# Shark Leader



## TMB (Sep 23, 2012)

What size of wire do you all use for shark fishing, surf?!? Is coated better?? Is the galvinized wire at lowes the same? I saw a wire there with a size og 1/16?? Opinions, ideas?!? Also I've seen leaders with a fix weight and leaders with a sliding weight, what's better?? Thanks guys


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## Egardner (Dec 11, 2012)

I use 480 pound cable and a sliding weight


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## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

I'm mono only nowdays, found you just don't need steel with circle hooks. More bites too.


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## REELSHOT (Jun 10, 2013)

Don't use Lowe's galvanized it will corrode after one use. I use a 5 to 10 ft braided steel 250 to 480 pound. Then top that with .91 or higher weed wacker line with a sliding weight. And run that about 10 to 15 ft. Have not had any probs with this set up. Mono is good for more bits bit run the risk of the sharks body rubbing it apart or if hook gets deeper biting through.


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## MNsurf (Oct 21, 2011)

6' of 200 or 400# steel or copper cable in front of 20' of 200 or 300# mono. I clip the sinker between both leaders. Sinker doesn't slide.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


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## mullethead00 (May 31, 2010)

I had back to back break offs of 250# leaders by small <5" blacktips last weekend. First time ever. I'm stepping up to 400#.


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## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

mullethead00 said:


> I had back to back break offs of 250# leaders by small <5" blacktips last weekend. First time ever. I'm stepping up to 400#.


Some guys use 550, but all I've ever used was 400lb mono and it's done great as long as you use circle hooks. I only have steel on a couple big J hook drops but the drops are short and they'll clip to 20' of mono for the main leader.


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## surfguy (May 17, 2011)

J hook leader (2x drop) targeted for 8-10' sharks yakked 600-800yds
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25' 1000# mono with a sliding weight clip, 8' 1000# vinyl coated SS cable, 2x 4' 1000# vinyl coated SS cable with 14/0 'J' hooks. 1000# Rosco swivels and SS Shackle.

Circle hook leader (1x drop) targeted for 6-8' sharks yakked 400-600yds
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25' 700# mono with a sliding weight clip, 8' 480# vinyl coated SS cable, 1x 4' 480# vinyl coated SS cable with 20/0 'Circle' hook. 1000# Rosco swivels and SS Shackle.

Circle hook leader (1x drop) targeted for 4-6' sharks yakked 200-400yds
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15' 500# mono with a sliding weight clip, 8' 480# vinyl coated SS cable, 1x 4' 480# vinyl coated SS cable with 20/0 'Circle' hook. 500# Rosco swivels.


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## troutless (Feb 17, 2006)

Surfguy, where do you order your supplies for the leaders?


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## surfguy (May 17, 2011)

troutless said:


> Surfguy, where do you order your supplies for the leaders?


Troutless, nobody has all the components in one source, so I use a combination of suppliers:
CatchSharks - http://catchsharks.com/
SharkOutlet - http://www.sharkoutlet.com/
Leadertec - http://www.leadertec.com/
FTU - http://www.fishingtackleunlimited.com/


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## JOHNNYREB (Apr 20, 2006)

surfguy said:


> Troutless, nobody has all the components in one source, so I use a combination of suppliers:
> CatchSharks - http://catchsharks.com/
> SharkOutlet - http://www.sharkoutlet.com/
> Leadertec - http://www.leadertec.com/
> FTU - http://www.fishingtackleunlimited.com/


Don't forget about Kingkilla :wink:

Personally, I use nothing but 700# mono w/ 20/0 circles....if that hook is too big for smaller sharks, then I don't wanna catch them anyhow! Anything less than 6 ft just doesn't tickle my fancy!


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## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

KingKilla ^^ I get all my stuff from him after losing touch with BeachBum. (I think it was BB that used to sell stuff?) KK is fast and reasonably priced, hell he even offered to meet me on my way down to PINS one trip.


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## FIDO (Jun 14, 2011)

TMB said:


> What size of wire do you all use for shark fishing, surf?!? Is coated better?? Is the galvinized wire at lowes the same? I saw a wire there with a size og 1/16?? Opinions, ideas?!? Also I've seen leaders with a fix weight and leaders with a sliding weight, what's better?? Thanks guys


Hi TMB.

I'm a wire guy, not cable. I don't use coated wire. I would buy wire made for fishing like Malin. Catch sharks sells some heavy Malin wire (up to 750#), but I get it from Roys too (up to 360#). Like my buddy Johnnyreb says with a smile when I tell him about the stupid stuff I do; "To each their own :smile:". So, try out different methods. You'll eventually have your favorite way. I never really fished with straight mono for sharks. Mainly because I learned how to shark fish offshore and then fish PINS. Now that I raided Johnnyreb's tackle station and saw how he makes his mono leaders, I'm actually going to buy some circle hooks and try it. I use a sliding weight, it makes since for me that the fish should be able to swim away with the bait a bit before pulling the weight. Both work though. I also make my leaders very long. Like 20' minimum. I'm not sure where you plan on fishing, but you could always stop at a camp of shark fishermen and just pull over and ask them questions. Most fishermen like to teach others how to do things. That's better than youtube.

