PHOTOS: Larger Shark Images Dan Ficochello said he battled for three hours before he was able to bring the giant shark to the beach.
Posted on 09/25/2007 8:17:54 PM PDT by HonkyTonkMan
LAGLER BEACH, Fla. -- A man standing on a Central Florida beach reeled in a 12-foot, 5-inch, 550-pound great hammerhead shark, likely the biggest catches ever made in the area.
"I'm still in shock at the size of this fish," angler Dan Ficochello said. "I'll never catch one bigger than that. That's a catch of a lifetime."
Ficochello said he went about 300 yards offshore in his kayak and dropped a baracuda head to the bottom of the ocean floor as bait. He then dragged his line back to the beach and waited for a bite.
Soon, the shark took the line.
Ficocello said the shark put up a ferocious fight, taking the men three hours to bring him to the beach.
"My first thought was, 'What am I going to do with this?' Because it wasn't moving, there was no chance of a release. It was done. I had never seen a shark this big before in person," Ficochello said. "It was a non-stop tug-a-war. I was worn out after an hour."
Others said they were shocked such a big shark was swimming off shore.
"You're swimming and having a good time and something like that could be just a few feet from you," angler Michael Ficocello said. "It makes you think twice. It's their home. You are intruding on their area."
PHOTOS: Larger Shark Images Dan Ficochello said he battled for three hours before he was able to bring the giant shark to the beach.
That’s a shark and a half!
This was no accidental catch.
That’s it for me. I’m sticking to the pool from now on.
Not being much of a salt water fisherman, I'm curious as to what you mean by this.
“You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”
kayak?
You expect me to justify this?
that was about 10-15 miles up the coast from me! maybe i should use heavier line when fishing from now on...
Me and my spirit guide right up the Peace River...
Your good.
Bump!
Steaks?
Yeah, that's what I was thinking too. He took a big chance. If the shark had taken the bait before he got to shore, he might have had a problem.
Here's the head, the only part Ficocello kept --
If it were mine, I'd have the taxidermist prop the jaw open so I could put a bulb in it's mouth. Great mood lighting, don't you think? Would also make a terrific "nautical theme" centerpiece for the dinner table.
.
I saw one at least that large hanging on the Intercoastal Walkway Bridge
Lots of Hammerheads in that area
We would swim over sharks on out way out to the 3 reef areas
If it was not hurricane season with choppy surf and smaller fish driven in close to shore the sharks were not a problem
Barracuda are plentiful there too
All teeth
ping
550lbs, unbelievable!
I have some pictures ‘somewhere’ of Barracuda and their teeth are pretty frightening. I believe they bite at a ferocious rate too.
Global warming. (And I’ll bet you believed that, just for a microsecond...)
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