First let me give you a little background on Fort Desoto pier. It is a concrete pier that overlooks the extremely deep shipping channel that goes into Tampa Bay. I have seen a 13 ft hammer landed here over 10 years ago and personally caught an 11ft 9 hammer here. Also, yesterday I heard a story of a 10fter caught a few years back as well. The problem now is the pier is no longer 24hrs and closes at 11pm due to budget cuts. They have approved a 5dollar entrance fee for the park and hopefully this pier will be 24hrs again in the near future.
Anyways, yesterday I was at the pier for a buddies bday and I brought out my modified 12 everol stacked with appx 1300 yds of 200pp and topshotted with appx 200 yds of 130 ande mono and a 15ft 480lb 7x7 galvanized black coated leader with a 14/0 shortshank mustad as the main hook and a 9/0 3X thick as the stinger. I ballooned out a 7-10lb mudray whole and avoided all the dolphins and boats. I dropped the balloon about 350-400 yds out around 430pm. The tide/current was going to switch so I was about to reel it in around 8pm and it started clicking off. I held the rod while he ran slowly for about 25yds and dropped it. I just figured a small bull, well after 10 seconds he picked it up and ran a little faster for about 25 more yds. Dropped again and 2 seconds later the train hit. After about 100yds i slid my leverdrag up and set the hook in my normal 3set frenzy. The BEAST was hooked and not happy and I harnessed in. I began adding drag pressure until I noticed I was over 3/4 drag and he still was taking line but slowing down. Of note, another half inch on my drag has broken 200pp in the past on a boat so I estimate well over 100lbs of drag on him. After a few minutes I felt comfortable and knew Id need to turn him soon as I was just below a halfspool. Then it started feeling funny and very "jittery", my line was rubbing on something. Boom I was cut. Reeled in to see quite a bit of frayed line, about 30yds. I believe I was rubbed on the shipping channel buoy and the frayed 130 couldnt hold the monster. This was clearly the largest shark Ive ever hooked and it was at the place I pray opens 24hrs again as I know 14ft+ can be hooked there.
Team HUGE Gear Captain
"GET SOME!"
Abandoned crab trap lost a couple then finally dragged one in.
I've also sharked that pier as well in the past & prefer to balloon out off the end..but it doesn't always work out that way due to the crowds or anglers that have 50 rods for 1-2 people & are constantly casting over your line. I do recall one time I was lucky enough to secure the end & get a bait out to the channel only to learn that when I was ready to reel in early morning,I was hung up. In my case,I didn't get cut or broken off..but I ended up dragging about 12-15lbs of rock covered in what I call "fan clams" that my secondary hook went around. It really sucked having to pull all that dead weight back in with that wicked current fighting me all the way,but on the bright side,my 14/0 & I got one hell of a work out & I saved my gear. That channel drops off fast & in a boat we have found depths of 90-95 ft in that channel off from the end of that pier. Sorry about your loss of tackle & freight train,but maybe next time that monster wont be as lucky
Another thing to do,is the next time your out there,check with one of the park rangers to see if a night pass is available if they continue to close down early. You can obtain one for quite a few of the state parks around this area. Just a thought & hope this helps
Those hammers are huge down south. Lord.
Sorry about that lost monster,all kinds of crap on that bottom out there.Also that is a pinellas county park not a state park so no 24hr passes....Dave
Hook ups like that give me A awesome rush!!!!!!!NEXT TIME... 
Like Timmy said "A rush" for sure just reading that story.The first time I ever fished Ft Desoto years ago when it was a wooden pier I hooked a shark that dumped half a 14/0 in nothing flat before my my line parted. Ft Desoto has the potential to be a place where a WORLD RECORD hammer can be caught .That deep channel holds some monster sharks that spool the strongest reels with the thickest lines,,,the strength and the speed of the current flowing past the pier don't help the angler either but on a lucky night by a DETERMINED shark hunter 'It Can Happen'. Don't give up buddy you know they are there.
SOUTH FLORIDA SHARK CLUB -President SFSC-Founding Member est 1983 SFSC-Website Administrator BIG HAMMER SHARK TOURNAMENT -Founder Rene Memorial Sharkathon -Founder NMFS Shark Tagger
Hate you lost a feight train.............hope you get him on your next trip
Sucks to lose a monster but hell, I'd like to at least hook one soon! I've been thinking about paddling out baits from Desoto's "Bay Pier". Think the current flows too fast through there for that? I'd hate to make a unplanned trip to Egmont on my canoe .
Go big Or go home! 
I've been by that spot on boat before but never fished from the pier. Sounds like it's only a matter of time!
Awesome War Story. Hope you get that Beast next time.