Rigging a shark/broadbill bait

[redsetta]

Hi all,
There's a wide variety of ways to rig a dead bait for shark or broadbill fishing, but here's one method that might be of interest.
Start with a good-quality shark trace and a big hook  
I prefer circles (Owner or Gamakatsu), but had this offset 'J' in the tackle box for a while...



Cold beer always helps...



I use a four-inch darning needle, but have cut a small slit from the eye, so i can simply hook in the trace or pre-tied livebait bridle.

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Once you've threaded a nice long piece of trace, put it somewhere safe for now...



Now prepare your tuna - I've used a frozen bonito here.



Cut off the tail so it doesn't spin in the current.



Now open a nice long slit just back from the base of the gills, through to the anal fin.







Insert the hook into the cavity and position the curve of the hook around the middle of the fish.











Begin stitching from the back, being sure to start with a few crisscrossed loops to form a good strong base.











Use a standard crisscross stitch so each stitch remains tight as you move on to the next.



Take some time to get a firm seal around the hook as there'll inevitably be movement of the hook in the current.









You can see the small cut in the eye here - makes it a lot easier to weave pretied bridles through the eye sockets for live baiting.
However, since I'm simply stitching a single strand of mono, I've threaded the full eye above.



Continue stitching through to the gill plate...





Once at the gills, I use a small pliers to guide the needle through the tough plate and really fasten the top of the hook shank (ie below the eye) together with the bait.



Put in a number of loops here as this is the pivotal pressure point once the current comes on the bait.



This is my 9500SS - fully customised in the vein of the old Japanese 'Bluefin Specials'.
I built this for XOS YT kings and it's got plenty of stopping power, but I wouldn't choose to use it for sharks.
However, I was only planning to target kings on this particular trip and resorted to sharks as a last-ditch attempt to hook something of significance...



Re-coil the trace and whip on a twist tie until you're ready to go...



And here's the finished product:



There's a number fishos at Alan's place that know far more about targeting sharks than I, so this is only my take on one way of rigging a dead bait.
In this instance, we fished big baits from late afternoon till around 3am and had no big takes.
We caught fish all night, but not the target species.
There were even a couple of fairly good hits on the dead bait, but not what we were after.
Maybe next time...
Righto, hope that was of some interest.
All the best, Justin
PS Big thanks to my mate Richie for the magnificent camera work - cheers mate!

[Shark Hunter]

Nice to see you targeting some Sharks Justin. That looks like a whole lot of work rigging that Bonita, but I like it. I wish you luck. When you hook into your first big one, There will be nothing else.
Your cable setup looks Ok, but you need a sliding trace of mono behind it, if you are targeting Sharks.
Check out my posts on making Shark Rigs. I have been doing this a bit, and the sliding trace is Key.
Cracker Post Mate!

[CapeFish]

Nice, thanks a lot for sharing, you can up your hook up rate by sticking a tooth pick through the hook eye, it helps to keep the hook proud. Bonito is deadly bait. If you use a big head bait, just hook a circle through the nose and secure a cable tie behind the hook to keep the mouth shut. Quick easy way to rig up and you get an excellent hook up rate. Shark Hunter, why do you need a sliding rig?

[DaBigOno]

Cold beer always helps...

Thanks Justin! Very nicely done!

[Chris Gatorfan]

Cape the reason that we use sliding rigs is this. When your bait is sitting there on the bottom waiting for a shark to come through and grab it, there are times (if the crabs leave your bait alone) that your bait my be out there for several hours at a time. with the currents and shifting of the sands your leaders can become covered up. Well when the shark finally comes in to take it you want the bait to seem as natural as possible so it gets takek then there is the main purpose uf the slide. when the shark takes the bait the initial bite is just that, A BITE. As they swim off with it though they start to swallow the bait. If it was locked up from the sand with no slider then 9 out of 10 time the bait will pull from the sharks mouth. but with the slider haveing a full trace of between 10-20 ft you allow the shark to take in the bait fully and then when the trace reaches its end the weigh causes the hook to basically set itself. all thats left to do then is give it a few more good jacks to make sure you have a good hook set and let the fight begin.

Think of it like a mouse trap. You could stand there trying to kill the mouse yourself and you would wait all day. But when you bait them in and they think all is well. they take it but then it to late the trap closes and there done.

[Shark Hunter]

Well said Chris! The sliding trace will really improve your hook up ratio.

[Ron Jones]

Chris cut off the tail and is worried about current, sort of how we plug cut herring. If his current is this strong I think a sliding rig would slide to the stop in the current. I use sliders, but it doesn't seem like Chris would need one here.
Ron

[Chris Gatorfan]

The currents working against the leader give the bait more of a floating appearance in the water. When we drop the baits out we drop it with the weight at the point were the leader and the trace meet. As the line is being pulled out it also creates a bow in the line. Once we drop we normally count to 15 and then tighten up the line. As the sand settles over the wait it now provides a lock only aloowing the trace to slip back and forth through the slider. That is where the low resistance comes into play.

[redsetta]

Thanks SH - appreciate the insight and will definitely try the slider next time.
We were fishing with fairly big weights in a strong current of 3kts or more, so that'd likely be a good tactic.
Probably overdid the bait prep, but I reckon anticipation is four-fifths of satisfaction  
Cheers, Justin

[Shark Hunter]

No Such thing as over doing it mate. Here are some pictures of the sliding traces I use. you can see the swivels on the mono section to attach the weight.


I tried fishing with a fixed weight and as soon as the shark felt it, he dropped it or spit it. With this setup, he usually has already committed and doesn't want to let go and ends up hooking himself.
In Shark fishing lingo, this setup is known as the "rat trap"
This was the set up I first started using and I have learned a lot since then.

[Tightlines667]

Love the longline clip Daron...having a few of those around is always good, they come in handy for alot of different things.

[redsetta]

That's great - cheers.
As it happened, I had a very similar set up but, not knowing any better, I clipped the weight onto the top swivel rather than around the 200lb leader.
Hope to have more success next time!
Thanks again, Justin

[Dominick]

Good sewing job Justin.  Daron are those rigs to be used or you a collector of end tackle?  You have to get them dirty.  Dominick

[Chris Gatorfan]

Believe me Dom I am going to help him get them both Dirty and shredded up come May.

[Dominick]

Believe me Dom I am going to help him get them both Dirty and shredded up come May.

Which beach?  I want to be there.  Dominick