# Where did I screw up



## SirRedMan (Sep 10, 2019)

So I had a post a couple of weeks ago about surf fishing and my trip has came and gone. I learned a lot while down there caught tons of fish. Ever night I went down to the beach in hopes of hanging a shark, on the first night I caught some hard heads on sandfleas then used the cats as bait. It wasn’t 15 minutes and I had a little shark on the beach. The next night same thing hooked a cat used it as bait 25-30 minutes later my reel went screaming. As I tightened down on the drag I lifted the rod and the line went slack. When I got it in my line was broken. The setup was 18inches of steel leader, 250 swivel, 7 foot of 80lb mono, then 65lb braid. The line looked fraid with about 4 inches of mono left above the break, my question is was my mono to light or steel leader to short. Thank you


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## FenderBender (Oct 2, 2007)

Your steel leader should be at least as long as the shark you intend on catching. You probably got tail whipped and cut off. You had enough steel for their teeth, but not their sandpaper body. Realtor (a professional shark fisherman) can hopefully corroborate this, or add how he sets his up.


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## JD7.62 (Feb 13, 2008)

Its possible you got tail whipped but IME, granted I dont target MONSTER sharks, your average shark wont tail whip you. I cant ever think of one ever tail whipping me on countless charters and I run about 2-3' of 125lb seven strand, circle hook, and 80lb mono wind on and have landed several "average" sized blacktips, spinners, bulls, duskys, sandbars, etc.

Is it possible? Absolutely, and If I was exclusively targeting true giants I would run a heavier windon. I am just saying Ive never personally experienced that.


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## Realtor (Oct 1, 2007)

you're fine with a4-6 foot steel leader, but follow that with a 15 Ft 250 Lb wind-on leader. that will eliminate the majority of the tail whips. I prefer floro over the heavy mono leaders myself,. get a quality crimping tool as well as crimps. You don't need a large hook, like some think, or you will see some jerks with multi hook set ups. this crap does nothing but damage the shark, and gut hook the animal....the larger the hook, more damage to the shark. I use a single 13/0 circle hook, caught hundreds and hundreds of sharks over the past 15 years. the terminal tackle will serve you well. go fishing, soak those baits.... time is key. the next one may be 4 Ft, or 12 Ft... who knows... oh, I use 50 LB main line on the reel. does well and just remember your reel is a line storage device,not a winch... use the drag.... thats what its there for....


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## SirRedMan (Sep 10, 2019)

Thanks for all the replies. I do have a question though how do you cast that much line. I didn’t have a kayak and had to wade out then cast.


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## Realtor (Oct 1, 2007)

SirRedMan said:


> Thanks for all the replies. I do have a question though how do you cast that much line. I didn’t have a kayak and had to wade out then cast.


thats a problem, getting the bait out..... float on a north wind, close to the pass get the bait in the current (out going tide) kayak, or I've seen people use a drone (I have a splash drone 3) I have also seen people paddle them out on a surf board, I dont recommend that, but, shark fishermen are a pretty creative bunch.... thats an issue, but hook up with other beach sharkers with yaks and that sort...


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## jack2 (Mar 19, 2010)

i hate to catch something i can't take home to eat. i usually just hand it off to my younger friends to fight the beast. lately, though, when somebody posted that he caught an 80 lb. aj, thought it was a shark. that got me to thinking, maybe i should fight it. me and ed(submariner) hauled in a 65 in. aj at the 255 bout ten years ago and i kept saying it was a shark. since then, i have learned to tell the difference.

jack


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## SirRedMan (Sep 10, 2019)

What about distance? I’ve heard you aren’t gonna do any good unless you get it past the second bar, while other people say that they cruise around the first. Is this a size thing, seasonal or is it just flat out wrong? Oh and you spoke about hook size, I just used a single 8/0 hook I don’t know if that was unsized.


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## BananaTom (Feb 16, 2008)

I have never heard of using catfish for bait for anything. I didn’t know anything Would eat them. I know they don’t make good bait for crabs. Crabs won’t eat them.


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## SirRedMan (Sep 10, 2019)

The sharks didn’t seem to mind but it could’ve been dumb luck cause I got skunked the last two nights.


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## Catchemall (May 8, 2018)

BananaTom said:


> I have never heard of using catfish for bait for anything. I didn’t know anything Would eat them. I know they don’t make good bait for crabs. Crabs won’t eat them.


I helped a crabber friend pull traps when his shoulder was fouled up and cut the hardheads we caught in half and stuffed em back in the bait well. The crabs ate everything but the bones. Some guys I used to snook fish with used big hardheads to catch jewfish back when it was legal and I've got friends that swear they're good for cobia but I've never tried them.


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## kingfish501 (Oct 7, 2007)

BananaTom said:


> I have never heard of using catfish for bait for anything. I didn’t know anything Would eat them. I know they don’t make good bait for crabs. Crabs won’t eat them.


Hammers will eat hardheads, along with big bulls...and so will big cobia.


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## SirRedMan (Sep 10, 2019)

Do the reds and Cobia eat whole hard heads or cutbait?


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## kingfish501 (Oct 7, 2007)

SirRedMan said:


> Do the reds and Cobia eat whole hard heads or cutbait?


When I said bulls since you talking sharks, I meant bull shark.
Cobia will eat small whole hardheads...the bigger the cobe, the bigger that catfish he can eat. Cut the fins off the catfish, though.


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