# Sharks keep cutting line.



## davewolfs (Dec 27, 2006)

Hello everyone,

I have been trying to catch sharks out there using fresh mullet heads and have been getting some good hits off the beach. The problem is that my line keeps getting cut.

I am using 2-4 feet of steel leader attached to 30# line. Is this not the right type of rig to be using? Do I need another piece of high test mono?

Thanks,

Dave


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## emanuel (Apr 2, 2002)

Number one, you have big sharks there and a short leader. Take your leader up a bit and make sure your knots are good. No snap swivels and I'd use a circle hook too. If that doesn't work, try fishing for something else.


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## jettypark28 (Jun 23, 2006)

*Welcome Dave*

And is the line getting cut or the leader getting cut?? if its the leader,then you have to go up on that...If its breaking at the line, then you will have to add a heavy mono leader to your steel leader then tie that off with a good knot to your main line...I went thru the same thing this summer, so i bump up to 250lb and 500lb steel leaders, and 200, 400lb mono leaders. So i have three feet of steel and three feet of heavy Mono. Tie to 30lb PowerPro braid line.  I have taken this out and was able to cast it with no problem. But i havent test it out on sharks yets, but this is what some of the guys here use with good results. Add all that to 6500 baitrunner, i put on close to 600yds of braid on that. And granted there arent going to be many sharks out there that will take that much line out.  But being on the beach you can let the shark play himself out, and reel him in. Unless he is a Monster, then forget it....and you will know that pretty fast Oh the reason for the heavy mono, so if his body rubs against it. There is a better chance of not breaking, and the reason for the circle hooks. So you will hook him in the corner of the mouth, that way he cant cut your leader, and its alot better on the shark. (Faster release) Do a search here on shark fishing, there is some real good info here on that topic, from some guys that know about shark fishing......


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## davewolfs (Dec 27, 2006)

Thank you for the very detailed reply, after further reasearch I think what is happening is the sharks skin is cutting the line. For the time being I am simply going to use longer steel leader like 6ft.

What type of knot are you using to tie your mono to braid? Uni to Uni or albright...or something else 

Also, what type of knot do you use to tie your mono to your swivels...Uni?

Thanks again,

Dave


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## cpn_aaron (Apr 11, 2006)

Shark fishing is more of an art than some give it credit. Many people find them "eating machines that are dead weight to fight.” While this does describe the larger lazier species, read nurses, many of these animals are quite clever.
The steel leader is most important. While it may seem silly to use 250# steel leader, and 6ft of it, for a shark that may only measure in at 6.5-7ft, you’re beginning to see why due to your break offs. The teeth should always be the primary concern. These guys, especially the big ones who have played this game many times before, know how to swim up rigs and bite through line. I recommend you get enough leader on your rig for a minimum length of 1/2 the estimated shark size you're targeting. While you can never fully guess what's biting, the bigger the bait you use, the bigger the animal.
The mono leader is the next most important element. You will want as much leader as you can spare monetarily (250# and greater aint cheap) and for the fishing style you are doing. If you're casting rigs you have to downsize both steel (2-3ft max) and mono leader (4-6ft max) to allow the proper heave. If you're using kayaked lines (my favorite for targeting large one over the drop offs) you can go as big as you want. One of my rigs for kayaking out here is 4.5ft of 400# steel followed by 10ft of 300# mono. The rig wasn't cheap to make, but it's pulled in enough to be worth the price.
Terminal tackle is the next step that some people short change. Everyone can see that thick steel and mono leader can prevent bite and rub offs from sharks, but many don't take time to think about stress on hooks and swivels. As a rule, never ever tie any knots on your shark rig except the one connecting your mainline to your leader. More knots means more chances for failure under duress. Use 300# class crimps and 300# class barrel swivels to make the connections between your hooks and the steel, steel and the mono. I then put one big swivel at the end of the mono for easy connection to my mainline. Hooks should be as large as you think the shark can handle. They have big mouths and can swallow hooks easily. A swallowed hook is usually a death sentence for a shark (they're very fragile for how powerful they are), so you want to have a hook big enough to more likely catch them in the mouth not the GI tract. I would recommend heavy duty non-stainless steel circle hooks. I have only had one shark swallow a circle hook and this was because it was 5ft FL and it ate a 6/o baited circle. I'm a catch and releaser who likes his fingers so circle hooks make it easy on the shark and easy to release the shark with all ten piggies still accounted for. Non stainless steel is recommended only because it will corrode out of the shark if it is hooked deeply and you can't retrieve the hook. You can simply cut close to the hook and let the guy free no worse for wear.
Last, you said you use 30# power pro mainline. With that class mainline you are more likely going to land sharks in the 3-5ft range (20-80# depending on species). With that mainline you will find it problematic to give the proper stick to turn sharks larger than that class. If 3-5ft is your market you should downgrade some of the classes I suggested. You will only need 150-200# steel and shorter leaders of 200# mono. These classes may seem overkill for the weights of the shark you'll catch, but in sharking it's all about resistance of the rig to chewing and rubbing, not the weight of the shark.
I would have to disagree with Jetty that all you can use are baitrunners. I use both baitrunners and smaller 40# power pro rigged spinning reels. If you have a heavy class spinning reel (to handle the torque of the fight) and you can pack 300-400yds of 30-50# mainline you can tangle with all the small sharks (3-5ft) you want. The baitrunners are for when you want to try to hook into those Buicks that roam the beaches at night. In West Palm you have no shortage of bigguns, so as you continue fishing you should come into contact with them. Just tighten your drag quick to save as much of your mainline as possible. Good luck and tight lines. Nothing is quite like the 45 min fight of a shark on light tackle.


