While most people would be seriously shocked to find a shark on the end of their line, these anglers were ecstatic. The group went on a shark fishing trip and did not come back disappointed. Instead, the anglers reeled in a massive great white shark.
Anglers Reel In Massive Great White Shark
This was no ordinary fishing trip. Local12 shares the incredible story of how anglers on Pensacola Beach reeled in an incredible catch. Dylan Wier and Blaine Kenny were fishing with ateam from Coastal Worldwide, just hoping for an epic fishing adventure. Not too long into their 48-hour fishing trip, their days turned epic.
Just 12 hours in, the group caught something incredible on the line - a great white shark. The outlet shared that the massive predator was between 12 and 13 feet long. Additionally, the creature weighed about 1,000 pounds. As someone who has only ever caught bass, I cannot imagine how difficult that shark was to reel in.
Something that made this catch even more special was that the trip was specifically a "shark fishing trip from the beach." Even the anglers admitted that it took some time for the incredibility of the moment to sink in. When speaking to the outlet, Kenny said,
"I don't even think that we really registered what happened until probably the next day. And even a couple of them were like, 'I still don't, what? We caught a great white.' It was pretty special."
Shark Fishing: What Is It?
It is not every day that a person catches a great white shark. However, shark fishing is not all that uncommon. In fact, in the U.S., it happens both commercially and recreationally. The Florida Museum shares, "Commercial shark fishers use methods that allow them to catch large quantities of sharks to be sold at market. Recreational shark fishers mainly catch sharks for the thrill of the catch, trophies, and/or personal consumption."
Due to the difference in purpose, commercial shark fishers and recreational shark fishers have different styles and regulations to follow. Commercial shark fishers typically implement "longlining, drift gillnetting, and strike netting." This differs from recreational fishers, who typically "use rod and reel with one baited hook at the end of the line."
Although these fishermen captured a great white shark, recreational shark fishermen typically go after smaller species. Usually, that is because the larger species were overfished for quite some time. Now, there are several regulations in place for both commercial and recreational shark fishermen to help protect the animals from being overhunted.
