After catching a 13-foot long Great White Shark, charter fisherman John McClean can really brag about his catch being “this big.”
In the video, McClean explains that he created a “go big or go home” scenario for his clients as they attempted to catch the largest shark off of Pensacola Beach that they possibly could.
Four anglers were required to reel in the 13 foot shark, and the bait they used to lure it in was a massive tuna head. Bait that large is usually only used for off-shore fishing, and because the tuna head was so large, they knew only a mammoth shark would be able to take the bait.
One of the fishermen paddled a single person kayak almost 1000 yards off the beach in order to drop it where the bigger sharks would be, and then the charter fishing group sat back and waited.
There was no “you’re gonna need a bigger boat” scenario with the small kayak, but as soon as the vessel safely made it back to the beach, the fight between man and shark began.
In the exciting YouTube video, the fishermen extensively battle to reel the shark ashore, with all four of them hanging on to the anchored fishing pole. Once it got close enough to the beach and landed, McClean and the group were surprised to see that it was a staggering 13-foot Great White.
Knowing that Great Whites are a prohibited species, McClean knew they would need to return it to the ocean quickly.
He states in the video:
“As soon as we identified it to be a Great White Shark, the only thing on my mind was to cut the leader and release this giant as fast as possible.”
The group promptly got the shark unhooked and released back into the ocean after working to reel it in for over an hour. McClean has been bringing in big catches with his fishing company for quite some time, but the strength of this particular shark was something he had never seen before.
He said in the video:
“This fish is the strongest fish I’ve ever had. It’s the only time I’ve seen my fishing gear pushed to the absolute limit.”
The catch is something the group will remember for a lifetime.
Though the shark had to be released, thanks to John McClean’s Big John Shark Fishing Adventures, they have the video evidence to prove their “big catch” tale.
