(Super Bowl 2012)My first/biggest Hammerhead... 14ft 2inches

MARK YOU DID IT MAN, YOU CAUGHT THE BEASTTTTTTTTTTT. I COULDENT BELIEVE WHAT I WAS HEARING FROM JD HAMMER THAT NIGHT. I MUST HAVE ASKED HIM ARE YOU SERIOUS THAT MARK JUST CAUGHT A 14 FT 2INCH HAMMER LIKE 3 OR 4 TIMES, I COULDENT BELIEVE WHAT I WAS HEARING. CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR MONSTER KING KONG HAMMER MARK AND ON YOUR FIRST HAMMER AND BIGGEST SHARK. I WILL SEE YOU ON MONDAY BRO AND I WILL BE EXPECTING YOU TO BE SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS. I WILL BE BRINGING ALL MY SHARK GEAR FOR YOU TO SIGN.

CONGRATS AGAIN BRO.

Thanks lol, I hope I don't have to sign too many shark rods...

@stevens, it was in the south east area, and I supposed I'll try to make a post on the when and where part of the forum for when i do go out, but most of my trips are sneak attacks...

QUOTE
"by Physicsman » Wed Feb 08, 2012 5:38 pm
That was an illegal shark to land. The regs are well publicized. You should have released the shark when you identified it. http://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/regulations/sharks/ "

YOU SIR ARE MISTAKEN READ CAREFULLY down below THE LAW AS WRITTEN IN THE FWC PUBLICATION THAT YOU SO GENEROUSLY PROVIDED US A LINK TO REVIEW.The shark is illegal 'TO HARVEST',DO you know the difference sir? Obviously you do not.Thank You.

For all of you out there who have expressed concern over the handling of the 14 ft 2 inch hammerhead .If you read carefully everything that this very intelligent(in Dade County School Board Gifted program and at a Magnet School)young shark fishermen he was extremely careful in his handling of this Protected species.He is a shining star in our club and an example to many old and young anglers of the proper way to handle sharks,,we cannot say enough about this young man.
Notice in the pictures that at no time was the shark removed from the water it's head and gills remained in the water.furthermore he took the time to carefully revive this magnificent predator of the seas and we are proud of his handling of the shark.We are a shark club that promotes conservation of sharks and all aquatic resources and we have worked many years with NMFS back when Jack Casey ran the program in the 1970's and recently with Pat Turner at the Apex Program also NMFS/NOAA .In past years we worked with Dr Sonny Gruber,Dr Charles Manire(University of Miami and Jose Castro (Mote -Nurse shark studies)helping to collect shark specimens for research , and have cooperated with Dr Robert Hueter (Mote Marine). We have been involved in this sport for over four decades and we have been involved in all facets of shark research and studies many times we have worked right along scientist who have asked for our help.We are for conservation not against it and we will not tolerate any shark fishermen on this site that does not practice Catch and Release shark fishing.We have stressed and will continue to stress the importance of protecting sharks and there depleting stocks for future generations .We are sportsman who care about the resources but we are tired of being singled out like villains.We have dramatically changed the way we handle sharks and we place great emphasis on sharks surviving after we release them.This young angler was the perfect example of an American youth practicing a healthy sport while at the same time being dilligent in assuring a great animal survives.We see the need for protection of sharks but we as humans also need protection from those that would turn us into victims and obliterate our rights as citizens of this great nation.
If you do the research you will see that the Asiatic and Central and South American longliners kill millions of sharks and they are who we should be trying to apply pressure on an International level to seek a COMPLETE BAN ON SHARK LONGLINING, not on the recreational shark hunters who practice INTELLIGENT catch and release.
These are the FWC laws that went into affect Jan 1st 2012 and we fully abide by them and completely understand them and maybe some of you out there should understand that the Ban prohibits 'Harvesting' the shark and encourages 'Safe' catch and release.Please read carefully the Law as published by Florida's FWC.

"The FWC Commissioners passed a rule that prohibits the recreational and commercial "harvest" of tiger sharks and great, scalloped and smooth hammerhead sharks from state waters at the Nov. 16, 2011, meeting. The rule took effect January 1, 2012.

Anglers may catch and release prohibited shark species in state waters. Anglers may also catch and take some species of shark in federal waters and land them in Florida but boats traveling through state waters carrying shark must not stop in state waters until the fish are landed.

Catch and release methods: By using the following techniques when fishing for shark, anglers can greatly increase fish survival rates.