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## davewolfs (Dec 27, 2006)

cpn_aaron said:


> Shark fishing is more of an art than some give it credit. Many people find them "eating machines that are dead weight to fight.” While this does describe the larger lazier species, read nurses, many of these animals are quite clever.
> The steel leader is most important. While it may seem silly to use 250# steel leader, and 6ft of it, for a shark that may only measure in at 6.5-7ft, you’re beginning to see why due to your break offs. The teeth should always be the primary concern. These guys, especially the big ones who have played this game many times before, know how to swim up rigs and bite through line. I recommend you get enough leader on your rig for a minimum length of 1/2 the estimated shark size you're targeting. While you can never fully guess what's biting, the bigger the bait you use, the bigger the animal.
> The mono leader is the next most important element. You will want as much leader as you can spare monetarily (250# and greater aint cheap) and for the fishing style you are doing. If you're casting rigs you have to downsize both steel (2-3ft max) and mono leader (4-6ft max) to allow the proper heave. If you're using kayaked lines (my favorite for targeting large one over the drop offs) you can go as big as you want. One of my rigs for kayaking out here is 4.5ft of 400# steel followed by 10ft of 300# mono. The rig wasn't cheap to make, but it's pulled in enough to be worth the price.
> Terminal tackle is the next step that some people short change. Everyone can see that thick steel and mono leader can prevent bite and rub offs from sharks, but many don't take time to think about stress on hooks and swivels. As a rule, never ever tie any knots on your shark rig except the one connecting your mainline to your leader. More knots means more chances for failure under duress. Use 300# class crimps and 300# class barrel swivels to make the connections between your hooks and the steel, steel and the mono. I then put one big swivel at the end of the mono for easy connection to my mainline. Hooks should be as large as you think the shark can handle. They have big mouths and can swallow hooks easily. A swallowed hook is usually a death sentence for a shark (they're very fragile for how powerful they are), so you want to have a hook big enough to more likely catch them in the mouth not the GI tract. I would recommend heavy duty non-stainless steel circle hooks. I have only had one shark swallow a circle hook and this was because it was 5ft FL and it ate a 6/o baited circle. I'm a catch and releaser who likes his fingers so circle hooks make it easy on the shark and easy to release the shark with all ten piggies still accounted for. Non stainless steel is recommended only because it will corrode out of the shark if it is hooked deeply and you can't retrieve the hook. You can simply cut close to the hook and let the guy free no worse for wear.
> ...


Thanks Aaron, this post helps a lot.

I am going to try using longer steel leads as well as the http://home.earthlink.net/~biters/pullyrig.htm

on my next go. Hopefully things will work out better and I will let you all know how things work out.


