Anglers catch 800-pound tiger shark near Pensacola Beach
PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla. (WKRG) — A couple on their honeymoon got the catch of a lifetime with Coastal Worldwide charters.
An 800-pound tiger shark between Pensacola and Navarre beach.
“I look to my right, I see the line slack, the bait that we had on that reel was absolutely massive it was like 20 pounds so I knew a big shark had to be picking that thing up," said Dylan Wier, co-owner of Coastal Worldwide. "She started swimming in with it, pretty typical a normal shark, Blane gets back to the beach and we had no idea what we were in for.”
The shark was so big, it ate the bait from the two lines they set out from shore.
For the guys at Coastal Worldwide, it was the biggest tiger shark they’ve caught. But they’re seen their fair share of big sharks.
In March, they caught a 10-foot long great white. We asked them what their secret was.
“We are good at what we do, but it comes down to being there at the right time,” said Blaine Kenny “When you fish 275 days out of the year, you’re gonna find big fish for sure,” added Wier.
As usual, they quickly released the 12-foot tiger shark back into the water.
A memory Wier and Kenny and the thrill-seeking couple on their trip will have forever.
“They were more than ecstatic," said Kenny. "As soon as we got hands on the fish and started dehooking, they were already on the tail. They just wanted to be hands-on,” said Kenny.
The couple also got to leave with a memento from their trip.
“If you break 10 foot, we cut the exact hook you caught the fish and we give it to the clients," said Wier. "So we gave them two hooks, because there was two hooks in the fish, and they were able to take a circle hook and make a heart out of it. They’re making it a honeymoon heart.”