When Joey Polk reeled in the catch of a lifetime, he thought he might be able to keep it a secret until he got it back home.
Polk caught the monster fish from land and it took him an hour and a half to get it to shore. The shark pulled out 2,700 feet of line during the struggle, and caused Polk to wonder if he was going to be able to get the giant in at all.
Once he got it to shore, he couldn’t believe his eyes. The fish was a rare mako shark and was over 11 feet long.
“When I saw it, I knew it was a big fish. I’ve been fishing since I was a little kid, but I thought it was maybe 700 pounds or so, then when we weighed it, it came in at 805! It was amazing,” said Polk.
He placed the 805 pound mako shark in the back of his pickup truck, where he thought it would be well hidden. When he stopped for gas on his way home, the gigantic shark drew in a crowd of interested and curious people and his secret was out of the bag. One of the onlookers took a photo and uploaded it online where it quickly went viral.
Florida man reels in an 11-foot, 805-pound mako shark. Must see video at –> http://t.co/8Kl1Fu7425 pic.twitter.com/1kAuTB2i40
— jaxdotcom (@jaxdotcom) April 22, 2014
What's the craziest thing you have ever seen at the Gas Station? This guy brought a shark! http://t.co/NBQSR5xddo
— GasBuddy.com (@GasBuddy) April 22, 2014
The 850 lb Mako shark? The guy didn't catch it from a boat. From a beach. Enjoy your swim.
— Hugo Hackenbush (@MangyLover) April 22, 2014
The Fish in This Truck Is a Potential World Record Shortfin Mako Shark http://t.co/UYo0fbWgJa #fishing pic.twitter.com/eZryeo3mMG
— MTL Tackle PRO (@MTLTacklePRO) April 21, 2014
WOW- Did you see the picture of the 800lb Mako shark a Florida man caught. He landed it from shore. #Shark #Scary pic.twitter.com/u53ruLmWiv
— Sterling Riggs (@SRiggsWDRB) April 22, 2014
The fish is the largest mako shark catch on record. The previous record was held by Polk’s cousin, Earnest Polk. The Polk family catches sharks often and usually releases them. Polk chose to keep the 805 pound mako because it was injured too badly to be released. He shared it as a meal with friends and family.
The Polk family has a secret fishing spot where they catch giant sharks often, but they refuse to reveal the location. Joey Polk and the rest of his family hope to catch even bigger sharks in the future and enjoy competing with each other for the record.
What do you think of the huge shark?
Image via Twitter
