HOW TO GO BLUE
Top tips for catching sharks.
1. THE RIGHT GEAR
Most specialist charter boats are geared up for blue shark fishing, but if you’re fishing from a small boat you’ll want to get hold of a couple of decent 30lb-class rods and suitable reels loaded with 40lb braid.
From a charter boat you’ll often be fishing a four or five-rod spread using 50lb-class gear, just in case you hook into a big porbeagle or thresher shark.
I prefer a heavy spinning rod and fixedspool reel loaded with 40lb braid for blues, which rarely exceed 150lb. The fun you can have with lighter tackle is exceptional.
On the end of the 40lb reel line, a rubbing leader tied with 10ft of 300lb wire (or mono if you’re not expecting to catch loads) with a 2oz or 3oz bullet lead on is attached via a swivel. The main trace is 5ft of 300lb wire with a size 10/0 circle hook on the end, which is connected with a heavy-duty snap link swivel.
The reason for all this heavy line/wire is because blue sharks have a habit of spinning up on the trace once hooked, especially if they dive deep. Using wire instead of mono as a rubbing leader makes it easier to untangle, and it also means you don’t have to keep changing the rubbing leader section after just a couple of sharks.
2. SETTING THE LINES
When fishing from a larger charter boat your aim is to drift along with four or five baits in the water set at different depths and varying distances away from the boat. If you’re fishing from a small boat you may only be using two or three rods, so omit the middle depths.
Usually, the furthest bait from the boat is drifted out around 60 metres using a float, and is set at around 10 metres deep. Then the second rod is set 50 metres from the boat at a depth of eight metres and so on, until the last rod is set just 10 metres from the boat set at a three or four metres.
3. SMELLY RUBBY-DUBBY
Rubby-dubby is usually a mixture of minced mackerel, pilchard oil and bran, although pretty much any smelly fish guts can be used as long as you add plenty of extra oil into the mix.
This is all put into an onion sack or drilled bucket and suspended over the side of the boat on a rope. The key is to hang the sack/bucket so that it is only just sitting in the water. The action of the boat rocking helps move it up and down, releasing the oily slick.
It’s this slick that attracts the sharks to your baits, and because there is nothing in the slick for the sharks to eat they home in on your hookbaits quickly.
Prepare your rubby-dubby and mix it at home, then scoop it into old ice cream tubs and freeze it down. It saves a lot of mess on the boat, and the frozen blocks last far longer over the side than fresh dubby does.
4. FRESH OR FROZEN BAITS
The standard bait for blue shark fishing around the UK is a mackerel flapper. Basically, it’s a mackerel with the backbone removed. However, large English squid baits also score well, as does any oily fish such as herring and Bluey. In some areas a whole whiting is the killer bait.
5. HOLD ON TIGHT!
When you hook into a big blue shark the initial run can be immense. If using a circle hook, let the shark take the bait and run. Then simply point the rod at the water in the direction of the shark and quickly push the drag up tighter, so the speed and weight of the shark sets the hook for you – there’s no need to strike.
Blue sharks can be extremely powerful, and I’ve had blues take well over 100 yards of line from me on their first run, especially on the lighter tackle, but every shark is different. Some will move away from you, and then swim straight back at you. Others will go a short distance then dive deep, while some might stay on the surface. That’s the joy of blue shark
fishing, you never know what to expect once you get hooked up.
The key to winning the fight is to take your time. Don’t try to bully the fish from the word go. Let it run if it wants to run, then pile on the pressure if it goes deep. Keep your drag tight, but not so tight as the shark can’t take line when it wants to. Most of all, enjoy it. Blue shark fishing is all about sport, nothing more nothing less.
If you can unhook the shark in the water or cut the hook away, then that’s the best bet for the shark’s survival. Unless you’re on a dedicated charter boat, then it’s not advisable to try and lift a blue shark into the boat – especially if there’s only two of you on board.
6. SHARK MEASUREMENT -TO-WEIGHT FORMULA
You can get a good idea how heavy a shark is by measuring it and using the formula below to estimate its weight. The girth is taken as the deepest part of the body, usually just behind the pectoral fins, and the length is measured from the nose to the fork of the tail.
Here’s how: 1 Measure the fish’s girth in inches and square it. 2 Multiply result by the fish’s length in inches. 3 Divide the final figure by 800 to give the approximate weight. For example – if the shark’s girth is 35 inches and the shark’s length is 80 inches - 35 x 35 = 1225, 1225 x 80 = 98,000, 98,000 divided by 800 = 122.5lb.