line from the dart are beyond the shaft length, so that you don't have to drive a knot into the fish along with the dart.  I would have at least 300 feet of handline in a basket attached to the dart.  More, if you have it. Although you want to keep the line short and hold the shark at  the boat after driving in the dart and pulling out the shaft, sometimes "sharks happen" and they bolt away.   With the angler still attached, you have a chance to grab the 300 foot or longer dart line.

Haul the fish back with the dart line and have the angler just pick up the slack in his line. Otherwise if the angler is pulling hard and the dart line is taut, the wire leader may cut through the dart line.

Any gaffing or darting of makos should be done behind the dorsal  toward the tail,-behind the dorsal  toward the tail - behind the dorsal  toward the tail. 

Otherwise if you gaff in the head area  and turn their head toward the boat they may bolt and jump into the boat - as they do every year all over the world.

This section is not all inclusive by any means, but it gives you an idea of what you need to get started , and the approximate costs. There are many other items you will add   like a Drag scale($25),leather gloves ($15) chum  dispenser, floats, balloons sinkers, crimpers,  etc..

   As the price per pound of tuna goes up so does the size of the tuna gear.   Ultimately tuna fishermen give up any pretense of being sportsmen and end up with Intl. 130 two speed winches, 200lb mono or dacron, and  bent butt rods placed in swivel rod holders.  If you shop around during the off season a lot of good second hand 50 lb. class equipment, priced right, is available for the shark fisherman, as the tuna fishermen go to heavier gear.

If you want a custom fiberglass fly-rod or conventional rod built, try  http://www.rodbuildersworkshop.com/tunashrk.html

Click here for the latest shark regulations

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