Fishing Rigs and Tackle - St. Lucia Wetlands

Fishing Rigs and Tackle
The Greater St. Lucia Wetlands Park
kwaZulu Natal South Africa

Fishing Rigs & Traces Bait

Shark Fishing:

Great past time and could be considered as the poor mans equivalent to Expensive Marlin Fishing. Tackle can vary and range from affordable to very expensive. As with Marlin fishing that takes place from a ski boat in the ocean, shark fishing can be done from surf fishing on the side.

With shark fishing you can restrict the size of your catch through the tackle you use. The tackle is made up by size of reel, breaking strain of line and length of trace. The weaker the monofilament line the less it cost and the smaller the shark that you could expect to land. At 12.5 to 15 kg breaking strain you can expect to land a shark of between 35 and 60 kg. You can expect a fighting time of about 20 to 40 minutes.

A shark uses its body and tail to cut the trace wire. By using the right length steel trace the length of a successful catch is determined. Use a single galvanized hook with a twisted pair of normal piano wire. If the shark breaks loose from this trace rig it will rapidly rust away and ensure the sharks survival.

Strike soon:
By feeding the shark to much line, it will swallow the baited hook and might sustain internal injuries. With a single hook and a good timed early strike, chances are that the hook will settle in the mouth area around the jawbone. Moe often than not, the shark is caught on a piece of skin next to the teeth that could be explained as the sharks lip.

The size of hook is of personal choice and any thing from a 4/0 up can be use effectively. Depending on the size of bait, trace length and breaking strain of the monofilament line would determine the size of the hook.

Bait:
Bait could be any thing from small fish to large grunter or small bonnie.

Landing of the shark:
Many people gaff a shark, but there is no need for this practice. Use the wave action and your trace line to pull the shark out of the shore dump. Leave the shark in the wash zone, take your pictures and release your fish as soon as possible. The trick is to stay away from teeth. Remember you have landed the shark; the safe return of this animal is up to you. There is no need to destroy this magnificent creature.

If you cannot safely remove the hook, cut it loose as close to the mouth as possible. It is sure to rust away, even if your advisory has swallowed the bait hook, line and sinker.

A Green Shark is dangerous, yet a shark that where fought to long will not survive easily.

For more tips on shark fishing Visit the pages of Natal Sharks Board.