Lately a larger part of the population has adopted big-game fishing as a weekend activity. Sharks have become a favorite target, especially in northeastern waters. Their fearsome meat-eating style incites the great North American game fisherman or fisherwoman to prove themselves against this ancient creature of the deep.

A booming shark sport fishing cottage industry has been created featuring many tournaments and contests, and bringing to the dock thousands of blues, makos, tiger sharks and bull sharks ready to be “steak cut” or filleted for a weekend barbeque. Makos & black fin sharks are the best eating.

In this article we are covering the more common and widely available sharks. What applies to these more common sharks also applies to the more regional species such as the great white, hammerhead, bull shark, white tip, and black tip.

Our article covers the blue shark, mako, and tiger sharks. These are the most numerous of popular game shark fishing found in North America, which include, great whites, and hammerheads.

Blue Shark Fishing
The blue shark, preferring cool to temperate waters, is found throughout northeastern waters in summer months. Blue sharks are most prevalent off the coast of Long Island and New England, and they range as far south as Virginia, Maryland, and the Carolinas. Pacific blues are found as far north as Alaska, and have been consistently spotted in Chilean waters.

Blues do not generally hunt for larger mammals and such prey — they can often be found trailing whaling and shrimp boats feeding on waste and bait discards. Yet they are among the most aggressive of all sharks when provoked, and have been known to attack humans when in this state.

Mako Shark Fishing
The Mako shark has an uncharacteristically idiosyncratic-like diet (for a shark) and is extremely tough to land after hooked. They are definitely a game fish for saltwater fishermen who know what they’re doing and have some experience. The penalty for inexperience in this case can be serious injury. The mako is heavily desired among veteran anglers from Montauk to the Sea of Cortez — no other shark possesses or displays the jaw set and teeth of this brute force shark.

Adult mako sharks are world class predators. The mako comes in two versions, the long fin and short fin. Both subspecies range through the tropical and warm-waters of the Atlantic and Pacific. The short fin, however, will often hunt inshore, which makes it the far more common prey of boat captains and charter fishing trips.

This shark is one of the more dangerous sharks to swimmers, surfers and surf fishermen. It also seems, from available evidence, to be the more widely distributed mako, occurring in the Atlantic from Cape Cod to Argentina, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, and in the Pacific from the Columbia River in summer to California coastal waters and as far south as Chile year-round.

Mako have been spotted in the Gulf of California. The long fin mako is a rarer species that favors the open seas of the Caribbean and Pacific. Few long fin mako have ever been caught off the Atlantic coast or Gulf of Mexico. The mako ranks among the most dangerous of sharks. Experienced fishermen everywhere always approach them with the greatest of care. They are furious when hooked, and although their 20′ and 30′ jumps are exciting, makos will often try to ram or leap into the enemy’s boat.

– No shark should be brought boat-side or onto the deck until it is completely exhausted –

– A living shark brought close to overconfident fishermen can cause serious injury.–

– A wounded Mako, like all other large sharks, can bite with strength until drawing its very last breath.

Bait for Sharks
- The shark is widely available to the sport of fishing, because its omnivorous appetite shows little discrimination for artificially rigged bait. They’ll eat anything!!! Use cut bait for sharks, in particular any oily, scented fish e.g. barracuda, mackerel, and oily chum.
Use a slab of kingfish or barracuda under a balloon or bobber & then suspend the slab of bait into the oily chum. Stagger your baits as to shallow level, mid level bait, & deep set bait.

Fishing Tackle
- Heavy conventional, stiff rods. Conventional reels and big hooks. Bring a variety of hooks 5/0 to 10/0 to use depending on the size of the sharks. J hooks or Circle hooks will work just fine.

How to Find Sharks
- Anchor your boat in channels and around rock piles & reef edges. Throw out your chum bag & you shouldn’t have to wait too long for the sharks.

To get more shark fishing tips and resources please visit ExcitingSharkFishing.com

Frustrating as it is, carp fishing is awesome. Carp are really good at sucking in and blowing out suspicious baits. It’s such an excitement to see the whole action in a fraction of a second as you hang on for dear life while the reel is trembling with a loud noise.

