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12½-Foot, 550-Pound Great Hammerhead Shark Caught Off Beach
local6 ^ | 25-sept-2007

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."


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: flager; hammerhead; shark
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To: Bonaparte

You can always can cut the line. I’ve had to do that a couple of times. That would be a nice centerpiece or maybe a hanging bar light.


21 posted on 09/25/2007 8:40:03 PM PDT by CJ Wolf
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To: joebuck

>>>Not being much of a salt water fisherman, I’m curious as to what you mean by this.<<<

I’m not a mind-reader, but you can figure it out. You don’t got fishing for triggerfish and snapper with a barracuda head. Barracudas eat those fish.

And you don’t typically go out on a kayak, either. Just fish from the pier.

And if you’re going to fight a shark, you’re going to have to have one heck of a rod and reel. A big shark is going to take your line and run with it—and run far.


22 posted on 09/25/2007 8:43:41 PM PDT by CheyennePress
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To: joebuck

It was no accident.


23 posted on 09/25/2007 8:45:08 PM PDT by kinoxi
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To: HonkyTonkMan
What catches my eye is the town in the dateline, "Lagler Beach".

There's a "Flagler Beach" in Florida and this may just be a typo.....but then again, it may not be.

I love all the little mysteries that pop up on FR every once in a while, LOL.

Leni

24 posted on 09/25/2007 8:50:55 PM PDT by MinuteGal (Three Cheers For the FRed, White and Blue !)
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To: CheyennePress

The high school kids near Galveston will bait a big hook with a chicken or ham hock, drop it out in the surf, and leave the rest of the line attached to a pick up.

When the shark takes the bait, they start slowly driving the pickup inland until the shark is grounded. Just takes a few minutes. Much easier than fighting a big monster with a rod/reel.


25 posted on 09/25/2007 8:53:47 PM PDT by Southack (Media Bias means that Castro won't be punished for Cuban war crimes against Black Angolans in Africa)
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To: MinuteGal
I think that Flagler (and his beautiful mansion would be on guard...
26 posted on 09/25/2007 8:54:03 PM PDT by kinoxi
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To: kinoxi
You expect me to justify this?

Yes, I do!

What's up you're cryptic, Bermuda Triangle, comment......???

This was no accidental catch.

What, the shark got on his cell phone and called the guy?....I'm over here!

27 posted on 09/25/2007 8:55:33 PM PDT by LasVegasMac (Islam: Bringing the world death and destruction for 1400 years!)
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To: HonkyTonkMan

“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.”


Yeah, I guess if you are swimming 300 yards out, you would be intruding on their area.


28 posted on 09/25/2007 8:56:13 PM PDT by kenth
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To: CJ Wolf

I was with some guys doing this at Cape Lookout, NC last year. They’d start at about 4:00pm, kayak the bait out about 300 yards and drop it then paddle back in. They were running super high # test on big Penn ocean reels and had strap on rod holders for the fight. They caught about 6 black tips between 60-84” in a few hours.

One guy got tail slapped right in the small of his back by the biggest fish when they were de-hooking it.

I had a puny 9’ surf rod with 20# test and got spooled by something that snapped the line after it stripped the reel.

Best not to be in the water past your knees in the late afternoon!


29 posted on 09/25/2007 8:56:57 PM PDT by Rb ver. 2.0 (Reunite Gondwanaland!)
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To: LasVegasMac

He went 300 yards out and dropped a ‘cude head. He was fishing for something big.


30 posted on 09/25/2007 8:57:00 PM PDT by kenth
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To: HonkyTonkMan

This is pretty amazing too. 124 lb blue catfish caught in the Mississippi.

31 posted on 09/25/2007 8:57:04 PM PDT by abigailsmybaby (I was born with nothing. So far I have most of it left.)
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To: Bonaparte

That head would make a great mailbox if cleaned up and hollowed out properly.


32 posted on 09/25/2007 8:57:30 PM PDT by Southack (Media Bias means that Castro won't be punished for Cuban war crimes against Black Angolans in Africa)
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To: LasVegasMac

Interesting hypocrite you are...


33 posted on 09/25/2007 8:59:35 PM PDT by kinoxi
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To: kinoxi

Enjoy...


34 posted on 09/25/2007 9:00:41 PM PDT by kinoxi
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To: Southack

We use to catch them on a ski rope with chain leader when I was a kid.


35 posted on 09/25/2007 9:01:15 PM PDT by Rb ver. 2.0 (Reunite Gondwanaland!)
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To: abigailsmybaby

Did he noodle it?


36 posted on 09/25/2007 9:01:49 PM PDT by Rb ver. 2.0 (Reunite Gondwanaland!)
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To: kenth
And he got something big, right?

Never mind, this has to be an east coast thing.....

In the mean time, I'll use smaller minows and night crawlers.

37 posted on 09/25/2007 9:02:01 PM PDT by LasVegasMac (Islam: Bringing the world death and destruction for 1400 years!)
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To: Rb ver. 2.0

That’ll teach you to not barefoot ski!


38 posted on 09/25/2007 9:02:09 PM PDT by Southack (Media Bias means that Castro won't be punished for Cuban war crimes against Black Angolans in Africa)
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To: kinoxi
Interesting hypocrite you are...

Take a hike, putz.

39 posted on 09/25/2007 9:03:43 PM PDT by LasVegasMac (Islam: Bringing the world death and destruction for 1400 years!)
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To: kinoxi

“Me and my spirit guide right up the Peace River.”

I paddled 62 miles of the Peace back in the 70’s. Paradise.


40 posted on 09/25/2007 9:05:19 PM PDT by Rb ver. 2.0 (Reunite Gondwanaland!)
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