The shark population along the Gulf Coast beaches is alive and well. As the sun begins to sink into the western sky, beachgoers head back to their condos and that’s when you can find Dylan Wier and Blaine Kenny of Coastal Worldwide rolling their bubble-tire cart onto the sands of Orange Beach, Alabama.
These guys have built a following on YouTube and social media with plenty of videos explaining how to target sharks from shore. Their channel got a boost in 2023 when they caught an 11-foot great white at 4 a.m. right from the beach. They released the shark, but it’s a bit eery to know there are great whites swimming around the same waters that were full of swimmers a few hours earlier.
I was in the Gulf Shores, Alabama, area to attend a media event with Columbia Sportswear, checking out their latest line of Performance Fishing Gear. Shark fishing off the beach was an unexpected, thrilling way to kick off the late-April trip.
LAND-BASED SHARK FISHING GEAR
The Coastal Worldwide team uses three rods which they set in sand spikes. These are not your run-of-the-mill surfcasting outfits. This is heavy-tackle stuff, the goal being to catch the shark and release it as fast as possible while the sharks are still green.
They use stout stand-up rods with Okuma 80W Makaira Land Based Shark two-speed conventional reels. For leader, they attach a 40-foot section of 800-pound mono followed by 8 feet of 800-pound cable. It’s thick stuff that makes wiring the sharks a lot easier. For running line they use 200-pound braid with a top shot of 250-pound monofilament. This is not exactly IGFA legal fishing, this a game of putting lots of heat on big fish.
“Sharks have that rough skin and when they roll up they’re gonna cut through light line,” Kenny says. “A big tiger would cut right through 250-pound leader.”
CHOOSING THE BEST BAIT
The preferred bait for land-based shark fishing is a stingray wing, with a 20/0 circle hook sewn on using rigging floss. Stingrays are the shark’s natural prey, but you can’t run down to the tackle shop and buy stingray wings, you have to catch your own.
For smaller sharks, finger mullet and menhaden work well. Bluefish, mackerel and ladyfish are fantastic for targeting sharks up to five feet in length. These baits provide enough appeal to lure in medium-sized predators. You can also use fish heads and carcasses.
Using a sit-on-top kayak, the boys take turns running the baits out, staggering them beyond an offshore sandbar. They run one bait to the west, one straight off the beach and one to the east. They drop one bait short with a relatively small sinker to keep it place, about 150 yards offshore, another about 250 yards out and the farthest one out is 400 yards.
“Sharks move down the beach east and west. They’ll find a contour, normally the edge of the bar or the deeper side of the bar, so we basically put all the baits on those different contours,” Kenny says.
Once the baits are set, it’s a waiting game. Fortunately for us, the first bite didn’t take long, the sun was still out. We let the shark take a long run, about 15 seconds, before sliding the lever drag up to strike and starting to reel. I was the first guy to grab the reel handle. I’ve never cranked on an 80-wide, offshore-style reel with my feet in the sand. The shark put up a good fight, even on the stout tackle. I fought the fish from the sand spike, but some anglers choose to put on a stand-up belt and harness. After about 15 minutes, I yield the rod to another fishing writer, Jeff Weakley, who takes his turn. The shark begins to lose its drive and once he pulls it over the bar, we can see its dorsal fin.
“It’s a hammerhead!” someone yells out as the shark appears in the suds. Kenny stomps into the water like a soldier. No gloves, no protective armor, he’s barechested and barefoot. He grabs the shark by the hammer and opens its mouth like a hatch. Wier gives him a hand and with a release tool they pop the circle hook free. They then drag the fish to deeper water and it scoots off with a few tail swipes.
SHARK SPECIES TO TARGET FROM LAND
While great whites may get the most clicks, they are not the predominate species caught from land.
“You can see black tips, bull sharks, hammerheads, tiger sharks or lemon sharks,” Kenny says. They even see some makos.
The species vary depending on the time of year and water temp. Spring and summer fishing is definitely more diverse, but you never know when a great white might snag a bait. These guys caught the first land-based white shark in Alabama in 2023 as well as an estimated 1,500-pound white shark in 2024 followed by a 10-footer in the beginning of 2025 off Pensacola.
As darkness falls, they attach longline lights to the rod tips to help us watch for more action. We get one more bite. The fish pulled drag for a while before dropping the bait. We watched some fireworks shoot off up the beach by the world-famous Flora-Bama bar before deciding to call it a night and get a little shut eye before heading out into the Gulf the next morning.
BEST LOCATIONS, CONDITIONS AND TIME OF YEAR
In Orange Beach, the peak shark activity occurs during warmer months, with a diverse set of species present. Water temperature plays a key role, as sharks are more active in warmer waters.
Favorable conditions include overcast skies and low winds. Sharks are more likely to feed actively when the weather is stable, so plan your trips accordingly.
Stay clear of piers and known underwater structures to prevent tangling and losing your catch. Sharks prefer open areas where they can roam freely.
