Shark Rigs?

[NachoLibre]

We don't take chances. Stick him in the head with a dark, leave tied off to a cleat, let him him wear himself out, put a tail rope on him, drag him backwards for a bit and bring him in without damaging your boat or losing a finger.

[Kevin-Dan's Legacy]

We don't take chances. Stick him in the head with a dark, leave tied off to a cleat, let him him wear himself out, put a tail rope on him, drag him backwards for a bit and bring him in without damaging your boat or losing a finger.

Yeah, I get what you're saying. I was on a friends boat fighting a tail wrapped 125 lb mako for 45 min. And he still soked us all when we stuck him with the flying gaff.

[coomes]

The sequence we use is simple and very effective. Fight shark tired, leader him up to the surface and shoot him in the head. No real danger of you or your boat getting messed up. Just for clarity i am not saying to shoot the shark while he is swimming around, wait until he is tired at boat side and leadered. A single shell loaded with birdshot works fine and the shark will just go to sleep, get a tailrope on him and let him hang for a little while(on the midship cleat on the downwind side of the boat). I have had another mako bite the tailroped one so be careful of that and keep on fishing. When you are ready to go home pull him into the boat and put some bags of ice on him and head home, if you are not coming in right away and he won't fit in the fishbox just leave him in the water. I have a flyer and a poon and have tailroped dozens of makos but this way is certainly the most effective even though it it not nearly as exciting as hitting one with the flyer and having it go ballistic. FWIW we use a 300# wind on loop to looped to our mainline with a 300# sampo crimped t the end and 5 ft of #15 wire to a mustad 7699 10/0, we have used 11/0-12/0 but they are much harder to set in the sharks jaws, the 10/0 works fine just make sure to sharpen them up real good.

Good luck

Patrick

[GBauer]

Coomes - I am planning to take a 20 gauge out with us this time for this purpose. Are you worried at all that the shot could cut/break the leader if the shark is hooked deeper than in the corner of the mouth? thanks

[Krabill]

.410 slug, goodnight...

[coomes]

I have never really worried about that but we do have a gaff handy for the next step which is to get a tailrope on. We don't consider the shark caught until he is tied off to a cleat so it is a pretty quick process prob less than 10 sec between shot and getting the gaff into the shark. I don't think a shark would sink fast enough to get out of reach if you had a gaff handy if the leader did break.

Patrick

[rich daiker]

Shot placement is VERY important!!! Between the eyes and about 6'' back dead center___anything else just pisses them off. As for a tail rope, much easier after the shot. I had a crew member take a few bad hits from a 290lb Thresher in the OC TX a few years age (shooting not allowed) while i was trying to secure the tail rope any cleat of her motor.....And i always gaff Mako's BEHIND the dorsal fin----you do not want to be pulling them towards you jaws first when they go crazy at boat side, as they aften do....when gaffed this way it is must easier to attach the tail rope when they roll up on the flyer rope and then cleat off to the stern for a "drag"....this is all first hand experience and not just a "thought"...been playing the game a long time:)

Coomes----sounds like you been at it a while as well....I run out of OC and am on # 1 if your out there hunting, hit me up "Team Teaser Rich"

[coomes]

Rich as much as I would love to hit you up and share info I am expecting my first child in 2 weeks so I will be taking this summer off. It is going to be tough since I usually fish 30-40 offshore trips a year but sometimes you have to do the right thing

[rich daiker]

Thats the best reason out there...Congrats!!!