Set up fishing for sharks

rrules · 12-17-2003, 10:17 AM

I have a friend who loves to chum the waters and bring in sharks for the fly rod. I would try to nail them with a bow. What type of rod and reel and what type of arrow would be the best way to get the job done. I imagine a 40 pounder would be typical.

Thanks

ChiefHeadhunter · 12-17-2003, 10:34 AM

Sounds like a blast! You might find what you are looking for here:
http://www.sullysbowfishing.com/
http://www.sullysbowfishing.com/forum/

Have fun!!!!

-Chief

PA Hardwoods · 12-17-2003, 11:27 AM

My family and I have been hunting shark and stingray for years with a bow. What you need is a Recurve bow (I can't stress this enough because the salt air will ruin your compound in just 1 outing, i've see this happen to people.). Fiberglass arrows with bowfishing points, I have found sting-er-ray points work best. You will also need a deep sea fishing rod, preferably a short one about 6ft with a heavy lb test line. The stuff we use looks like small rope not at all like normal fishing line. We do not have the rod hooked to our bow. We also have a landry detergent jug attaches to an arrow that we shoot as a backup so we cann follow the shark or stingray if the first arrow pulls out. If you have any more questions please feel free to ask, once you do this once you will be hooked for life. It is an absolute blast. This setup might seem like overkill but I have shot 100+ lb stingray with this setup before.

rrules · 12-17-2003, 12:38 PM

Thanks for the reply. I am not sure I understand how you set up the detergent bottle on the second one. Could you elaborate please?

CLOUD 9, MN · 12-17-2003, 06:37 PM

CAUTION......CAUTION......You are enterng dangerous water!!!!!

Bowfishing is EXTREMELY addicting! The goverment should really make manufacturers put warning labels on their bowfishing products! Its truely a blast!! Sully's website is good.

Have fun!

CLOUD 9, MN · 12-17-2003, 06:38 PM

Another good site is www.bowfishingassociation.com

GoodLuck!

PA Hardwoods · 12-18-2003, 05:23 AM

What you do is attach some line to your arrow and then attach the other end to the laudry detergent jug. So that when you shoot your first arrow into the shark or ray you can have someone shooting backup and put an arrow in the shark or ray with the laundry detergentjug attached while you grab the rod with the line attached and hold on for the ride of your life. Also make sure you have along handle gaf handy so you can hook the animal and pull it into the boat. This is primarily important when shooting stingrays or cownose rays.

rrules · 12-19-2003, 12:00 AM

What pound test line do you use for the first line and also the on the detergent bottle? Also, what strength bow is needed? Thanks for the great info.

PA Hardwoods · 12-19-2003, 04:56 AM

In all honesty I'm not sure what pound test line we use. We have always used the same stuff my dad started using years ago. It looks like small braided rope, not at all like normal fishing line. I'm guessing it is 100+ lb test line and we usea similar line if not the same line for the backup jug. One thing some people do with the backup jug is spraypaint it a flouresent color so it is easy to follow. As for the weight of the bow, If I remember our recurves ar around 45-50lbs pull you don't need a lot of pull because you are only shooting a few feet away from you. It is also nice when you shoot a shark or a ray alot of times the bow goes flying off into the water when you quickly reach for the rod, because it is wood it will float and you can go back and get it and it won't get ruined in the saltwater. One thing I do suggest is that as soon as you get back from a day shooting, that you rinse off and scrub all of your equipment especially the rod and real and anything esle metal so it doesn't start to rust because of being exposed to the salt air. Any more questions please feel free to ask.