Fierce predators like blacktip sharks and tarpon hunt mullet schools off Florida’s Atlantic beaches. Discover how to catch these sharks using lures.
Michael Patrick O’Neill
How often does one encounter the word "guaranteed" in a fishing invitation? And how frequently is that invitation an opportunity to target sharks over 75 pounds that aggressively bite on popping plugs and flies? Those who doubt such claims have yet to experience fishing for the most exciting sharks in the South Atlantic.
Spinners and blacktips, among the most acrobatic sharks in the Atlantic, swarm South Florida’s Atlantic beaches each fall and winter. While most sharks remain submerged once hooked, these two species leap clear out of the water like makos. Surprisingly, I frequently have to motivate new anglers to try this method of shark fishing.
Shark Action near the Shore
Action takes place so near the shore that anglers might have condo spectators.
Capt. Zac Grossman
On a winter morning in Riviera Beach, which is considered cold by Florida’s standards, the reliable 15-knot southeast winds unfurled the flags at Newport Cove Marina as we boarded Capt. Tore Turney’s 31-foot Contender named Reel Lucky. Ten minutes later, we were outside Palm Beach Inlet, cruising north along Singer Island’s beaches.
Turney stood at the boat’s bow, leaning against a dock line attached to the cleat while directing his mate, Capt. Ken Schlecther, on the boat’s course. Within moments, Turney noted shark indicators, like fish fleeing from our boat and distant jumpers. We anchored 200 yards from the shore in 15 feet of crystal-clear water.
My three companions had previously fished for sharks using bait only. However, today would be a new experience as we would also be using lures. But, only one had experience casting plugs, so we began with natural bait.
Jumping Sharks
Blacktips and spinner sharks are known for their aerial acrobatics, jumping completely out of the water.
Michael Patrick O’Neill
Turney began chumming by using a block of ground bunker (menhaden) and a whole little tunny (also called bonito or false albacore) tied to a stern cleat and sliced to release scent into the water. Our fishing gear included medium spinning and light conventional setups, loaded with 20- and 30-pound-test braided lines. We used a circle hook attached to a few feet of single-strand wire connected to a strong braided leader for abrasion resistance. Each angler cast a chunk of false albacore in different directions from the boat.
Less than a minute passed before the first rod bent dramatically and the reel whirred loudly. John Kauffman, from Longwood, Florida, grabbed the rod from its holder and braced himself as a shark leaped into the air. The hooked shark then dashed directly toward the beach, with Kauffman sprinting to the stern in hot pursuit.
As he dashed past Phil Cohen from Boynton Beach, Florida, Cohen’s rod also bent as another bronze-colored shark put up a similar show. His shark pulled him in an opposite direction. In the midst of the chaos, Mike Richmond, an angler from Miami Beach, exclaimed, “I’ve got one too!” This chaotic triple hookup occurred within seconds, a common sight during winter shark fishing along the Palm Beach coast.
Kite Fishing Techniques
Prepare to witness surface eruptions from wild blacktips and spinners when casting topwater lures.
Michael Patrick O’Neill
With all my friends engaged in their respective battles, I assisted Turney in setting up a kite rig to attract sharks. The setup is quite simple, using three release clips and a conventional rod to manage the hookless slab submerged in the water. Perfect baits include false albacore, barracuda, or jack crevalle. (A teaser connected to a normal setup is another option, though it lacks the reach and effectiveness of the kite technique.)
When sharks linger in the slick or near the surf, using a kite and a firm grip on the kite reel can draw them toward the boat by maneuvering the teaser bait along the surface. Prepare to jerk it away quickly from an interested shark or even raise it into the air when it’s suspended from a kite. The kite also allows the bait to fall back to the surface with a splash, enticing and frustrating the pursuing shark.
Occasionally a shark captures a teaser bait and makes off with it. In such cases, we quickly send another slab into the air attached to the next kite clip, allowing the kite to travel further from the boat. This process can occur three times before we reel the kite back to the first clip.
After roughly 20 minutes, Kauffman’s shark circled the boat and swam under our taut anchor line. Turney hurried to the bow to help Kauffman maneuver his rod under the rope, following the shark. This process repeated approximately six times for each angler’s fish before we finally managed to bring the sharks to the boat for safe releases.
Turney typically puts fresh strip baits in the water after each released shark, but we opted against it this time. With everyone warmed up, it was the perfect moment to pull out the topwater lures.
Understanding Blacktip and Spinner Sharks
It takes a careful eye to differentiate between blacktip and spinner sharks during a fight, even by the boat. The most apparent distinction is that the anal fin tip of a spinner shark is black. Strangely, the blacktip has a gray anal-fin tip that aligns with the rest of the fin.
When hooked and leaping into the air, sharks may spin like a well-thrown football. You might initially think you’ve caught a spinner shark, but both species are capable of similar aerial displays. Both prefer water temperatures around 73°F, explaining their migration to South Florida in winter for breeding. Together with other shark species, the blacktip and spinner form the largest annual shark migration in U.S. waters.
Optimal Shark Lures
Handling a shark alongside the boat can be tricky. The author modifies his plug with a wire leader, allowing the lure to slide up towards a swivel, leaving just a single J-hook in the shark’s mouth.