Good luck!


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## PearlandSharkFisher (Sep 11, 2012)

I noticed a lot of yall using very long leaders, can someone explain this to me? Does it give the shark more running time before pulling the weight, so better hook ups?


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## HuntinforTail (Mar 29, 2011)

PearlandSharkFisher said:


> I noticed a lot of yall using very long leaders, can someone explain this to me? Does it give the shark more running time before pulling the weight, so better hook ups?


That's correct. I use 40-50 sliding trace leaders. Since I switched to this method my hookup ratio went from about 40% to about 95%


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## TMB (Sep 23, 2012)

Thanks FIDO, everyone for the info! Ill be fishing at PINS. Yeah why that long? Because of the rub against the shark as he runs??


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## HuntinforTail (Mar 29, 2011)

The long mono leader is for a sliding trace rig. When the shark picks up the bait and swims with the the weight can stay in one place while the leader slides through it. The more room that the shark has to move with the bait before the weight gets pulled will give the shark more time to fully eat the bait. This helps a lot with circle hooks.


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## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

PearlandSharkFisher said:


> I noticed a lot of yall using very long leaders, can someone explain this to me? Does it give the shark more running time before pulling the weight, so better hook ups?


The biggest benefit I've seen is leadering the shark, allows you to get a hold of the leader a little sooner when that fish is PO'd and not wanting to come over a bar. Having said that, most of mine are less than 15'. I keep my lines set pretty tight so that fish feels the rod as soon as it picks up the bait anyway, there's no running room.


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## FIDO (Jun 14, 2011)

TMB said:


> Yeah why that long?


Yep, long leaders have a trifecta of fish conquering advantage:

- Easier to land the shark. Especially those big ones during low tide :cheers:

- Eliminate the tail whip issues (I've had sharks get wrapped with the leader before too). Fishing offshore you can really feel the tail hitting your leader.

- Lets them swim with bait in mouth before puling the weight allowing more time to get that hook in his jaw.


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## JOHNNYREB (Apr 20, 2006)

A long leader allows you to use a float also, just in case your main line gets bar rubbed or bitten through by smacks, you can still retrieve your gear.

Just my observation, my hook up ratio went up drastically with fixed weights and circles....I only use sliding traces with j hooks.


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## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

JOHNNYREB said:


> Just my observation, my hook up ratio went up drastically with fixed weights and circles....I only use sliding traces with j hooks.


Interesting. I'd like to know how you're rigging up your fixed weights with a float if you don't mind. All my leaders are the sliding type, though I only give them 2-5 feet or so slide room. Within a couple feet they feel the drag on the rod anyway so I figure the weight doesn't matter.


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## JOHNNYREB (Apr 20, 2006)

JJ, I was talking about 2 diff setup. On my all MONO leaders I run fixed weights with circles....no float.

My big 3/32 leaders I use, are sliding traces with Js with a float.


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## surfguy (May 17, 2011)

I added a couple more sources for shark leader materials:

CatchSharks - http://catchsharks.com/
SharkOutlet - http://www.sharkoutlet.com/
Leadertec - http://www.leadertec.com/
FTU - http://www.fishingtackleunlimited.com/ 
Got Leaders - http://gotleaders.net/
BigSharkTackle - http://bigsharktackle.com/


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## bighop (Feb 28, 2008)

Is anyone running sandbags or similar on sliding trace leaders for big baits? Does that work?


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## CootHammer (Jan 10, 2012)

If you were to purchase some already built shark leaders from one of the above sites which one would you prefer?


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## HuntinforTail (Mar 29, 2011)

CootHammer said:


> If you were to purchase some already built shark leaders from one of the above sites which one would you prefer?


I'm biased towards John at www.sharkoutlet.com

Great products, great service, fast shipping, and good prices from an experienced, proven sharker


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## CootHammer (Jan 10, 2012)

Thanks man!


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## bighop (Feb 28, 2008)

HuntinforTail said:


> I'm biased towards John at www.sharkoutlet.com
> 
> Great products, great service, fast shipping, and good prices from an experienced, proven sharker


x2

and for getting started, that new sharker package is a pretty dang good deal...


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## surfguy (May 17, 2011)

Agree and if you plan on going for the "big girls", you might want to supplement the package with the 'GreatWhite with J hooks'. That's a very nice leader to copy.


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## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

CootHammer said:


> If you were to purchase some already built shark leaders from one of the above sites which one would you prefer?


Pre-built leaders? CatchSharks.com all the way. Dude's got some great stuff. He sent out sample leaders years ago and I'm still using the one he sent me, just sharpen the hook. Of course all the yellow electroplating has been chewed off the hook, there's no telling how many we've brought in on that leader.


