New to shark fishing (haven't done it yet). Have questions on kayaking.

[fisherman321]

Im gonna fish for shark/striper from IBSP (NJ) this spring/summer. I want to try kayaking my bait out on my kayak since that seems to be what most experienced people do. I got this kayak: *

Will I be able to kayak bait out safely with this kayak?

What should I do to be more safe while kayaking it out?

Any other tips?

Edited January 19 by TimS
Please don’t post commercial links here - you can name the brand/style kayak, people will know what it is :-)

[Bigred78]

Your kayak isn't listed in your post but number one would be wear a life jacket. Don't go alone. And pick and choose your days. You can use something like magic seaweed that shows you a surf forcast.

[Surf bomber]

 I saw three guys doing it off l b i July 3 ..heavy duty/big game fishing equip is required and you would be hard pressed to handle a 5foot shark in the surf by your self, get the hook out and release the shark un hurt .....if any one sees it they will instantly start  videoing the event....can you catch a 5foot shark with your normal surf setup absolutely....how long will it take to get him in ,and how long will the reel last. ....any mishaps and your on someone's video ......they took what looked like 12 inch squares of sword fish skin one inch thick and paddle about 100 yards off shore .....I did see them bring a five footer in looked goldish brown  in the sunlight ,it took a while.  ....one guy on the rod and two handling the shark thru the shallows with people try to get photos.....last but not least have a long handled hook remover...a shark that small will take the calf muscle right off you leg...it looked like a lot of fun but you have to be prepared

[fisherman321]

4 mins ago, Surf bomber said:

 I saw three guys doing it off l b i July 3 ..heavy duty/big game fishing equip is required and you would be hard pressed to handle a 5foot shark in the surf by your self, get the hook out and release the shark un hurt .....if any one sees it they will instantly start  videoing the event....can you catch a 5foot shark with your normal surf setup absolutely....how long will it take to get him in ,and how long will the reel last. ....any mishaps and your on someone's video ......they took what looked like 12 inch squares of sword fish skin one inch thick and paddle about 100 yards off shore .....I did see them bring a five footer in looked goldish brown  in the sunlight ,it took a while.  ....one guy on the rod and two handling the shark thru the shallows with people try to get photos.....last but not least have a long handled hook remover...a shark that small will take the calf muscle right off you leg...it looked like a lot of fun but you have to be prepared

so youre saying that ill get put on cnn and get cancelled if i handle the shark the wrong way?

[fisherman321]

29 mins ago, Bigred78 said:

Your kayak isn't listed in your post but number one would be wear a life jacket. Don't go alone. And pick and choose your days. You can use something like magic seaweed that shows you a surf forcast.

Its a lifetime teton angler kayak. You think I'll be fine if I paddle baits out?

[C.Robin]

Surf launches are no joke. I'd try to go with someone experienced with them, and save it for the really calm days.

 

[Bigred78]

The boat should be fine. Id watch a couple surf launching and landing videos. If you can get someone experienced even better. Another tip though in my opinion in the right conditions with the right technique surf launching is not that difficult. It is the landing that is the hardest part. Id recommend surf under a foot for your first day out.

[connman]

No kayak launching allowed Oceanside in IBSP

[Beachglass Guru]

Speaking from experience...

 

Its irresponsible to even attempt this without the right gear.. I'm not concerned with your kayak, you can paddle a bait out on a boogie board and be fine, were not talking about miles... Its your gear that concerns me more.. what kind of combo are you planning to use? What tackle?  Share with us you plan... 

 

You need to be able to control the fight, and end it within a reasonable time frame so as not to overly exhaust the shark.. that means the right sized reel and rod, appropriate strength line, and LEGAL hooks.. 

Nothing you enjoy using for stripers will be an adequate set up for shark. Attempting it would likely end in a shark that doesn't survive the fight..

Sure you can catch stripers on a shark rod, but that won't be much fun at all..

 

I saw some clown chunking for shark on the SS of LI this past summer. He was using giant J-hooks, owner Jobu's I believe. Needless to say we got into a heated conversation that ended with me calling the DEC..

These are not food fish.. your doing this for fun.. fun at the sharks expense.. so it's important that you respect that and do EVERYTHING in your power to ensure that it swims away safely and in a survivable condition.. 

 

You could hurt yourself, but just as importantly you could easily injure the shark.. I'm not sure of the regs where your fishing, but beach sharking is frowned upon heavily and even illegal in many places... many of the species you may catch are lilkely to be protected species which aren't supposed to be targeted, and definitely should never leave the water if unintentionally caught... Remember that as a gaggle of "Karen's" flock around you with camera phones.. even so much as a pic on social media could land you in some hot water, and rightfully so...

 

And you should look into a long handled de-hooker (like pictured below).. that may potentially save your hand (or life).. mine is 30+ inches and there have been several times when I wished it was longer..

 

 

IMO... You should be less concerned with your kayak, and more concerned with you preparedness in the rest of your gear..

Edited January 20 by Beachglass Guru

[Surf bomber]

I'm not saying saying c n n ...if bystanders gets hurt for what ever reason who's liable if any one ....this is n.j. One of the most litigated states in the country and if folks are on the beach it's on video ...the previous post mentioned taking the shark out of the water ,which probably explained the wrestling and or stabilizing the fish in the shallow surf....

[ACFishing]

2 hours ago, fisherman321 said:

so youre saying that ill get put on cnn and get cancelled if i handle the shark the wrong way?

People are very against fishing and they will go Karen on you if you are hooked on any fish. That being said, make sure you have the right equipment and more than one guy on hand. I've been sharking only a couple times but the biggest thing is making sure that we keep these fish alive and fought correctly or we could lose our privilege to catch sharks in NJ. I hate the people that get in our face for fishing but if you can't handle them properly they have every right to get in out face!

[cheech]

Get the bait out safely-Yes, if you can launch, and paddle a kayak past the break.

To be more safe-Practice surf launches, knife on the PFD, dress to swim, and have a buddy on the beach.

Other tips- No one watches CNN

[Rick67]

11 hours ago, cheech said:

 No one watches CNN

Sure they do.  They just don’t matter.

[FishingmaniYaks]

On 1/19/2021 at 11:22 PM, ACFishing said:

People are very against fishing and they will go Karen on you if you are hooked on any fish. That being said, make sure you have the right equipment and more than one guy on hand. I've been sharking only a couple times but the biggest thing is making sure that we keep these fish alive and fought correctly or we could lose our privilege to catch sharks in NJ. I hate the people that get in our face for fishing but if you can't handle them properly they have every right to get in out face!

I've been called that I was bringing sharks to a swimming beach. A beach actually stated as a fishermans beach only but you know you will get those out there watching and analyzing how "brutal" fisherman are. Definitely people need to scout and do their homework for shark fishing. Especially at night when the most action takes place.

[sbcbmx112]

I've done it a few times; it is not a one man game.  You need at least two people and preferably three.  There are strict laws regarding sharks and their handling so it's not going to be CNN that 'cancels' you but Fish and Wildlife that fines you.