Note: This article discusses shark fishing from a pier, the surf, the shore, or from a small boat. The tips provided are apropriate for bays, inlets, sounds, nearshore, and tidal creeks and rivers.

Shark fishing is a great sport. In many areas of the US, sharks are abundant and easy to catch. They're also good to eat when properly prepared. A thick 3-4 foot shark will provided you with numerous fillets.

Where to fish

Sharks can be found just about anywhere - in the surf, around piers, in bays, and in tidal creeks and tidal rivers. My favorite form of shark fishing is from a pier. Sharks always seem to hang around my favorite Florida pier, probably because fishermen are always cleaning fish at the fish-cleaning station, and the blood and scraps are returned to the ocean, making sort of a continual chum feed.

When to fish

I've caught sharks in Florida year round, and at all times of the day and night. I have, however, caught a lot more sharks at night than I have during the daylight hours. The sharks I've caught at night also tend to be larger sharks.

What you'll need

You'll need a heavy duty rod, a reel loaded with at least 50-pound test line with a 60-pound wire leader, and a very sharp hook. A great reel for sharks is the tough Penn Levelwind GTi (see below). The size of the hook depends on the size of the shark you're trying to catch and the size of the bait you'll be using. Take along a pair of pliers, a pair of gloves, a fillet knife, and a large cooler of ice. If you're fishing from a pier, you'll also need a pier net to haul up a larger shark.

Bait

Sharks are not finicky eaters. From my experience, the best bait is a smelly bait. Sharks have an amazing sense of smell. They can smell a single drop of blood in a million gallons of water, so use this to your advantage. I like to use mullet - either whole or cut into large fillets. Many shark anglers use a live mullet and cut a couple of slashes in the fish's side to allow it to bleed a little.

Method

With cut bait, I fish righton the bottom. With live fish, I sometimes freeline the bait. Try both methods to see which works best for the area you're fishing.

If you're fishing from a pier, a boat, or from shore, try chumming. You can purchase a bucket of chum for a nominal price, or make your own from chopped mullet and/or menhaden. Remember: you just want to entice the sharks - you don't want to fill them up! If you're surf fishing, do not use a chum line, or you might become the bait!

Hooking

Sharks have incredibly tough mouths, so they're often difficult to hook. I remember fishing in ultra-clear water once, and I could see a four-foot shark eating my bait. But it seemed like it took him forever to actually get hooked. Whenever I tried to set the hook, all I accomplished was jerking the hook out of the shark's mouth. So be patient.

Landing

Once your shark is hooked, and you've reeled him in, you have to land him. If you're fishing from a pier, drop the pier net under the fish and retrieve him. Ask for help from a fellow fisherman - this is difficult to do alone. If you're in a boat, you'll need a gaff for a large shark. From shore, pull the shark gradually onto the bank. As he nears land, he's going to put up a renewed fight. Try to keep his head under water to help calm him.

Use gloves and pliers to remove the hook. Even a small shark can have some wicked teeth. If your going to eat the shark, the quicker you fillet it, the better. Get the fillets on ice as soon as possible. Follow the link below for tips about preparing and cooking shark meat.

If you're not going to eat the shark, release it unharmed to ensure the future of shark fishing.