North Carolina Anglers Reel In 589-Pound Thresher Shark, 400 Pounds Heavier Than Previous State Record

thresher shark

Ya gotta love the unpredictability of fishing.

According to Outdoor Life, a group of anglers were fishing for tuna off the coast of North Carolina, when they happened to stumble upon a state record thresher shark.

It all went down on January 10th, when Southport, North Carolina resident Steven Viltoft found a massive thresher shark on the other end of his line.

He was able to get the shark on the boat, and weighed it in at 589 pounds and one ounce.

Turns out, the weight ended up blowing the previous record out of the water, which was originally set at 185 pounds back in 2005.

His group was fishing with Oak Island Charters, on Capt. Wally Trayah’s 30 foot Contender boat.

They posted the massive catch to Facebook, saying:

“New State Record Thresher Shark 589.1 lb.

After little more than a month North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries certified the catch and we were able to feed a small village.”

Trayah told the outlet that they typically release large sharks because they can be dangerous to clients, but since the thresher shark didn’t survive the fight, they were able to keep it and weigh it on a certified scale.

Threshers are known for their meat and make great seafood, and Trayah said that it did not go to waste.

Needless to say, this will be a fishing trip to remember forever for Trayah, Viltoft, and his group.

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