iStockphoto / Ryan Cake
- A massive 13-foot Hammerhead Shark was caught by paramedic Blake Cochran while fishing with his buddies on the beach
- This shark was so big they said it was like they were ‘hooked to a car’ with the shark in control
- Read more BroBible articles here about Sharks
Fishing from the beach can be slow and uneventful for long stretches of time and then all hell can break loose in an instant. To be fair, that’s not much different than trolling offshore when hours are spent waiting for something to happen until a pelagic fish grabs one of the hooks and the reels start screaming.
When a fish grabs a bait while you’re trolling on a boat there’s a LOT that can be done. The captain can maneuver the boat to help whoever is fighting the fish. The angler can hop in a fighting chair (or use a harness) or use the gunwale of the boat as support while fighting a monster.
On the beach? Well, you need to dig your feet down in the sand and hope you don’t get dragged into the water by something massive on the other end of your line.
Blake Cochran is a paramedic from Caldwell County, North Carolina who goes surf fishing once a month with his buddies and he recently reeled in a 13-foot Hammerhead Shark that was truly impressive. He told KKTV “all of a sudden, that reel started screaming. It was like being hooked to a car.” Look at this absolute unit:
A paramedic from North Carolina has a fisherman’s tale he will likely tell for the rest of his life – the time he reeled in a 13-foot hammerhead shark from North Topsail Beach. https://t.co/C59tve4BGz
— WITN Headlines (@WITN) October 18, 2021
One interesting aspect of this story is handling that Hammerhead Shark like he is would be illegal in Florida but in North Carolina, it’s legal to bring the shark onto the beach for photographs like that. Taking that a bit further, it seems like every angler on the planet has a very strong opinion about shark fishing, for or against, but I think it’s important to recognize that recreational fishing from the beach is a great hobby and this guy was just following the rules.
Not that anybody asked, but I think I’d rank the Hammerhead Shark as my favorite shark. I live in Southwest Florida and we get A LOT of them in the late Spring and early Summer during peak tarpon season. So it’s also a shark I’m fairly used to seeing but one I’m always excited to spot on the water.
Hammerhead Sharks are absolute units:
The Great White Shark is certainly A LOT bigger but their heads aren’t nearly as cool. I tink we can all agree on that.