Malibu/Santa Monica Shark Species

[Fishkiller101]

Hi im new to this forum and I was wondering if there are any sevengills in Malibu or Santa Monica? I know there are sevengills in Ventura and San Diego, but what about in between? Is there a lot of leopard sharks and bat rays in Malibu? Sorry for asking so many questions but I just started fishing for bigger game and so far I have been skunked. Thank you for taking the time to read my questions

[vdisney]

There are leopard sharks all through Samo, never fished for them in Malibu.  The bat rays should be showing up in numbers soon, they're around all sand beaches in that same area.  As far as sevengills go, "Google Maps" is your friend.  Look for areas that have a reef fairly close in and also has a fast drop off.  Shark fishing ain't like perch fishing, you'll experience far more skunks than successes.  Patience and time on the sand is key, let us know how you do.  Good luck

[Fishkiller101]

Thank you, do the seasons really make a difference? Sevengills are more common suring winter and spring right? While leopard sharks are more common during the warmer seasons.

[Eric H]

Lots of leopards in Malibu.
I'm sure theres plenty of big bats as well, I dont see how there wouldn't be. Perfect habitat for them.
There are soupfin and 7s between VC and SD, they're just harder to find.
Be sure to use fresh bait. No old frozen stuff
Like verne said, structure is key.

Edit
Santa monica is loaded with big bats, alot of us have targeted them there

[Fishkiller101]

Thank you both for your help. Ill be sure to share any catches I get in the future

[Latimeria]

Welcome to the boards Fishkiller!

There definitely is Sevengills in Santa Monica as I've been there when they were caught and seen some beasts pulled out.  Basically, I used to think only VC had the bigger game, but quickly found out that they are all over , up and down the SoCal Bight.

We caught a tagged 7-gill and got intel from the researcher telling us of all the places they have caught his tagged sharks.

General rule of thumb is famous surfer spots have lots of bigger sharks.  When the sun goes down, they come into these areas because of the reefs.  It's frustrating in the beginning as some of the guys here took a long time before they got one, but now that they started catching them, their confidence is through the roof.

Also, the Fall used to be a great time, but it varies from year to year the longer we keep these records on them.  Winter is definitely a much hotter time to catch them and the Spring has been off the chain for the last 3 years.  I've also caught them in the summer, so they are here for much of the year, but summer is by far the slowest time of year for them.

I hope this helps some and good luck!  I'm looking forward to seeing your first post with a big shark from the beach!

[Fishkiller101]

Oh ok, thanks for the info. I probably won't be targeting 7gills anytime soon because I want to work my way up. I want to catch some bat rays and leopard sharks with my current gear before I buy bigger gear to go after sevengills. I didn't even know there are sevengills in socal until a few weeks ago.

[spideyjg]

Oh ok, thanks for the info. I probably won't be targeting 7gills anytime soon because I want to work my way up. I want to catch some bat rays and leopard sharks with my current gear before I buy bigger gear to go after sevengills. I didn't even know there are sevengills in socal until a few weeks ago.

A big bat may test your gear as much as a 7gill.

[Eric H]

Oh ok, thanks for the info. I probably won't be targeting 7gills anytime soon because I want to work my way up. I want to catch some bat rays and leopard sharks with my current gear before I buy bigger gear to go after sevengills. I didn't even know there are sevengills in socal until a few weeks ago.

This makes me curious to know what your current setup is?

Most if not all of us use the same setup for all the mentioned species.

[spideyjg]

Bats test your tackle, 7gill test your courage at landing.

[Fishkiller101]

I have a penn fierce 6000 and 8000 with 50lb braid. I want to get a conventional setup so I can have more line capacity and pair it with a 12 ft rod.The rods I have for my spinning reels are 9ft long but they are only rated for 12-25lb so they dont have enough backbone for larger weights and fish.

[Pinoyfisher]

I have a penn fierce 6000 and 8000 with 50lb braid. I want to get a conventional setup so I can have more line capacity and pair it with a 12 ft rod.The rods I have for my spinning reels are 9ft long but they are only rated for 12-25lb so they dont have enough backbone for larger weights and fish.

I see you finally joined us! Lots of great info so far. Your gear will definitely make things interesting, but I think you can land sharks on the smaller side as long as your terminal rigs are sound. After losing a big soup, 7gill and bat ray, you will see the need to go out and get new gear that's more appropriate. PM me your mailing address, I can send you some pre-made rigs to get you started. Also, I'm not sure what your budget is or if you even have one (pending your age), but I started a thread about BassPro having a sale on Ocean Master surf rods. They're great rods and the price is really great right now. If that's out of your range, Turner's sells Daiwa Beefsticks that could suffice until you can get better gear. And like I said, if you come to SD, hit me up and I'l take you fishing. I can't guarantee success, but it beats trying to figure it out on your own. 

[Fishkiller101]

Thank you for the offer but San diego is pretty far. Im 18 and the fishing trips my dad and I go on depend on my mom. I'm getting a job this month so I'll be able to pay for gas so my dad and I can fish more often next year. I only have spinning reel combos so I want to get a finnor lethal star drag and a penn prevail or battalion so I can have a casting combo.

[jrodda]

Welcome. I personally recommend lever drag conventional when you move up to the 7s and stuff. Something like an Avet or I know Penn has one a haír cheaper. Star drag works fine but setting the drag for the bite and for the fight comes in handy when you’re dialing it in for the current or the kelp while you’re waiting on the bite.

50# braid may work but I feel much more comfortable using 65# and most use 80#. 7s won’t spool you but a big bat might. Can’t speak for soups but I do hear they’re runners, so 300 yards of 65# would be a comfortable place to be with your reel, maybe 350#.

Malibu definitely has leos, fresh bait helps as they said above.

And yes the 7gill game is a slow one, I’m pretty sure I’ve targeted them on at least 50 trips and 4 of those trips were successful. But once I did catch one I felt like it was all worth it. I still sometimes feel like i don’t know what I’m doing, though. I caught 2 about a month ago and I’ve gone maybe 5 times since for nada. It must be the gambler mentality that keeps me coming back because I can’t rationalize fishing for these things any more .

[Fishkiller101]

Its nice to know being unsuccessful happens to everybody and is part of the game The lever drags are better but they cost twice as much as the finnor lethal star drag. Sometimes the larger option goes for 104$ on amazon and on the finnor website it claims holds 675 yards of 65lb braid so it seems like a good deal for the price.