Use tackle heavy enough to "land" a fish quickly to reduce exhaustion, which could result in its death or weaken it making it more vulnerable to predators. (Prohibited species that die while on the line after being caught in state waters should be returned to the water.)
Release the fish while it is in the water "when possible".
Use a de-hooking device to remove hooks safely.
Use non-stainless steel hooks - these hooks can dissolve if they remain in a fish.
Use non-offset circle hooks when fishing with natural bait to avoid gut hooking a fish - circle hooks tend to hook fish in the jaw, making them easy to remove.
Bend barbs down on hooks so they can be removed with less damage to a fish."

CONGRATS!!!! What a freakin beast, that is just awesome man!!!!

Duuuuuuuuuude! unbelievable catch, congrats bro, way to go. You officially gave me shark fever i gotta hit the beach soon! also great job on the release i know hammers can be tough to revive sometimes. awesome job.

Mark will be signing autographs on Sat. night at the "Super Bowl Spot" starting at 10pm. I PM everyone on this site and others shark sites the location and where to park. Please bring your own paper, pen and something for Mark to lean on when his is signing.

By the way, I will be collecting a donation of $10.00/per angler to assist Mark with his tour. He will be promoting Catch and Release Shark Fishing throughout the state in public and private venues. LOL just kidding.

Thank you,

QUOTE
"by Physicsman » Wed Feb 08, 2012 5:38 pm
That was an illegal shark to land. The regs are well publicized. You should have released the shark when you identified it. http://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/regulations/sharks/ "

YOU SIR ARE MISTAKEN READ CAREFULLY down below THE LAW AS WRITTEN IN THE FWC PUBLICATION THAT YOU SO GENEROUSLY PROVIDED US A LINK TO REVIEW.The shark is illegal 'TO HARVEST',DO you know the difference sir? Obviously you do not.Thank You.

For all of you out there who have expressed concern over the handling of the 14 ft 2 inch hammerhead .If you read carefully everything that this very intelligent(in Dade County School Board Gifted program and at a Magnet School)young shark fishermen he was extremely careful in his handling of this Protected species.He is a shining star in our club and an example to many old and young anglers of the proper way to handle sharks,,we cannot say enough about this young man.
Notice in the pictures that at no time was the shark removed from the water it's head and gills remained in the water.furthermore he took the time to carefully revive this magnificent predator of the seas and we are proud of his handling of the shark.We are a shark club that promotes conservation of sharks and all aquatic resources and we have worked many years with NMFS back when Jack Casey ran the program in the 1970's and recently with Pat Turner at the Apex Program also NMFS/NOAA .In past years we worked with Dr Sonny Gruber,Dr Charles Manire(University of Miami and Jose Castro (Mote -Nurse shark studies)helping to collect shark specimens for research , and have cooperated with Dr Robert Hueter (Mote Marine). We have been involved in this sport for over four decades and we have been involved in all facets of shark research and studies many times we have worked right along scientist who have asked for our help.We are for conservation not against it and we will not tolerate any shark fishermen on this site that does not practice Catch and Release shark fishing.We have stressed and will continue to stress the importance of protecting sharks and there depleting stocks for future generations .We are sportsman who care about the resources but we are tired of being singled out like villains.We have dramatically changed the way we handle sharks and we place great emphasis on sharks surviving after we release them.This young angler was the perfect example of an American youth practicing a healthy sport while at the same time being dilligent in assuring a great animal survives.We see the need for protection of sharks but we as humans also need protection from those that would turn us into victims and obliterate our rights as citizens of this great nation.
If you do the research you will see that the Asiatic and Central and South American longliners kill millions of sharks and they are who we should be trying to apply pressure on an International level to seek a COMPLETE BAN ON SHARK LONGLINING, not on the recreational shark hunters who practice INTELLIGENT catch and release.
These are the FWC laws that went into affect Jan 1st 2012 and we fully abide by them and completely understand them and maybe some of you out there should understand that the Ban prohibits 'Harvesting' the shark and encourages 'Safe' catch and release.Please read carefully the Law as published by Florida's FWC.

"The FWC Commissioners passed a rule that prohibits the recreational and commercial "harvest" of tiger sharks and great, scalloped and smooth hammerhead sharks from state waters at the Nov. 16, 2011, meeting. The rule took effect January 1, 2012.

Anglers may catch and release prohibited shark species in state waters. Anglers may also catch and take some species of shark in federal waters and land them in Florida but boats traveling through state waters carrying shark must not stop in state waters until the fish are landed.