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## jettypark28 (Jun 23, 2006)

*Cpn*

The 6500 baitrunner is a spinning reel I should have said Shimano 6500 baitrunner. The bait runner will allow the shark to pick up and swim without feeling the tension. Then all you have to do is flip the level, and fight away Oh by the way great reply CPN. I knew you would give better infor on sharking...


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## davewolfs (Dec 27, 2006)

jettypark28 said:


> The 6500 baitrunner is a spinning reel I should have said Shimano 6500 baitrunner. The bait runner will allow the shark to pick up and swim without feeling the tension. Then all you have to do is flip the level, and fight away Oh by the way great reply CPN. I knew you would give better infor on sharking...



600 yds of braid??? How much thinner is braid then mono??

Edit:

Found the link of the specs to this stuff.

http://www.powerpro.com/using/specs.asp

Crazy, no wonder it is popular. So if I am using 30lbs mono, should I load up with 30lbs power pro or something higher?


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## cpn_aaron (Apr 11, 2006)

depends on how much 30lb mono you got on your spool. Mono has the benefit of stretch when fighting, but it is much thicker. The stretch allows some lee way when fighting the fish. Braid is nice because it is thin so you can pack a reel with 4X the comparable mono test. Also braid casts nice and far as well.
A word to the wise though. When using braid you need to have at least 15-20 yds of mono on the spool before you start putting braid on the spool. This will prevent cutting up a non-metalic spool and give the braid traction to spool in an orderly fasion onto the spool. Braid is slick line, so it needs that mono backing. If you use conventional reels you will also have trouble casting braid because it is sharp due to the slick nature, and can sometimes cut or cause a rats nest (I learned that the hard way once), so stick to mono because braid works best on spinning rods for the cast.
Another peice of advice on the braid is don't overkill the test and fish type you want to fight on your reels. Braid provides the strength, but your reel needs to be up to snuff or you're in for one heck of a blowout. I remember one buddy who used 50lb test on a small inshore rod/reel spinning combo to try and overpower some shallow reef groupers (30-35lbers), the drag literally blew out of the back of the spinning reel and the fish then popped back his bail to open to create it's own free spool to get back into the reef crevice. Amusing to watch but not something I would like to have happen.


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## derekxec (Apr 26, 2006)

30lb mono is the same diameter as 150lb power pro 

Mono has the benefit of stretch when fighting, but it is much thicker. The stretch allows some lee way when fighting the fish

^^^^the only thing in your post i dont agree with...thats what your reels drag is for


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## cpn_aaron (Apr 11, 2006)

when you get to the bottom of a spool and can't afford to let that drag pull out much more, the stretch does help. But yes, drag obviously does help.


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## jettypark28 (Jun 23, 2006)

*Well*

if you get to the bottom of the spool with over 500yds, forget it After doing some research I agree with Cpn on putting to much stress on the reel, with heavy test braid. Alot of people (myself also) started thinking that braid is the one pill needed for everything. It isnt you still have to know your reel limits, or you will blow the guts out. (Even on the better made models) so thats why i have went back down on test line for a couple of my spinning reels. Even with drag a reel will only take so much, and in the long run it will damage the reel. Thats why i like th idea of loading as much line (Braid) on the reel. (this is for the beach) With over 500yds of braid you can put enough drag on the shark to keep him moving, and not get in a tug of war with him. The Shark or any fish "Might" not take out all that line. But it's a nice feeling to have it there just incase you hook up to one of those large Kings that runs our beaches at times. (They will take out alot of line "Really" fast) I have caught enough Sharks to know they arent made to fight a long time, they tired pretty fast. (Now if its a Monster over ten feet, kiss everything good bye you arent going to stop him with this type of gear) Thats when you need the Really Big stuff!! but anything in the 3 to 5 ft range you should be able to tired and bring in. Again as long as you keep him going, you are on a beach so there is no use in trying to turn him right away. Let him wear himself out and then bring him in, this also is a good thing to do with any large fish caught on the beach. Don't get in a hurry and you shouldnt have any trouble, I am not a sharker by no means, but i am ready to move up to the bigger boys My GF still thinks i am crazy, but hell what the use of living if you cant get wild at times....


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