# catching bull sharks



## Astro (Nov 27, 2006)

i have been reliably told that schools of bull sharks are hanging around one particular part of the pioneer river i was contemplating having a go at them...

now i see that some members (terry h and murd) have bullies in their PB list and was looking for some tips...baits, rigs, times...how not to get eaten...that sort of stuff....especially how to handle in a yak...terry from memory you have also tackled hammerheads...how did that go from a yak?

thanks in advance


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

hey astro,,, when doing up your will can you leave me your yak? :lol: :lol:


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## Astro (Nov 27, 2006)

Davey G said:


> hey astro,,, when doing up your will can you leave me your yak? :lol: :lol:


i don't if you would want it...seems all of it's mojo is gone...but sure why not...if you are so keen on a hobie...it's yours if an unfortunate event happens


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## ArWeTherYet (Mar 25, 2007)

Don't know about bulls but whalers up to 4' aren't too hard to handle once you tucker them out..........but dont put a treble through your finger while the other one is still attached to its tail....ouch! :lol: ......carry some long heavy duty pliers. ;-)

What are you going to catch them with, bait wise?


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## Astro (Nov 27, 2006)

ArWeTherYet said:


> What are you going to catch them with, bait wise?


thats why i posted...come on guys...whats good...puppies, dolphin....


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## fishnfreak (Jun 22, 2007)

down here we just use oily fleshed fish first, but any bait will work up there.


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## Swamp (Nov 20, 2007)

From my experience bull sharks are a lot meaner than whalers. The ones i have caught (landbased) really try to bite you, as opposed to just thrashing around and snapping their jaws like bronzies.

Bait - fish works, i think we used to use big hunks of sea mullet or any fish frames from the freezer, oily is probably better but if they are in the area it doesn't really matter. live bait would definitely be worth a go.
Lures - quite a few get caught by barra fishers in the NT so barra lures will work, but you might not get much more use out of your lure after a bully has had a good chew


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## WayneD (Jul 11, 2006)

Terry's favourite bait is a slab of pike eel from memory but I know he also uses live legal bream at times. I think anything large and alive would be the go. I have caught smaller specimens (up to 3 ft) out of the boat down the Logan on live mullet about 15cm long.


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## Astro (Nov 27, 2006)

WayneD said:


> live legal bream at times


now that's a livie, excellent, now line 50lb braid but what leader single or multi strand....

how to handle on a yak....very important...or do i bring the .303?

and...are they any good to eat??? us crow eaters love our flake...

realistically the chances of landing one in confined mangroves are minimal but gee it would be fun while it lasted


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## Swamp (Nov 20, 2007)

You should have a fairly good chance of landing one (should be easy upto about 5 or 6 ft), i don't think they really dirty fighters. If you are going to go a really big bait on 50 pound with wire it is probably a good idea to make sure you have something handy to cut the line. Just in case you hook onto something unstoppable.


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## PatrickC (Apr 28, 2008)

night time is the time to fish for the sharks mate, this is because they come in from the offshore reefs to feed and dfor protection at night, if i were ou id be targeting them land based


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## mcbigg (Jul 14, 2007)

To subdue the shark yakside;
I got told to have a rope with a noose (universal loop) tied at one end and the other end tied to the kayak somewhere. Tail-rope the shark by grabbing the tail, loop the noose over the tail and pull it tight. Let it thrash around at end of the rope and/or pedal or paddle your yak, dragging the shark backwards this should subdue it fairly quickly. Then cut a deep notch across the back of the neck in between the back of the head and the dorsal fin. The sharks main artery runs through there, it will bleed out in seconds.

I've had a couple of small bronzies yakside, but before I'd been given the above information. While I was working out what to do, I lost em on another run which both didn't end well. 
I can't wait to get another one. They're a good fight too!

Also, I now carry an extra piece of pool noodle in my crate with the theory that I'd jam it in the sharks mouth to try and put something in between its teeth besides my limbs.


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## L3GACY (Sep 2, 2007)

Not sure about having a shark tied up thrashing at the side of the yak for any amount of time... There are a couple docos about shark callers or whatever, they all did one thing the same. That was creating a disturbance on the surface of the water. I reckon a gaff to the head then a few good hits with something solid would finish the job faster and safer. The last thing you want is an angry mother!


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## Junglefisher (Jun 2, 2008)

I'd look into a powerhead if you are seriously going to target larger sharks. 
A shorter one that can be used one handed would work well.
(Advice given does not take into account your specific legalities, it's just what I would do).


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## mcbigg (Jul 14, 2007)

Junglefisher said:


> I'd look into a powerhead if you are seriously going to target larger sharks.
> A shorter one that can be used one handed would work well.
> (Advice given does not take into account your specific legalities, it's just what I would do).


lol with my luck, trying that I'd miss and blow a hole in the side of the kayak!


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## colzinho (Aug 6, 2007)

WayneD said:


> Terry's favourite bait is a slab of pike eel from memory but I know he also uses live legal bream at times. I think anything large and alive would be the go. I have caught smaller specimens (up to 3 ft) out of the boat down the Logan on live mullet about 15cm long.


please post that on Ausbream forum


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## garyp (May 30, 2008)

Junglefisher said:


> I'd look into a powerhead if you are seriously going to target larger sharks.
> 
> Will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you were joking. I would be fairly unhappy to learn of fellow yak fishermen using this type of equipment. Would hope for a slightly more conservation minded approach given all that we know about the marine enviroment today.


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## Peril (Sep 5, 2005)

garyp said:


> Junglefisher said:
> 
> 
> > I'd look into a powerhead if you are seriously going to target larger sharks.
> ...


Gary, the intention is to kill the fish, presumably for the table. Where does conservation come into it?


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## TerryH (Aug 29, 2007)

I've never used bream for bait.

I know guys that have used live Luderick in the river as bait however with some success.

Try whole, fresh mullet. Can't really go wrong with that. However depending on the situation with crabs down there, you may want to watch how you rig it. I dont put any holes in my mullet when I rig them or else they will end up as a crab feed before any sharks can get to it.

Try to place a couple of hooks in strategic locations on the fish, at the tail and at the top int he middle, 2 common attack points for a shark. use some wire trace and a decent mono leader to avoid getting busted off from their tails (rough skin and all)

I have also never targeted sharks off the kayak, yet. But I certainly wont be targeting sharks over 10ft tip length (PBs in my signature are fork length, so tip lenghts were 9'6" for bully and 11" for hammer)


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## WayneD (Jul 11, 2006)

TerryH said:


> I've never used bream for bait.


Oops, sorry for the misinformation (is that a word?). I apologise, it must have been someone else that I read uses them.


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## murd (Jan 27, 2008)

Astro said:


> now i see that some members (terry h and murd) have bullies in their PB list


My catches of Bull Sharks have been purely accidental when trolling for other species in the NT/FNQ. I've even had one steal my barra (and Kokoda McDiver lure!) in a freshwater pool. This is the only piece of advice I can offer, as I don't target them:

Bull sharks have two fights in them - one in the water, and the other in the yak! For this reason I have always paddled to shore to release the shark (as in the photo in my earlier PB post). If I cant get to a landing place (walled in by cliffs/high banks etc) my only option is to 'dispatch' it before the disturbance attracts a scaly. I try to avoid this greatly but its sometimes unavoidable.

Fight-wise, the Bullie is superb and will tow you all over the river before allowing itself to come alongside. Lures will need 're-tuning' and will probably be ruined if your shark has been chewing it during the battle - I tend to replace it immediately and make repairs later at camp.

Cheers, Rick


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