Catch and release methods: By using the following techniques when fishing for shark, anglers can greatly increase fish survival rates.

Use tackle heavy enough to "land" a fish quickly to reduce exhaustion, which could result in its death or weaken it making it more vulnerable to predators. (Prohibited species that die while on the line after being caught in state waters should be returned to the water.)
Release the fish while it is in the water "when possible".
Use a de-hooking device to remove hooks safely.
Use non-stainless steel hooks - these hooks can dissolve if they remain in a fish.
Use non-offset circle hooks when fishing with natural bait to avoid gut hooking a fish - circle hooks tend to hook fish in the jaw, making them easy to remove.
Bend barbs down on hooks so they can be removed with less damage to a fish."

Will, I am glad you are keeping up on these laws because I may not have fully understood or kept up with everyone of them since there are so many now, I may need a lawyer when I go out fishing... I am studying law (and sciences). I have worked with shark researching programs before, I helped a program from RSMAS which did research and tagging of baby bull sharks (that's all I will say on that project). I have done internet surveys and have been interviewed on snook research by FWC and another organisation. I try to be involved to keep the fish I like to catch around to catch them again. I did have generally heavy fishing tackle and I powered that shark in trying to avoid a long fight so it would not be too tired... Earlier I was privately talking to a friend and told him that if I had a chance I would tell Neil Hammerschlag this on the matter of that hammerheads survival:

My friend and I ensured this shark's survival as we walked it back and forth in the water for a whole hour, stretching out its muscles and wiggling it in a natural swimming motion to rid the shark of cramping and lactic acid build up, she tried to break free from our hold 4 times before she was finally just too strong for us to hold onto any longer and she swam off steadily.

If there is a way that somebody closer to him could get this message to him I would appreciate it. I just turned 18 and I try my best no to hurt fish like this. My hook breached this shark's jaw and is even slightly visible from my pictures, I did not foul-hook or gut hook the animal and my hooks were low grade steel that should rust out of the sharks mouth in under a month. I don't have anything to prove to anybody and have no purpose in killing a shark, I don't eat fish or sharks so the only fish that I kill become shark baits or food for friends and family, which I obviously don't bring too many back home with me because everyone always complains that I don't do so.

Mark will be signing autographs on Sat. night at the "Super Bowl Spot" starting at 10pm. I PM everyone on this site and others shark sites the location and where to park. Please bring your own paper, pen and something for Mark to lean on when his is signing.

By the way, I will be collecting a donation of $10.00/per angler to assist Mark with his tour. He will be promoting Catch and Release Shark Fishing throughout the state in public and private venues. I

Thank you,

You people are putting me in too high of a throne, I'm not that great of a fisherman, I just got lucky. You figure after losing 20 or so monster sharks your bound to land one right?

Mark will be signing autographs on Sat. night at the "Super Bowl Spot" starting at 10pm. I PM everyone on this site and others shark sites the location and where to park. Please bring your own paper, pen and something for Mark to lean on when his is signing.

By the way, I will be collecting a donation of $10.00/per angler to assist Mark with his tour. He will be promoting Catch and Release Shark Fishing throughout the state in public and private venues. LOL just kidding.

Thank you,

HAHAHA yes Chris, you're riding to "The Superbowl Spot" in my truck right? Lets leave around 9:00pm so we can get there before anybody steals our spot lmao

When some one complains they should be educated about what they are complaining about. Does this guy take us for idiots or what? He or she must be a very anal person who jumps to conclusions and makes enemies every where they go. Read the report DUMMY. Or should I say HATER.
Mark, the best thing about catch and release fishing is no one even has to know what you caught.

Where do these guys come from...... REALLY !!!!!! Why Be Haters... This was a Dream Catch....Mark did exactly what we preach, C&R. Learn the Laws before you go and try to down talk someone.

where was that?

Very near Miami and it's many nearby islands .Also there continues to confusion about the new FWC shark regs please read them in this link so your mental confusion will be cleared once and for all.

http://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/regulations/sharks/

'snookman' if you want to contribute to this site please register a username with password and then if you can make sense and can TRULY UNDERSTAND THE FWC LAWS we'll allow you a platform to voice your asinine tirade,,,,,,,,,maybe.

Mark thats is one huge Hammer.Congrats.Now you have earend the name Mark the Shark.

Mark thats is one huge Hammer.Congrats.Now you have earend the name Mark the Shark.

Thanks, I'm guessing you posted from Tampa? Looks like you got to get a new computer.