Bonnethead Shark Fishing in Florida

These sharks are the smallest of the hammerhead family, known as Sphyrna tiburo, they only get to a maximum of 3 ½ ft. They are abundant in the mud flats and inshore. They like the warm water here in the winter but move North in the summer.

Bonnets are a great sport fish. I will use light tackle with live shrimp or cut bait. Since bonnetheads have small mouths and like to pin their prey to the bottom, This species is excellent for starter anglers that want to catch sharks. The bonnetheads don’t spook easily and can handle a lot of bad casts. A standard 7 or 8-weight rod and fifteen pound fluorocarbon is perfect for bonnethead sharks.

These guys are edible, but marketed mostly as crab bait. You can keep a bonnethead with no minimum size limit. You can marinate in beer, vinegar/water mixture or milk. I then cut it into ½ inch steaks and fry or grill it with lemon pepper and garlic salt.
1 per angler and no size limit

Did you know…. Once you decide to keep a shark, remember that it should be killed immediately. After the fish is dead, remove the head and tail and allow it to bleed off the side of the boat. Once the fish is completely bled, put the fish in an ice chest.

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