# Sharkin off of piers...



## Big Boy (Apr 6, 2005)

I have seen lots of great pics of folks who have caught large sharks of of Piers, San Luis, Bob Hall ect. I have two 9/0's but you can't cast them and I cant imagine just dropping the bait off the side of the pier (maybe thats how its done), so how would you deploy your bait off a pier? 

I have heard of folks using jet skis and kayaks, but I have not seen these around the piers?

I go to Galveston pier fishing about once a month and I dont really see anyone else with big tackle. 

Thanks in advance,
Ed C.


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## bigreave (Aug 28, 2004)

i fish slp but o throw a squidder on a 10 ft rod ,


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## gator (May 22, 2004)

I've heard of different ways but some people still kayak their baits from the pier and some use smaller more castable reels such as the Penn 330 it just depends on how you want to do it and the size baits you are using. I hope some other guys chime in that know more about it than I.


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## SurfRunner (May 22, 2004)

I have ran baits form piers several tines, but it has been many years ago. You do it the same way you do as from the beach. Back then, we used a small aluminum boat and motor, and a raft and motor. I heard of this guy who used to jump off the Bob Hall Pier with one of those little air filled mattresses and swim baits out, I have also seen kayaks used.

You can also float them out.


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## p0opstinksal0t (May 1, 2005)

galveston fishing pier will not let you run out baits. if your after a monster check out bob hall pier. you can jump off the pier w/ a life jacket and swim a line out if u have to! lol but due to safety reasons many piers will not let you boat out lines. get yourself a cheap SOT kayak, and check out bao hall pier, or dirty pelican pier on HI. i was into piers for a while, but moved to the beach as it got too expensive... especially when i would camp out for a week on it! lol


trey


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## Sponge (Jun 22, 2004)

*Floating a bait*

I used to use a balloon to get my baits way out at Bob Hall Pier. Just tie a balloon to the top of you leader where your surf weight cannot reach the floor and the current will take it out in most cases (trust me on this). It will not take it straight out but it will take it out in diagonally. Once the bait gets out to where you like it yank on your rod very hard till the balloon pops off. Try using balloons that are not very strong. Even will strong winds and current I've had a balloon take my line out a good ways. Try it!


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## Mustad7731 (May 23, 2004)

Sponge is right, with balloons you can generally get your bait away from the pier, but
just as he also said they seldom go straight away from the pier at 90 degrees. So
set your big rig out when the pier is not too crowded, tighten up your line so your fishing [your big rig] 
at 90 degrees to the pier and set your lighter rigs out from there. 
Most pier patrons will allow you to move over and around them as you reposition your
rigs if you respect their right to be there.
Jackie


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## RobertM (May 21, 2004)

*Piers*

We run baits for BHP with kayaks.


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## Bug_Power (Jul 14, 2005)

Ballons and a pellet guns works well


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## Redfishr (Jul 26, 2004)

Before Kayaks , we used to paddle them out on surf boards from the Flagship.
We used a small dingy when we took them out from 37st rock groin. Same kind we used on the beach.
I used to get too nervous with the surf board, but it worked and was easy to get around.


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## purpletdude (Jul 7, 2004)

My brother-in-law just moved back here from Florida and told me he saw guys using kitchen trash bags to get baits out from the piers. He said they would just blow them up and attach them to their line with a clothes pin. They were doing this on an outgoing tide and the blown up trash bag carries the line out with the tide. When it gets out to where they want, they just whip the line to release the clothes pin and it's on. I thought this was a pretty innovative way to get a bait out....except for the trash bag now being another piece of plastic floating in the gulf...that would be littering in my book.


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## greencat (May 30, 2005)

Back in the *day* folks used to "Hammer Throw" baits out at BH. I haven't seen this in a long time. Dangerous for the novice and those around him for sure.


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## Bug_Power (Jul 14, 2005)

purpletdude said:


> My brother-in-law just moved back here from Florida and told me he saw guys using kitchen trash bags to get baits out from the piers. He said they would just blow them up and attach them to their line with a clothes pin. They were doing this on an outgoing tide and the blown up trash bag carries the line out with the tide. When it gets out to where they want, they just whip the line to release the clothes pin and it's on. I thought this was a pretty innovative way to get a bait out....except for the trash bag now being another piece of plastic floating in the gulf...that would be littering in my book.


Simple solution would be to use the trash bags with handles....attach it to a spin casting rod. Open the bail and let it go. then just reel your bag back in. I use 20oz plastic coke bottle as bobbers for sharks off piers. Just tie them onto a line off the leader. I figure they'll eat it off a bobber just as anything else!


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## Redfishr (Jul 26, 2004)

backlash60 said:


> Back in the *day* folks used to "Hammer Throw" baits out at BH. I haven't seen this in a long time. Dangerous for the novice and those around him for sure.


I've seen that done, its not for me though, but it works.


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## Bug_Power (Jul 14, 2005)

Redfishr said:


> I've seen that done, its not for me though, but it works.


 I did it at the 61st peir and my 9/0. Got it out about 25-30 yards with a 15lb ray on it. Just let out a bunch of line and let it go overboard, then chuck!


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## F.A.T. (May 21, 2004)

Just thinkof the attention you would get if you set up a couple of 12s of of one of the jettys on the wall, LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Bug_Power (Jul 14, 2005)

We had 4 9/0's out at the beach in Galveston...people all stopped and looked like *** are you fishing for. We said sharks and most people went 1/4 mile or more further down the beach before parking. Sometimes I think of setting up a Shark Fishing sign....tends to keep bathers and some tourist away from your lines.


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## Duck (Feb 21, 2005)

Not a shark fisherman and have not been on a pier in years but something I noticed as a kid growing up in Myrtle Beach. The king fishermen would use a castable rod as an "outrigger" and they would use the clothespin method mentioned in an earlier post. Never tried it personally but do know they caught fish.


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