Massive Mako Shark Hooked in Florida Waters

Customers on board for a Friday night Off the Beach Shark Fishing Trips’ expedition in Panama City Beach got the show of their lives when a 10-foot mako took the bait.

The monster caught by fisherman Matt Pemberton weighed in at 600 pounds and reportedly gave seven men quite a fight. It took about 90 minutes for those on the tour to reel in the creature, MyPanhandle.com is reporting.

“You catch fish in a river and you catch fish in a lake, but you come out to the ocean and it’s a whole different story,” Pemberton was quoted as saying.

Male mako sharks tend to mature around 6 ½ feet and have a maximum length of just over 12 feet, according to the Pelagic Shark Research Foundation. They can weigh in over 1,500 pounds when fully grown.

See Also:

• Great White Shark Snagged in Panhandle Waters
• Great White Shark Attacks Fishing Boat
• Shark Bites Girl in Florida Waters
• Hammerhead Shark Causes Panic on Florida Beach
• Florida Named Scariest State in America

While Pemberton’s hefty catch is impressive, it isn’t the biggest on record in Florida. The Sunshine State record was made last spring when Joey Polk bagged an 805-pound mako in Panhandle waters, the New York Daily News reported.

Like Polk’s catch, which was served up during a barbecue, Pemberton’s was fileted to give out to family and friends, MyPanhandle reported.

Friday’s catch is just one in a growing list of shark encounters in the Panhandle area. Last week, fishermen snagged, tagged and released a great white while earlier this year another great white decided to chomp on a fishing boat.

Swimmers in the Panama City Beach area can relax though. Pemberton reports that his mako was caught over deep water, far away from where most people would swim.

Photos from Facebook

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