Moreton Bay Shark fishing

[lethal]

I'm after some info on XOS size sharks in the northern bay. I've caught smaller shark up to the 100kg mark but would like to tangle with some larger ones.
I'm looking for basic locations (eg.cowan cowan) where these monsters lurk.
I'm using 5m of 400lb nylon coated wire with 22/0 hook on 800m of 60lb mono with 19kg drag.
I'd like to hear bait options to entice the bigger models to bite and any other advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

[scottar]

They can show up anywhere. I would be thinking that anywhere down the inside of Moreton would be a good start.. We had a pretty reasonable shark take a golden trevally in the middle of the paddock. The other option is around Peel from the the spit to the mouth of Horseshoe Bay. Vic Hislop apparently used large stingray flaps for bait quite a bit. I have also seen the locals on the Amity jetty get spooled using a reasonably large Happy Moments as a live bait.

[gofishin]

I think way too much drag lethal. What gear/reel? Need to consider the reducing spool and drag from line in the water. Big sharks don't necessarily move really fast but they have immense power and can drag a big belly of line thru the water sideways (esp if shallow like the bay), and you have to allow for this and know on the lever what positions provide what 'initial' drag.

Think of the drag more as a resistance torque. i.e. drag x radius = resist. torque. if you start with 10kg of drag, and the spool reduces by half (and you haven't changed the lever), your drag will double, to equal the same torque (disregarding any changes due to thermal effects).

Stand up or chair?

I assume not solo, and with 5m of trace you have a 'wire man' that knows what he is doing? Can easily lose fingers (or limbs) with big fish on a long wire at the boat, especially when they are a bit green - and the wire man is too. Need to wrap the right way, so the trace can be dropped/released safely if the shark decides it wants to be elsewhere.

With really big sharks you will need a shortish piece of something a lot heavier than 400lb. The early pioneers (Taylor, Dean, Goadby et al) used to use 3 - 4mm chain (or bigger) with a bit of garden hose slipped over from memory, but they were really big sharks.
Cheers
Brendon

[lethal]

I have been advised that targeting oversized sharks is illegal without a permit.
Guess i'll be looking for a different target.
thanks for your replies

[Jeremy]

The fun police will have to prove that you were targeting sharks over 1.5 m to have a case. There are groups of people who have been targeting bog sharks for years. I remember one group with a chair bolted to the back of a ute fishing on Moreton Island. Try searching facebook or YouTube and try to connect up with them for advice.

[lethal]

Youre right about the youtube vids, that's where the idea originated.