Carp happily devour on the surface as long as you keep the pellets, biscuits, chic peas, bread, and re-hydrated corn coming in, and these are inexpensive baits as well. Just attach them to the hooks, most preferably the bread. Have the biscuits softened by dipping it in the water for about 2 minutes, then, place them in a sealed sandwich bag for about an hour. Since different brands have different textures, just experiment to know which is firm enough to cast. Another way to hook baits is super gluing the pellet into the shank.

Once they get into feeding, let them feel comfortable around the bait. This gives more opportunity for the fisherman since they begin to not feel picky. This tactic can be useful for zig rigs.

As soon as they’re feeding, cast the bait but make sure not to drop the bait directly onto the feeding carp. Cast away from the feeding area then slowly draw it in position. While the bait is till hanging, keep the food coming in so as to keep the carp from going away.

How to Set-Up?

Use a hair rig to increase your chance of catching. As carp taste food first, if they don’t like the taste, they won’t come near it.
You may also use a Spider Line, 50 lbs test, then use a leader material that fits the situation.
Thread the bait on the baiting needle and hook the hair loop. You may also use foam dipped in a flavor as this enhances the attractiveness of the bait.
Also make a baiting needle by just straightening a long shank hook. Slide the bait on the shank, then slide the bait from the needle onto the hair.
Using a float is also an advantage because it adds weight for further distancing and the location is easily identified.
Don’t forget the controller float rig. A leader can be used which is attached to the swivel to its mainline of at least 3 feet length with a 10lbs Drennan double strength. A low diameter mono will do just as long as it floats well enough for visibility.

As experts say, it is not the bait that catches the carp but the method in which the bait is introduced. Pre-bait everyday, in one spot for a few days. This makes the carp think that there is a regular source of food for them and by word of mouth? there’ll soon be a school of fish around. Just be patient and it will all work.

To get more carp fishing tips and resources please visit ExcitingCarpFishing.com

Careful planning and preparation is all it takes to make ice fishing the greatest time of your life or the worst. Easy? Take a look at the following tips and see how prepared you are to catch those fish!

Buy early

Make a list of the supplies you used last season and replenish them early. Make sure you get all those Glo-Buster Bluelights or Lindy Tazers. All you need to remember is four words: wise up, stock up.

Check the hole on the ice floor

Simply put, make sure the hole is clean. Chips or chunks of ice could cause entanglements in one’s fishing line and could make you catch fish or literally break your chances of getting any, as these could sever the line therefore losing your chance of getting that trophy of a lifetime bluegill. Remember to keep the hole clear of any barrier.

Fish more, get the big four

The bait you simply cannot go on without: wax worms, minnows, assorted PowerBait, maggots. It is best to keep these bait separated and as much as possible alive using coolers such as a small Coleman.

Clean em all up

Inspect and clean the rods and fishing reels you are going to use. Q-tips are best for taking out the nicks in every nook and cranny of your ice rod. Non-freezing oil for lubing fishing reels is advisable.

Heat up

Do not forget to bring those heaters and pounds and pounds of propane cylinders. One cannot fish comfortably if he or she is as cold as the fish under the ice. ice fishing should be fun and feel comfy too.

House up

The ice is harsh and cold but it doesn’t mean you have to feel that too. Ice tents should be cleaned out as well by putting over a light coat of lubricant at the joints. If there is any wear or tear, it is best to contact the manufacturer in order for them to send out the appropriate repair kit, as deemed necessary.

Gear Up

Better be safe than sorry, make sure you get a set of lifeguard spikes as well as a safety rope. Also, to feel less of the cold and at the same time be cool, pick up a fishing coat from the Carhartt Extremes Arctic Jacket. Avoid frost bits on your toes and feet, the best shoes are the Irish Setters Versa Trax to keep you warm all over.

To get more ice fishing tips and resources please visit Howto-Ice-Fishing.com

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