New Jersey’s offshore waters are bustling with marine life right now, like true Nat Geo type of situations with thousands of dolphin, whales, tuna and sharks proliferating in the bluewaters.

I just stepped off the boat from a mako trip, and after releasing a small 55-inch mako shark, it brought attention to me to list the little things you need in shark fishing to make everything run smoothly. Besides the obvious rods, reel, line and rigs, here’s a basic checklist of accessories needed for a successful trip.

Starting with chumming, be sure to obtain a Canyon Chum Bag with some special juice from Aquatic Nutrition to spice up the slick. Always have on hand a Bubba Blade chunking knife to cut baits and use for any cutting or chunking needs.

To build rigs, J-hooks are now federally outlawed for shark fishing and Circle hooks are mandatory. Go with VMC or Mustad brands. Bring a pair of AFW crimpers to secure AFW or Hi-Seas crimps respective of the size leader and/or cable you are crimping as well as sturdy pliers to complete a haywire twist on rigs. Also, don’t forget to bring clack floats or balloons to properly float the baits and manage lines in the spread.

When it comes to the fight, every angler could benefit from utilizing a harness matched with a gimbal fighting belt from Aftco or Braid. During the end game its necessary to be streamlined with a landing plan, whether your objective is to keep a shark or release it. The leader man should be equipped with wiring gloves, an ARC dehooking device or pair of AFW wire/cable cutters to clip the wire at the hook.

To properly measure a mako at boatside, mark the 83 inch minimum size with a piece or duct tape on the stern gunnel by the transom, and another piece up along the gunnel, so a shark can be brought along boatside to get a fairly exact measurement to make the decision to catch or release. If a mako is to be kept, a 5-inch gap Aftco gaff will fit the bill for any gaffing needs, along with a bang stick to dispatch a keeper mako. Basic accessories described here will most assuredly help your mako trips into successful ventures.