Pensacola

[ChileRelleno]

That is a huge red, I hope to get some lines wet in Oct when I'm down there!

Oct is a great month for big Bull Reds

Are those big reds any good to eat?

Yes, contrary to some other's opinions.

Fried
Fillet, remove all blood meat, cut into nice strips, coat/season & deep fry.
Consistency of chicken but taste like fish.

Chowder
Fillet, remove all blood meat & cube the meat.
Make chowder... Fantastic!
http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=7859.0

On the Half Shell
Fillet meat off fish, leave skin & scales on, season meat with whatever you like.
Place skin/scales side down on BBQ grill, cook till done.
Meat flakes off & blood meat easily seperated.

[ChileRelleno]

Be patient Daron, you will get your chance . I had no idea John was keeping you company, nice fish John, but I want to see something bigger . Is that the 9/0 with my finger prints?
Good luck down there guys and be safe. Is Bob stopping by?

Daron & Mike will get theirs, just have to pay their dues...  And run those baits out in the Gulf, out past the 2nd bar.
We have your 'Bigger'...  "Back home we got a taxidermy man. He gonna have a heart attack when he see what I brung him. "

Yes, thats the one, works great now, thanks again  

Yeah, Bob came over & joined us. Put a couple of rods out and we all jack jawed & ogled bikinis.
Bob is out gator hunting tonight...  Wish him luck for a big one.

[Alto Mare]

Congratulations John, that's a monster. Now I want to know, how are you going to ship that shark back home, I'm not sure it will fit in a flat rate box .
I'm happy for you my friend, thanks for sharing it with us

Nice to see you guys getting together again.
Yes, I'm hoping Bob will do just as good as you did, it would be nice.

[Chris Gatorfan]

Well we are heading back out tonight to meet up with Daron, Mike, and Darons Brother hopefully. We have got to get Daron on a beast before he heads back...Daron I have a pass for the state park you can use.

[Keta]

Looks like fun.

[Shark Hunter]

This is a good shot of How Big this Beast is!

[Aiala]

Beautiful fish and a great battle, but our over-stressed oceans cannot afford to lose such magnificent apex predators.

~A~

[Shark Hunter]

Yes Aiala,
I am trying to put it behind me. It is the chance we all take when we fish. I fish for sport, not to kill. It was an accident. My Son and Me did the best we could. We tried to revive him for 30 minutes. Not easy with a 400 lb plus fish. The main reason he didn't make it, was the leader had wrapped around one of his hammers. That is what did him in. I don't think he would have been reeled in if that didn't happen.
It is sad, but you have to move on. I know I gave it my all, and that is all you can do.

[cwillis85]

That looks like a good time, pulling that beast out of the water. Good catch. Hoping some smaller sharks make their way towards Tampa once i get my kayak repair. Good effort trying to get the shark back on its way, sounds like you guys did all you could. Keep the pictures coming.

[ChileRelleno]

Aiala,
there were three of us at first, trying our darndest to get him revived.
I was so worn out from the fight that after 10 minutes I had to collapse on shore, imagine how the fish felt.
Daron & Mike worked for at least 30 minutes or more trying to save him, I know Mike and I both incurred shark rash trying to help the fish.
We are not out to kill, quite the contrary our goal is C&R, plus tagging for NOAA' Apex Predator tagging program.

Hammers are known for fighting till they die from exhaustion.
Forty five minutes is a long fight for these fish, we try to minimize this for the fish & ourselves.
I don't think he got wrapped in the leader till he was in the surf, he had several cuts/gouges.
Those are uncontrollable circumstances, please give us credit on that.

Nutshell...  We feel bad too, especially since Florida law says we can't harvest the fish even if it dies.

[Newell Nut]

Way to go guys. I am sure that one was quite a workout. Looking for more big fish pics tomorrow.

[Aiala]

We feel bad too, especially since Florida law says we can't harvest the fish even if it dies.

Of course I know that you are all dedicated catch-and-release guys, and you did everything possible to save him, for which I salute you. It's just that sometimes I wonder if anything will be left for our grandkids and their children... 

Is it at least allowable to have the shark mounted, or does Florida prohibit that, too?

~A~

[ChileRelleno]

Is it at least allowable to have the shark mounted, or does Florida prohibit that, too?

~A~

You'd have to call FWC and try to get permission.
It is my understanding that normally they don't, can you imagine how many fish would just 'Die' if they did.

[broadway]

We know you guys did your best in trying to revive her, but did you try some of Dominick's Zinfandel? ...he swears by it
Stay safe out there and good luck Daron, nail a whopper!
Tight lines,
Dom

[Tightlines667]

Here are the state regs...

http://m.myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/sharks/

And here are the Federal Regulations (taken from the commission)...

http://gulfcouncil.org/fishing_regulations/RecreationalRegulations.pdf

Also, you need to make sure the fins remain intact/attached to the carcass until you get her home..I think?

I'm sure you're aware of the regs already though.

Actually, If you look at my other post with a link to the federal status of the fish stocks report for the Gulf of Mexico region, most of these species have made significant strides towards recovery in recent years.

Although the State of Florida considers this species 'endangered' it has not been listed under the ESA.  It is considered a SSC (Species of Special Concern) by NMFS.  Recently NMFS has opened up a response to a petition to list this species under the ESA...

https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2013/04/26/2013-09943/endangered-and-threatened-wildlife-90-day-finding-on-petitions-to-list-the-great-hammerhead-shark-as

This will trigger a new comprehensive stock assesment if the species.  The previous regional stock assesment was undertaken by NMFS (based largely on commercial catch data), in 2012..with the previous comprehensive assesment having taken place in 2002 (I believe?).  It is not likely that this species will get listed, but the new stock assesment may very well trigger the modification/addition of federal species-specific CMMs (Conservation and Management Measured), which would lead to increased regulations for both commercial and recreational take of the species. 

It will be interesting to see what the latest stock assesment looks like. 

Beautiful animal...could have been 35-40 years old?