What's your preferred shark rig?

Started by biggiesmalls, May 10, 2017, 03:10:11 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

biggiesmalls

Okay, that makes much more sense now - I was kinda wondering why the sinker was on the wire, with a 3' trace of wire that doesn't seem like it would serve much purpose to have it sliding. I'll re-draw some diagrams and hopefully get better pictures of them too.

As far as the packing list, I've got one made up for now, I will post it here soon. I don't think it's too much, but I'm looking for things that I don't need to bring so I can take them off. I don't want to bring anything if it can't fit either in a backpack or on top of the kayak.

biggiesmalls

Okay, here is my packing list I have developed. Please let me know if you think anything could be removed, or if you think I've forgotten anything.

Terminal Tackle
6 full kayaked rigs (consisting of sliding trace of mono, and cable bite leader)
4 full casted rigs (consisting of sliding trace of mono, and cable bite leader)
10 heavy snap swivels (for connecting sliding traces to bite leaders)
12 sinkers (all grapnel sinkers, 6 bigger and 6 smaller for kayaked/casted)
Spare terminal tackle (4 or 5 of each hook, 2 or 3 of each swivel, maybe 15 crimps or so, two spare spools of cable, and skein of 40-50 pound mono)
Some simple bait fishing stuff (4 pre-made bottom rigs, 4 pyramid sinkers [4 oz's], and some #2 j hooks and 1/0 circles)

Tools
Linesman pliers (for cutting cable)
Needlenose pliers (for unhooking baitfish)
Stainless steel dehooker
Tail rope
Tape measure (vinyl-style, not the reel-type)
Camera
Dexter Tiger Blade knife (for rays and other big baits)
Dexter Bait knife (for small baits)
2x Lights (trying to decide between a combination of flashlights and healamps, or just healamps)
Probably extra batteries for headlamps
MAYBE bolt cutters (hoping that my linesman pliers can cut my hooks instead because bolt cutters are heavy)

Random Things
Sunscreen
Zero gravity chair
Towel
4x Sand spikes (made of conduit with a PVC spike inside)
4x Rods (4000 spinning setup for bait, some conventional rig for casting, the Black Mamba 9/0, and then hopefully a rented/borrowed 12/0)
Kayak
Cooler (probably two, one for bait and one for food/drinks)

Things I am considering bringing - would appreciate feedback on these
Tent cot (for night trips)
Wool blankets (for colder night trips)
Heavy sleeping bag (for really cold night trips)
Waders (not likely)
Rain coat
Sand socks (I just wear crocs normally, not sure if these are worth it)
Bug spray
Gold Bond powder
Sunglasses
Hat
Cell phone
Gloves (heavy duty for leader man)
Light sticks
Dexter fillet knife (for cleaning fish to eat)

Let me know what you think about that list. Valuable/dry items will be kept in a dry box in a backpack, everything else will be in a backpack (there will be one tray box for surf stuff), everything else will fit onto the kayak. I'm still going through and deciding on things on the bottom list. I might also bring along plugs and a few other things for surf gear.

RowdyW

#47
Drew, where is your first aid kit? Life jacket?

biggiesmalls

#48
Good idea Rudy. Perhaps something like the following - simple but sweet.

https://www.amazon.com/First-Aid-Kit-Emergency-Backpacking/dp/B01M5BDK7F/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1495131118&sr=8-3&keywords=7x4+first+aid+kit

Then maybe a few more fishing-specific things - like peroxide, burn spray (for jellyfish stings), hot hands (for stingray barbs), duct tape, and definitely a cell phone with a GPS app on it.

Forgot to add the stuff about the kayak as well. That "mini-list" includes a milk crate to put in the back (with carabineers on it, clip the rig onto it and then throw your bait in the milk carton, makes running baits a little more organized), three life jackets (one for the kayaker, plus two for anyone who helps launch the kayak), and a paddle. Nice and easy.

Also forgot - I'll have a bucket harness with a plate as well. That should be everything. Hopefully, I can slim it down even further.

Jeri

Hi Drew,

Apart from the kitchen sink, it looks like you might have everything except the gun to shoot stray bears!!!!

The only small thing I might add to your tools for fishing, would be a small (4") engineers warding file to just dress the points of your hooks should they get a little dull.

Cheers from sunny Africa,

Jeri

biggiesmalls

#50
Lol, if I were able to carry a gun I probably would ;)
It's not as much stuff as it looks like - sunglasses, first aid kit, camera, etc all will fit in a dry box, which will fit in a backpack. Everything except the rods, sand spikes, chair(s), and cooler(s) should fit in the backpack - and I know that all of those things, except maybe the cooler(s) will fit on top of the kayak. So basically, it's a kayak with stuff on top, a backpack, and a cooler or two.

Good idea on the file - I'll pick one up soon. Also planning to get a leader binder for my shark rigs.
Speaking of hooks, what size hook do you use on your rigs?

Three se7ens

My preferred rig is a 6-8' trace of 300 lb mono, aluminum sleeves double crimped on each end.  Some I rig with a sinker slider, or carolina style egg sinker along the mono trace.  Bite leader is usually a doubled and twisted trace about 8-9" long.  I dont recall the hook size, its been a while since I made one.  I have found the long mono trace gets far more bites than a similar trace of heavy cable.  And I dont see the point in using 400+ lb rated swivels and snaps on a rig that will likely never see more than 30 lbs of drag.  Ive straightened out a few 130 lb swivels under 25-30 lbs of drag on a big shark, but they never failed.  I have since moved up to 180 lb swivels, and they arent bending either now. 

I have caught half a dozen tigers over 8' on those rigs without a failure.  Only lost one to a 14'+ hammerhead, after it drug my 80 lb braid across a wreck and broke it off.  The line broke about 100 yds away from the leader...