Author: Terra Firma Tackle

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Landbased Shark Fishing California Style – Beach Drops

While most landbased shark fishing in California consists of casting baits and slide baiting, there is small but growing group of anglers doing things a little differently. Taking a page out of the Florida and Texas playbook, some fisherman on the left coast have begun using kayaks and drones to deploy baits off the beach, reaching deeper water and as a result bigger and more formidable catches!

Deploying The Shark Baits:

 One of the more popular ways to deploy baits on the West Coast is via the use of remote controlled aircraft, or drones. Some are using simple store-bought units, but others are building custom, at times waterproof, machines to lift heavier payload and deploy more safely. One important aspect of this style of fishing is knowing what weights the remote unit can carry, and to remain well under that specification to ensure safe operation. A remote triggered servo-based payload release system is also an important feature, as mechanical static releases are too unreliable and can lead to crashes. While drones work fine for smaller baits and are invaluable on rough days, they are susceptible to wind and can be unreliable over the long haul.

  Kayaks are the weapon of choice for the big bait fisherman looking to drop baits off the sand (seedeploying your shark bait safely). Large weight capacities and no electronics to fail, coupled with low cost, plastic kayaks are easily the most “no-fuss” bait deployment system out there. California does not have the typical “sand-bar” type beaches of the East Coast, and as a result fishermen only have to make it past one set of breakers to reach smooth water, however, the shorebreak is usually much larger than that of Florida or Texas. It is typical to be deploying baits in shorebreak that towers over the anglers head, sometimes exceeding 8-10’ in height. This makes for wet launches, but is by no means impossible with the right watercraft and a bit of practice.

  Safety is paramount in this style of fishing with large hooks and heavy line. Always be alert and aware of the location of the hook and weight in the kayak. Always keep your eyes forward toward the breaking waves and never take the paddle out of the water. When in doubt, bail out! Better to have to swim for shore than to dump the kayak and potentially wind up hooked or knocked out by the heavy boat. Know your limits and know when the conditions warrant sitting it out. No fish is worth getting seriously injured over!

 No matter the deployment method, one thing remains constant, get the bait to where the fish are. This doesn’t always mean to drop the baits as far as possible, sometimes the fish are in closer than one might think. A lot depends on the cut of the beach and the time of year, but as a general rule, 200 yards is too far. Somewhere between 50-150 yard drops are usually enough for California, and a lot of fish are caught inside of 100 yards.

Bait Selection:

 On the West Coast we classify our beach baits in two categories, Ray Baits and Finbaits. Both will work well, but should be fished slightly differently.

   Ray baits are usually Bat Rays, or Diamond Stingrays, and can be fished whole or in chunks. A typical bait for this fishery is about a 1 pound chunk of ray. At times the fish will be of a bigger grade and a larger bait is warranted. In these conditions a whole 4-10lb ray is an excellent choice! Ray baits can be left for the majority of the session once deployed as they tend to not get picked at nearly as much as the finbaits. On multiple occasions the ray baits get bit after 6-10 hour soaks, so don’t be shy about letting them lie!

   Finbait on the other hand can be anything from Mackerel, Yellowtail, Barracuda, or even Tuna. These baits are far less durable than the ray baits, but they tend to get bit a little better on the slower days. One major disadvantage of the finbaits is that they need checked far more often as the lobsters, crabs, and smaller fish really do a number on them over time. A typical soak time for a finbait deployed off the beach in 1-2 hours, and often when retrieved the hook is picked completely clean.

Tackle Selection For Socal Shark Fishing

 When it comes to beach drops, bigger is generally better. Line capacity becomes a major factor when doing long drops as so much line is already off of the reel to begin with. 100lb line tackle is really the bare minimum for this style of fishing, as the animals that will be hooked will all be fairly large and powerful! A good rule of thumb is to have 500 yards of line left on the reel after the drop to give the angler enough line left to play the fish after the strike. In order to maximize capacity reels are generally spooled with braid backing, such as the Bullbuster Hollow Core Spectra (https://bullbuster.net/hollowc...) and topped with a monofilament topshot (https://bullbuster.net/monofil...) about the length of the longest drop the angler intends to do with the reel. In most cases a 50W size big game reel is enough for the West Coast, but this style of fishing can be done with smaller gear as well, depending on the grade of fish hooked. There are “unstoppables” within reach of the beach, and better to go bigger than be caught undergunned. Having a two-speed reel is better for the angler and the fish, enabling the fight to be shortened dramatically and the fish to released in better shape. Rod selection is up to the angler but short stand-up style blanks paired with a quality fighting harness are definitely the way to go for the bigger fish.

Rigging Up For Shark Fishing In SOCAL:

  Rig selection can be as simple or as complicated as one would like, but as a general rule rigs are made up of two sections: a cable or single strand (https://bullbuster.net/wire) wire “bite leader” and a heavy monofilament (https://bullbuster.net/grander...) “rub leader”. These two sections are usually crimped together via a high quality power swivel such as those offered in the Bullbuster Swivel Kits (https://bullbuster.net/swivel-...) and Crimping Kits (https://bullbuster.net/crimpin...). The majority of the fish hooked on the West Coast have a tendency to jump and twist when hooked, and as a result long leader sections are mandatory to prevent bite offs / rub offs. For this reason a bite section of over 6 feet and a rub section over 12 feet is recommended.

Hook selection depends on the size of the bait but usually a quality circle hook in a 16/0-20/0 size is adequate. Be sure to hook the bait in a way that exposes the gap and point well to enable a solid hookset. Weight selection again varies based on location, with soft sandy beaches requiring a Texas style spider weight and rocky beaches benefitting from a brick or other breakaway sinker attached with a weaker section of monofilament line. 

Experiment with the rigs and techniques in this article and see what works for you! Don't forget to check out our own website, TerraFirmaTackle.com for more information and products dedicated to shark fishing from shore!

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