Monster permit bit in half, 8.5' bull caught. Long post

2 years ago, I was working during the summer on an island in the keys. I Got off work at about 6:00 and decided to try for a big bridge permit. So I walked around a grass flat just off the island until I found one small blue crab. I Broke his claws off and put the crab in my pocket! Haha...grabbed my tarpon rod already rigged and Walked up on the bridge solo. One rod, one rig, and one bait! When I got up top I walked to my permit spot, where they always seem to hangout. The spot is on the edge of a flat. Outgoing tide, There was only one fish but it was a good one! About the size I usually try to avoid hooking, they always seem to break me off underneath no matter which way the tide is going, fish don't get big and old by being dumb! I decided to go for it anyway. I was standing directly above one of the massive pilings of the old 7 mile bridge. And the permit was right below me. I pitched the crab under the bridge so it would drift right to him with the current. He didn't hesitate. He smacked the crab and I set hook! Instantly the fish panicked and dove for underneath the bridge. I was standing on the far side of the piling when he tried to go under. I pulled back as hard as I could in a desperate attempt to turn him. I pulled back so hard that I cut him short like a dog on a leash. He ran face first into the bridge piling! Once he did that he turned and ran with the tide away from the bridge and I knew I had him! So I loosened the drag to almost no pressure like i would do on any other permit once i get them going in the right direction, i let him run and get a safe distance away from the bridge where I could wear him out before i tightened up on him again, This worked, but there was one small problem....he was headed strait for the channel down the bridge and due to the size and shape of this fish, once he got in the ripping current of the channel it was the beginning of a long fight! He was running strait down the bridge towards marathon, I was running down the bridge right with him. I managed to get my phone out and call my friend ariel down on the island to bring a bridge net. By the time she got up on the bridge the permit had taken me about half a mile down the bridge. The fish was nearing the next flat. Just before the fish hit the next flat he made a sudden change in direction and hauled a** back the way he came. But not fast enough...I saw that big brown shadow come up behind the fish and with one effortless bite the shark took the tail clean off. Then another bite. And another! After the third bite, my fish had lost a good deal of weight and I was able to reel it away from the shark while he worked on swallowing that last bite. We got the fish into the bridge net as quickly as we could and pulled it up just as the shark was coming back for more. This is what I was left with!


I was a little upset over losing this trophy fish to a little 6' bull shark, but I figured id save the rest of the permit and drop it right back down in the channel for bait after a few pictures....so Ariel and i went back down towards the island to get my 14/0 penn senator, on the way back to the island we stopped at the spot where i had hooked the permit at the beginning of the fight about 25 minutes earlier. The sun had just set. Didn't see any permit but we did see a bull shark bigger than any bull either of us have ever seen to this day. this shark was easily 9' and very rounded. just cruising the edge of the flat, unable to swim across! This frustrated me even more! I couldn't just stand there and watch so I grabbed a handful of clotted blood off of the permit carcass and threw it about 15 feet up current from His head, i didn't waste any time waiting to see what the shark was going to do, i ran back to the island to get my rod, ariel stayed and watched the shark. Unfortunately I had to scramble to make a rig suitable for this massive bait I was about to put down! By the time I got back up on the bridge it was dark! And the massive bull was gone, ariel told me that the blood i threw in got the attention of the shark within seconds, she said it did circles around the area for about 5 minutes while I was stuck on the island making my rig, eventually the shark lost interest and left. We went on down a little farther and dropped the bait in the channel. Still an outgoing tide so I had my drag set tight. Not much room between the 7 mile bridges when fighting a big shark! The tide was strong and my bait had a lot of resistance in the water so I held it in place with the 200lb bullbuster mainline in my hand, the reel was in freespool, clicker on. i pulled the bait up current and then let it back with the current over and over again, rather than set my drag and wait. i did this for around 10 minutes until the line was pulled hard from my hand as a big bull shark thrashed on the surface with my what was left of my permit! I grabbed my rod and let him eat! As soon as the shark stopped thrashing and started to run I put my reel in gear and set up! Fish peeled off about 50' of line and came off, before I could even react. The shark had turned and grabbed my bait once again, this time it was a good clean hookset. And the tug of war was on!

14/0 locked down, rod to the rail. 10 minutes later I had the shark strait up and down with me. Shark was worn out and on its side, I started the long walk back to the island guiding the fish along the way. Very cooperative shark. I could only bring this shark so shallow before its belly started to hit bottom! I handed the rod off to ariel and ran down to the island. I couldn't find my shoes so i just waded out into the water in the dark, on the hard dangerous bottom of the keys! I Grabbed the leader and cut the mainline so ariel could come down for pictures without my rod going in with the shark if something went wrong and I lost control of the leader. I was very unprepared for everything that came my way that night. A few other friends from the island had gathered to watch, one brought a measuring tape. i couldn't drag this shark onto land with these conditions (barefoot, no tailrope, rocks) and no one to assist other than a few girls that wouldn't even get their feet wet with a shark that size. so After a few quick pictures I got the hook out with one quick yank of my belt and sent the shark back out to sea! Swam off strong. Measured in at 8'5" pictures do no justice when half of the shark is underwater.