A REAL FISH STORY
How many people get to catch a huge shark, a Hammerhead shark?? I did and what a rush.
28 years ago I was strong and tough. I wanted to fish more then anything, the bigger the better. I wanted to catch a shark and my brother was game.
We chartered a boat out of Miami. We had a smart Captain and a hard working mate. After fishing for just about anything, we decided to go for the most dangerous animal in the sea, a real man eater, and second place only to the Bull shark in attacks on man.
I used 100 pound test steel line, and a sinker the size of a shot put. We took a dead fish the size of my arm, attached it to the weight, and let it bounce on the bottom of the ocean with the beat of the waves.
It was less then 20 minutes when the line started to run off the reel, so I jumped into the chair used to fight the fish and grabbed the rod and felt the strength of this beast pull for his freedom. I was scared at first, but then knew it was what I had been dreaming of, and I was in it, win or lose.
Instead of playing out the fight as I should have done, I pressed and pulled and used the heavy equipment given to me and I had her up to the boat in about 30 minutes. It should have taken hours. She was not tired out and still had lots energy, and gave everybody, on the boat, fits. I had to make a snap decision, let her go or have her mounted. We decided to mount her and the Captain grabbed a device called a bang pole. A long metal rod with an explosive device at the end to severe the spine. The mate aimed at the back of the head, but missed and got her in the Gill. This did little to deter her wildness, seemed to piss her off. It took 5 grown men to get her into the boat, with blood everywhere, she finally took her last breath, and it was done. She was 11 feet long, and 442 lbs. BEAUTIFUL
Knowing what I know today, I would have let her go, and she might have been alive today, as I am, and able to tell this story. We as humans have got to stop killing all the beautiful animals on land and in the sea.
If we don’t, our children and their children will never have the great fight between two combatants to see who wins, but let them both LIVE!!!!!
CHICAGOFATPHIL
