The weather is warming and the beach is looking good. We are entering the early stages of beautiful shark fishing weekends and for those enthusiasts who can’t wait: why not get a head start by catching and freezing your own bait?
The different possibilities are vast, so use your imagination and catch just about anything you want. Before we get into what to catch, let’s talk about what not to catch.
Any legal game fish should not be used as shark bait, so don’t try to put a Trout out there on the line unless you like being arrested. The best bait to use is large Croaker or Whiting, if you can catch one.
They like dead shrimp and you can just put the shrimp on a small hook and free-line them just about anywhere. Obviously, fresh bait is best, but if frozen with guts and all, the frozen bait will bleed out nicely while thawing.
Another great bait is Stingray. You can both catch and gig Stingray. If you are fortunate enough to get a large ray, cut the wings off and make three baits out of it.
Large Mullet and Shad are also good baits, but are just about only obtainable via cast net.
One of the lesser-known better baits is Skipjack. Skipjack feed and live in the same areas that Trout do, so catching them should be approached in a similar manner.
The reason Skipjack is so good is that they bleed very oily. Shad tend to bleed out in a similar manner. Another nice trick if you are unable to catch large baits to freeze is to catch many small ones.
Once you have your assorted mix of bait, take and cut it all into small pieces. Once cut, squash the fish into a mush and place in a container to freeze.
Attach a bar with a rope tied to it in the middle of the goo and when you are ready to use it you can attach the rope to your buoy and the mush will slowly break off.
Even if a shark is to come up and bite on it, it will break apart and the shark will not get any food out of it, therefore increasing the chance that you will get a bite on your bait.
Remember that this fish with guts and everything else will still stink a little, so don’t put it in a freezer that you want to be kept spotless.
And don’t tell your wife Blake Dogg told you it was okay.
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