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## surfguy (May 17, 2011)

justletmein said:


> Pre-built leaders? CatchSharks.com all the way. Dude's got some great stuff. He sent out sample leaders years ago and I'm still using the one he sent me, just sharpen the hook. Of course all the yellow electroplating has been chewed off the hook, there's no telling how many we've brought in on that leader.


X2! The first pre-made leader I ever bought to copy was the '830' from CatchSharks.com. Of course, everyone must have liked it since they are out of stock now. LOL.


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## JOHNNYREB (Apr 20, 2006)

PRE-MADE LEADERS???.....are y'all shark fishermen....or tourists? Lmao!


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## bighop (Feb 28, 2008)

JOHNNYREB said:


> PRE-MADE LEADERS???.....are y'all shark fishermen....or tourists? Lmao!


meh, economy of scale, it's hard to make them for what John sells them for, and I have more time to fiddle with every other part of my setups...


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## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

JOHNNYREB said:


> PRE-MADE LEADERS???.....are y'all shark fishermen....or tourists? Lmao!


haha, well I do make all my own leaders but that sample from CatchSharks.com has brought me to their website more than once thinking about buying some more. If I ever do buy a pre-made leader that'll be the ones.


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## surfguy (May 17, 2011)

justletmein said:


> haha, well I do make all my own leaders but that sample from CatchSharks.com has brought me to their website more than once thinking about buying some more. If I ever do buy a pre-made leader that'll be the ones.


What JJ said. I make all my own shark leaders too now but ya gotta start somewhere. If you're gonna copy something to save money, ya might as well copy the best. This one sample gave me the idea to use shackles (or Jaw swivels) for the drops, which I prefer over longline clips.


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## JOHNNYREB (Apr 20, 2006)

Suckas, Lol, long line clips are for smaller baits, shackles are for big baits....been that way for a LONG time!

SG...I'm sure beachbum would be thrilled to hear that his idea is the best.....but the BEST leaders out there are the ones you make yourself, tweak for a specific reason, design from experience because of success ....or failure....not because its a pretty color :wink:

All BS aside, it makes sense to buy premade leaders if your only doing a few trips a year, or if your just getting started (copy)

For someone that fishes 50 + days a year on the beach it doesn't make dollars or sense to buy premades.


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## Sharkhunter (May 22, 2004)

I've seen some of Catchaharks leaders and they are top notch. They are a good pattern for someone who wants to make there own but not sure about materials and methods.


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## Nathan (May 22, 2004)

What are y'all's biggest sharks caught from the beach?


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## JOHNNYREB (Apr 20, 2006)

Sharkhunter said:


> I've seen some of Catchaharks leaders and they are top notch. They are a good pattern for someone who wants to make there own but not sure about materials and methods.


He makes great leaders and uses top notch materials, I have bought his materials in the past. Couldn't knock his leaders without knocking my own lol.


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## HuntinforTail (Mar 29, 2011)

I love me some 1000lb Long line clips on my big leaders. They are bigger than a shackle which I don't like but they are just as strong, easier to use and they have a swivel built in. There is no reason they can't be used for big baits. 

I love making my own leaders. It's part of the experience for me, but I'm not going to trash on the guys who want to buy pre-mades. Especially since I know a couple of the guys selling them and they are great guys with a quality product. 

If you do decide to make your own make sure you get good tools and learn proper crimping techniques. Learn all about your components and what specific jobs you want your leaders to do. I fish a few different styles of leaders for all different purposes. None of the leaders I fish are available from any of the pre-made vendors because of how I like mine made.


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## bighop (Feb 28, 2008)

HuntinforTail said:


> ...If you do decide to make your own make sure you get good tools....


This is the main reason I buy mine. A good crimper that will do 1000lb mono is a couple hundred bucks, or more. Takes more leaders than I can justify to make up that cost....

Unless there's a better option for cheaper crimping, then I'm all ears.


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## Sharkhunter (May 22, 2004)

Home Depot has a crimper for about 30$. I have used it for about 10 years it works great.


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## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

I had a crimper/swagger explode on me when I was applying extreme pressure, piece of metal bounced off my cheek and left a bruise... had that thing hit my eye it would have been lights out.


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## surfguy (May 17, 2011)

bighop said:


> This is the main reason I buy mine. A good crimper that will do 1000lb mono is a couple hundred bucks, or more. Takes more leaders than I can justify to make up that cost....
> 
> Unless there's a better option for cheaper crimping, then I'm all ears.


A heavy duty crimper is almost a must if you are making big leaders with 700-1000# mono with crimps up to 3.5mm. I got mine from FTU for like $190 and it will handle anything from 1/32 to 1/8.


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## setxdargel (Jun 8, 2011)

Dang good advice and like most Charkers I make my own.John has great products for a great price.


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