Shark Fishing from the Beach, a Beginner's Guide

Before You Try Land Based Shark Fishing

• Know the rules. Great white sharks and grey nurse sharks are protected right around Australia. Other species have size limits, bag limits or no take rules that change from state to state, so check your state's fisheries app or website before every trip.
• Fish away from swimmers. Never fish for sharks near patrolled flags or where people are in the water. Some councils and beaches don't allow shark fishing at all, so read the local signs.
• Never fish alone. Landing and releasing a shark is a two person job.
• Plan to release. Most beach sharks go back. The rig below is built so they can.

Which Sharks You'll Catch From the Beach

Sharks State by State

What you're most likely to hook in each state, and the best time of year to try. Rules change, so treat the rules as a heads up and check the details before you go.

Gear for Beach Shark Fishing

For gummy sharks

Your normal surf outfit is enough. A 10 to 12 foot rod, a 4000 to 6000 size reel, and a running sinker rig with a 60 to 80 lb mono leader and a 4/0 to 6/0 circle hook. Gummies crush their food with flat teeth, so you don't need wire. Our guide to surf fishing rigs shows how to tie it.

For big sharks

Land based shark fishing for bronze whalers and bull sharks needs heavier tackle all round.

• Rod. A 9 to 12 foot rod rated around 15 to 24 kg handles most beach sharks, including bronze whalers. Step up to a 24 to 37 kg rod for big bull sharks.
• Reel. A large spinning reel, 10000 size and up, or a lever drag overhead. Line capacity matters most. A big shark can take 200 metres on its first run, on top of the distance to your bait.
• Mainline. 50 to 80 lb braid, with the spool filled right up.
• Rod holder. A long sand spike that holds the rod upright and won't pull out.
• Release kit. Thick gloves, long nose pliers or a dehooker, a wire or bolt cutter, and a towel to cover the shark's eyes.

How to Set Up a Shark Rig

A shark fishing rig has two lines of defence. Shark skin is rough enough to wear through mono during a long fight, and their teeth cut it in a single bite. A long, heavy leader takes the rubbing, and a wire trace stops the teeth.

1. Braid mainline, 50 to 80 lb.
2. Wind on leader. Join 3 to 5 metres of 150 to 200 lb mono to the braid.
3. Sinker on a sliding clip. Thread the clip onto the leader and clip on an 8 to 12 oz spike sinker, so it holds the bottom and the shark doesn't drag a fixed weight.
4. Heavy swivel, rated well above your line, tied to the leader.
5. Wire trace. Crimp 1.5 to 2 metres of multi strand wire to the swivel.
6. Circle hook. Crimp a 10/0 to 14/0 circle hook to the end of the wire.

Why circle hooks. A J hook is often swallowed. A circle hook slides out of the throat and catches the corner of the jaw as the shark swims off, which makes a clean release much easier. Don't strike. Let the rod load up and wind steadily.

In Western Australia. Wire trace is banned within 800 metres of shore on Perth metropolitan beaches. Use a longer length of heavy mono there instead.

The Best Shark Fishing Bait

Sharks hunt by smell, so fresh and oily beats everything else.

• Mullet. Whole, or butterflied by cutting it open along the back so both fillets flap and spread scent.
• Tuna and bonito. Slabs, heads and fillets. Very oily and a top bait.
• Eel. Cut into chunks. Tough, oily and stays on the hook for hours.
• Ray. Cubed. A favourite with beach shark anglers.
• Tailor and salmon. Fresh fillets. Oily, and easy to catch on the same beach.
• Squid. Whole squid works well for gummy sharks.

Use bait as fresh as you can and keep it cold. Fresh, bloody bait puts the most scent in the water. Don't refreeze bait that has thawed. It goes soft and loses its scent.

Where and When to Fish for Sharks From the Beach

• Low light. Dawn, dusk and night are the best times. Sharks move in closer to the beach when the light drops.
• Structure. Gutters and cuts hold baitfish, and the sharks follow them. The back of the break, past the second sandbank, is where the bigger ones patrol. Our guide on how to read a surf beach shows you how to find them.
• Distance. Big sharks usually patrol the back of the break and the deeper water beyond it, past casting range on most beaches. How far that is depends on the beach.
• Water. Warmer water brings more sharks. River mouths after rain draw bull sharks.

Getting the Bait Out Past the Break

How you get the bait out when shark fishing from the beach depends on what you're chasing. For gummy sharks, a long cast into a deep gutter on a night high tide does the job, and it's how most people start. That's the window when gummies come in close. The rest of the time they're out in deeper water, and boat anglers catch the most gummies, and many of the biggest, out wide. A bait dropped past the break keeps you in that deeper water when the gutter goes quiet.

Big sharks usually sit out past the break, too far to cast, so for them the bait goes out by sea kayak or bait boat.

Dropping a shark bait off the beach with a bait boat

1. Put the rod in the holder, tie on the rig and clip the line into the rear release.
2. Load the bait, trace and sinker into the hopper.
3. Put the reel in free spool with the clicker on.
4. Drive out through the cut, where the waves are smallest.
5. Save the spot on GPS and release the bait.
6. Bring the boat home on GPS return.
7. Wind up the slack until the line comes tight to the sinker, then set the drag to strike.
8. Leave the clicker on so you hear the run.

Compare boats built for the job on our shark bait boats page.

Hooked Up

• Let it run. The first run is fast and long. Keep the rod up and let the drag do the work.
• Pump and wind. Lift the rod to gain line, then wind as you lower it. Steady pressure tires a shark faster than short bursts.
• Use the waves. As the shark gets close, wait for a wave and let it carry the fish up the beach.
• Grab the heavy leader. Wear gloves, take hold of the leader and guide the shark into the shallows. Keep your hands off the wire.

Releasing a Shark Safely

1. Keep it in the water if you can. Shallow water at the edge of the wash is ideal.
2. Stay clear of the head and tail. One person holds the leader, the other handles the hook.
3. Cover the eyes with a wet towel. Most sharks settle once they can't see.
4. Take out the hook with long nose pliers or a dehooker. If it's deep, cut the wire as close to the hook as you can. A circle hook in the jaw usually comes straight out.
5. Be quick with photos. Keep the shark wet and supported.
6. Point it into the waves and let it swim off.

Never drag a shark up dry sand by the tail, and never put your hands near the gills or mouth.

Your First Night of Beach Shark Fishing

The best way to start shark fishing from the beach is with what your beaches hold. In the south that usually means gummy sharks in a deep gutter on a night high tide, with a running sinker rig and fresh squid. Pick an open stretch of beach with nothing close by that a shark could run you around, like a pier, a rocky point or reef. A big shark's first run is long, and anything in its path can cut the line. Check the rules, take a mate and pack the release kit. Once you've landed a few, step up to the shark rig and the back of the break, where the bronze whalers patrol. Shark fishing off the beach takes patience, but the first run on a big bait makes every quiet session worth it.