Howdy I'm new to bay fishing and tring to get started. I would like to know how far out I need to go, and how far i should go in a 25’ Starcraft Expedition Cuddy Cabin Walk Around inboard/out or a 23’ Key West 2300 WA inboard/out.
Also what kind of gear I will need. I have a penn70 and a igf 6.5ft rod and two Tica Taurus TP6000 with 12 ft rods. Any help would be great. Also any locations.
I want to catch sharks but will take what i can get.

Thanks everybody
Cole

sounds like u have plenty of boat. how far u have to go depends on where u are putting in. 12 foot rods are going to be awkward on a boat - they are suited more for surf casting. if u are fishing for sharks id invest in something short and stout (under 6 feet). i was almost spooled by what id guess to be a huge shark the other night on the inner middle grounds (near the high rise bridge in the bay). it made a run for at least 20 seconds and never stopped, i had my drag all the way down and finally i lost it - reeled back in to find my 80 lb mono cut. of all the fish there are in the bay, i wouldnt target sharks (but thats me) there are a plethora of other species that taste better and fight harder. we are located between the northern and southern ranges and enjoy a variety of fish not matched almost anywhere in the world. hope this helps.

Most of the good locations center around the bridges (HRBT, CBBT with the CBBT being priority). good spots for sharks would include the shoals around the highrise, and the outer shoals around fishermans island on the ocean side. Ive never really targeted sharks, actually I tend to avoid them, but that is where I have run into them most often. Your boat(s) sound fine to get you to anywhere you want to go around the bay.

as far as gear, if you ask 20 fishermen you would get 20 responses. As far as what I have my boat set up with:
2 shimano tld 15's (20# test),
2 shimano baitrunner 6500s on 20# rods (20# test),
2 diawa bg 30s with 7 foot rods (15# test),
2 abu garcia amb. 5000's on baitcasting setups (12# test)
and 4 trout rods (small spinning rods for trout, puppy drum and other smaller fish)
I also have 2 tld 20's with 30# test on 6 foot rods for striper season and light offshore use.

Like I said, there are a lot of people out there that would disagree with this set up or have a lot to add to it, but it has worked well for me. Ill fish for about anything that pulls drag. If you are serious about chasing sharks, you would want to consider beefing up your line up.

Thanks for the help. I would love to hear what everyone out there has to say.

How big of a shark you want? hehe

You'll have to go out along CBBT for the big ones, I hear Seagull Fishing Pier area has some nice ones swim through the channel, of course, sharks are nice because, with the right tide and chum, you got something going on.

Me and some friends catch 2+ foot sharks on the dead beaches around sunset, hopefully not many people swimming around like a injured fish but, Willoughby Marina area, it is dredged, I catch them out there, but from the shore, At the End of Ocean View around the Little Creek Marina area, along the CBBT,

I've seen things be used as far as a bloody slab of meat, some people use this weird liver slabs, the thicker squid, a injured croaker/spot/bluefish.

I plan to go alot after these heat waves and the water warms up,

You chum the HRBT i'll chum Willoughby, We'll have Jaws come through! :-)

I would like to go after lager sharks about 5+ feet. I will give the area around the cbbt a try. I need to get a chum rig tho. About the blood meat I thoought that was ilegale. Is the CBBT far enough out for the big ones. Also can I get some info on the other fish in the bay.

just curious... why do you want to catch sharks?

For the fight and when I started salt water fishing in SC they were every there and easy to catch. If some one would recamend abetter fich to go after I would give it a try.

Amberjack, cobia, drum, sheepshead, spadefish..the list goes on

[quote=gus,Jun 14 2005, 12:34 PM][quote=cole_4,Jun 14 2005, 11:17 AM] If some one would recamend abetter fich to go after I would give it a try.
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Amberjack, cobia, drum, sheepshead, spadefish..the list goes on

[/quote]

I would agree... a 4 pound bluefish can put up the same fight an 8 pound shark can muster. If you have the means and want a fish to really fight, try the shoals for drum and cobia. Youll have plenty of sharks and rays to pull drag while your waiting for a real fight.

[quote=bacchusmj,Jun 14 2005, 03:40 PM][quote=gus,Jun 14 2005, 12:34 PM][quote=cole_4,Jun 14 2005, 11:17 AM] If some one would recamend abetter fich to go after I would give it a try.
[/quote]

Amberjack, cobia, drum, sheepshead, spadefish..the list goes on

[/quote]

I would agree... a 4 pound bluefish can put up the same fight an 8 pound shark can muster. If you have the means and want a fish to really fight, try the shoals for drum and cobia. Youll have plenty of sharks and rays to pull drag while your waiting for a real fight.

[/quote]

Where are the shoals and can I get there In a 23-25 foot cobby cabin

the 9 foot shoal is just south of the highrise of the CBBT.

What kind of bait should I take with me for Amberjack, cobia, drum, sheepshead, spadefish. Any hard tackel you could recamend, for this. Do I top, bottem, troll, downrig outrig, drift??

Onec more thanks for all the help it great

http://www.mrc.state.va.us/vswft/index2.htm

Download that, read the whole thing and then ask questions. You can't learn to fish for everything in the bay in 5 minutes.