iStockphoto / Nautilus Creative
An estimated 1,000 pound great white shark was caught and released this week by South Florida fishing Captain J.J. Logan who helms Marlin My Darlin Sportfishing out of Ft. Lauderdale.
Great white sharks are found more commonly in South Florida this time of year as they migrate south to escape the bitter Northern Atlantic cold but ‘more commonly’ is a stretch because these sharks are still exceedingly rare in Southeast Florida.
Typically, when great whites are caught by fisherman in Florida it’s in the panhandle (the Gulf) and not within sight of Miami-Ft. Lauderdale Metro area with 2+ million residents. But here’s Captain J.J. Logan bringing the estimated 12 foot, 1,000 pound great white shark to the boat in South Florida:
A second video gives another good look at this absolute unit of a shark that was released once they got it to the boat:
Capt. Logan spoke with 7 News Miami about this once-in-a-lifetime catch about how rare these sharks are in S. FL. He said this great white shark “is the first one I’ve ever seen off this coast here, and it’s the third one, to my knowledge, to be caught off South Florida.”
Logan said they were fishing for sailfish and mahi on Wednesday. He described the day as “pretty uneventful” until the shark swam up to the back of their boat while they were kite fishing for sails.
The Marlin My Darlin Sportfishing captain described the shark as the “the size of a car” and “unmistakable” when it showed up. At that point, the crew quickly rigged up a rod for shark fishing and pitched a bait.
Once hooked up, the great white battled the crew for hours. Captain J.J. Logan said “It’s hard to believe you even hook something that size, and an hour later you still thought you’ve gained and made a dent, and it took us two and a half hours to finally get it up and get some good video and pictures of it and release it.”
He described the great white as “pretty much the coolest thing” you will see in the waters off South Florida, adding that “it’s the rarest fish you’ll ever see in your life, and to catch one in a lifetime is pretty remarkable.” Inquiries about fishing charters with Marlin My Darlin can be made through their Facebook page.
This time last month, a 2,800-pound great white shark was caught and tagged off Hilton Head, South Carolina. These massive sharks continue to push south as the water temperatures in the Northeast continue to plummet.