Home Forums Fishing Saltwater Florida Shark Fishing Bait Recommendations

What would be the best bait to catch a BIG shark from shore in Florida? I've caught quite a few little ones but would like to catch something bigger.

a big fresh filet of Bonita, Barracuda or even ray will work. Fished at night on the outside of the bar or around an inlet depending on where you are. The question is How you gonna get the bait out there?

I've heard stingray will work. My plan is to catch a stingray and then hurl it far out with a LONG rod and a BIG reel loaded with 80 lb. test line. I'll be fishing from a pier which I'll probably have pretty much to myself.

At high tide the water is probably 20 feet deep around the pier and obviously deeper a bit further out.

sharks love ladyfish.......

for big sharks use big baits, whole rays and whole jackfish work good. i prefer cow nose rays.

you might be able to get a local to paddle out your bait. we like to get them 4-600 yds out past the pier here.of course we use 50 and 80s loaded with braid.

I agree. Sharks like live bait best, by far, but something live AND big is almost impossible to do from shore. Nothing messes with rays but sharks and that allows you keep your bait out longer.

So, how do you catch cow nose rays?

I don't catch many, and have caught those in a cast net. I use stingrays mostly. We catch them in the surf, mostly on live mullet. They are big, many over 200#, and we cut them up and freeze them for shark bait.

So our Chistmas roast like they used in Jaws won't work? :-)

Blue crabs will love it...

Thats what I have had the best luck with chunk them up and cast them out. What are you considering large? We have caught them 6-8feet long with lady fish. Lady fish seem to be quite popular with a lot of the species

VERY nice. That's the size I'd be happy with.

I don't think I'll be getting any ladyfish but I did catch a stingray tonight which I've saved for bait.

I thought I'd be able to get a long heavy surf casting rod in Florida no less but it turns out the long rod I bought at the Wheeling, WV Cabela's is better than anything they have at the good fishing tackle store on the Florida coast. I'll probably have to get a decent sized rod sometime from California. Oh well, I'll use what I have.

What part of Florida are you in?

Take a kayak and paddle the baits out. I've seen it done at some of the cuts in the panhandle. It'll make you rethink swimming in teh gulf again...