Everything You Need to Find & Catch Sharks in NJ

Sharks

There are certainly plenty of Sharks in New Jersey’s waters. In fact, the movie Jaws was inspired by a series of shark attacks that took place along the Jersey shore in the summer of 1916. The first attack was in Beach Heaven, the next in Spring Lake and the last attack took place in the backwaters of Raritan bay in the Matawan Creek.

The most abundant species is the Blue Shark and the most prized is the Mako. Threshers and Tiger sharks are common as well. There are many local Shark tournaments with the most popular being the Mako Mania. There are several Charter boats that will target Sharks specifically.

The usual method is to set a drift over structure like wrecks and walls while paying out a long slick consisting of ground chum and Bunker oil. Typical baits are Mackerel and Blue Fish fillets suspended by balloons set down at 25, 75 and 100 feet. The shallower baits are in close while the deeper baits are further back in the slick.

Heavy gear is required for Shark fishing along with long braided wire leaders to protect against the Shark’s sharp teeth and rough skin… Long stretches of boredom are the norm while you are waiting to hook up. They are however coupled with moments of the most exciting fishing you can imagine. These majestic beasts are fighters and if you are lucky enough to hook up with a crazy Mako get out your camera… These are probably the craziest fish in our waters and are known to leap several feet clear of the water when hooked up!

An experienced crew is a must Shark fishing since subduing and landing a shark requires special equipment and a knowledgeable crew. With many exceeding 150 pounds and rows of laser sharp teeth, you don’t want to mess with them at boat side unless you know what your are doing. For this reason, Sharking is best left to the experts.

Time of Year:

Shark fishing is usually best in June before the water warms up too much but Sharks can be caught all summer long and into September.

How To Catch Them:

• Be sure to keep a steady chum slick… Ground frozen Mackerel works well since it’s very oily and creates a nice slick. Put the contents of a frozen bucket into a chum bag and hang it off the side of your boat.
• You don’t move around a lot when Sharking…. You need to commit to a spot and judge the wind and tide to take long drifts over as much structure as possible. A long uninterrupted slick is the key to attracting Sharks.
• A butterfly fillet Mackerel makes a great bait since the are oily and stay on the hook very well…. Bluefish fillets work well too as do large trolling Squids.
• Set your long deep line out first by pulling off the required amount of line to set it at the depth you want. You then tie off a balloon and let the current move the floating balloon out 50 yards or so. Next do the same with your mid depth line and then the short line so they stair step away from the boat from shallow to deep.
• Often times you’ll have Sharks come into your slick with out picking up any of your baits. For this reason it’s good to have a pitch pole rigged with bait handy so you can pitch a hooked bait to them quickly if the opportunity arises.
• Shark fishing is done pretty much exclusively by charter boats not party Unless you, your boat and crew are equipped for this sort of fishing, it’s best left to the experts. They have all the safety and fishing equipment, a license and the knowledge to land a Shark safely.
• If you want to keep a Shark the best tasting ones are the Mako and Thresher.

Best Places To Catch Them:

• Best fishing takes place usually 15 – 50 miles off the beach in the areas of deep water wrecks like “The Mudhole” area. Wrecks get the most attention.