Capt. Zac Grossman
I brought three favorite spinning setups: 7-foot, 12- to 20-pound Star rods paired with Shimano Stradic 8000 reels loaded with 20-pound braided line. A 10-foot abrasion leader of 200-pound-test braid separates the main 20-pound line from a 2-foot wire leader. The heavy braid is favored for its softness, thinness, and flexibility over fluorocarbon or monofilament, facilitating longer, easier casts. However, the necessary knot connections can limit the distance of even the most streamlined lure. A high cast towards the suspended teaser lets me take advantage of the wind supporting the kite.
In the past, I’ve utilized hookless poppers to interact with excited sharks and attract them towards fly-fishers, but most popping plugs are equipped with hooks. Releasing sharks caught on bait requires cutting the single-strand wire leader close to the fish’s mouth, while releasing a shark caught on a multi-hook lure is considerably more challenging. The notion of a shark swimming off with a lure embedded in its face worries me, which led me to create a safer lure modification. I removed the trebles and only used a single tail hook, threading the wire leader through the split rings in a way that allows easy and safe removal of the plug.
For flies, bright orange and yellow tend to be the best shades, so I choose similar colors for my plugs. One of my preferred presentations is a Gibbs’ Pencil Popper, spray-painted bright orange and dusted with gold sparkle. I also cast bright-yellow and red-headed poppers from Bass Pro.
Optimal Techniques for Casting
Spinning setups are the best option for casting heavy surface plugs.
Capt. Zac Grossman
The plan was to present my friends with the excitement of hooking sharks at the surface. I began with Kauffman, who had some experience casting for redfish, trout, and snook. I guided him to cast one of my modified poppers as close as possible to the suspended kite bait and demonstrated how to animate the lure, holding the rod butt between my legs, gripping the rod just above the foregrip. Then, I initiated a rhythmic back-and-forth retrieve while gradually cranking the reel.
The pencil popper stood upright, most of its body out of the water. Each rod bounce made the plug’s head swing back and forth, crashing into the water’s surface. The lure remained close to the teaser while still creating frothy splashes and staying in the strike zone. Following a few attempts, Kauffman grasped the technique so well that he was startled by a sudden shark explosion at the surface.
A robust hook-set is critical when a shark has the plug firmly in its jaws, as often the shark merely spits the plug out before the hook sets. This happened to Kauffman on his first attempt, but soon afterward, he successfully hooked a shark. The shark dashed away from the reel, leaping across the surface while everyone cheered. Then the shark made a sharp turn toward the bow.
While Kauffman fought his fish, Turney had to stay vigilant on the teaser bait; several times, a shark would sneak up and snatch the bait without surfacing first.
The Release Process
The lure slides up the wire leader away from the shark’s mouth, taking both feather and beads with it.
Capt. Zac Grossman
Kauffman finally had his fish circling around the boat, causing the usual excitement at the anchor line. With the heavy braid on the reel, Turney had no trouble retrieving the plug with one hand. The plug, with its feathers attached, slid up the metal leader, stopping at a barrel swivel positioned three feet away from the shark’s mouth. With no hooks dangling around and minimal need for a leader wrap, Turney managed to control the fish by gripping the plug. This way, anglers could easily reach down to remove the hook or cut the wire near the fish’s mouth. If the hook’s point protruded from the fish’s skin, a leader handler could grab the hook bend with pliers, cut the wire at the hook’s eye, and the hook would slide out through the puncture.
Exhausted, Kauffman received high fives after his shark was released. Richmond and Cohen continued to cast and pop, but couldn’t get a shark to bite. In the end, they received assistance by rigging a couple of bait teasers. They retrieved their plugs alongside the teasers and both hooked up immediately.
After they each caught a couple of sharks, my friends opted to stop fishing, leading me to take out my 12-weight fly rod. I utilized 8 feet of 60-pound nylon-coated leader, an 18-inch, 20-pound-test tippet, and a short shock tippet tied to a bright-orange, gold-flecked popper fly. I hooked up almost instantly, and after a 45-minute struggle, Turney helped me release my shark.
Everyone agreed that popper fishing for sharks was incredibly fun. By the end of the day, I had three more believers in shark sight-fishing.
How to Prepare a Shark Plug
An ideal topwater plug for sharks.
Bill Doster / Sport Fishing
Begin by removing the treble hooks and adding heavy-duty split rings [A] to the popper’s head, midsection, and rear. Attach a 9/0 Mustad Sea Demon hook [B] to single-strand No. 9 wire [C] by threading the wire through the hook’s eye, wrapping it around the hook shank, and reinserting it through the eye before making a haywire twist. This method prevents the hook from swinging and creates a loop necessary for holding additional parts of the lure later.
Trim the wire to a length of 3½ feet, then thread large spacer beads [D] onto the wire. These spacers position the hook 2 inches away from the plug when the wire passes through the three split rings (starting at the rear of the plug, of course). Once through, attach a swivel so the plug can be secured to the braided leader.
To enhance the lure’s flash, add a piece of No. 12 wire. Since sharks are often released with hooks still lodged in their mouths, avoid allowing feathers to dangle from their lips. Form a loop on either end to create a double piece of wire measuring a total of 4 inches, then place the wire in a fly-tying vice.
Begin by adding hollow gold Mylar piping [E], with the cord removed and the strands spread out. Next, secure a bunch of bright orange bucktail and feathers [F] fanned outward. To attach the dressed wire to the lure, feed the front loop onto the split ring at the back of the lure, and secure the rear loop of the 4-inch wire to the leader above the hook with a wire tie [G]. When the plug slides along the leader wire during the release, that fluffy attractor pulls away from the hook and stays with the popper.