CosmicCowboy
06-23-2006, 01:47 PM
http://www.saltwatersportsman.com/saltwater/hammerhead/page8
It was noon on the southern Gulf Coast of Florida when Captain Bucky Dennis of Port Charlotte watched a massive hammerhead shark chomp down on a stingray he was live-lining in Boca Grande Pass. By the time he and his crew had secured the fish, nearly six hours had passed and he found himself 12-miles offshore in his 23-foot flats boat with winds gusting and seas building. But it wasn't until the fish hit a certified scale later that night that Dennis found out he may have a shot at the next IGFA all-tackle world record for great hammerhead. Measuring 14 1/2 feet, the mammoth shark tipped the scales at 1,280 pounds-potentially crushing the former record of 991-pounds that has stood since 1982. Although the catch has not yet been officially certified, Dennis admitted he was hunting a new world record, making sure all his tackle and tactics were in compliance with IGFA rules. Dennis had seen the hammerhead cruising in the pass in the days before the hook-up. Attracted by the vast amount of tarpon that flock to the area, these sharks cash in on fish that tire during fights with anglers that typically use 40- to 50-pound line. But Dennis came equipped with stand-up gear spooled with 130-pound PowerPro and a 600-pound cable leader. After pulling his live stingray away from several smaller sharks, the giant hammerhead eventually took a bite and the ride began. "Every time we would get near the leader, the shark would dive again," said Dennis. "When we finally got the first flying gaff behind its dorsal fin, it towed us around for quite a while." When the hammerhead was beaten, the crews of other boats in the area tried to assist Dennis and his crew to get the fish across the deck of the flats boat for a faster ride home, but the more shark that came aboard, the deeper the low-sided boat dipped underwater. It was quickly decided that it would be safer to tow the catch, which took nearly three hours. When the crew reached the boat ramp in Placida, they pulled the hammerhead out on a boat trailer and took it to a nearby weigh station on the Boca Grande Causeway. So what did pending record-holder Dennis do with the fish? He donated it to the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota where it will be studied by their research team. Look for more about this catch in the August issue of SWS.
—Joe Cermele
http://www.saltwatersportsman.com/saltwater/hammerhead
I can't link the pictures. Follow the link and look at the slide show. This thing is enormous. I saw a hammerhead that big or bigger hurricane surfing in Freeport once. Scared the crap out of me.
It was noon on the southern Gulf Coast of Florida when Captain Bucky Dennis of Port Charlotte watched a massive hammerhead shark chomp down on a stingray he was live-lining in Boca Grande Pass. By the time he and his crew had secured the fish, nearly six hours had passed and he found himself 12-miles offshore in his 23-foot flats boat with winds gusting and seas building. But it wasn't until the fish hit a certified scale later that night that Dennis found out he may have a shot at the next IGFA all-tackle world record for great hammerhead. Measuring 14 1/2 feet, the mammoth shark tipped the scales at 1,280 pounds-potentially crushing the former record of 991-pounds that has stood since 1982. Although the catch has not yet been officially certified, Dennis admitted he was hunting a new world record, making sure all his tackle and tactics were in compliance with IGFA rules. Dennis had seen the hammerhead cruising in the pass in the days before the hook-up. Attracted by the vast amount of tarpon that flock to the area, these sharks cash in on fish that tire during fights with anglers that typically use 40- to 50-pound line. But Dennis came equipped with stand-up gear spooled with 130-pound PowerPro and a 600-pound cable leader. After pulling his live stingray away from several smaller sharks, the giant hammerhead eventually took a bite and the ride began. "Every time we would get near the leader, the shark would dive again," said Dennis. "When we finally got the first flying gaff behind its dorsal fin, it towed us around for quite a while." When the hammerhead was beaten, the crews of other boats in the area tried to assist Dennis and his crew to get the fish across the deck of the flats boat for a faster ride home, but the more shark that came aboard, the deeper the low-sided boat dipped underwater. It was quickly decided that it would be safer to tow the catch, which took nearly three hours. When the crew reached the boat ramp in Placida, they pulled the hammerhead out on a boat trailer and took it to a nearby weigh station on the Boca Grande Causeway. So what did pending record-holder Dennis do with the fish? He donated it to the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota where it will be studied by their research team. Look for more about this catch in the August issue of SWS.
—Joe Cermele
http://www.saltwatersportsman.com/saltwater/hammerhead
I can't link the pictures. Follow the link and look at the slide show. This thing is enormous. I saw a hammerhead that big or bigger hurricane surfing in Freeport once. Scared the crap out of me.