sharkfishing in the surf

Question
hello, my name is jeffery ivers and i am a novice shark fisherman. I like salt water fishing when i can make a trip to the gulf, but unfortunately i cant get down there as often as i want to. To make my trips more productive, i was wondering when the best times to catch big sharks would be. what months would be best for sharks in gulf shores alabama or the panhandle of florida?    i caught a 6'  black tip shark in the surf in gulf shores,alabama in May, but the overall fishing was really slow.  next trip i wanna catch 2 or 3 that size...   also, is it possbile to catch a 7 footer on a penn 4/0 hlw on 40 lb test for the surf?

Answer
Hi Jeff,
I am really not much of a shark fisherman so I can't really help you very much.  However, my guess is that fall would be the best time to fish for sharks as that is when there is a lot of bait moving in the water.  It is certainly possible to catch a large shark on the tackle you have, but a big one could easily strip your reel of all the line.  Nevertheless, surf casting would be easier with 40# line than anything larger, so I would stick with that size.  Boris