Captain Steve Danis sent in this account and photos of an incredibly large thresher shark caught out of Connecticut:
On Sept 21, 2012, we assembled a crew to go sharking: Capt. Steve Danis of Cheri Lynn Charters of Norwich, Capt. Mike Vitagliano of Norwich, Capt. Courtney Seifel of Waterford and James Bond (really his name) of North Stonington. We headed out at 5 am to the Southwest Ledge of Block Island to get some bluefish for bait, this did not prove to be successful. We then headed to the Mud Hole in hopes of getting some false albacore for bait. In 10 minutes we had one false albacore, but that was the only fish we could draw up for more than an hour’s effort. Reluctantly we called it and headed to the sharking grounds. At that point I punched in the coordinates and saw that the sharking area we were heading to was “waypoint 007”. That’s right – we were heading to waypoint 007 with James Bond.
Once we got there and set rods out to shark, I laid down to rest, as everyone knows that nothing happens in the first hour of shark fishing. Like a timer going off, in approximately one hour we had a run-off. I woke to the sound of a reel and with little fight a mako of approximately 150 pounds was boatside. Capt. Courtney Seifel handled the shark too well as we were looking at teeth rather quickly. We were caught unprepared and had nothing ready to land the shark. The mako went under the boat and the line parted. We were all pretty bummed because usually you only get one chance at a keeper.
We re-grouped and set lines out again, this time with “The Money Shot,” a custom harpoon that Capt. Mike is working on, ready to go. While setting the third of four false albacore fillets, the line was being lowered to its target depth when it just kept going out of Capt. Vitagliano’s hand. Capt. Vitagliano set the hook, and it was game on. James Bond strapped on the gimbal and holstered the Penn 50. Three anglers later, the enormous shark was boatside. Capt. Vit threw his Money Shot harpoon three times. The first two there was no money found, the third time it found its target. After an hour and a half fight, the shark was tail roped. It took almost another hour and a half to secure the shark and we were headed to J & B tackle for an official weight. We were guessing the entire ride home and thought somewhat less than 500 lbs., so we were shocked as the numbers began to climb from 430, 470, 521, 549 and settled out at 568 lbs! Length was 14′ 9″ and the tail alone was greater than 6′ long.
Although it beat the current state record of 467 pounds by over 100 pounds, this extraordinary catch will not be a state record as Connecticut follows the rules of the IGFA and passing of the pole is not permitted. However, we will be recognized for the catch as the state is forming a new category in the annual Angler magazine called “Notable Catches.” Regardless, this shark is not something the crew of the the Cheri Lynn that day will soon forget.
[…] Photo: On The Water […]