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."
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.
Heh, yeah, we used to do that in south Louisiana, too. Many a shark or alligator gar was dragged out of the water that way - and quickly dispatched with a ditch bank blade (some folks calls em a sling blade, Mmmm Hmmm...).
:-) Most of the bites are minor but they happen frequently.
Hey I was looking at your pics and, *to me* that one shot of your dad looks a lot like Damian Lewis from Band of Brothers. He played Major Dick Winters.
Didn't mean to go off on a tangent, just saw the photo and did a double take. I usually have a hard time remembering ANY actor's name :-)
nah, I don’t see it, but I’m biased of course! I looked up Damian and he’s a Brit, my Dad was Sicilian! I have seen Band of Brothers maaaaany times, my husband enjoys watching it repeatedly, and I never caught any resemblance myself.
There are a couple of notable people that I think my father looked like, but I can’t think of either at the moment!
Yeah, I didn’t even know he was a Brit till I read his bio trying to find a pic.
Heck I didn’t even know the guy that plays House is a Brit :-)
I didn’t know about Hugh Laurie on House either until after having watched that show when it first started. That show became predictable fast though, like watching Columbo, so we don’t watch it any more.
I didn’t know either about Damian. Brits can hide their accent good when acting and more strangely is how most British singers instantly lose their accent when they sing.
If I may ask, where in Florida are you located? My brother-in-law currently is living in Ormand Beach.
What law school did it go to?
I lived right there until about 4 months ago, never saw any sharks though
Most people know better than to stray 300 yards offshore.
BUMP
I love Captiva and Sanibel Islands.
Near Sanford. No sharks here. :-) Though Lake Jessup is said to have the highest gator count of any lake in the state.
“I love Captiva and Sanibel Islands.”
Me too.....especially out-of-season Sanibel and Captiva. I go in September because I know three things:
1) Rentals rates are almost half as expensive out-of season.
2) You can get around the Islands so easy in September because there is absolutely no traffic, as opposed to in-season which looks like a perpetual accident on the New Jersey Turnpike.
3) You can walk right in and sit down in your favorite restaurant whenevr you want without waiting in line.
It is awful hot in September, but if you read the story of my last visit you know how I deal with the heat.
Take care. Hope to meet you at Blind Pass some day.
PresidentFelon
How the heck did he do that?
He used some real heavy gear to do it. Read some of the posts on this thread about the poster’s different experiences shark fishing.
Man will find a way.
PF
A gator killed a child out walking a dog in the back yard, near a pond in my in-laws’ development. I’m for going back to alligator belts and handbags, rather than have the beasts proliferate in people’s neighborhoods.
I do salt water game fishing. I’ve no idea how he did this. You have to run the boat with a fish that size to tire it out. Or bring it in on a pully. I’ve no idea what this guy did to beach it. Unless, like someone said, he tied it to a pick up. But what did he use for line?
::shrugs::
Wonder of wonders, we are both posting at the same time!!
You read of terrible things like that in Florida all the time. Can’t leave a small child or pet unattended!
“Others said they were shocked such a big shark was swimming off shore.”
If they only knew...
Big heavy reel, heavy test line, very heavy leader (probably steel cable), fighting belt and article seems to indicate 3 guys taking turns on the reel. Most important sharks can’t stand up to a long fight (body chemistry) which is why it was dead or nearly so when brought in.
Cal,
Well, as you know, a really good fisherman can bring in a fish five or ten times the poundage his line will hold. Of course, if you can’t chase the fish in a boat then the fish has to help you by not running in a straight line for a couple hundred yards and running you out of line. I once caught a thirty pound Flathead catfish on six pound test line with a broken drag, but only because the fish kept turning around and didn’t waste my entire spool.
The Tarpon I fought for twenty minutes last Wednesday ran about 150 yards and I chased him into the water until I was neck deep. I was just trying to keep as much line on the spool as I could. I had my drag as tight as I could and could here the line singing it was being stretched so hard. I was fishing with fifteen pound test line and I managed to stop him and get him turned around just before my hook straightened out and he got away. I firmly believe I would have landed him had I been using a stronger hook.
I certainly love the challenge of catching big fish on light tackle. No better test for a fisherman. I have already rented the same beach-house for next September. I want to try again and will be a little better prepared.
PF
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.