# Sharkathon



## whackem10 (Sep 8, 2010)

Hey guys I'm goin out to sharkathon this year for my first time and just trying to see if I can get some advice from any veterans on here. I am fairly new to salt water fishing but I love it. I have caught a few sharks in the past on cut sting ray and am wondering what other baits to try. Also wondering if anyone knows of any good places on the way to corpus from cypress to pick up some bait on the way down. Any advice would be appreciated.


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## aggiemulletboy (May 31, 2006)

Stingray is hard to go wrong with honestly. Tough bait so you won't have to deal as much with crabs or bait stealers, sharks love it, and you can tailor it to whatever size you want based on your gear (a wing all the way up to a whole ray). Jack crevalle or other bloody fish (maybe bonito) also make a great bait if you are going for larger sharks. 

If you want rays, go find a flat in west bay and gig them to stock up before the tourney. Pretty easy and you can choose what size you want (gigged them all the way from 8 or so inches across to 50+ lbs in there).


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## goodwood (Mar 30, 2009)

from what I hear ray holds up very well even after being frozen. I think some baitcamps have them too.


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## Fishin-Inc (May 27, 2004)

*pre-tourney*

I wouldn't run to a tourney hoping to find bait. I would make a run to galveston and grab some. Down south alot of tourney's are won on pompano and also. Whole whiting can be great too. In other words bring some fresh dead shrimp.

You can usually pick up a jack, ray, or a few bonita in galveston.


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## brokedown (Jul 31, 2010)

never had much luck with the frozen ray that i have bought from the bait shops..only use them when I know they are fresh (ie the ones i catch, or not frozen)


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## aggiemulletboy (May 31, 2006)

brokedown said:


> never had much luck with the frozen ray that i have bought from the bait shops..only use them when I know they are fresh (ie the ones i catch, or not frozen)


I've used them with about the same results as fresh. When the sharks were there and feeding and it didn't matter whether it was fresh or frozen.


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## TomCat (Jan 6, 2006)

You'd be well advised to get some now because when S-a-T comes around you won't be able to find any for sale.


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## whackem10 (Sep 8, 2010)

wow thanks for all the great advice i'm plannin on making a bait run soon and i got a buddy fishin baffin bay for bait too


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## marlin50lrs (Apr 12, 2010)

Best beach shark bait is speckled "mullet"


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## DRILHER (Apr 4, 2010)

Heads work real well the crabs have more trouble eating them. You can go to head boat docks when the long trips come in and get tuna heads much larger than bonita. 
I'm not sure on the game fish for bait laws in state waters. It seems that bonita, is acceptable but I don't know about tuna and kingfish heads from the trash but they are real good bait. They sell spanish mackeral for bait.

I have not had much luck with sting ray. Jackfish is for very large sharks and doesn't hookup as well as a head. 

Can someone clarify which baits we can use from the beach.(I usually fish offshore and outside of state waters) I've heard all kinds of different opinions. Tuna heads, Sand Trout, Barracuda, Kingfish heads, Spanish mackeral, Bonita, Jackfish, Stringray


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## aggiemulletboy (May 31, 2006)

DRILHER said:


> Heads work real well the crabs have more trouble eating them. You can go to head boat docks when the long trips come in and get tuna heads much larger than bonita.
> I'm not sure on the game fish for bait laws in state waters. It seems that bonita, is acceptable but I don't know about tuna and kingfish heads from the trash but they are real good bait. They sell spanish mackeral for bait.
> 
> I have not had much luck with sting ray. Jackfish is for very large sharks and doesn't hookup as well as a head.
> ...


*Game Fish *(includes hybrids or subspecies of fish on this list):


Bass: Guadalupe, largemouth, smallmouth, spotted, striped, white, yellow
Catfish: blue, channel, flathead
Cobia
Crappie: black, white
Mackerel: king, Spanish
Marlin: blue, white
Pickerel
Red drum
Sailfish
Sauger
Seatrout, spotted
Sharks
Snook
Spearfish, longbill
Swordfish, broadbill
Tarpon
Tripletail
Trout: brown, rainbow
Wahoo
Walleye
You can't use the listed fish or any part of them as bait. That includes a carcass. Anything not listed is ok as long as it isn't endangered, threatened, or protected in any other capacity. So no, you can't use spanish mackerel. Are you thinkin of them selling spanish sardines perhaps?


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## DRILHER (Apr 4, 2010)

Spanish Mackeral sold as trolling baits frozen whole or rigged. Is this a rule for Texas waters or U.S. waters also. Tuna were not listed so are they OK for bait?


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## aggiemulletboy (May 31, 2006)

DRILHER said:


> Spanish Mackeral sold as trolling baits frozen whole or rigged. Is this a rule for Texas waters or U.S. waters also. Tuna were not listed so are they OK for bait?


Ah ok. I guess I have seen the spanish macks in the offshore catalogs for sale.

Those laws pertain to state waters. You'll have to find the US waters law on what is a game fish and if you can use them as bait. Tuna aren't listed here so they are ok to use.


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## DRILHER (Apr 4, 2010)

Thanks for the info. I think I'll use tuna heads they work great and are free.


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## TomCat (Jan 6, 2006)

If you're fishing S-a-T then you'll be fishing from the beach. No motorized craft allowed to deploy bait. Cast or Kayak only.


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## snatchinlips (Jan 15, 2010)

Yak out bigger/tougher baits.. stingray/jacks for your really long lines. Then match the hatch... prolly skippies on the shorter yaked baits.... then you only have to fool with the short runs more. See ya there..


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## MigllaFishKilla (Mar 3, 2009)

frozen stingray works fine, fresh is always better. but if theirs a tourney on the horizon im not sure if i would count on the bait stores holding ray when the time comes. their are people who will clean up shop and buy up all the ray for a weekend trip. if your going to fish with fish, using the head as stated may hold up better against the crabs. you can get creative out there, try new things if theirs plenty of forage in the water. try a big whole gafftop with the spines clipped, buddy got a FAT run using one recently.


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